troop

very nice work once again Monica. i see you have a handle on the sewing machine. very well done.

thanks Dwight. those burnishers are exactly what i am looking for.

i am doing it by hand now with that cheap white burnishing disk from tandy. it's just not small enough to get into those tight spots. i am gonna get a friend to make me some small dowels for my dremel. that should help all the way around. thanks for the response. tony

i have a question about burnishing the edges on my holsters. when is the ideal time to burnish? is it before wetting/molding or before? i have tried to burnish before hand and upon soaking the leather it puffs up and the burninshing seems to dissapear, causing me to have to burnish again. on the other hand if i burnish after molding it is increasingly difficult to burnish on the curved areas, more particularly around the molded trigger guard. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. tony

hey dave, does sealing the inside prior to casing make it difficult to mold to the gun? i tried that once and could not get a good mold.

on my holsters i used to just dye the inside, but then i use a support piece on the back with kydex in the middle to stiffen the thumb break area. if i didn't dye the underneath of that support piece the contact cement would act as a block around it, just along the edge. it kinda looked crappy so now i dye the whole thing. i was using the eco-flo junk and would have to dye again after casing and molding. i just got feibings and am using it for the first time on two holsters that are drying right now. so far i like it. hey shorts i was thinking of getting some rubber foam to press my holsters into the shape of the gun, was wondering if you have tried that or not. your holsters look really good. are you still molding by hand?

STBY is right about the draw angle. i carry a full size 1911 horizontal and am thinking that a cant between the horizontal and vertical would make a draw much more comfortable.

very interested in your set up. i have people hitting me up for shoulder rigs as well. i have to put them off until i have the time to start working on one. i was thinking of using 2/3 oz leather for the straps and 6/7 for the holster and ammo pouch. 7/8 would be fine though. i carry a shoulder rig myself at work so i kind of have an idea of what i would do differenty. (not very much) i wouldn't dye the inside of the straps as the dye, no matter how well it's done will bleed some onto your shirts over time. i wear dress shirts and that ain't cool. other than that you sound like you have it down. i was kinda worried however when i saw the segma snaps before reading the explanation. lol i'll be very interested in seeing it progress.

very nice. i did one similar for an H&K 45. i used the timber brown from eco-flo. (have since made a trip out of california and got the fiebings pro dyes) i daubed it prior to soaking and molding then sprayed it while it was just damp. came out just about same tone as yours. customer was happy with it. your stitchiing is looking good too.

i think it looks great. how did you apply the color?

wow, 207. i also have the class 3 cobra from steve. ( i live near his store) i have been using 277 on my holsters, but would like to go up to a 346 on some of them. i have been playing with my stitching lengths as well. i like the looks of the medium length stitches but in the tighter turns i am finding that the shorter stitch lengths come out better. i've only had my machine a couple of weeks and am still learning the art of stitching with it.

very nice stitch work with the machine. is that a 346 sized thread on the top??

i tried to upload the other pics in the last reply. here they are.

thanks for the comments everyone. and thanks for the greek letters Lobo. i have applied the backing piece and snaps. i placed two t-nuts in the back between the backing and holster to support the paddle i will be making for it. i plan on running a strip of kydex in between two pieces of leather for the paddle. was wondering if anyone has a better suggestion or another way of making the paddle.

i'll try that with the next one. i'm sure i'll be making this one again

i agree with the greek lettering. but i didn't know where to find any

have been working (slowly) on this in between orders for everyone else. it's gonna be for my 1911 springfield. will also make a matching ammo pouch as well. will post more as it continues. tony

actually i always double the thumb break side and also put a kydex spacer between the two layers as well. ( learned this after my first holster, which i still laugh about) dont have any good pictures of the top, showing the snap from both sides. must be that they are still too low.

will send some when i get home....

have doing quite a few holsters lately and on some of them the thumb break snaps seem to need more than a normal level of travel to unsnap. the over the hammer strap is snug so am i placing the snap too low, to high or what? any suggestions would help. thanks

i know that neatsfoot oil is used in conjunction with dyes. i was wondering if it works the same with/ or is reccommended with stains, more particularly the gel antiques?

i just did a 92 holster this weekend. some advice if you are handstiching....i found that the single 00 size punch makes really clean holes and looks very neat after stiching. it takes a tiny bit longer doing the single punch at a time but worth it in the end.

i'd be really interested in a holster plate as well...there is a metal plate that came with my class 3 Cobra that i have'nt figured out yet. i wonder if that is what it is.

the class 4 is pretty awsome. if i need to upgrade in the future i will go with the class 4.

i just picked up my cobra class 3 this last friday. i haven't stopped since i got it!!! i 'm surprised i have time to get on the computer. as far as advice, i highly recommend calling Steve at the leather machine company. i didn't know ANYTHING about sewing and less about sewing machines. Steve was very helpful in helping me with adjustments i needed to make for each job i was working on. the machine itself is very easy to use and work with. like i said, i haven't been able to stop using it, it's so easy. i completed two knife sheaths, two holster and three notebooks this weekend with it. seriously, call Steve at the leather machine company. he will steer you in the right direction for what you need even if you don't get his machine. he's very helpful.