Sixer

I have an order for an XDM .45 compact (3.8in barrel) and I was wondering if I could use my XDM .40 comapct to mold the holster? They appear to be the same size, but i know that some .45 models are slightly larger than their 9mm or .40sw counterparts. Any thoughts or experience with these guns? Thanks!

Yep... Just make the holster to fit a G19 and use the G17 to mold it. Works perfect!

I get it... pretty cool! How does the leather / cloth combo hold up with the rivets? Durable? You do some great work!

I just used a $12 horse butt from Springfield Leather. I believe the thickness varies from 6-7 oz ... but they tend to thin out towards the ends. I used this to my advantage! I cut the two strips and intentionally tried to match up the thin parts at the end where the buckle would be. If you order horsehide from Springfield, I would give them a call... tell them what you're using it for and see if the can put a straight edge on one side. It will make your strap cutting much easier ETA - I used horsehide because it is tough as nails, it was the right size and weight for what I wanted... plus IMHO it is easier to get a nice slick edge on it.

Ghost, I don't do many dog collars... so take this for what it's worth... Just finished this one up for my sister's boxer. Two strips of horsehide, flesh sides glued together, sanded until the edges are even and smooth, with rivets added for extra support. Pretty simple, and the rivets will save you a TON of time as opposed to sewing by hand.

I'm in the same boat... bought a Class 4 from Steve and he has been super helpful. Unfortunately, I'm more of a "visual" learner with ZERO experience on a sewing machine. I really with there was a good video out there to help ease the learning curve. I'm still sewing everything by hand

Steve is the man! The machine is a beast... now if I could just learn how to sew I've had it for at least a month and still hand sewing everything... but I'm a complete newb to sewing machines so I'm slowly improving. Luckily, I know that Steve is only a phone call away if I need help!

If I'm not mistaken, the opening allows the user to push the gun up from the barrel, to get a full grip on a "deep" concealed weapon. Nice!

Good luck.... I've scoured the intraweb with no luck at all in finding a good SUPPLIER. JRM is a waste of time... I literally talked to the lady there and confirmed that she recieved my faxed order. She told me that she would call me back with a total ASAP. That was 6-8 months ago... I mean seriously. At least do me the courtesy of telling me that you guys have no idea how to run a business and that I should look elsewhere. Anyhow, I still find it hard to believe that somebody out there isn't making these clips... or at least have a website of some kind.

Is it the Fiebing's "Professional Oil" dye or just the regular leather dye? The reason I ask... I use the Fiebing's Pro Oil dye with a foam brush... ususally two coats... and usually get pretty uniform results. Then again, it could be the leather...

Jeremy, I'm not exactly sure what the "Hard Action" is but I use the directional sockets if that helps at all. For screws and t-nuts, I go with 6/32 on both. The screws fit perfectly with the snaps. Hope that helps!

Looking very nice!

What type of dye are you using and how are you applying it?

Great looking sheath! Love the finish

I have no experience with "Lift the Dot" snaps, so I can't speak on those.... BUT I do use "Pull the Dot" snaps on all of my holsters. They are pretty great. Easy to set by hand and very durable. I'd say you can't go wrong with "Pull the Dot" snaps!

Just ordered 4 blue guns from Rob. He was extremely helpful and got the guns to me ASAP! Very easy transaction... I know where I'll be buying my Blue Guns from now on!

Thanks fellas! Yeah, the elephant was really not bad to work with. The texture gives it a different look... not to mention the elephant is about as tough as... well an elephant. It's a bit furry on the back side, but the top is really durable... doesn't scratch, scuff, etc. without some real effort. Perfect when I'm out in the woods clearing brush, or in my back yard destroying watermelons

A while back I did some leather work for a guy that makes custom knives. Well... we did a bit of horse trading and I ended up with this bad boy. It's a kukri style machete that I have no practical use for, but still had to have Anyway I decided to take some time and make a sheath for it. It's all hand sewn, three layers of veg tan 8/9 oz leather, with elephant skin on top. I wasn't sure about how secure the blade would be in this style of sheath... but it fits like a glove! Just wanted to share. Feedback, advice, comments are welcome

All great advice guys! Anyone interested in doing a little video tutorial on sewing holsters!? Seriously, I'll pay you

So no guides other than what you mark!? Sounds tricky tk, I thought the same thing about the casing... but who knows... Rick, thanks for the link! I will check it out. Man... I can NOT wait for the day that I look back on this thread and laugh at how little I knew and how much it worried me. I'll be making beautiful stitches with my eyes closed, thinking to myself... "those guys on LW.net are the BEST" haha Keep it coming! Great stuff! Thanks again... MUCH appreciated

Thanks guys... honestly, I feel better already! Luke, never been to Memphis but I might be due for a road trip, haha... I am a visual learner and I think you're absolutely correct. Haha... dickf, you just read my mind! My first thought was to panic and find a new hobby I really appreciate the words of wisdom and encouragement. While we're on the topic, just a few more questions... -Steve had metioned something about casing the leather before sewing... does anyone actually do that? -Ho do you guys get your stitches so close to the outer edge of your holsters? -IF at some point I have a dropped stitch on a project... is there any way to fix it? Or is it just scrap at that point? -I don't really have anyone locally that can give me "hands on" instruction, so are there any good resources online that would help? I'm sure I'll have plenty of future questions, but you guys have put my mind at ease for the time being, and I certainly appreciate it! Thanks so much

So I got my new shiny Cobra Class 4 about a week ago. Thought I'd hit the ground running... NOT QUITE. Evidently I should have paid more attention in Home Ec. class I'm terrible at this! At first I was having an issue with the bottom thread being pulled through the top of my stitch holes. With some patient help from Steve, we fixed that by using a smaller needle (size 24) with 277 thread on top and 207 on bottom. (Sewing 2 layers of 8 oz) Now it sews a straight line great! I can sew a 90 degree angle just fine. But it seems to be sooo sensitive when sewing curves. When trying to sew the outline of the gun, it will drop stitches and end up jamming my bobbin thread. It also seems to be pulling the leather up with the needle on occasion. I haven't messed with the tension or anything else really... I have the motor on a very low setting... I've watched the video a dozen times. Just not sure where to turn, no pun intended. Don't get me wrong, Steve and David have been a tremendous help. The machine and service is top notch. I just want to be certain that it's user error. It's really driving me nuts! Any advice, tips, tricks would be helpful, whether on the machine itself... or just sewing holsters in general. Thanks in advance! sixer

What size / thickness do they offer now? Just curious... but I would be interested!