joke55

You have to oil the leather after VG and the soda bath. Until I oiled my first piece, I was disappointed in the look, but now it's the only black I use...mainly because it is through and through, not just a surface dye. Like was written before me, if oiled properly (I give it a number of oilings) and properly maintained, it should always give a deep beautiful black finish.

I agreee with the vinagaroon for a belt. It won't stain anything due to sweat, etc. I use baking soda in a tub with water and soak for a minute or less and then rinse with water bath to clean up afterward. The only downside I have found to using the 'roon is you have to realy oil the leather afterward, due to all the chemical reactions, I would guess.

I've tried to make a couple shoulder holsters. The main thing is to allow for plenty of adjustment for the customer, as he will need to adjust depending on wear and activity. I had one horizontal, and think that works best for autos, but my other was for a S&W 500, and due to its size, even with a snub barrel, had to to vertical. Wide straps across both shoulders, soft leather, and a good back center pivot to allow things to move.

I bought one of the horse butts, but haven't used it yet. I also bought some 1 1/2 inch wide horse strips that I have used. They are much denser than cow, but seem a little more brittle when finished. I used the strips in place of cow on a couple projects, and not really sold on them. I may try to oil the leather more before working with it and see if that helps, but found it cracking on bends that weren't that sharp.