DoubleKCustomLeathercraft

I dunno who else does this, but every so often I get a wild hair and have to do a timed challenge. I call it the 3 hour challenge or the afternoon build. Pick a project thar would normally take 6-8 hours too do, and try to make it in half the time. So far this is my third challenge in the last year. I made a holster for my chest harness, fully tooled and assembled in 3. A carved pancake 1911 holster, lined and stitched but didn't get it dyed in that time window. Did that later to finish it. I'll continue to challenge myself. It helps me develop my time management skills and gives me an idea of what I can accomplish under stress. I need a new belt like I need another hole in the head. But this time I decided to do a gunslinger stitch challenge. Unfortunately I grabbed the wrong template and didn't realize it until I got the stitch lines laid out, but hey... gotta go with the flow. Iquestioned some life choices after i punches all my stitching holes hahaha. In the three hours, I was able to get this belt blank cut, skived for the buckle, gunslinger stitch pattern (all hand stitched), reinforced with a stiffener (gun belts), lined with water Buffalo, all holes and slots punched, snaps set, and half the perimeter stitched. So I wasn't able to compete it in the time slot, but I'm still happy where I ended up. The gunslinger stitch is nowhere near as nice as I would normally do. Like I said, wrong template for the width and it moved on me when I was grooving the stitch line. There's about 45 feet of thread on this belt. That's a lot of hand stitching to do in a short time. My fingers hurt lol I finished stitching this morning, sanded the edges and gave it a few coats of neatsfoot oil. I'm leaving it natural, only oiled, and no burnished edges. It'll be my daily work belt and I want the patina to really show quickly. The best way for that is to leave everything as natural as possible and just wear it. Hermann oak holster side, matte black buckle, black 4p line 24 snaps, and water Buffalo lining

Thanks everyone. I strive to exceed expectations. We're or worst critics, so it's nice to hear from others.

My edged tools are all superbly sharpened to a mirror finish. That's why I had to get stitches in my knuckle (chisel went to the bone) . A sharp blade cuts clean and easy, a not so sharp blade tears the flesh. Even my little wedge banger axe is razor sharp, for a little while anyway. This is the key to getting it to cut clean. And every plane is going to be different. So it's a matter of trial and error

I've never researched anything in skiving, just kinda jumped into it and learned from my horribly costly mistakes. I have no clue what the angle of the frog is on this. It's just a cheap home depot plane that I bought and mainly used for end grain when I was building my shop. I did completely change the edge geometry though. Even ground it all flat and even (these cheap planes need some extra tlc to get them cutting good) It just takes a bit of trial and error to figure it out. The plane chisel does have to stick out further than if you are planing some lumber. Also it's a sweet spot that you must find by trial and error. Too far, and it chatters as you run it down a strap. And at the end if always catches and I need to go back with my skife to clean that up.

Here's an order I finished up stuff last week and delivered to the customer over the weekend. He was so pleased with everything that he's plane an order for 2 sheaths for a couple Randall knives, another for a blackjack model 7 knife, and a buck 119. Along with another chest holster system I've developed for his scoped freedom arms 454 casull. And then when that's all completed we're moving on to a tooled rifle scabbard to display his grandma's pre 64 Winchester 94, pre 46 actually with the 30WCF which became 30-30 in 46 because Marlin developed a new lever gun (I believe the 336) and somehow got the caliber name changed. Beautiful gun, has the saddle ring which just does something for me, great shape... I'm actually more interested in the rifle myself lol Pancake holster with elk for a 1911 longslide 10mm. Knife sheath with snapping turtle inlay for his 9 year old son's knife Backcountry chest holster with grizzly for a Freedom Arms 83 475 linebaugh (ouch)

First off, thank you. I'm not sure what the name of the weave is, but I happened upon it by accident when I made a center consul cover for my dad's truck. In a straight line it's called a walking back stitch, or locking back stitch... something like that. If done right it will look like a rope on one side, and the normal saddle stitch on the other. Think of it as steps, forward 2 steps on one side, back one step on the other, rinse and repeat. It's a single needle way of stitching with a locking stitch that won't run if it breaks. Crossing over with two needles instead of one on a butt joint created this very interesting looking stitch. So I brought that into this design as a extra sling point. On my original design I used lace, which looks pretty but only serves that single function. Man I'm long winded sometimes Thank you as well Chuck. Appreciate it.

Just wanted to share a tip with anyone out there having issues with skiving by hand. We all know the potato peeler safety skife is useful, and a lot of us dad using it. It takes a bit of practice to perfect. I fell I've mastered the art of the skife knife since I work with one thickness, and thin down straps for example. 25-30" of skiving can be stressful trying to get out even. Which is where I have a tip to share. I was in my shop planing a couple boards down to even thickness for a welcome sign I made. It got me thinking, why can't I use my hand plane on leather? Nobody says you can, but there's nothing saying you can't either. So I took my small plane, I refer to it as a finger plane but it's a bit larger than those. Changed the edge geometry a bit and starting playing around with some scrap leather to see what happens. Spent some time figuring out how far to set the blade depth. Fine tuned over a few projects, kept extremely sharp (as all blades should be) Well, this little plane has changed the skife game, for me anyway. Here's a pic of the plane and what it does with leather. You can see how fine of a cut it makes, just barely skimming the high points on the buckle side of this belt blank (more on that to come on that) Anyway, it works and it's a cheap alternative to help reduce some skife anxiety. You can pick these up for like $10.

Here's how it rides pretty much. The gun's weight will bring it down in front a little bit further, but I didn't have the gun to work with.

I came up with this design about 3 years ago trying to figure out a good chest holster for my 44. Originally I made it using lace, but eventually settled on "Titan" brand "survivor cord" paracord (tinder, snare wire, monofilliment fishing line, etc). I weave the holster onto the harness using about 8 feet of the cord. I know it's not a ton of cordage, but a couple snares and tinder is nice to have in the montana wilderness. I use a metal stick release buckle on the strong side to make it easier to put on and take off. Operates just like a cobra buckle. This is my first actual sale of my design which makes me excited. I've made plenty of the Alaskan style chest holsters, but that's not my pattern. The holster is made for a Freedom Arms 83 chambered in a the wrist breaking .475 Linebaugh (basically .480ruger for those that haven't heard of the LB) with a red dot sought mounted on top. This customer also wanted the gunslinger stitch on the shoulder strap. The grizzly bear seems to be a very popular pattern for me. And it's fitting for where we roam.

Thanks everyone. I think the customer came up with some good design ideas that I was hesitant to do. He is one that challenges me with nearly every order. Which I personally enjoy any and all challenges, but within reason of course.

Thanks. You'll never see me in a picture though 😉

Here's a picture of the carving before assembly, oil, or finish.

Here's one of my latest holsters. Its a chest holster that rides like the doc holiday, low and cross draw. I used a Gormley hand of God pattern for the holster, modified a bit to ride on the harness instead of a belt. This one is for the 1858 Remington. The rope border is stamps using a triangle bevel. Time consuming but it comes out much better than the rope stamp the customer originally wanted. He was very pleased with this one. I pad and line the shoulder strap with water Buffalo. The rest is Hermann Oak "holster" veg tan. The holster is 9/10oz and the strapping and shoulder strap is skived down to around 6oz. I hand skive with the good 'ol safety skife, then come back through with my finger plane to even out the surface.

That right there takes talent. Beautifully done.

First off, nice job. I especially like the idea of where you put the snap. You did well with the tri weave stamp (i don't know the actual name) I think you'll find that the sharp points are going to get caught when shuffling around. I would have rounded the tip and the corners (like the left side in the pic). It just makes things less likely to catch. And bevel the edges as mentioned above. Keep going. It's a great hobby to get into.

Get yourself some HO. You will be shocked and happy with the difference. I was using Tandy's superior oak(?) I believe it was called. Anyway it was the best they carried at the time. When I got my first side of HO strap leather, I instantly feel in love with working with it. Not only did my tooling come out better, but it is easier to cut and holds a mold much better. You'll love how the swivel knife glides, like butter. I also bought a holster side (both from weaver) at the same time. There is a difference between the two, and I prefer the holster sides over the strap. I have also purchased Grade A or Grade 1, depending on who you're shopping through. For me that was montana leather company. I didn't see much of an advantage justifying the price difference between that and tannery run from weaver. I specialize primarily in holsters, chest and shoulder harnesses, and belts. But the majority of my work is holsters in general.

All I can say is, good luck. The thing about conchos is that a lot of them are very limited and hard to find. I had some deer skulls from a belt I bought when I was a kid and I searched for hours, even contacting the company that made the belt. They didn't know what I was talking about (mass produced product) since that belt was discontinued years prior. I still take a look at ebay or Google searches when I'm bored enough, but I gave up after many long searches. Unfortunately I don't even have the two I had anymore, because I thought I was going to find them easy. Now I'm obsessed with conchos and constantly catch myself buying them on a whim

Thanks for the information. I have been doing test strips and I might have found the gray i was looking for. But I'm also making this vinegarroon for wood applications (ebonizing) so it's going to go full strength. That dark brown color I Got the other day turned into gray by the next morning. Must've needed more dry time. But the thing that's weird is it's almost translucent, making the natural color of the leather ones through the gray and it's almost grainy like an old photo. But i think when is done, I'll dilute it until i get the right shade. Then send a sample to my client to see if he's good with it or not. I'm also going to try this India ink I have for artwork mixed into some black pro dye. Just to calm my curiosity. I figured the wood stain would require something more. I would go with an oil base if I did. All my leather gets neetsfoot oil before I put any final sealers on. So the stain taking some of the oil out isn't going to be too much of an issue. Would you say dampening it, or a light coat of oil would help with maintaining an even saturation? So baking soda bath before? I know that it's required after to neutralize the Vinegaroon's acidic nature. I haven't actually tried to just thin the black dye. I vaguely remember someone saying they tried that and it didn't come out well at all. This would actually be the easiest way to do it. I'll give that a go too. Thanks for all the feedback. I've been researching and trying to find videos on YouTube addressing gray but it doesn't seem to be a popular subject or in just bad at researching lol

I'm sure there's been at least a couple discussions about this. I have a client that's been wanting a gray leather belt, and he's very very patient. It's been about a year of discussions and failed attempts. Not dark gray, but mid tone of gray. I've tried a few different experiments, with one almost working. First, the one that kinda works, but not to my standards. A bucket of rusty steel, and water. Just sitting there forever soaking. A few weeks, months, years... You take the water and put it into a pan that can be heated. Add some rusty metal, nails work best imo. Maybe a single ream of framing nails at this point. Heat the water, but not to a boil. About 170° give or take. Then let it cool. Dip dye at this point, but it's more of a soak. Overnight got me light gray, a week got to dark gray. The issue is it doesn't penetrate the leather at all. A light scratch will show. So for me, and for anyone that's wanting a color to last. That doesn't work. Right now I'm making vinegarroon. I just did a test strip and it came out dark, but more of a brown than a gray. I know that when the steel wool is gone, the solution is great for black. I'm thinking if I dilute it, it will work. Hopes are up, but expectations are null. Ok, now that I wrote a novel. Is there a dye in gray that's available to buy, that actually works good? I'm not a fan of the water based dye that Tandy sells. Can't remember brand name right now. Has anyone tried adding white Indian ink to black dye? This might be my next experiment. Finally, what do y'all think about wood stain on veg leather? I've done this as a youngster making some (elementary) school project that I can't remember exactly. Was something to do with the item trail. Does the stain rub off a lot? What would be the disadvantages? Any help will be appreciated. I've already told my client that from what I've read and tried, it might be wishful thinking. But I refuse to accept that.

Nice. Looks sharp.

I was a bit too late, and my explanation was a little off. Glad you got it figured out

That's freaking badass! What a perfect match.

The edge kote made the project pop a bit more. That really finished the project off nicely. I'm sure you'll get years of enjoyment from this

Thank you. I used 4/5oz Water Buffalo along the sides. The water Buffalo will show for some stretch if necessary. I really like working with that leather. Extremely durable while being soft to the touch. The body is one piece of leather. I skived the bottom where it folds to make it easier to form since I did use a 9/10 oz veg tan. I also skived the cover flap with a slight taper from the fold to the tip. I'm very well practiced with my skife since I primarily work with heavy leather. I also took a small "finger" plane and set it up in a way that I can take any imperfections from skiving and flatten them out. Something i haven't seen anyone do, but it does work with some adjustments to the blade angle.

Now I'm itching to make another gun fighter rig. I'll have to find a knife to compliment the setup. Thanks, you got me spending money now haha Looks good. Enjoyed watching the process through your posts. Thanks