JLSleather

Well, I DID make that one - when I asked if I "did" this one, I just meant I didn't think I had already posted the pics This fella specifically asked for the thumb strap (I personally don't care for 'em, but his call). And he asked for "floral tooling" on the front, and showed me a picture of a holster he found in a search that had that "design" outside the stitching (which, by the way, is just a "pear shader" tool bopped along sideways- takes about 2 mins to go all the way around). And he asked for solid brown monochrome - I mixed dyes for a pretty good bit before lighting on that shade. Must have worked out, he left a pretty glowing review. Personally, I don't put much attention to reviews, though--- the more GLOWING, the more I'm calling BULL. YOu see some of those reviews about folks that go ON and ON and ON.. ' it's the most bestest wonderfullest great thingie i ever dun seen i will sure buy all my things from this person and so will my grandchildren... blahblah" And some of them show work that is basically.. you know .. poo Anyway, the floral was just "something that fits a Glock 27" and doesn't get "borrowed" from page 18 of Stohl man's "how to make holsters" book .. you've probably seen that one before, eh? This other pic shows the detail of the border stamping, including teh number of the CRAFTOOL stamps used to make it. These are fairly old tools - I don't know if they are still available on the shelves. Click pic to enlarge ..

Oh, you dyed that. I was fixin'a ask if that was W/C mahogany skirting. Looks good. Did you trap (sammich) the snap backs, or go all the way through?

That's an adjustable depth gouge, for the flesh side for making sharp bends (I use one on the inside bends of 3-ring notebooks). That looks like a "U", but they are also widely available with a "V". Rather like a 'miter' on a piece of wood...

7/8 oz strap and billets. Belt is also 7/8, then lined with 3/4 tooling leather, billets are not lined (stitching on loops and billets is decorative).

That looks like the "tab" folds under the keeper loop, which would make for a tad more bulk (changing the size slightly). I generally cut the [vertical] slot and run it through, but that might not be good for a billet so close to the strap width (weakening it too much). I'm fixin' ta do a pdf on this belt size thing, since it comes up over and over for YEARS. Have to figure out some way to advertise it and calculate how to price it .. WAIT, that sounds like far too much work -- easier to just post the thing and call it FREE. Ranger belts aren't nearly as popular as they once were, at least not round here. So I haven't made one in over a year - not counting "gun belts" and "buscadero" belts. This one a good while back - later went in and dyed the inside of the holes black. I hate that when the holes are not matching - this was done to make that point.

Looks purdy good, kid.

Depends on teh leather thickness. Above 8 oz, I don't feel the need to do anything with it - just keep moisture content right. I've DEEP tooled 44-48" belts with virtually no stretch at all. Long projects- like belts - in the 5-8 oz range the tape works well, simple to do. I don't worry about "stuff" residue on the back since a belt that light would be lined anyway. Smaller projects - small enough to fit on the tooling rock completely - I rubber cement to card stock. Peels right off when done, and rubber cement comes off cleanly.

this is from 8 months ago, must have got intentionally boxed into a corner.

where did you find the seacamp? never seen a 'dummy' seacamp.. nice to mold with one that cant go off

Yep, looks like just laminated layers of leather - much like plywood.

Funny that -- I see they removed it, but for YEARS the antique jar read "do not thin with Tan-Kote" We did it anyway with no adverse results. You seem to be failing very well

Womens bees crazy.

No dye. No edge poop. No liquid plastic. Just leather 'n' glue ... ''n' no line. Nope. I mean eliminate it, not camouflage it.

Fiebing's did have a grey - haven't seen it in a good while and they may have discontinued it (?). Good news is, you can make about any strength of grey you want by reducing black. Angelus does have a 'grey' and a 'dark grey', but I haven't used either of them so can't really comment on them. The angelus dyes I have used worked very well, as long as you don't try to mix them with the fiebings.

You wont entirely eliminate the "line". But DO glue to the edge. In fact, I generally glue the back of the belt, then cut the liner about 1/4" wider so I don't have to "fiddle" with lining it up. Stick'er down, tap the edges, trim. If you got any "glue boogers", a piece of canvas will take it off easily.. no water, just rub the edge with canvas (I'm told denim will work also). To avoid "bits" I didn't see, I just rub the entire edge - take bout a minute. You can POLISH that edge to no end, and you will STILL have a thin "line" (but no space between layers).

Know what AINT right here → or even right here ↓ ?@! PICS of all the fancy smancy stuff yer stitchin' with the new toys ...

Course, that Glock 19 didn't exist back then, but your 1911 did

Free (or next to free) is good - I got lots of stuff that came with a box of something at an auction, or estate sale, etc. I mentioned this pic, and got some kind of conversation about what some old dude did when he was 7, or something like that Still, there's some good stuff in those old things you find in closets and attics (state of the art in 1952!). I STILL get asked to make some of the holsters from that book, and made some others from those 'fold outs" just because I liked them - plus, it was nice to actually MAKE the rigs, then try the fit on OTHER pistols than what they paper said they were for - there's still some learnin's in there!

And pics of the various stages of work ??!@!

I 'get' fillers / welts... those pics are in a lot of the old books (this is STILL a trait of leather books - sell you a book, then put a new cover on the same info and sell it to you again). I was talking about Stohlman's note - p 23 "fillers are recommended for this type of holster". What "type" of holster? I don't mind that nobody knows, don't even mind that so many refuse to say that they don't know either Correct. Just not everyone will say that. Not sure why nearly EVERY discussion of making a pattern has you tracing the gun and adding 3/4", regardless of the model. Then to say "this type of holster" as if it were different from any of the others ...

I never did see an ACTUAL answer about welts 'n' fillers ('they do stuff" is not an answer), but I did think that Jim's article was worth reading.

Bob da man