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After doing several holsters with different techniques I've settled on using a heavy weight for the outside layer for one reason only. I like to carve as deep as possible. For me, lighter weight leather doesn't give me the depth I like when carving and doesn't hold the carving as well after final forming and bending. My most recent holster was 8/9 outside and 3/4 inside. Forms great and is very stiff when dry.

Chris Andre does his with 2 layers of equal weight. I do this when I want a lined holster and I can say it is very stiff. My method is different than Dwight. I just glue 2 layers together and treat it as I would normally. I haven't read the article but I do know bianchi was a fan of using suede linings, in which case would be lighter in weight and adhered to the heavier holster body. I'd recommend 2 layers if 4/5 oz for owb and 3/4 for iwb.

Got a great deal on a Juki LU-563. Essentially a one-owner machine that has spent the last 10-15 years in storage. It is tight and free, but it will obviously need to be oiled and checked out before being put into use. Most of the discussions on this forum seem to deal with damaged or broken machines. This one appears to be in remarkably good condition. My question is: Does the machine need to be completely disassembled? I have not yet found a service manual, and I'm hoping not to have to take it apart using a parts diagram. Thanks in advance for thoughts on how to proceed.

Sorry, I unintendedly posted a duplicate post. The original has the pictures, but here they are again.

Thank you very much for the replies, everybody. Chuck, I agree that experimenting with different weights to find what works best is the way to go. I'll probably try to find a decent source for smaller panel-type cuts of Hermann Oak for trial holster purposes. Since I use leather around 4/5oz for shoulder holster straps, and the 8/9 or 9/10oz stuff for unlined holsters, about the only use I'll have for the medium weight stuff would be for the lined holsters, so I'd certainly like to find the ideal weight for it before I invest in multiple sides for lined holsters. ALZilla, I'm sure Mr. Nichols does recommend horsehide, for the reason that he's been fascinated by Seventrees holsters since roughly 1970, and Seventrees used horsehide nearly exclusively for their holsters. I've heard very interesting things about using horsehide for holsters, namely that the flesh side is nearly as smooth as the hair side, and that once a horsehide holster has been wet molded and dried it becomes about as rigid as kydex. I'd be interested to try it out if I could find a source for it. Mr. Tragacanth, I've never considered whether the mineral content of the water used for wet molding could have an effect on the rigidity of the leather, but it very well could. That'd be an interesting test, trying pieces from the same cut of leather using distilled, spring and tap water. Dwight, I was sure this was the case, but I'm very glad to get your opinion on the matter. I'm not really sure what happened there when Mr. Nichols wrote that passage, as he really is quite knowledgeable. That's why I wondered if there was some variable or combination of variables that caused this to be Mr. Nichols firsthand experience making lined holsters, but I'm not sure what that could be. In any case, I do have a few more questions for you about your process for making lined holsters. Do you find that pre-bending the outer layer before glue up as you describe gives you better results than gluing the layers flat and folding the holster afterwards? I had figured on gluing the layers flat and setting one of my granite tooling slabs on it while the contact cement cures, as I thought that weighing it down real good would help to create a stronger bond. But I know that a number of people pre-bend their lined holsters to prevent the liner layer from wrinkling when the holster is folded. Have you found wrinkling to be a problem when cementing the layers flat and bending the holster after the cement is cured? Also, regarding the weight of leather used, in reading some of your various older posts on this subject, I've read that you've used two layers of 4/5oz, 5/6 oz and 6/7 oz. Which of these weights do you find produces the best balance of stiffness and moldability for you?

Thank you, forgot that one. Finished it today.

Awesome! Thank you, let me know what you find 😊 Thank you!!

Ah we need some pictures?

Hi, If you give me your e-mail address via personal message, I will send you a pdf of the original user manual for the Adler 4 and 5 machines. It is in German language - so you should be able to understand the text without an AI translator. Another thing : are you sure that you have the needle positioned the right way ? Industrial needles as used in the Adler 4 and 5 units have to be in such a position, that the thread enters from the left side of the needle when facing your machine and exits to the right side - not like home sewing machines where you are facing the thread hole of the needle when sitting in front of the machine. Latter is just to make sure that your needle is in the correct position - else your thread will break as soon as it tries to tie a knot with the hook. Are you also sure that the needle size used is the correct one analog to the thread used ? - A heavy thread will require a thicker needle in order to ensure proper pass through the fabric/leather. Last but not least - what type of needle are you using - the Adler type 4 and 5 use needle type 328 - get the ones made by Schmetz and avoid copies made in Chinesistan or India - they are mostly junk with inferior dimensions and quality. Also : try to pull on the thread before it is engaged to the eye of the needle - if you can not pull it a centimeter before it breaks, your top thread tension settings are way to stiff/strong. Greetings Hans

This is my first tooled bag and one of the first tooling designs that I have made by myself. The wheat and wild roses were included to reflect the Albertan prairies where the client lives. Solid brass hardware; the bag is finished with mink oil; and the tooled piece also finished with resolene to try to preserve the painted parts. The leather is bought from an old style Mennonite community in Belize, where I suspect is was made. The pattern was modified from Retro Leather Goods' leather saddle bag pattern. This project has taught me to use antiquing gel! Tooling takes too long to not use the proper product. Any thoughts, recommendations, or critiques? I would like to know how I can improve. Thank you.

I have a bunch of hair-on sealhide, and a ready source of caribou (all I can tan, pretty much) but haven't found a way, that I like, to include it in leatherwork. Be cool to see how you do with it.

I've only made a few Western-style holsters so I have limited experience but I would have to question that article, it seems to me he is making a blanket statement that he considers fact when in reality there are lots of variables when dealing with leather. My first couple of holsters were made using fairly light leather (I can't remember the weight) with two layers glued back-to-back. By the time I'd finished they were rigid, and still are. I progressed to using the same weight for the liner but a slightly heavier weight for the outside, only because I thought it looked better. I noticed he mentioned using a suede liner, that is going to be softer than a "normal" hide so won't add much to the overall stiffness. Also, leather that is wet-formed tends to gain stiffness. The best thing you can do is try different combinations to work out what style you like and whether lined or unlined works best for you, but at the end of the day the customer will determine which style you make.

Meanwhile i did some searching and reading and found this drawing. That gives me a kind of answer. That the teeth from the upper and lower part should lock in to each other.

Yes . That are the parts. Thank you.

I use Xylene, a bit like Toluene. Nasty stuff but it works (the fumes are......exhilarating).

This is my first tooled bag and one of the first tooling designs that I have made by myself. The wheat and wild roses were included to reflect the Albertan prairies where the client lives. Solid brass hardware; the bag is finished with mink oil; and the tooled piece also finished with resolene to try to preserve the painted parts. The leather is bought from an old style Mennonite community in Belize, where I suspect is was made. The pattern was modified from Retro Leather Goods' leather saddle bag pattern. This project has taught me to use antiquing gel! Tooling takes too long to not use the proper product. Any thoughts, recommendations, or critiques? I would like to know how I can improve. Thank you.

Soak your little pieces in water (hot water?) to soften them - might need a few days - then try a blender. Hopefully it will turn them into mush and then dry it out? No idea if it will work.

I'm never sure which one does what! I'll try one after the other until it gets the job done. I'll always try the thinners first, the toluene usually does it. This is the one I use to thin the contact stuff. I don't use it often so I'll usually pour a little if this on top of the glue before I put it away. It is an animal though, The other day I found a small plastic glass that I had left a glue brush in with some thinners was just a puddle. The white spirit is best for removing the white leather marker lines. Acetone is last.

I can totally see how this would give a rustic look, especially for the re-enactment types.

a belt sander would be my choice 80 grit or so.

I have a lot of leather scraps from using leather dies to cut out leather shapes. I want to know the best way to turn those scraps into leather dust for embossing projects. I use a sharp chisel to cut the leather into small pieces about 1/8 inch in size. I used a vita mix mixer and it broke the mixer, then I used a food processor and all that did was make the leather pieces fuzzy. I want to try an electric grain mill next but that can be pricey. Is there a better way to accomplish this task?

I am going to give this man or the scribe who wrote this . . . a get out of jail card. The last sentence is totally . . . completely . . . dumber than a cracked rock . . . WRONG !! The get out of jail card says they simply made an editing mistake . . . or were talking without thinking . . . the statement is totally wrong. A holster made for example out of one single piece of 12 oz veg tanned leather will be a stiff holster. . . . no doubt. But if you take two pieces of 6 oz . . . (piece # 1) one with the exact design and dimensions of the original 12 oz . . . and a (piece # 2) second piece that is about 3/8 inch longer and wider than the first one . . . and you make a holster out of this . . . it will be MUCH stronger . . . MUCH more durable . . . and will retain it's strength for years . . . after the first is a flat plie of trash leather . . . looking for a scrap heap to jump into. You make the first piece so that it is cut from the original pattern . . . but cut with the flesh side facing up and the pattern laying on it. The second is cut with the hair side facing up and the added 3/8 inch added to the original pattern. Take this first piece . . . dampen it substantially . . . and roll it into the general shape the holster body would need . . . let it dry. Add contact cement to the flesh sides of each piece . . . let it get dry enough that there is only a very slight tacky feeling to the touch. lay the second piece on the table . . . hair side down . . . and using the edge of the barrel that houses the sight track . . . gently put the sight track of the first piece down onto the second piece . . . get a good contact . . . and roll it a bit from side to side. Keep working until you have the stitch edge in your left hand . . . the holster basically squeezed together. This is the process that makes the strongest and most durable holster out there . . . made entirely of leather. Some folks add a metal lining between the two pieces of leather or a piece of kydex. I've never found a need for it. And again . . . that is in full defiance of the last sentence I highlighted for your understanding. As printed, that statement is not worth a pothole in the middle of an airport runway. May God bless, Dwight

yup thats the idea, probably not a complete holster but inlayed into the design somehow, also the ball pouch, powder horn pouch, and possibly the belt may have some. I haven't thought it all out yet lol I surprised myself on how well they turned out.

What he ^^^^ said May God bless, Dwight