olds cool

Dwight, I appreciate the info and especially the pictures. I was trying to do a form in nearly the same way but dimensionally it is tall and narrow. I can't get enough stretch at the bottom to avoid a bunch of puckery bunching in the corners (oh man, that sounds funny!). If I do manage to flatten it out, then it won't stretch enough to actually clamp the 2 halves all the way together. I've also managed to break 2 forms so far while trying to clamp it together. A good woodworker I am not. I'm having a tough time explaining it exactly but I imagine you understand what I mean from similar experiences. Chief, I hate to do it, but you could be right on turning down the job. My last effort was reaching out to the voices of experience for some more ideas before calling it quits. I'm sure his idea is possible but I haven't really done much in the pouch area. I found my niche in holsters and I've kinda stuck there. Lobo and plinker, I wish I could tell you it was some punk kid and I'd be more inclined to turn down someone like that. This guy is former marine/navy (yes, he re-enlisted), retired police officer, front-line on 9/11, and recent cancer survivor. Hell of an interesting guy, but also very picky. He's been buying a lot of stuff recently. Not sure if it's a vendetta or if he got a big chunk of money from the government for the cancer since it was caused by breathing in all the crap in the air during the 9/11 attack. I would assume the pouches are for the range but I really don't know and I'll take plausible deniability, thank you very much. I tend to focus more on the customers design requests rather than focusing on the why. Sometimes weird requests can pay very well and as long as I an't breaking the law, I'll give it a go.

I did a few holsters for a guy and he asked me for a rather unusual request, at least in my opinion. He wants to carry 12 mags for a 1911. Yes, I said twelve. He was thinking of 2 pouches, each holding 6, divided in the middle, with a flap for each side. This sounds pretty easy, and maybe it is but I can't seem to wrap my head around the best way to go about it. I don't have 12 mags sitting around so I made a wooden form that is just slightly bigger than 3 mags side by side. My first attempt consisted of 1 panel bent on the ends to form the front & sides. Then a long second panel, to form the flaps, back, & bottom. This panel was sewn to the other with a bend to form the bottom. A divider was sewn into the middle. It looks like garbage. My second attempt was to wet mold the 2 halves then stitch them together in the middle. I'm using leather in about the 6-7oz range and I couldn't get it to stretch enough at the bottom, leaving a lot of ugly wrinkles and overlaps. One side didn't mold right because I couldn't force the leather around the bottom enough to make it flatten out so now it's not deep enough to put the wood form in. I can't afford to keep wasting leather on attempt after attempt until I get it right. Any advice on the best way to go about this?

So I got her home. Checked the casting over and no noticeable cracks that I could find. There are 2 stress cracks on the bushing that goes through the pulley but I don't think they will affect it at all. The shaft broke off pretty clean. As I thought, it's cast and where it broke was hollow. He had tried to tap it so that he could just run a bolt through to fix it. You guessed it, tap broke off. I gave it a spin from the bottom shaft and everything appeared to work smooth, no binding or noticeable noises. He gave me the story behind it too. He bought it to make a boat cover. Took it into the local shop and had them completely go over it. When he brought it home, he had the head strapped to the table. At the bottom of the stairs, the buckle let loose on the strap and the head crashed to the floor, breaking the shaft. He tried tapping it then gave up afterwards because he didn't want to spend any more on it. It sat in the basement of his split level ranch for quite a while. He has since sold the boat and needed the room for a cider press, which is why he was getting rid of it. Haven't taken any pictures of it yet but will try to get a few soon.

Sent you a pm Constabulary. Thanks

Thanks Greg. So far, I've found the part ranging from about $130 up to right around your quoted price. Still a lot cheaper than the $800 heads I've seen online. I was told it was working well before the drop. Owner is an older gentleman that is offering it up before scrapping it, hoping someone can save it or use the parts or repair. He doesn't seem to have any motivation to lie about the condition, especially for a measly $50. Still, I'll be sure to look it over well when I get there tonight. Is there any kind of rebuild guide out there for these things? The sales/repair shop that it originally came from is local so I'll probably give them a call before digging into it, just to see what they have to say.

I am going out this evening to pick up a Pfaff 145 H4 that has some damage but the price is an absolute steal at $50. It looks like the main shaft that attaches to the pulley (arm shaft) was snapped when the owner dropped the machine. From the pictures it looks like a fairly clean break, must be a cast shaft. This appears to be the only damage and I know replacement shafts are available. If I am reading the parts books right, it looks like part# 9-010 002-05. Could one of our resident Pfaff experts chime in to let me know how much a new shaft would be? Maybe one of you have a parts machine sitting around? Also, I'm mechanically inclined so not scared of doing the work but what am I getting myself into? I'm sure I'll need to have a shop look it over afterwards too. I just can't pass up this deal, the table and motor alone are worth more than the asking price! Thanks in advance, Ed

Looking to expand my selection of blues and wondering what everyone is selling the most of these days? I've seen a few posts like this in the past but some fresh data would be nice.

These are all fantastic! Not only is your tooling great, your use of dyes and acrylics is on point as well. I'd be happy to carry any one of these pieces. Thanks for sharing, can't wait to see what comes next.

I love this idea! Sort of an easy bake holster oven, lol. I just so happen to have a cabinet sitting in the basement that I'm not using.

What I can see I like but the pics are really dark

Nicely done pattern. Thanks for sharing

Fantastic rig man. I dig the elephant touches.

I keep it rolled the same as cg. I have pets and kids though so laying it out on the floor in a big no no unless I want it covered in dog/cat hair and misc who knows what.

Mine tend to be stored rolled up just because I don't have a huge area to store things. It makes it a pain when trying to cut something out because it keeps trying to go back to a rolled state.

I like that design too. I'm usually not big on floral but when you add a sugar skull in the mix it all comes together beautifully.

I think you did well at leaving enough room to finger the grip on the draw. I understand how hard it can be to design for these small pistols. Try doing something even smaller like a KelTec P32 or a Ruger LCP...sheesh those things are tiny. The only complaint on the design that I have is more of a personal preference when carrying. I like to have a rear guard that comes all the way to the top of the pistol. I don't like cold metal randomly touching my skin as I move. Some folks have no problem with a short rear guard. Then again some folks don't mind 1/2 their gun hanging out in a bikini holster either where I prefer to keep my expensive shooter covered in as much leather as possible. It's all personal preference and I thought I'd pass mine along for input. One more thing, and not really a problem, is that since this is made for a specific model I would work out some more of the shape of the pistol like between the muzzle and the trigger guard. You went as far as doing the ejection port and that nice line along the slide then it looks like you gave up. You had a good thing going but I feel it needs a little more follow through on the rest. I'm not saying to go overboard and cover every little line and pin as if you stamped the gun into the leather, just a little more conformed if that makes sense. When I see a holster without that conformed shape, I think it's just another one-size-fits-all off the shelf Uncle Mikes or insert generic brand name here. It just doesn't jump out at me as a custom which is what most of us strive to produce. Again, not a problem but rather the way I look at things. Maybe you wanted it exactly the way it is and if so, great.

Dwight, I don't mean to highjack the OPs thread but hopefully this will help a few people in the long run. I've always been under the impression that angled slots were done for two main reasons: 1) It gives the belt more leather to hold onto underneath it, helping to keep the holster where you want it and 2) It helps spread out the load so you aren't stressing a particular area of the leather.. I agree that the slots have to be cut a little longer in this case though to make up the difference of the cross section of the belt. Am I totally off base here?

That looks like some super thick thread on the tooled holster. Mind me asking what size it is? I've wanted that look on a few hoslters that I've done.

I like that SOB design. I saved the pics for future inspiration.

I agree, very nice work

Not really sure if it penetrates the resolene. My intentions are 2 fold, water repellant and a deep luster. Think of it like waxing a car, the more coats the deeper the shine and the longer it lasts and protects. You aren't going to see it much in pictures, especially in a black piece, but the depth of the shine is incredible. Huskysibe: Thanks for the flattery but honestly there are folks here that I can't hold a candle to. As for the pointed tip, this will be the only one like that. I was never really thrilled with the tip to begin with and taking the advice so far, I've decided to round it over closer to the stitch line.

I found the same thing about the size when I used his pattern. I was on the last holes and it still felt too tight when I moved around. I'm only 6' and 240lbs, most of which is in the middle. I'm not a real broad shouldered kinda guy and if it was tight on me, I can't even imagine it on some of the geurillas that I see walking around nowadays. The other thing I found is that the thin strap going around the non-holster side is uncomfortable. Slightly modify the fat strap by removing the buldge where the holster hangs and reverse it for the non-holster side. Keep the cross straps as he intended or even a little bit wider. You'll have a much more comfortable carry, especially for a heavier full sized shooter (take that whichever way you want).

Thanks everyone. Vaalpens, I see what you mean about the corners and I agree. One of the things that bothered me most was the point at the bottom. I think I'll probably round that off next time I do one.

I have nothing constructive to add to this one but I'm laughing like crazy over electrathons comment

RobM, On this one, I used neatsfoot oil first, followed by a few coats of resolene, then a coat or 2 of carnauba wax with a buff in between, then a coat or 2 of parade black kiwi with a buff, and finally a few coats of clear gloss and even more buffing. I swear my finishing process takes longer than the work on the project sometimes but in the end, it's always worth it.