katsass

It's like oil and water don"t mix.........and water doesn't clean oily things very well. Alcohol and water only mix sightly better than oil and water. Feibing's dyes are solvent {alcohol} or oil based, denatured alcohol works on both types of Feibing's dies. Mike

Well, to me, simpler is better..........maybe I'm simple. I'm no artiste and my logo/maker's mark shows it.........but it's never confused with anything or anyone else's work. Mike

BIGGUNDOCTOR: I'm on the outskirts (or used to be the outskirts) of Victorville, CA. Not too far off the !5. This used to be a nice little town 50+ years ago when I moved here. 'Taint so anymore. Rt. 66 came right thru the middle of town back then........still does, but the new folks don't realize it much. Mike

NoahL may be speaking of TIM START of High Desert Leather. highdesertleather.com Go to the 'Do it Yourself" tab at the very top of the screen. Mike

YA DONE GOOD, BUDDY!!!

Thanks Clay, that's the information I was looking for. I finally got something more on it's range etc. when googling 'file snake'. It looks as though I can lawfully utilize this as inlay in some of my work, along with those others that I have mentioned. Again, I appreciate the effort in taking the time to reply. Mike

Good to know BIGGUNDOCTOR. I'll file that knowlege away along with trapping instructions for the deaded Western Mojave Hell Diver. It lives only in the deepest (35 ft. or more) lagoons on the north side of the Mojave River in the Calif. and Az. desert. Mike

Thanks busted but I am familiar with the site, however it doesn't say what this type of slither it is. Is it just another name for an asian rat snake or what? As I said, it may be kin to the infamous (yet never seen) Nauga. I just don't know, and apparently, neither does Google. Mike

I have Googled Karung snake and Karung snakeskin.....to no avail. I want to know what the heck kind of critter it is..other than a 'generic' snake. I live in Ca. and darned near any exotic slither skin is unlawful to work with for commercial purposes. Western Diamondback rattlers are 'endangered' along with every sub species of that particular slither. Python also, even though they are trying to eradicate them from the south. Cobra is also out. I can use Eastern Diamondback and Sea snake, but am wondering if the Karung is a real snake or kin to the famous varicolored (yet never seen alive) Nauga. Thanks, Mike

One last thing BigO, I stay away from nylon thread of any sort.........use only waxed linen, and re-apply wax as I go. The reason is this: (I may be dating myself, and there may actually be no current reason for my prejudice against nylon, BUT) Quite a while ago a well known commercial holster maker came out with a holster with a sew-in sight track, which necessitated a welt being sew in on both the front and back of the holster. For stitching, the outfit used a nylon mono filament thread. I was a LEO at the time, and our range people did a demonstration in weapon retention. They used a little (maybe 100 pounds or so) clerk....not an officer.........who just grabbed the butt of a K frame Smith&Wesson wheel gun and yanked.....HARD on it. The holster opened up just like tearing out a postage stamp. It DIDN'T happen with any other holster we tried it with that used linen thread........albeit none of the others were the exact design as the first. I may just be stubborn or hard headed, but I use linen. Mike

For what it's worth, I primarily make holsters and finish amost all of them with Feibing's Super Sheen. I use an airbrush and shoot a mist on the thing, allow it to dry (it dries pretty quickly) then mist on a second shot. Too much of any of the acrylic finish products and you end up with a 'plastic' look, which, to me, is nasty. Mike

FWIW Noah, That's the way I was taught, and that's how I've done it for well over 30 years now. I addition, I always go thru the same side first. Mike

My thoughts on responding to queries on this (or other) forums is this. I respond when the question covers a point which I feel that I have enough experience and knowledge of, so as to be able to give some measure of assistance. I never try to be condescending or (at the worst) sharp or abrupt, and I hope I never come across in that way. However, I do have a problem with the individual that asks a question, then when answered (one or more times) continues to ask for and more specific instruction. Frequently his final word is to make an excuse for an unsuccessful outcome or the inability to do as instructed. I know that most of us have butchered quite a bit of leather over the years; made mistakes; worked our way through problems; spent the time, money and effort. I feel that someone that is not willing to make that effort is not worth my time for a response. That said, I simply bypass any query by that individual rather than express my displeasure. I'm no expert, I also use this forum as a teaching aid, I'm just a grumpy old man that works a little on leather holsters, and you may not be of similar attitude. Mike

+1 Thanks Boomstick, I agree on all counts. Mike

steelhawk........well, OK, let's say I do it the traditional way. I'm left handed, do not use a stitching pony, and have worked out my own method......I guess you'd say. But I do not use a drill press or anything of the sort. Just my grubby old mitt. Mike Big O.........First, thanks for the kind words. My awl is an old Osborne, with an 1 1/4 inch diamond (shaped) blade. Mine has a pretty round haft with one flat side. I keep it sharp, hit it with a little bee's wax now and then, and.......... go slow. As I have aged (notice I didn't say 'matured') I find that too damned many people want to do too damn many things too damned quickly. If a customer commission's a piece from you, he wants your best, and if that takes a few days longer than someone else would take......so be it. If he can't wait, he doesn't understand or appreciate quality hand work and doesn't deserve the piece anyway. I also find that there are days that I 'need' to get on a project, but as soon as I pick up a tool it becomes evident that I shouldn't touch the work.......I'll go play with the African Violets, go fishing, shoot a round or two of trap.......or something, just NOT work on leather right then. In the past I have tried to ignore this feeling and been sorry. Not anymore. Only once has a customer canceled his order on me. I finished the holster (for a 1911 Colt) and put it up for sale. It sold in two days. That man has tried to get me to build him custom holsters for different guns for almost three years now, It'll never happen. He sees most of my work at the local gun club (I think some show him their new holster for the fun of it) and every time I come up with something a bit different, he wants one. Again...it ain't gonna happen. I work leather because I like it, the feel and smell of it; the way I can form it into a long lasting useful piece of equipment. I don't make production items. Each holster is a custom piece made to and for the the customer's needs and desires. My customers seem happy with the end product. OK...I'm off the soapbox, see what happens when you get an old man off and running? JMO.....Mike

+1 for Lobo and Dwight...I make almost all of my holsters from two layers of 4/5 oz. leather bonded with flesh sides together...using a good contact cement. Basically a lined holster is the result. Little to no wrinkling. I apply the cement, allow to dry, stick the two pieces together, roll with an old wallpaper seam roller (smooth wood) and allow to sit overnight. I then just treat it as a single piece of leather. Mike

Big O, First of all........an awl will make better stitching hole...period. Now, however, early on, before I became somewhat proficient using an awl, I did use a Dremel tool with a 1/16" bit. I found that it was slightly too large to stitch without the holes showing. I finally found a slightly smaller bit, drilled the holes and used a pair of smooth jawed pliers to stitch with. It worked well, even if it was a bit slow. Practice with the awl.......pretty soon you'll become proficient. Mike P.S. I damn near 70 and I hate wearing glasses...BUT they help for leather work.

Vikefan, I agree that a border would make the end product look more 'finished'. It would enhance your texture work and allow it to stand out even more. I (just a personal preference) would try to shape the sheath a little closer to the blade shape, but that would have no bearing on actual quality of the work nor it's utility. JMHO Mike

Looks good Brad, very wise to add a welt strip, many people initially fail to do so, and end up sorry. You may find that the sheath hangs a bit low and becomes 'floppy' when worn. I think that for that size of a blade I'd bring it up a little higher to provide stability while carrying. JMHO Mike.

Hi BigO, Looks good. It seems that you have listened to some people that know what they are doing here on the forum, USED that combined knowlege (not too often observed ) and worked hard. As Rayban says, the stitching is a bit much for an unseen area, but if you like to stitch...........? Again, good work. Keep at it!! Mike P.S. I made my burnishing/slicker tool from a piece of an old oak desk drawer many years ago, they get better with age and use, also, you might look into getting a good awl, your stitching holes show up as a little large.

As I said, Tandy stuff wasn't too bad.....30+ years ago. They have definitely changed, both in their store quality and their choice of suppliers. JMHO Mike o

DITTO........Mike

Well, my two cents.........I never liked the appearance of unfinished leather on the interior of my early holsters. That's why now, all (except historically accurate) of mine are made from two layers of leather, bonded, flesh sides together. This produces a lined holster basically, but allows for a more firmly molded finished product (IMO) as well as a more finished appearance. As to drag on the weapon, I find no appreciable drag after molding and thorough drying at around 130 degrees. Of course it takes a bit more stitching, but my customers seem to appreciate the extra effort. JMHO Mike