Colt Hammerless

As mentioned on another forum you posted this on Robert, I really like it. Shooter, Yes, that's a saddle skirting color from W&C. It's not on their website, you have to ask for it. Paul

Yes, I cut it by half with distilled water. Do you order your Angelus from somewhere, or is there a place in Tucson that carries it?

Here's a couple pictures of that holster dyed with Angelus Spice. One in the sun, one in the shade. The reinforcement piece is Spice cut 5 parts denatured alcohol to 1 part dye. Paul

No I didn't reduce it. I should have. If I were using it again, I probably would reduce it by half to lighten it up slightly. Thanks Robert! I love the machine! Not only can I feel all of my fingers, they don't hurt! Neither do my shoulders, neck muscles, abs, obliques.....probably some other muscles I can't remember! Ray, that's the explanation I've heard. Heck, it may have been an earlier post of your's where I first heard that. Paul

Hi vaalpens, The Angelus dyes are alcohol based. Actually, so is Fiebing's Pro Oil dye. Fiebing's Pro Oil actually contains no oil at all. I told that to a guy at Tandy once (I think he was a manager, or a manager in training), and he called up Fiebing's right then and there. He was rather surprised when they confirmed it. Paul

In shade or indoors, it's a very dark brown. The last picture is in more direct sunlight. It's a dark brown with maybe a touch of red, but nowhere near as much red as a cordovan or mahogany. My normal dark brown is Angelus Spice, and there's a bit more red in that than this. In fact I finished up another holster today that was dyed with Spice. I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow. I like Angelus dyes quite a bit. I wouldn't say that one is better than the other. I don't care for the smell of Fiebing's Pro Oil series, and don't mind the Angelus. Also ordering directly from Angelus the prices are better, and they have a great selection of colors. Paul

Here's one I just finished up today. Angelus sent me some free samples of dye with one of my orders, and among them was "Brandy." Instead of making a color swatch out of a chunk of leather I decided to make a holster instead. It's an OWB for a Commander with a 23 degree rake. The leather is 8 oz. W&C russet skirting, and the finish is Angelus 600 (dipped.) Paul

Thanks for the info Chris. Another design by Bruce Nelson, I guess I'm not surprised. Paul

That is a very nice holster Supercub! The only leather gear I've made that was snap on OWB like that is a few single and double mag pouches, but I want to make a holster soon. Ran does great work, but the snap on OWB is not a new design. If I remember right, it was the late Lou Alessi who first designed the snap on OWB. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Paul

Oooooooooooohhh, a King Cobra. I always thought those were such a nice looking .357. You must have made at least one prototype I bet, that stitch line looks just right! Welcome to the forum BTW! Camano Ridge, I think he's just putting that as the type of leather work he'd like to specialize in. I did the same thing when I first signed up, and hadn't even cut into a piece of leather yet. Paul

Thanks SACL, very cool! Believe, I don't know if RJF's bridle is stampable or not, but I do have some sample squares of Wickett and Craig's bridle and I was able to wet it and stamp it. Paul

SACL, You were able to get drum dyed double shoulders? Were the other colors like Havana, Mahogany, and Walnut available as double shoulders as well? About a year or year and a half ago he only had backs that were drum dyed. I'd be super jazzed if he sells drum dyed double shoulders now! Paul

Yeah, sometimes I'll correct myself and use the term "stitcher" or "stitching machine." "Sewing Machine" is a term I'm slowly removing from my vocabulary. Paul

Thanks guys! Dwight, I certaintly don't think I'll miss hand stitching! The reinforcement is actually Angelus Spice (a dark brown) that I cut 50/50 with denatured alcohol. It does have a slight reddishness to it, but probably not quite as much as it looks in the picture. Paul

I have the railed 1911 and it works great. I've made a few holsters for the Dan Wesson Specialist using it. Paul

Thanks everyone! Ran, I'm running 277 top and bottom. It will handle at least 346, and I THINK 415, but can't remember (don't have a need for rope, just thread :-) I like the machine, except the motor is a bit older technology and doesn't slow down as much as the newer motors can. The slowest I can get it to go is about 90 stitches per minute or about 1.5 per second. I can tap the pedal to start and stop it to mimick the speed of the newer ones, but I'm not quite that confident at doing that on corners. I'm currently hand wheeling it on corners. I may be looking to upgrade the motor in the future. Still a hundred times better than hand stitching, that's for sure! Paul

This one is an important first for me. It's the first holster I've done with my new-to-me sewing machine. The machine is a used Toro 3000 I got from Steve at Leather Machine Co. The holster is an IWB for a 1911 that's low riding, with a 38 degree forward rake. 8 oz. Hermann Oak leather on the main body with 8 oz. Wickett & Craig for the reinforcement. Not being in pain after stitching a holster for 3 to 5 hours is a new and exciting experience to be sure! Paul

Yeah, pretty sure Ring's doesn't have an N frame. Bunkhouse tools does. At least I'm pretty sure it's an N frame. They list it as a "Magnum." Looking at the pics, it sure looks like it's a mold for a 4 inch N frame. Send them an e-mail and ask, they answered a question I had pretty fast. Here's the link to the dummy: http://www.shop.bunkhousetools.com/Magnum-4-Barrel-929.htm Paul

I'm currently on my first piece of leather from Roger. It's a #1 grade natural full grain double shoulder. I asked him who the tanner was, and he said all of the full grain double shoulders are Thoroughbred leather. I got it in 7/8oz. with the pasted back. When I buy 7/8 oz. Hermann Oak from Springfield it all comes dead even at 8 oz. Roger said his is split pretty much in the middle of the spec, and that turned out to be true, with this piece being right around 7.5 oz. In the future, I'll probably get 8/9 from Roger. I love the pasted back, and it only cost .15 extra. Definitely saves time from burnishing the interior of holsters by hand. I've only made three holsters with it so far, but I'm liking it. It seems to wet mold about like Hermann Oak. I LOVE the smell of it. At the time I ordered it, which was a few months ago, the price was $5.90 a foot for #1 grade and .15 extra for the pasted back. I don't remember what the #2 grade was, but it wasn't much less, certainly not enough to not just get the #1 grade. Be advised he takes payment by check or money order, not by credit card (at least as of a couple months ago.) I definitely see myself buying from him again. Paul

Thanks George!

Thanks Camano Ridge. It's Fiebing's Pro Oil Saddle Tan.

Here's a matching set I sent out not too long ago. The big dude is for a Kimber 1911 in 10mm with a compensator attached bringing it to the overall length of a 6 inch 1911. I should have taken a picture while I was wet molding it. I had the dummy in the holster, and also had my 1911's muzzle sticking in the open toe to create the extra slide length to properly mold it. The other holster is for a Sig 220. The customer wanted them as low as possible with a mild forward rake of 7 degrees. Belt slots are for a 1.75 inch belt. Paul

Very nice! Simple, clean, and smooooooth lookin'. I had the same reaction as Dwight. "How the heck does it attach? Oh, a member of the oppressed dexterity." Paul

I looked at those websites early on in my search. It doesn't appear they have any linen in 2.5 and 3 inch widths. I did buy some 3 inch herringbone pattern hemp webbing from a supplier. I've used it on my own razor, but I wouldn't make a strop to sell out of it. It's very fuzzy, and not quite tightly woven enough. Paul

I too was looking for linen webbing for razor strops. I searched for a while, and couldn't even find it by the roll in 2 1/2 and 3 inch widths. Even canvas webbing is difficult to find in those widths, and in a proper thickness for strops. I've given up looking, at least temporarily. Paul