BigRiverLeather

What do you have for knives and or other tools, is there a list? maybe particularly interested in knives

Very nice! Do you have a website or a way to get more info on your knives? Selling any before the show? Found the Website - DOH! You're in Rochester. That's dangerously close to Prescott, WI

I did the same thing for quite a while, not enough volume to by grade A from Hermann Oak so I was getting the sides from Springfield. If you ask for a back the will trim the belly off, but you can still get other blemish areas. Be sure to tell them you are using it for holsters and to hand pick the clear ones. This worked sometimes for me, then others I could swear Ray Charles picked them out. I called HO and asked them who retails grade A sides. Goliger Leather is the only retailer they knew of that did. Goliger has 6-7 oz and 8-9 oz with pasted backs in Grade A. My first order I used 90% of what I had and will probably find uses for the rest easy enough. I just got a new order and this 6-7 oz had quite a few more stretch marks which was disappointing. I've not yet inspected the 8-9 oz. I'm just going to make sure the next batch I get I will specify a hand picked back. http://www.goligerleather.com/

I just ordered a 4oz bottle of Angelus #620 Matte Finish Acrylic. When I get it and test it, I will post my results.

How are you applying it? Browns used to be quite frustrating for me. If I'm concerned about the consistency of the color and using resolene, I'll airbrush it with my cheap harbor freight airbrush kit. I've been using Leather Sheen mixed about 50/50 with water. I wanted to get the Angelus finish but it could not be shipped in the winter. I went to Tandy and the only other thing they had besides resolene was the Leather Sheen. I himmed and hawed a bit, they said it was not as glossy as the resolene, but the kicker was when they told me that they like how fast it dried. This is exactly what I wanted. I've been very pleased with the relusts. BTW, I dip mine. I'm glad to be away from resolene. Even when applied in thin coats it was still far to tacky for me and seemed to require much more drying time. Sometimes it would take a week for the tackiness to go away, or I would end up shipping it still a bit tacky which I did not like. I use it occassionaly now. If I want more of a glossy finish I will airbrush some on after my standard procedure. I'm about ready for more, and wondering if I should go back to the original plan and get the Angelus, or stick with what is working for me.

while placing an order from Zack White I saw they had Fiebings Professional Oil dye in many different colors now. I'm a big fan of the Pro dyes, even without much residue. I ordered some blue for a belt my daughter wants and am anxious to see how that works out. Just another choice, Angelus is always a good bet too.

Welcome from a [flamesuit on ]Vikings fan from WI [/flamesuit on]. You will find endless knowledge here, most of it will be what you came here for!

I've had my best luck using steel banding, though I've not used it much. Easy to get, usually free. I know others have some methods but that seems to be one of the best kept industry secrets in holster making. There are some that use kydex, which must be a real trick.

Crap. I'm just about to start a holster for a Taurus 1911. I'm going to build up the bottom of the rail and extend it a bit. That should work, I hope.

I've used quite a bit of horsehide and actually enjoy working with it. I burnishes beautifully and easily. I was scared about the dye problems at first, but have never really had an issue with it. I'll bet I've had more problems with dying cow than horse (brown!) Maybe it is because I usually airbrush it. As far as cracking, I'll bet it's a lower grade cut that already has some cracking in it. I've spread it around quite a bit to try to find who has the best hides. The very first piece was the best one I ever got, from Pete at.....damn, can't remember the name, someone here knows who I'm talking about. This year he only has 4-5 ounce left I guess. Been thinking about ordering some and doubling it up and make lined horsehide. Brutten's (spelling) Village sent me some very nice ones to. The cheap ones for $10-$12 each have usually sucked. For IWB, Horsehide ROCKS! It's thin and very comfortable. I find it is no harder to form or bone my leather than cow.

Fixed it for ya

Early on I used the 3" 1911 Rings mold for both. The EMP seemed to fit fine. I don't know that my holsters were as tightly molded as they are now, but pretty close. There is a bit of a difference in the gun and I since have acquired a mold for the EMP as well, just to be safe. I don't think you will have any problems.

If using it as a trim I will first glue it to a piece of 2-3 oz, sometimes heavier depending on the application. This allows me to burnish the edge a little easier, giving it some structure. sand the edges just as you would on your holster. I get down to a 400 grit, wet the edge with spit (nothing works as god as wiping spit on it) then burnish it. It is one of the tougher hides to burnish, but you can get there.

Agreed on both counts. Excellent forming, but how is the comfort and stability riding up that high? I would make the loop attachment points the same as the snap point. You can raise the wings up a hair too to help. Put a bit more of a corner on the upper outside edges of your wings to. This will help as a pocket carrier. They will act as "hooks" grabbing the inside of the pocket so it does not come out with the mag. For an IWB mag carrier, you may want to try making a shield on the back that goes up to the top of the mag to prevent it from digging in. That may impede the grip while pocket carrying but I think the trade off for IWB comfort would outweigh it. If you flatten out the bottom some it will help stabilize it in the pocket too. Expand on this -

Looks good. Now try it with double stack mags and get back to us. You might learn a few new curse words, but practice makes perfect.

^^^ This. I was making them before I saw this but once I did it this way it became a relative piece of cake. Though the steel does add some security, IMHO I don't believe it is worth it. my holsters have all the strength they need, especially with this wrap around design, to keep the mouth open. I have used steel reinforcement and when I do I use steel banding. I would be interested in knowing how MS gets the steel in there and forms it. That is some stout steel.

I use calfskin I picked up from Springfield Leather. Very soft and supple.

You wouldn't have had to drop it. It's evil black dye and has a mind of it's own. It would have jumped out of the bottle and all over you and your sh!t eventually anyway.

Took a while to get back to you on this one - the Super Sheen seems to have less gloss, more of a satin look than the Angelus 610 for sure.

I've ordered blanks in the past from Springfield Leather. They would cut them from whatever weight I wanted (I got 6/7). I've not done the math but I know it was pretty dang close in price if I got the strips from them. You can get them blank or pre-punched. I've been cutting my own from Zach White Bullhide double shoulders which are usually pretty good.

Fixed it for ya

That's on my short list of things to try when I have time Very nicely done. Did you use any particular pattern?

I'm making a hot box for drying my holsters before I end up baking a batch of them in the oven after forgetting them, or Mama turns it on for dinner I've got a 2 door cabinet that stands about 30" high. I've got a vent slot for it so I can regulate the heat and air flow. I'm trying to decide if I want to use a heat lamp or a small heater fan I bought at Harbor Freight. The cabinet is big and heavy so I have not moved it inside yet, sitting outside. I'd prefer to leave it in the garage but it get's mighty cold here in WI so I bought some insulation wrap to put around it or maybe in it. We'll get it moved inside this spring, or maybe even build something new and smaller. Can you show me what you've got?

I use about the same thing from Harbor Freight http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-shop-press-33497.html $129 and then you can use the 20% discount with the coupon found in most gun magazines

I'll tell you what, if that were my first Sheridan belt I'd be thrilled. The tooling looks very well done. One thing I can suggest is when doing your edges - after edging and sanding to the shape you'd like, I use 320 grit paper, the kind that comes on a roll on cloth. Wet the edge with spit. Nothing works as good as spit. Rub and sand quickly and you will find that all of a sudden your edge will burnish to a glassy finish. Other types of sandpaper don't work like the cloth strips. Very nice work though.