BigRiverLeather
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Posts posted by BigRiverLeather
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Scott,
I have seen some chrome tan Holstein a few years ago in odd lots, but can't remember if it was Springfield, Siegels, or who. It was probably from when the Holstein patterns were big on large purses and some upholstery. Now "zebra" seems to be the hot pattern. You might check with Springfield and see if they can track some down. Another guy who can find some odd lot leather is Matt at Maverick Leather in Penngrove, CA.
Thanks Bruce. I've been in touch with Kevin about this without any luck. I tried emailing Matt but his mailbox is full and it bounced. I'll try calling him. I see he has Horween Horse Butt too, might have to give him a try for that.
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I have a request for a Holstein pattern holster (It's a Wisconsin thing). With White dye being as big of a challenging as it is, I'd like to see if there is a way to get the pattern on the leather or find someone who sells such a thing. I've struck our in my searches so far.
From what I understand, hair on would be a poor choice as the hair would fall out.
Any suggestions?
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I have been using brown paper you can buy in a roll from the office supply places. I have also been cutting my scraps into lace. I don't bevel or clean up the edges of the lace, and use it to wrap the brown paper. I also include a "Care and Feeding" sheet in the package. Here is a picture of one I sent out this week.
Simple but awesome! It's like unwrapping a present when it comes.
I've been using gallon size zip locks. belts coil up into them and holsters are a good fit.
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It serves a very important function in that when it is inside the pants, your pants will pull that leather "wing" into your body and in doing so pulls the butt of the gun in closer. Ideal if you wear your holster between 3:00 and 5:00, not so desirable if you carry appendix.Most of my IWB holsters have some type of wing on the lower rear part.
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+1 on the butts from ZW. I've used them from both ZW and from Springfield. Nothing against Springfield but they definitely offer a lower grade of horsebutt, but they are cheaper too so it should be.
I also got some very nice horsebutt from Bruettens Village and Peter Olson from Demar Leather.
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A lot of it will depend on what you are going to use it for. So, What are you going to use it for?
I have some of the Royal Meadow, and while it is impressive (blemish free, cuts like butter) I don't care for it. I don't like the way it finishes nearly as much as the HO. I''ve not used WC before, but someday.
You can get Grade B from Springfield for nearly the same price. I've been buying Grade A "Moss back" backs from Goliger Leather. Hermann Oak turned me on to them as they were the only smaller dealer that would sell Grade A single sides in small quantities.
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I hand stitched holsters for a year and managed to avoid stitching a belt until I got a machine.
By doing this you've either proven you are mentally unstable, or you have the patience of a Shaolin Monk.
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Nice Solid Work.
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Welcome to the forum neighbor. I live near Prescott, WI. I'm sure you will gain a lot by participating in this forum.
The waiver you signed states that pictures are required.
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Thanks for the pictures. I kind of figured you had a snap loop on the back, but now I see you fold your mag carriers over at the bottom, that is what I was seeing.
Good Idea on the rubber washers. I've had more than one use for them but I spend more time looking for the right ones than is worth it. I've been making my own leather washers to go between my loops and the holster. They act like a compression washer and do not allow the loop to spin like you say. They also put a small space between the loop and the holster for the pants to slide up into.
I think I'll look into The bicycle inner tubes or some other type of leather for that. It will just save me the time of having to dye them black and acrylic finish them.
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I have a friend who has an entire horse skeleton on his roof waiting for the bone to bleach - must get some odd looks from passersby!
DJ
HA! Sounds like something straight out of Mad Max! I'll bet that is quite a site.
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Looks like the cobbler's kids got some shoes. Nice work.
What do you have going on on the back side of those mag carriers? Do you have a picture?
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I'm terribly sorry to laugh at your misfortune, but I did. If you did not want me to do this, then please refrain from your excellent story telling techniques.
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I made my purchase during a special promotion WE had for a blade show last week which had a substantial discount for a very nice package. Clay contacted me and offered to extend that discount (which had expired) to the Leatherworker.net members. The code for the discount (I think it was 30% off of the package) is -
ProKitDisc
If I remember right the Pro Kit includes
Wicked Edge Sharpener
the std 100, 200, 400 and 600 grit stones
optional 800 and 1,000 grit stones
5 and 3.5 micron strops
The Wicked Edge base
IIRC this kit is $390 but with the discount it was $275 plus shipping. I don't have that kind of money just laying around, but I see this as a huge time saver not to mention putting a ridiculous edge on my knives which will help my production. Time = Money.
FWIW, I also purchased the Ceramic hones that are 1200 and 1600 grit.
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I would think 6 coats should do the trick. It helps to cut it with water about 50/50, the water helps and acts as a vehicle to get into the pores of the leather.
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I have all three of the blades you listed (J Cook as other). The cook is off getting some TLC right now but between the Osborne and the Stohlman, I just like the stoutness of the Stohlman. However, the Osborne blade can be cut down to size to fit your hand (I've not done that...yet) but the Stohlman is steel and is what it is. I actually like them both once I got over my blade snobiness. I will usually grab which ever one I think is sharper. at the time.
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If I have a customer that requests suede lining, I will either talk them into a different material or not do it. With al of the fibers in suede, it is the most apt to catch and hold material that can do more harm to your gun.
When I do line, I use either calfskin or 2-3 oz veg tan. The veg tan will give you a firmer holster in the end as Mike said since you have two grain sides working for you, the part that contains most of the structural rigidity. Calfskin does not offer much if any structural support, but it is soft and pliable, though not to the point that it will "grab" the gun.
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I stumbled upon the Wicked Edge perusing the interwebs a couple of weeks ago. I've been working on using whet stones on my blades, particularly my round knives which consist of a Osborne #70 cheapo from Tandy, a Stohlman damascus and my beautiful Jeff Cook. I've gotten better at getting an edge using the stones, but by no means do they get me where I want and need to be for production work. I'm stropping 2-3 times per holster side that I cut just to be able to cut fairly easily which quickly deteriorates to having to push hard which is dangerous and results in mistakes. The J Cook though with it's dendritic cobalt alloy steel proved to be a real challenge on the stones. I ended up using a very expensive beautiful tool as a paperweight.
I contacted Clay, the owner of Wicked Edge and asked if he had ever used or had anybody use his system with a round knife. I explained my challenge with the JC blade, the infinite bevel on the edge etc. He offered to try the blade out if I would send it to him. I had nothing to lose and if his system proved worthy, it would be a worthwhile investment not only for my round knives, but for my straight blades as well.
Clay called me after he received the knife. He commented on the quality of the blade but being hand forged he also pointed out that the bevel to the edge was uneven on either side. The end result is that my blade is now ridiculously sharp and at a point that it will be easy to maintain from here on out, especially after I get my back ordered Wicked Edge Sharpener!
AS promised, clay made a video of how the WE works with a round knife. There will be no more guessing on an angle. If I write down the angels that I use, it will be the same every time.
There may be ways to get as good of an edge on a round knife as what the WE can, but there is no way there is one that will do it better, or for sure, faster and easier.
and, a link to Jeff Cook Blades
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Looks good! I like that shark, I've not seen that type before. Saw these on THR as well
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I received an email from a fellow that had been perusing the internets looking for a custom holster for his new Kimber Ultra CDP 3" 1911. He stumbled upon my site after a couple of days of looking - gotta do something about that. He asked if in these times of limited cash supply if I would be interested in doing a swap, a custom of my choice for a custom holster and mag carrier. I was all over that!so, we back and forthed a bit sorting out the details and came up with this.
A DSO Holster and DSMC double Mag Carrier in Caiman Croc. This is the choice piece from the hide, called the Medallion. Not easy to work with. I was very pleased with how it turned out which is more than I can say about the pictures, but I had to get it out and this is the best I could do. Once again, I wish I had a real piece to put in the holster and mag carrier.
The blade in the pictures is the one he made for me. Here is a more deserving photo the maker took for me before he sent it -
The maker is Larry Downing. He is semi retired and is not taking many orders, but I think he loves what he does so much and if asked he can't help himself. I just can't say enough about the quality of this knife, the fit and finish and attention to detail. I'm thrilled with the outcome.
I'm also making him an inlaid belt with a rattler he ran over with his tractor, and a hat band with the rattle in exchange for a couple of smaller knives, one with Wooly Mammoth Ivory for the handle material. Can't wait to see that.
The blade is perfectly balanced. It's 9 1/4" long with a 4.5" blade. I was surprised by how light it is.
Now, to find time to make a respectable sheath.
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What ever happened to Lindell Training Guns in Kansas City? After many efforts I did finally make contact with a woman there and asked her to send an email to me with info (she was out of town when I talked to her) but never received anything and have not been able to make contact since. Their web presence is about nonexistent.
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Hello and welcome to the forum. Though I can't help you with the buckle, I might suggest posting this in the tooling/carving section of the forum. It might get more exposure there.
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Welcome to the forum. I've seen/heard of your work around the web before.
Thoughts On Sweat Shields
in Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes
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I've always had "sweat shields", "slide guards" or what ever you want to call them on my holsters unless they are requested without them. I think that total is 2 in 3 years. I didn't do it because I thought it was a fad or something that I thought would set me apart, I did it because for comfort I wouldn't carry any other way. My slide guards are built is such a way that if my thumb is placed where it is supposed to be on the draw, there is no leather there to interfere.
I also believe that some sweat protection is better than none. Maybe in southern climates every day carry will result in the same thing, a sweat soaked sweat shield. For those who do not live in those climes, that same shield can offer quite a bit of protection from body fluids. Even on very sweaty days, that shield is still preventing some fluids from penetrating the firearm. Against a bare body or Tshirt, that sweat is going to run a lot deeper into the firearm than without it. Yes, either way, the weapon needs to be wiped down or stripped and cleaned regularly.
Again though, my primary reason for building that into my holsters is for my protection with the guns protection secondary.
What I've often wondered is what purpose does an abbreviated guard serve? Too short to protect from the safety, too short to keep sweat off.