katsass

Nice work, well done. Mike

FWIW; one thread, needle on each end. Center the thread in the first hole. First needle through the second hole, second needle through the same hole from the opposite side, pull tight. On to the next hole, do the same thing. You can do it from the inside and turn the bag out,and no stitches will show, if so desired. Mike

FWIW from the grumpy old guy; probably more needed in hand stitching than with a machine. Mike

FWIW; maybe not ---- just don't think anyone wants to hurt your feelings much. Mike

FWIW from the old grumpy guy; That high and thick gloss of law enforcement equipment you mention is NOT leather --- it's a synthetic substance now being used more and more by the big manufactures as an offer as a less expensive substiute for leather. With is there is no upkeep as we used to have to perform. Personally, I despise the look of the stuff, it looks like what it is --- cheap plastic. Mike

As always Ray, your stuff is impeccable. I have no idea why, but it was locked into my mind that the original was designed for an early S&W DA wheelgun, maybe because they fit so well ---- thanks for setting me straight. Mike

VERY nice work. Mike

From the old grumpy guy: sounds like you overdid the Mop & Glo and maybe even the Kiwi.. The 50/50 is correct, but it needs to go on lightly. The first coat needs to go on DRY leather. EVOO my take 24 hours to even out throughout the leather. The Mop & Glo should penetrate so that there is no discernible finish on the leather, or very little. After drying, just one a very light coat to finish. Then the Kiwi. I use no applicator of any sort to apply the polish, other than a couple of fingers. Very light coat of the polish, rubbed in with the fingers to warm the stuff, then buff with a clean soft cloth. I mist the Mop & Glo on with an airbrush. Correctly done, the leather doesn't seem to have much of a finish, it just looks like a nice semi-gloss leather ..... no high sheen like plastic, but the Mop & Glo penetrates and the Kiwi buffs out to the nice semi-gloss. Moderation is the key. I've been using it for almost 50 years without problems. Mike

FWIW from the old grumpy one: I inlay exotics, ie. sandwich it between two layers of leather. I think it sets of the exotic to a greater degree.Example. Mike

Again, FWIW; Regular mineral spirits (paint thinner) isn't recommended. It has a bunch more junk in it that does strange things to Fiebing's dyes and leather. Denatured alcohol can be had wherever you get paint thinner. Mike

FWIW from the old grumpy guy: Kind of depends on what you are going to do with it. For cattle it needs to be steel, for branding leather it can be almost any metal. I brand holsters and soft cases for rifles and shotguns, and use coat-hanger wire and small diameter welding rod. (pics) I have seen mini-irons made from silver; very nice and expensive ones. Mike

Denster, I think you came up with a keeper ----- I like it, a clean and simple design. Mike

The old grumpy guy here: I dye my holsters prior to construction, that way there is no problem (that I have encountered) with wet molding doing things to the dye job. After dying, All parts sit for a day to ensure total drying, but I live in generally warm, low humidity area, humid and/or cooler climates may take more time. For Fiebing's dyes (Pro Oil or Leather Dye) use denatured alcohol. Mike

FWIW from the old grumpy guy; I don't think much of stitching chisels. Many think that my thoughts are not worth much, (to put it nicely) however, I have taught more than a few to stitch and feel that starting with a Dremel type tool is the best. NOT TO MAKE HOLES TO STITCH THROUGH, but as pilot holes to follow with a good diamond awl. Use a 3/64" drill bit, it's itty-bitty .... less than 1/16". Drill your holes carefully so as to ensure that the backside is as straight as the front. To stitch, insert the awl into the pilot, ensuring that you keep it at the proper angle (see Al Stohlman's books on stitching) Make your stitch, and proceed to the next. In time you'll just drill a dozen or so holes and finally slip and stick that awl into a spot that has no pilot and just stuff that sucker right on through. Soon you are just using an awl. JMHO and experience. Mike

The only thing I'd add would be to dilute the Mop&Glo 50/50 with water. Mike

Again FWIW; The 'Threeprson's' style holster was originally designed for a Smith and Wesson DA revolver, if I'm not mistaken. Personally I feel that this holster, the basis for numerous models of duty holsters for LEO use, as well as many field holsters, is most likely the fastest revolver holster made, as well as a very secure rig. Here is one I made earlier this year for auction by the local 'Friends of the NRA' ----- somewhat embellished. Mike

From the grumpy old guy; Lobo has it down pat, the only things I'd add would be to get Al Stohlman's book "How to make Holsters" ... read it .... and take your time.once you start your project. Instant gratification this isn't. If it's worth doing ... do it right. Mike

Go to highdesertleather.com he carries them and a few other hard to find items. Mike

FWIW from the grumpy old guy; I use #1 harness needles with either 5 cord or 7 cord waxed linen thread for holsters. I also firmly believe that if you can pull the thread thru your project by hand ---- the awl used is too damned big or you are somehow making too large a hole.. Mike

Basically, for wheelguns I take 1/2 the diameter of the cylinder plus the thickness of the leather used. Since generally the revolver will seat in the holster on the front of the trigger guard and/or the front of the frame I make sure that those are the areas which I make sure fit well, but I don't take any actual measurement at the frame .... just the traced outline of the shooter in question which generally gives me just about what is needed. Sometimes it does take a bit of trial and error, but not too much.. From there on down the barrel all I do is work out something that looks esthetically balanced. Hope this helps. Mike

FWIW: This type of embellishment is also called 'finger carving'. Basically it's a shallow cut with a fairly wide blade, like a standard swivel knife. The cut can easily be expanded with a ball stylus. Mike

An add-on piece after the front (barrel side) of the holster is stitched. Or, design the holster so that the front is deep enough to cover the hammer. Mike P.S. FWIW..... Remember that wimin wear their belts around their waist ...... above their hips. Wimin's hips usually being wider than their waist (sometimes by quite a bit) can really cause problems when designing a holster ...... the muzzle end usually ends up on the gal's hip bone and the grips end up in her ribs. Tight against the body isn't always the best. It's possible that a cross-draw might work out best ..... the cant on the holster can sometimes get that shooter off of a woman's hip bone and keep the gun from digging into her ribs. Mike

FWIW from the old grumpy guy; I do almost all of my holsters from two layers of 4/5 or 5/6 or a combination of each. I find that after wet molding and heat drying, each of these are (to my observation) much firmer than a single layer of equal weight. I'm sure that a double layer of 6/7 would work well. I also think that a mix of 6/7 and 5/6 should also do the trick. To me, the biggest thing is to get good adhesion between the two layers of leather. JMHO Mike

If you notice in the pics I submitted, (that's a model 36 in it) there is a piece of the leather that pokes up above where the hammer is on the shooter. I call it a shroud, but others call it a guard. It keeps the hammer from ripping hell out of the linings of jackets, the tails of shirts, etc. Also notice that there is no thumb break retention on this holster. Generally I don't include any retention straps on a concealed holster. Mike