All Activity

I bought an air-soft 1911A1. Compared to the real gun it looks identical. Cost was about £25 several years ago but they still sell for that or even less

Hello everybody picked up a American St Louis leather splitter. I've been working on restoring this wonderful machine. Here's what I started with ... A rusted mess. This is the first picture at the bottom of the page. Please Let me know what you think thank you.

Quick thoughts: i) what is your budget? ii) Flat items like dog collars are probably best done on a flatbed machine. iii) How thick of a collar will you want to sew? iv) What size of thread do you want to use? v) For your first machine I would suggest going to a industrial sewing machine dealer. That way you know the machine is in working order. Be wary of machines being sold on places like Facebook unless you have someone to go over the machine for you. Sometimes you get a great machine other times you get a boat anchor. kgg

Ebay is always your helper for things you need . . . https://www.ebay.com/itm/396977964819?_skw=1911+blue+gun+model&var=665436502944&itmmeta=01K4QBB3J8JF2KZBGH9YMEN1N9&hash=item5c6dbb0713:g:tV0AAeSwb~hodTUX&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dv2i7ARm3ClNSsxdtKFB0OrG7CAZhEJjKYUozIlkBZe12kCtsecjRR47D6rvCFoRec%2FX13vaUqONlPVuq8ifPxLlvOb2ayE5GdDgATYD0i9splPUBTWVubnSw92ndH%2FksNNy23VBBduDpIktGIOt5LGgTbkyoTPm9EuBvVrsHzfNgoTn5eUH%2BlBCv%2BNQn5knlxF5IQxSNpfAwGKnysm02WUKCQobVKBqvt8Du%2BjYCgvrZoMa47UpZkcPbioivcv%2FU%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_a5rOulZg&pfm=1 May God bless, Dwight

The Pfaff 545 is a common one that comes up on marketplace for me. It's a flatbed triple feed. (You will want to research "triple feed" and learn to identify it.) The Singer 111 series is one I hear a lot about, but they don't come up on marketplace for me. You can take some of your thickest dog collar material, and some of the thread you intend to use, when you go to evaluate the machine. Make sure the machine you buy can sew your materials with ease.

I think on the internet with the so called "Experts ", "Influencers" and "Doctor Google" it is difficult for a lot of new people to get the necessary solid information. The days of mentorship within the dog fanciers / pure breed breeders / dog show people has long gone by the wayside. This has only gotten worst since the China Cough with a lot of people lacking common sense, being more demanding and entitled. That maybe just me as I'm an old geezer. kgg

Well done!

The bridle looks beautiful! When it comes to keyboard warriors, there's always someone that says how awful something is and how devastating it'll be if you continue the practice. The sky will always be falling for them. A very wise person once said "Haters gonna hate, hate, hate. So, shake it off, shake it off."

Thanks. I need smaller tools but it came out ok I think. It was fun. It's simple too, which i like from time to time. Can be knocked out in a day.

Optics Planet $48 https://www.opticsplanet.com/blue-training-guns-by-rings-blue-training-guns-colt-1911-pistol.html Also, Knife Kits -- https://www.knifekits.com/vcom/holster-making-moldsprops-c-585.html I really like Chuck's idea of using a BB or Air Soft model. Some are exact copies, which you may be able to buy for say, $50. Then, you would not only have a useful mold but a fun toy at the same time. A couple of things to consider. First, the sturdiness of the mold. It has to be strong enough to endure the molding process. A vacuum press should be okay with any mold... a shop press, would not. Some gun molds are available with a sight channel molded into them. Mine does not have that. I use a chopstick whittled down to fit between the front sight and the rear sight. I taped it on with some of that blue painter's tape and it has held well.

Ok, good to know. I will bump up the line pt 1.2mm. I was assuming that wherever you buy the stamp would advise to any necessary change for a clean impression. I will check out The Steel Co. If there is anyone else that has a favorite stamp co I would to check them out.

many air soft guns are exact fits but you need to measure them to make sure.

The folks at The Steel Stamp Co tweaked my logo to make a small impression. Very happy with their work.

Looking for recommendations on a trainer gun to build a holster, without having the actual gun. Building a rig for a 1911 .45 acp and was wondering if anyone knew a good resource for these. Thanks in advance!

@Mulesaw Thanks, Jonas. I agree that it's up to the rider to fit their tack correctly. At FEI sanctioned events they've begun checking noseband tightness prior to horses entering the ring. I guess that new rule got the attention of the keyboard warriors. I do add a leather flap under the buckle of a simple cavesson to pad the buckle. The leather flaps under the dee rings of this crank bridle are a bit unwieldy. Next I plan to use a smaller dee ring and contour the flap differently.

Looks like not much action on this question. I'm not qualified to answer it but I'll suggest maybe canvas. If you've got a craft store near by, it might be worth stopping by. Joann's is no more, but something on that scale. Quiltingboard.com is a pretty friendly place, at least the sewing machine subforum, maybe someone there could help out. On second thought, maybe you could find some of those inexpensive shopping bags everyone seems to love so much and harvest what you need from them ...? EDIT: Well, you said it was plastic like, feed bags are some kind of woven plastic. And since we're now fabric shopping at Tractor Supply, how about a tarp? They come in a small selection of colors, maybe one of those would suit your needs. Or, maybe a garden center would have an anti weed tarp?

I haven't looked through my copy yet. That looks like a fun project.

Best I can tell 2.8 point is just under 1mm and from my experience 1.2mm is a good minimum width for clear stamping but this depends on the overall stamp somewhat. Thinner at the end of lines and in some texts it can still work fine.

The scarf (the little notch on the needle) faces towards the hook.

Hi Tom Beautiful looking bridle! We had a Micklem bridle for my wifes horse, and that had the same system, I was always of the impression that it was made purely to protect the horse from having a buckle gnawing directly to the skin under the jaw (where as you know there isn't a lot of meat to add natual padding). Also having the buckle directly on the skin has the potential of gripping some hair from the horse, especially in the winter time where the hair s long (It might be a bigger problem in Scandinavian winters than in e.g. Florida) I have never heard anyone complaining or bad mouthing the system, but I am not on FB, and that might filter some of the most enthusiastic voices 🙂 As I see it, you can still overtighten a cavesson noseband, but if you are a skilled rider - you make sure that your equipment is fitted correct anyway, and then it won't matter if your system allows for tightening more or less. Brgds Jonas

I just designed a logo so I can start stamping my work. I have a line in the logo that is 2.8 pt, so before I go any further I just want to make sure this will be visible/clear when stamped. I'm new to stamping so any help is appreciated! Thank you!

I agree veesee, it does look better but I have to be honest and say that with more practice, you can get better. There are gaps or voids between the layers in some places. I am not sure what is creating this. It could be the type of glue that you are using, not using enough glue or not applying enough pressure after gluing... I'm just not sure. It could be the leather itself. I have had crumbly leather that looked like that. You are at least half-way there. Glad to see your effort. It's definitely an improvement. What type of glue are you using?

Well done. Randy

I use poundo board or scrap leather.

Just a curious question . . . if someone was to send you a "pattern" . . . made of plastic . . . cut out on a computer based machine . . . of an exact personal buckle . . . would you be up to making that buckle? I'm thinking of the American Western buckle type . . . May God bless, Dwight