katsass

Got to agree with ABN......the overstitch in my pics is over 30 years old, and was bought at a Tandy store back then. It appears that somewhere along the line they went to a cheap tool maker, but back then there stuff wasn't too bad.........I know my favorite awl was made by Osborne and was purchased at some other Tandy store many years ago. Mike

RWP: 6 stitches per inch is a pretty normal size for most stitching. Mike

For what it's worth, I carried my duty weapon in a couple of different Tex Shoemaker rigs back in the late 60's and early 70's. They were well made rigs and rode well. I may even have one around somewhere that I carried a Smith M-39 in for quite a while. A different design than yours but comfortable to carry and held up well. Mike

Well, I use a #6 overstitch for most holsters, and even the few other items I make. Are your parging (dampening) your leather prior to running the overstitch to mark your stitch spacing? I cut my groove, dampen the leather, run the overstitch right down the groove and ............. there it is. A couple of pics. hope this helps, Mike

Well ferg, I'm probably close to your age, I've been at scratching and mutilating hides for around 50 years also......on and off (the fun-n-sun capitol of S/E Asia kinda got in the way for five years) but to your query. I use, and have only used, an overstitch (I think that is what you are calling a marking wheel) to first mark the leather for stitching and, when thru stitching my holsters, I wet them down, mold them, and then run that OVERstitch wheel over the new stitching. It kinda puts a finishing touch on the stitching. I have never used anything else. Mike

bison: I tried to do that many years ago.........with less than a successful result. I never even thought of doing it again. Mike

I have used Feibing's dyes for over 30 years now, and have no reason to change. I primarily use their Professional Oil dyes. They work well through my airbrush and produce very even and predictable color to my leather holsters. Mike

I think I see what you are talking about...........what are you using to 'glue' the leather together? Mike

YEP....and YEP Mike P.S. Here is a holster that has a stitched on strap with a line 24 snap. The snap will give up before the strap, or stitching does.

Well Skald, I don't think I would use shellac as a finish for a holster. I'm damn near positive that you would be looking at a spiderweb of cracks in fairly short order. The only time I used a finish designed primarily for wood, was a number (30+) of years ago for a finish on leather covered rifle stocks. At that time I used clear, satin, brushing lacquer, thinned 50/50 with lacquer thinner and airbrushed on. (In the open and no smoking) I did a number of them for one individual that actually used them while he and his wife hunted Colorado.....for a number of years, and he and his wife were quite happy with them. No problem with moisture. Rifle stocks don't flex any at all, however. Here's some pics of one of those stocks while under construction. pardon the pic quality, these are digital pics taken of old 35mm prints. No digital cameras back then. Mike

Leatheroo, The origins of our two Countries is vastly different. Ours was started by stong willed, independent individuals that voluntarily migrated to this "new land". They needed firearms to put meat on the table and protect themselves from the indigenous peoples from whom they took the same meat that those people felt was theirs, and interloped on the land which they inhabited. Later men needed firearms to fend off French, British, and Spanish individuals that were determined to seize the land and natural resources that the earlier settlers had worked, fought, died for and, in turn, had seized from the earlier indigenous peoples. Later yet, our forefathers needed firearms to become independent from an imperialistic British ruler that felt that he could tax, command and subjugate a people and a land of which he had no understanding. Beyond that, firearms were needed as the narrow band of occupied land was expanded eastward and southward into the territories of other indigenous peoples and lands 'claimed' by other governments.This land was won and kept by virtue of the gun. This is the way of the history of the world.........the stronger overrun, ultimately intermingle and/or subjugate and take from the weaker. Example? The Norsemen (Normans) took England didn't they? Aussie 'settlers' took the land from your indigenous peoples, didn't they? To us, much of this is recent history........the last battle with the Mohave Indians was in 1906 at a location not 40 miles from where I now live. When I became a law enforcement officer in 1969, I walked the same halls, in the same building that Wyatt Earp did only 90 years before me. Your Country was, on the other hand, 'settled' by individuals that were (to put it kindly) removed from polite society by a ruler, empowered by 'Royal' birth. Your Country remained under the authority of the King/Queen for a prolonged period of time. The 'Crown' had long ago outlawed the private ownership of firearms by the masses..........to preclude rebellion! Your current government is based upon the British model, and in many ways, it, and your citizens, live in that shadow. Our government was designed to be a democratic republic, with checks and balances. In it's inception our founders recognized the usefulness of a tool, ie. the firearm. Our Constitution guarantees us the right to keep and bear such a tool. Our people hunt, target shoot, collect, and yes, keep firearms for protection. Our grandfathers were brought up with guns, as were many of our fathers. We have lived with guns, either actually or figuratively, all of our lives. We live with the memories of our forefathers that settled new land and of the famous and infamous that used a gun out of necessity or greed. Those that were infamous, we know, were defeated........usually with a gun. Ownership of firearms is our history, our culture...and our Constitutional RIGHT. JMHO Mike

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** 'Mornig Skald, First, as to keeping it's shape. I water mold all of my holsters.... that is, after dyeing and stitching and prior to applying a finish......I moisten the holster thoroughly, not 'mooshy' wet, but mailable. I stuff the weapon down into the thing and use hand pressure only to form the leather firmly around the gun. I then allow it to dry in a WARM area........about 130 to 140 degrees or so, but not too much warmer...........you don't want to cook the damned thing. It'll dry to a pretty firm shape. Contrary to most makers, I use two layers of 4/5 oz veg tanned (shoulder) leather, glued with their flesh sides together, to make my holsters. This (to me) makes for a more rigid holster than a single thickness of heavier, 8/9 oz leather, but requires more stitching. You also end up with a smooth, finished interior. As to a durable finish, I use Feibing's Leather Sheen, sprayed on with an airbrush. You can follow that (when dry) with a coat of neutral shoe polish buffed up nicely. My holsters have stood up to over 20 years of use and are still being carried to this day. Just my two cents worth, take from it what you will, and if i can give any other assistance, just ask. Mike

anubismp: For an overlay on a holster I would use a good contact cement. I personally use 'Weldwood Contact Cement', the solvent based type. You can get it in as little a 4 oz bottles. I have used the water based stuff from them , but was not too impressed. I use it on all of my holsters, I don't do much (if any) overlay...I prefer inlay work, but you still have to glue it down with something a little flexible. JMHO Mike

Very nice work!!

Katsass: Im in Allen, Texas - its fairly humid about now. Funny you mention drying times.....I only allowed my test piece a few minutes in the sun to dry, long enough to clean the airbrush with some rubbing alcohol and pour in some resolene and start spraying onto my cardboard back stop. well to my surprise rubbing alcohol and resolene combine to make some sort of poormans napalm. Basically water based and alcohol based coatings dont play nice in the same airbrush with out a good cleaning and drying. .... Lesson learned! __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Vapor162: Funny thing about drying times, the project can feel dry to the touch but, 't'aint necessarily so'. I always try to go a little overboard on time, just to be sure. I meant to mention in my previous post.......very nice work for your first holster. Mike P.S. Yep, mixing acrylic with an alcohol based substance calls for a thorough clean up.

First, go to 'SEARCH' on this forum and punch in DCKnives..........take a look at Dave's fantastic inlay work. Then, go to his website, look at 'Knife Info' he has a great tutorial on exactly what you are looking for. You can then take a look at his 'Knife Gallery' for more of the best inlay work I have ever seen. JMHO Mike

Well, all I can think of is that possibly your leather wasn't totally dry after dying. In some areas of the Country it can take up to 24 hours to completely dry. I always dye my leather prior to assembly, allow it to dry overnight, then assemble, glue as necessary and then stitch. I then burnish my edges, oil lightly, dry. and then apply the finish. Maybe a picture would help us give you a hand. Mike

Good morning vapor. As to finishes, I have found that, for my purposes, Feibing's Leather Sheen seems to fit the bill best. I have tryed Resolene but don't care for it much. I don't know what part of the Country you hail from, however, if you are in a humid climate, that can cause you problems with any finishing product. Out here in the desert my humidity level sits in the single digits to the high teens, except when the monsoon comes up from Mexico. Before shooting a finish be sure that the dye is totally dry....in moist areas this can take up to 24 hours. For any of the "sheen" products I have found that if you warm your project well (don't cook it, just get it nice and warm with the sun, a blow dryer, heat gun on 'low', heat lamp, etc) then mist on a couple of coats.......alowing them to dry between applications.......you will end up with a very satisfactory finished surface. I emphsize 'mist on' your finish, as too heavy an application will produce a plastic appearance.........not good in my book. I use an airbrush to apply dye, neatsfoot and finishes. Now, as to the 'sunburst' effect. I do it fairly often. Some very pronounced and others less so. For less pronounced effect, I use the same dye all over, just feather it out, or in, as the case may be. On others I dye the lighter tone uniformly over the entire project, then feather in a darder shade with an airbrush set to shoot a very fine mist. A couple of examples: Hope this helps a little, Mike P,S. I dye all pieces prior to assembly, allow them to dry, then assemble and stitch, burnish edges, then apply my finish.

All I'm going to say now is that I agree with Rayban. Mike

No. The inner line is just the outline of the gun and is used as the start for measureing to my cut line. My stitching line is always 3/16 inch inside of the cut line so I don't need to draw a stitch line. I use a double layer of leather glued together to produce the thickness of leather needed..........smooth on both sides. I run a stitching gouge around the perimeter of the piece set at 3/16 inch and saddle stitch the entire edge, so there is no need to mark a separate stitch line. Here is a little standard OWB which easily shows how my stitching is done. Mike