camano ridge

If you are going to try it I would reccomend using a deglazer on the leather first to remove finishes etc before trying the vinegaroon. Then I would try the vinegaroon on a small piece that is normaly out of site to see how it takes. Remeber vinegaroon is not a dye it causes a chemical reaction with the tannins in the leather that causes the blackening of the leather. You may not get a true looking black because of the dye that is already there. Again I would try it on the saddle someplace out of site before attempting the whole saddle. Vinegaroon usually works best on leather that is fresh not full of oils. Be ready to oil the leather after vinegaroon.

I don't know what song/melody you want to use I would simply get some sheet music, if it is not the right size for your belt put it in a copier end shrink or enlarge to the size you want. cut into sections and join the sections together and lay the complete melody on your cased leather trace the lines and notes with your stylus or what ever you use. A seeder might work for some of the notes however some of the smaller oval background stamps or even a pear shader might give you a better shape for the notes, cut your lines for your staff and measures and the stems and flags for your notes with a swivel knife. Use a beveler and modeling tool and what ever other stamps you need to achieve the effect you want. I would use either antique or Hilite as theese will fill in the lines of the staff and notes with the darker color and will be easier then trying to color each note. Hope this helps withe some ideas. oops, had to take a phone call came back hit post and found someone already posted pretty much the same thing. Sorry for the duplication.

SOuthernCross, I have not found it however if you sent a PM to katsass I am sure he would tell you.

Because of the chemicl change that goes on in the leather you will not get gray you want with vinegaroon. How ever you will have success with iron and water instead of vinegar. See Will ghormelys instructions on making the hand of god holster http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=50728&view=findpost&p=322986 scroll down to the iron barrel.

I would recomend 2 1/2" for the main belt body, however you have not said if this is for pistol or rifle calibers. Are you going to be carrying a holster on it as well? If it would be for rifle cartridges you may want to go 3".

Like Denster said way to much soaking time. I wet it just until it is wet through and plyable. That actualy doesn't take much. Like was stated 5 - 15 seconds if it doesn't feel plyable enogh give it another quick dunk. You need it just soft enough for it to allow you to move the leather around. You will have plenty of time. Like I said I usualy do an initial rough molding then come back when the leather is a little drier and refine my molding. Take some scrap leather and practice get it wet wrap it around something and mold do it at different levels of wettness you will soon learn when it works best.

All of the tools you mentioned and the tools ChiefJason mentioned work great. If you are having trouble getting good defenition or not holding the defenition as it dries then the problem as Chiefjason mentioned it may well be the casing or your leather and not your tools. I usually wet my leather do a general molding then let it set for a few hours then come back and do detail molding. It works for me.

hOOver, it looks more like paint because it is. Tandy's eco flo Cova color is a water based acrylic paint ( see description on Tandy site). Cova color works fine if you are trying for different colors on a design. However they are not meant to color an entire holster or sheath. The Eco Flo Pro dyes work pretty well for that and are more of what you want, if you are trying to dye the entire project. They do not need to be thinned unless you want a lighter color. Back to the Cova color you can dilute them with water to the point of being a wash, however they will not be as effective as a dye for dying the entire project.

If you have never done a cartridge belt you might start off getting Will "Ghormley's Cartridge Belt" pattern pack. It has several styles - Ranger, Scout, Tapered end and money belt. The pack can be bought on line or at Tandy. The pattern pack also gives instructions on how to do bullet loops. The pattern pack will save you a lot of time and agrevation for your first one. You can get it I believe between $10.00 and $15.00. You will find there are several ways to do cartridge loops woven, semi woven, sewn ( a couple of methods for sewn). If you are not going to use the pattern pack then I would go to cascity.com to the FAQ how to forum and look up how to do cartridge loops. That thread give spacing for several calibers including shot shells. It gives measurments for marking belt loop strip and on the belt spacing. Also if you do a search on leatherworker.net forum you will find a couple of thread discussing belt loops. As to thickness of leather for a money belt style I use 4.5 oz folded in half, for other types Use no less then 8 oz, I would go a minimum of 10 oz if unlined. If I am making one that will be used to carry a gun as well as cartidges I usually use 10 - 12 0z with 3 - 4 oz lining. If you are going to by pre cut strips I would get them from Springfield leather they are cut from Herman Oak. Springfield also sells pre cut cartridge loop strips in different widths 52" long for $5.00. They are in their catalog not on line so you would have to call to order them. Hope this helps, if you need additional info PM me. Iam sure others will chime in here shortly with their suggestions as well. Scott

PM me with email address.

That is an FNS-9 mag and the wood one is modeled to be the same spec as the FNS - 9. In doing some research it would appear that the FNX 9 mag is slightly smaller then the FNS - 9. The FNX 9 will fit in the FNS but the FNS will not fit in the FNX.

Thomas do you need a pattern for the sling itself. Or do you have a sling and just want o put a moose on it. If you need a sling pattern email me with your email address I think I can help. Scott

When you say belt for rifle do yo mean rifle sling? See examples below.

When you say fire hose fabric do you mean what the outer jacket of actual fire hose is made of, which may be any number of materials natural or synthetic. Fire hose jackets armade of many types of materials kevalar, elastomers etc. Or are you refering to Fire Hose Fabric clothing such as manufactured by Duluth Trading COmpnay. There clothing is made out of Heavy canvas duck which is what fire hose jackets used to be made of. The material they use is heavy canvas I believe 12oz. It can be found from many suppliers. Try a search for heavy cotton canvas. Also try Bigduck Canvas, give them a call and let them know what you want to do they can tell you which of there products would work. As a firefighter I handled fire hose and purchased firehose many times over a thirty year period.

Are you talking just concealed carry or all types?

Fistfulla, you don't need anything fancy for burnishing just a piece of hardwood dowel with a groove in it will work. If you want a little more speed for burnishing chuck the dowel in a drill press or even a hand held drill. There is nothing wrong with using a spoon for molding and or modeling. I use all kinds of things to get the leather pressed in to where I want it when molding.

I concur with Dwight and I am familiar with that style it is commonly refered to as a Mexican Revolution style. I t is becoming popular in Cowboy Action Shooting and espescially mounted shooting. Attached are a picture of an original, although you cannot see the second buckle very well.There are two examples of more modern ones. The last one is a mounted shooting rig.

Just finished a holster and double magazine carrier for a FNS - 9, shipped off today.

They look good. My only coments would be toward the holster. I find it easieat to burnish the edges of the lip of the holster and the muzzle end before assembling the holster then burnish the rest of the edges. Also over time you will find that your stitch line is probably to far out and the retention will loosen over time. You have enough space you could put another stitch line up tight against where the mold line is. It would still look good and you would retain the retention and mold.

I would still ask him, he is going to be your competition anyway. the most he can do is refuse totellyou. On the other hand he just might be nice enough to share his source.

First get an idea of what kind of projects you want to do. Search the web and espscially this site for how to for the project you want to do. This will give you an idea of what you will need. Get some of the basic Al Stohlman books espescially the his book on stitching. Also go to Ian Atkinson's (Leodis Leather) Home page ianatkinson.net he has several videos and tutorials. He also has some you tube videos under Leodis Leather. There are many how to videos on Tandy's site some free and some you pay aa fee to access the premium videos. Once you decide on the type of project you want to do come back to this site find the apropriate forum and post questions. People will be happy to give you an idea of the tools and supplies you will need. Tandy starter kits can be a good way to get a start but it really depends on what you want to do.

I use small pieces of blue painters tape to hold my tracing media in place. You could also could use push pins if the can be put in areas that will be trimmed off or out of site. When I trace over my drawing i use a small ball stylus it does les damage to the tracing media. The problem with using paper as you tracing media is that your leather should be slightly damp (cased0 to get a good clear trace line on the leather. Dampnes and paer don't mix. I prefer to use tracing film. alittle more expensive, however you have a pattern that can be used several times.Also if your leather is properly pepared for tracing you do not have to apply a lot of pressure to get a good traced line on the leather.

Thing that makes circles = wing dividers or compass. Adjustable thing on the side = adjustable stitch groover. Picture one is the Douglas Versa groover. I just got one and the more I use it the more I like it. The downside is that they are expensive. I got lucky and got mine on the used market in like new condition for half the price of new. The second picture is of the Tandy Pro groover. It works well and I have used it a great deal until I got the Douglas. I have found in some applications (I know it's Heresy) that I like the Tandy better because there is more to hold onto for control. It just depends on your budget and personal likes.

It works for me, hopefully you will have the same success. A couple of tips: it will glue your fingers to the leather so wear glove and be carefull with it. The locktite bottle is a squeeze type bottle you squeeze the ribbed sides so it is controlable. You want to put in enough to cover the area for repair. any squeeze out can be wiped away if you do it quickly. Use a clamp of some type to hold the reapir together once you have it clamped walk away and do something else. Yes super gluedoes set up quickly however it needs time to cure. Picking at it to see if it is dry and the repair has taken will only undo your work. Noneed to ask me how I know:). Just let it sit an hour or two before removing the clamp. Trust me it is waterproof and permanently bonding if done right. I am also a Knife maker and use the locktite super glue to glue handle scales onto the metal handle of the knife. I have never had one come back because a scale fell off.

What Model Smith? There are several chambered for the .40 cal. Do you want the M&P. There are several styles of IWB holsters (inside the waist band). Did you have a style in mind or does it matter?