Sixer

I agree with Lobo... Durable Dot or Pull-The Dot snaps are the way to go. They are much easier to set by hand. I finally broke down and bought some in bulk. I still wasn't too thrilled about spending $80-$90 on snaps... but they were well worth it.

Check the Angelus dyes. I've tried the orange and it works well. Not exactly sure what shade of orange you would call it... but you could cut it with alcohol and play around until you get the desired shade. Just FYI... if you get it on your hands, it looks like you've been eating Cheetos everyday for a week

I can't comment on the difference between left or right twist... because I have no idea But as far as thread goes... I buy my waxed thread from MaineThread.com. They're customer service is great and they have a good selection of colors and sizes. Just shoot them an e-mail or call and they will mail you a sample card of the colors and sizes they carry.

Thanks guys! I'll give that a try.

My freehand groover has lost it's groove! Is there any way to sharpen this tool... or just I just need to order a new one? Thanks!

Thanks for the help! Natalie, I was wondering the same thing.... I have some Angelus Orange leather dye. I know from experience that most dyes cause permanent stains on fabrics (i.e. my clothes) Soooo, with that in mind I'm assuming that the leather dye should do the trick. Otherwise I may have to pick up some Rit Dye... I guess there's one way to find out for sure!

I have a custom holster order that is going to require Orange stitching... the one color I don't have... go figure Anyhow, I'd like to just buy some white, unwaxed thread, dye it orange, and wax it. I've never done this before so I have a few questions... - what type of thread should I look for (nylon, linen, cotton, etc.)? - what size of thread would be best for hand-stitiching holsters? - how exactly do I wax the thread? I have orange dye and bee's wax... I know that I will want to dye the thread first. How would I melt and apply the wax for the best results? Thanks!

Ron, Saddle-Lac is a good finish (from what I've heard)... I prefer a simple 50/50 mix of Acrylic Res and water. Ditch the Eco-Flo... that stuff is garbage.

Thanks Shooter! I used Fiebings "Dark Brown" Pro Oil dye on the bovine leather, with a coat of atom wax, and leather sheen as a top coat... I think the lighting in the pic makes it look a bit lighter than it actually is.

Thanks for the kind words! It may not win any beauty contests... but I have to admit, I was pretty proud that this one turned out the way it did on the first go around.

Ok... so it seems lately that customers can't just order a simple black/brown OWB or IWB holster. Haha... it's got to be something that causes me to lose sleep and actually use what little creative juices I may have Anyway, this customer had a pair of "checkered" ostrich skin boots in three colors. He wanted a holster done in the same pattern to match his boots. Since I hand stitch everything, I didn't see how a checkered pattern was reasonable. So, after some thought, I decided to try out this inlay pattern that still incorporated the same 3 colors of ostrich to match his boots. He's pretty excited about it! Even though it's not exactly something I would wear... I think it turned out pretty good in both form and function. Just thought I'd share my adventures in ostrich. Comments, critiques, etc, welcome. Thanks!

Thanks Jack, didn't even think of that! I'll give it a try.

I was all set to order from JRM Clips http://www.jrmclips.com/product-line-clips.html But evidently they are either out of business, not answering emails or phone calls, or just REALLY bad at getting back to people. I've spoken to two different employees on seperate occasions, faxed an order sheet, emailed, called, etc. and haven't heard back from anyone in at least two weeks. Granted, I haven't paid for anything... but I'm definitely putting in way too much effort in an attempt to give them my money. Anyway, does anyone know of an alternate resource with a wide selection of clips like JRM? Thanks!

That's AWESOME!

My advice... stitch it all up before any wet molding. Not sure how doing it any other way would work. Here is a pic of a simple inlay I did a while back that might help a little...

I'm getting ready to stitch up my first holster with ostrich hide. It's kind of a different design, with 3 different colors of ostrich inlayed on the front (gotta match the customers boots). Not my cup o' tea... but I just make what they want Anyhow, I'm wondering how some of you finish your ostrich skin projects. Should I just apply a normal finish (i.e. Leather Balm followed by Acrylic Res/ Leather Sheen/ or Sno-Proof) or does anyone have any other suggestions? Like I said, this is my first time working with ostrich ( part quill and part leg ) so if someone could drop some knowledge on me I would really appreciate it! Thanks, Oh... and pics soon to follow... but only if it turns out good

Save yourself some time and effort and pick up some Fiebings Pro Oil dyes. I almost always apply with a sponge BEFORE I do any wet molding. If needed, I can always go back and apply more dye after wet molding as well. What I find... Is that molding the holster FIRST typically results in certain areas becoming burnished. This makes it tough to get an even coat because the burnished areas do not accept the dye as well.

Leatherburnishers.com Best $30 I've spent thus far on any leatherworking tool. See this thread - http://leatherworker...showtopic=32727

You speak the truth! I ordered mine a while back and it is easily the best 30 bucks I've spent for a leatherworking tool. I had been using a home made "burnisher" and ussually ended up spending WAY to long on edges that still looked like garbage. Honestly, this burnisher has increased the overall quality of my holsters... wish I would have bought one sooner!

Dave, I gave Henry a call and he's going to set me up. Seems like a GREAT guy by the way. Thanks for the help! I appreciate it Ed, Thanks! I actually called Springfield Leather first. I didn't get a chance to talk to Kevin, but they did have some smaller hides for around $150.... Thanks for the link! I did't see the 2lb assorted pack of ostrich. I might go ahead and add that to my next order. SLC is top notch in my book... all around great people there. Thanks again for the help, Eric

I've had a request for a custom holster that will require three colors of ostrich skin. Normally I don't work much with "exotic" skins... so buying $300 worth of ostrich is not an option for me. Does anyone know where I could buy small quantities of ostrich for a project like this? A couple sq. feet would be plenty, or even small scrap pieces. Thanks for the help!

I think it looks great... my only advice would be to clean up the edges a bit. Looks like you may have burnished the edges before folding and stitching.

My makers mark goes on everything from holsters to dog collars. If the customer doesn't like it, then I have the option to decline their request for a holster. Then again, money talks... so as mentioned before, if they're willing to pay extra I might consider it.

Thanks for the info guys! Sounds like a lot of scrap leather in my future

Hey, wasting the good stuff is more than worth it if the final result is... simply amazing! Very nice work!