JLSleather

You more ambitious n me. I just get it teh way I want it, and give it to the cutie at the print shop. If it's bigger than 12 x 18 or so, I don't wanna make it anyway Plus, did I mention she's CUTECUTECUTE?!! Jennifer Somethingsomething ...

What, no 3-d render with spotlights and drop shadow?

And graph paper works quite well

Maybe ask Bob?

How thick them 'rounders'? 6 oz? 8?

Rolls or plates? I've heard some good stuff about the roll embosser from bunkhousetools.com. I don't have one of those myself, but I can tell you that Raymond T is a pretty good guy to work with.

What are you boys designing that requires all of that?

That sounds like what I use (277 n 207 n #24)

Nah... I was talkin bout the 2nd and 3rd pics in yer orijnal. And if you mean 5 hours from side o leather to done, that aint bad

Let your leather dry out some more before tooling. Still a bit wet, there. Finished rig looks purdy good thow.

346 seems pretty big for a 24 needle. Guess if you have it working, pay no attention to me ! Certainly could be a number of things when you change material and/or thickness. One thing you might check before getting out the big hammer -- If you were running fine, and then not, check the orientation of the needle. Sometimes a slight rotation will fixya.

I've seen a LOT of holsters over the years. If you're making them in leather, then you should know leather. And if you're making it to use it for a gun, then you should know something about guns. I've seen some beautiful tooling on leather holsters. And I've seen some great looking holsters without any tooling at all. In the end, I certainly think that the best holsters are made by those familiar with firearms. Some holsters, you almost have to wonder if the guy who made that has ever actually used a gun. Oh, and of course there's always that marketing guy --- doesn't really know leather OR firearms, but thinks he can sell you on his idea anyway

What the heck.. call me too Send me a message, I'll git ya a phone number. UNLESS you think that anything I might say, I should be willing to say here? Maybe that kind of integrity is old news these days

Welcome fellas. This thread will expand -- plenty of room to put up pics of holsters you made with this

1911 pancake style holster pattern free download available. Simple 50/50 type pancake works fast and solid. Instant 100% refund if not satisfied! http://www.jlsleather.com/diy/holster-diy/

FREE 1911 5-inch pancake style holster pattern now available. NO curved slots http://www.jlsleather.com/diy/holster-diy/ Oh, yeah.. it makes this one..

And WHY would it need to? Thread is far stronger than many people around here seem to think. A LOT of holsters are sewn with either 207 or 277 thread (or a combination of both).

Are you just absolutely determined to use "paint"? I prefer dyes for color. Even with black

That "area" should retain the weapon WITHOUT molding the port. f r i c t i o n.

Not familiar at all with the Techsew. But I know a guy who had a cobra 18 and liked it - until something went wrong and he found the "support" less than he was led to expect. He sold that one. For the same money, you might consider the Cowboy 3200. Lots of fellas on here can give you their opinion on that one. It will go down as low as 69 thread and an 18 needle (which i think is about as low as a leather guy needs to go) but still give you some room on the high side for your collars and such. or the 227.

You can set most snaps with a #2 and a #6. For buckle tongue holes, I prefer an oval punch to the round holes.

Why not just stop the inside layer at the fold? What is that second layer doing for you, other than making a bunch of bulky bulge right there?

Me, too --- I'm not big on that broad, flowing "reinforcement panel" on a holster. Basically just making it thicker, while trying to conceal it, which seems ... uhh. not the best idea. In fact, often a holster doesn't require any "reinforcement" at all. But, I do 'have' them and have done them. As a rule, I mold it if it's solid color and/or plain, and I don't mold it if it's tooled. But, like I said, unless you're tooling it, I dont have much use for a full panel. Something more like this (which, by the way,is also about 1" wide)..

Other way around, actually. The outer layer is made a tad longer (NOT the inner layer shorter). I could explain that, and since it comes up so often maybe I'll just write the full version one day for everybody to see and a stack of goofs to debate and try to dismiss. When I look for "rigidity" in a belt, I mean side to side, not end to end. I'm talking about one that doesn't "roll" beneath the belt loop (usually the very back one first to go).

Well, reducing the dye will give you MORE LIQUID. As for matching, there are various levels of OCD. If you want to make belts, and you're insistent about matching, then you will likely want a splitter, or at least a very good skiver. A thousand times I've seen nice looking belts I thought were assaulted by being given a leather keeper that doesn't match. With natural (undyed) leather, the 7 or 8 oz leather you used for the body and the 4 oz (ish) leather you used for the keeper don't match. The color is not quite right, or the grain is a bit different, etc. Often, applying a finish will make the difference more obvious. Here's the 'work arounds"... There is the antique puke. Some dump that junk on everything they do -- it's purpose is to HIDE (the story goes, it's to accent, but you'll see soon enough). Some geniuses have come up with the "plan" to dye everything dark, and then claim that doesn't matter. But, you can tell, more often than not. And it's not something you have to go looking for... if it doesn't match, you'll see it. It's less obvious than on natural leather, but still .... Oh, and there ARE those who tell you that hermann oak leather is consistent across different weights and always the same. It makes a nice story, gotta give em that! But you can get different shades and textures even within the same hide. Really, if you want it to ACTUALLY match, cut the keepers from the same hide, and split it down to the proper thickness.