katsass

Triggersmith: I like it. Actually I like it a lot better than the embossed piece that I found and used on my first attempt at inlay.Here is a pic of that first inlaid holster.This thing, with all of it's mistakes, taught me a lot about inlay work however. Again, you did a great job. Mike

For being your first holsters you did quite well. I'll address your western rig, mainly because I can't see the pancake very well. The skirt seem a bit large to me, not that that is bad, historically, some old time rigs did have a large skirt, however, it just doesn't 'feel' right to me somehow. I think you need to narrow down the width of the holster. It looks wide and as though the thing will loosen up over time and allow the gun to move around. Get closer to the trigger guard and the frame with your stitching, and shorten up the top of the holster in the same area. For a wheel gun you want to follow the contour of the piece to the bottom of the frame fairly closely to maintain a secure rig.....something like the holsters in the pics, this, even in a western rig to a degree. The belt looks good, your loops seem well done, in the same manner in which I have done for over 30 years. You also seem to have limited the number to 12....the max. (in my opinion) that is usable on a gun rig. Also, they seem to be in the right location. Now, please don't take my comments as any form of put down....you have more than half the battle won; you put in the effort to try.....and you have made a serviceable piece of work. A little 'tweaking' on your pattern is all that's needed IMO. Keep it up. As always, anyone may take my comments as the ramblings of a grumpy old man....BUT, you didn't pay anything for them. Mike

I cut out my pieces, then dye. I usually use a contrasting thread (enclosed pic of a range holster for a 1911 Long Slide) when I stitch as I don't particularly care for same color stitching. Stitching, then dieing, just isn't conducive for that sort of thing. Personally, I don't find that much difference when molding my holsters whether died or not. Of course I don't apply a finish 'till the very last. Mike

Very good for you first. That said, when I was doing tooling, more than a little while ago, I would always 'frame' my design by cutting a line 3/8" to 1/2" or so inside the perimeter of the project, bevel deeply, then do my tooling inside the resultant 'frame'. To me it gives a more finished(?) appearance. The use of a good stitching groover and overstitch wheel (6 stitch per inch is good) would help your stitching to be smooth and straight. JMHO Mike P.S. You might try to 'shrink' the wings a little........just an opinion.

Vikefan: As said, a stitching groover and an overstitch would help your stitching appearance, but for your first go, You done good! Mike

I too stay away from IWB holsters. I tried one and found it to be uncomfortable to wear throughout an entire 12 hr. shift. I so advise my few customers that ask. All those have come back with gratitude in ending up with a tight-in belt holster or an avenger style. Mike

If I understand your question correctly, I believe that you want a black edge along the welt (sewn edge) and probably around the mouth and toe of the holster. Although the pic I enclose only shows a bit of the lower edges of the holster, I think you can see the contrasting color thereon. If this is the appearance you are after, this is how I do it. First sand and smooth the edges then burnish fully. I then take a 1/4" thick piece of hard felt, (the 1" diameter felt buffing wheels for a Dremel type tool work very well) saturate the wheel with the dye color of choice, (wear latex gloves) Lay the holster on a flat surface and run the edge of the felt wheel along the burnished edge of leather. Repeat if it seems necessary. Re-burnish if necessary. Apply your finish of choice. The felt applies the dye in a smooth even line. Hope this helps. Mike

All good points! All of my work is hand (saddle) stitched........I learned stitching from a World War One 'horse soldier' (gives you an idea of how old I am) when I was about 17. He was a strict taskmaster. I learned by working on his broken tack. I don't do tack at all anymore! Getting the right tools is a necessity, and understanding your product is imperative. Mike

FWIW from the grumpy old man. I had to back off of your logo to see what it represented. It took me a bit. Your graphic arts abilities are great, however, in my mind your (any) logo should be immediately recognizable and..... immediately understood. Your logo, impressed in leather, may lose definition and become even less understandable. Even in today's modern business world I find most logos recognizable....but some less than immediately understood. To me, simple is best. I am no graphic artist, I cannot offer any alternative to represent quickly and simply the 'three mutts'. All I can say is that when a customer of mine commission's a piece, then receives it, the first thing generally done by him is to look for my mark, smile upon seeing it, then look at the product. As always, these are just the ramblings of a grumpy old man, take from them what you will. (A pic of my 'mark'.) Mike

Good morning, I'm not an expert at inlay. Actually, I don't care for the term. I learned long ago that most self proclaimed 'EXPERTS' can be determined to be (1) an EX...a has been, and (2) a SPURT...a drip under pressure. That said, I have done a few, and in so doing learned a bit about it. Inlay, as I know it, it is a 'sandwich' of leathers. A base piece, the inlay, and a top piece which is cut to reveal and define the shape of your inlay. I personally glue the inlay to the top ('border' as you call it) piece carefully. This is AFTER the 'border' is cut out, the inside edge is burnished and finished, and that piece is died (if you are going to do so). I then glue the whole flushdingering mess to the back, run a groove around the 'border' (just outside of the inlay) and stitch the whole mess together. I then treat the complete thing as a single piece of leather and complete my project. I enclose a pic of my first inlay holster, which was done in order for me to learn a bit about this type of work. It shows how NOT to do a couple of things already mentioned. First, when cutting out your 'border', mark it at the same time you mark your basic pattern.....a separate, overlay cutting pattern can slip....your inlay may then be skewed, as in this holster. Second, finish and burnish the inside edges of your 'border', as NOT done in this holster The one person that shows his fine, fine work on here is Dave Cole (DCKnives), look for some of his stuff on here and you will see some of the best there is. As to horse tack, I'll leave that up to those more knowledgeable. Take from this what you will, some consider my postings as the rantings of a grumpy old man. Hope this helps a little. Mike

FWIW: I'm a retired LEO, spent 35 yrs in uniform. I make a few holsters, mostly for LEOs. These are for plain clothes or concealed carry. I use 4/5 oz leather, doubled up...flesh side to flesh side. To me this gives me a firmer holster that retains it's molding better than a single layer of leather. I don't 'bone' my stuff, just mold firmly. Where I'm at the pancake holster has given way to the avenger style. For what it's worth again...this rig goes for $75 where I'm at..and yes. it's hand stitched. Mike

Luke: Thanks from katsass. I don't get any call (yet) for black powder stuff except for holsters for percussion guns. This adds to my knowledge about the flint stuff a little bit, thanks again. Mike

I suspect that part of the problem is the finished surface of the leather. Try working with a piece of unfinished scrap and see if you stitching doesn't look better. Mike

FWIW: The only lines that are drawn by me are the outlines of the individual pieces. I don't draw in the stitch lines, fold lines or anything else. All patterns are marked R/H FRONT so as to preclude reversing them when cutting. Works for me. Mike

TwinOaks: If you run the stylus itself over the leather, the mark left can be quite faint...........if you transfer the pattern to tracing film or use something like butcher paper (with a glossy side to it) and trace over your lines and thru the film or paper.........the impressed lines are much more pronounced. All I need to see is just enough to make an initial cut........the marks can be very faint......a horizontal light source assists in seeing them. Mike

Good morning RWP, Keep at it buddy! You'll always make some mistakes here and there, but as you work them out......you learn. Then you get to make NEW mistakes!.... or at least see them coming.....that's the best thing about remembering your mistakes.......to see new ones before they become irreparable. They always seem to happen when least expected. An example of what I'm saying.........I'm working on a belt carrier for a box of 12 ga. shotgun shells with a detachable mesh bag for empty hulls. A simple trapshooting rig. I have made a few that were of a different design or type, and never having made one of this current style and with a detachable mesh bag.... I had to think a bit. (A nice sideline to growing old is that you have destroyed enough brain cells to finally have them down to a manageable quantity) I finally drew out my pattern, cut it out and played with the leather dry...........then wet.........then shelved it for a couple of days and thought on it. I Modified it.....looked at it.......died it......did some stitching.......modified my idea again..... and am now ready to do the final stitching, molding and finish.......on the belt carrier. The mesh bag just came in, and now I have to figure out how to modify the commercial bag to match and fit the belt carrier. What I am saying is ....when starting a project that you have never done previously........slow down, look at what you intend to do......think about HOW you intend to do it.........anticipate upcoming problems ............work them out in your mind's eye.......and proceed. (another nice thing about growing old is that NO ONE expects an old man to do anything in a hurry) The upshot of all this messing with, redesigning, etc., is that the next one will go together in a snap. You KNOW how to do it....and you have waisted less leather. (I've tossed a lot of leather in my time) OK....enough ........take from this what you will, they're just the ramblings of a grumpy old man.......and you didn't pay a damned thing for them. Mike

I moisten my leather, lay it flat, lay the pattern face up on the grain side of the leather and trace around my pattern with a ball point stylus. No ink, no pencil no mark other than a slightly impressed line. Mike

Just a thought, are you stitching after applying your finish? The fact that you use pliers to pull the needle through doesn't matter much to me....I do it with all of my stitching...at least I know that the thread will not loosen and back out. I stitch after dieing but before applying my finish. Mike

You might try stuffing a warm, wet washcloth down inside the holster for a while......when the interior is damp enough, try to remold. I've had some fairly good results wirth this on some comercial law enforcement holsters Don't get the leather so wet that it bleeds through to the finished side..........just warm and damp. Mike

I should have added as does Dwight....I only use an added welt when it's absolutely necessary. Mostly a wedge shaped one for the trigger guard on wheelgun holsters where the guard is fairly wide. (actually, the whole seam is considered the 'welt'). Mike

For the quick answer..........yes. I use Fiebing's Pro Oil Dyes.........only. I find that they produce (for me) a more uniform job than anything else. I say Fiebing's only, but I do use my own vinegaroon for black, and soon I'll try out an old recipe for dye I'll make from walnut hull. Almost all of my holsters are made from two layers of leather, bonded with their flesh sides together, producing a smooth inner and outer surface for the holster.......many times I'll dye the outer shell one color or shade and the inside another. With these I'll dye prior to gluing anything up. Basically.....I despise water based dye........It just doesn't work well IMO. Mike

I think I understand your question: I measure the widest portion of the gun, divide that by 2 and add the thickness of my leather. That is basically the distance from the outline of my pistol (in my pattern) to the stitch line. With auto pistols it stays pretty uniform all of the way.........on wheel guns, I fudge a bit when past the cylinder and down the barrel.....just for aesthetics. I try to keep my stitching about 3/8" from the welt edge. Hope that helps. Mike

Just two cents and the ramblings of a grumpy old man..........the first thing I was to say is a lesson you have already learned......slow down. You have also learned a bit about your pattern and what to think about when in the design stage.......valuable lessons. I do think that your stitch line(s) along the trigger guard and on down seem to be a bit too far from the pistol. It appears to me that the holster will loosen up quite a bit in a reasonably short time. FWIW, this is roughly how I do things: I draw my pattern on an inexpensive manila folder; cut it out, check to be sure that it is what I want; transfer the pattern to the leather and cut it out; (for this type of holster) match the front to the back and cement in place, sand the edges to match and ensure a smooth, regular edge; Dye........ then go milk a cow, read a book, chase mama around the house (at my age that is a very slow chase and doesn't happen very often) do anything that gets your mind off the wet leather! I usually leave it alone 'till the next day. Stitch the thing up, your stitches should be parallel to any welt and an even distance from that edge. Finish the edges and burnish them; MOISTEN (not soak) the leather and mold your holster; Dry it. This is where things can get a bit sticky......if you live in a warm, dry area (as I do) you can allow old Ma Nature to do the drying for you. In my area the humidity rarely goes above the 15 - 20% mark and even night time temps don't drop below 65 -70 degrees 'till winter hits ............ in most areas you need to give things an assist. For best results the leather needs to get warm....no more than 130 degrees! And no heat gun directly on the piece! A convection oven can be used , or even a cardboard box with warm air directed into it will do the job. Go chase a cow or something while drying.....leave it alone for a while. When dry, retouch your burnishing and anything that needs it...........apply finish, and again chase the cow that ate the book.... Not all leather worker's do things this way, each will have worked out a method that works for them....you will ultimately do so also. All that said, take from my words what you will, after all you didn't pay a cent for them..........above all, keep it up........it looks like you have started well. We all make mistakes, and we learn from them, they are not failures, they are just lessons in how not to do things. Mike

+1 Lobo Mike