BIGGUNDOCTOR

If you are going to remove the chrome with heat , do it outside in a well ventilated area. Chrome gives off some nasty fumes. Do not breath them.

Again, I have never done this, but I would also guess that the type of leather also plays a big part in how it comes out. Weight Cut--belly, shoulder, etc Type--cow/calf, pig, buckskin, etc. Nice work Leatheroo. I think I dated your model once How many masks do you make in a year? Those hat tools look like they would be pretty easy to make. How exactly are they used in the millinery shops?

Which set are you looking for? Tandy offered 2 sizes. The large size (thee ones I would like to trade for) is the standard 3-D stamp that you put the stem in. The Marine stamp was still available last year I believe, so you may find a shop that still has one. The other smaller set has the stem attached, and they are approximately 1/2 size.

PayPal is a division of Ebay. I used to have a PayaPal account until I learned of their anti-firearm policies. I know folks who have had their PayPal accounts frozen, etc, so they are not for me. One website I used did group buys on firearms parts. When PayPal found out that some of their customers were doing these group buys they contacted the site owner. PayPal asked Gary to send them the personal information of his members paying with PayPal, as well all used handles , he told them to go pound sand. Everything purchased was above the board, and BATFE approved items, so nothing illegal was being done. As a matter of fact a big part of the board was information to keep things legal. Cutting the credit cards is a good first move, now just replace them with a debit card. I see no reason to use PayPal at all. A debit card is just like writing a check, or paying cash.

I haven't made any masks myself, but I would say that you should have some sort of form to stretch the leather over to get the nose how you want it. I have wet formed some leather in the past, and sometimes it requires a good bit of force to get it smooth. Are these just for you, or do you sell these? If you sell them your form will need to be somewhat of a universal fit.

Just a photography tip. With these dark objects it helps to have some light coming from the front to help see the details better. A simple table lamp will do wonders. It may take two, one on each side to fill in all around. Nice work.

Sounds like you got it. I was going to suggest taking a picture, printing it, and using that as your pattern. With it in the computer you can size it to whatever size you need.

If you want a Space grade pen get the Fisher Space pen. They are just down the road in Boulder City. If you don't know about them look them up on the web. The Pens will write in all positions, zero gravity, underwater, over oily surfaces, from -30 to 250 degrees, and the ink has an estimated shelf life of 100 years. They have supplied the space program since 1967, and the Rooskies use them too. They have 80 different styles now, and offer cartridges for other makers as well. I have what they call the bullet pen, as it collapses to the size of a pocketknife, and is easy to carry. They also have pens that are guaranteed not to run out of ink in your lifetime. The company I work for makes the tip blanks for them. I highly recommend them. They may seem pricey, but they last a loooooooong time, and write very smoothly.

$ pure and simple. That is how you get in on that market. They probably have an advertising, marketing budget in the millions. The only way to get your item noticed is letting everyone know that you are making them. So, how do you do that? Magazine advertising, TV advertising, Google ads, etc which all cost $$$$$. Now a slower way is to just make your items and sell them locally, and hope that they create enough buzz with the customers to create enough demand that you can start charging more. You need to be able to sell YOURSELF as well as the product that you are making. The other thing is that there are many people with no artistic talent at all, and they are willing to pay for what they cannot make themselves. If it wears out, who cares? Just throw it away, and get a new one. I think a lot of people have grown up with so many disposable goods that they don't expect anything to actually last that long. I am flabbergasted at what some purses, and women's designer shoes sell for. If you get some time read Longaberger. It is the story of Dave Longaberger, and how he took a dream of handmade baskets, and turned it into a $1 billion dollars in sales company in 25 years.

Most of my finger carvings don't use a pattern. They are the standard straight slash , and normally centerd on the fingertip.

How do you deal with the rancidity?

All of those are being reproduced, so a pattern should be out there somewhere. My P-38 came with an original. Have you checked with International Military Antiques (IMA), or SARCO? They sell repros. It may be worth buying one to take a part.

Slate breaks very easily, and is fairly soft. I have quite a few pool table slates. It can be carved, and it can be used for other projects, so you may want to pick it up anyway. You could make an old fashioned slate chalkboard for one.

I haven't found any patterns myself. I am on the lookout for a Steyr Hahn holster. An original is preferred, or make a reproduction. IMA sells repros, but I haven't seen the quality to judge it. Sometimes you can find a ratty original that could be a donor for a pattern. What pistols are you looking to make holsters for?

Where are you located?

In the sewing machine section of the forums you will find a thread on this subject. Another thing will be to clarify what type of leather , and what the sewn items are being used for.. There is no do it all machine, some are better suited for certain situations than others. Knowing what you intend to use it for will help those advising you.

Trying to find the exact designs will be like finding a needle in a haystack. There are some stamp makers on the forum that can help you out though. For this project one time project, you can have some of the less expensive laser engraved Delrin stamps made.

For multiple leaves I would say doing them individually will give the best results, as the pressure is more concetrated. For making stamps you might consider making a plaster mold, then casting a rein into the mold. There is a company called smooth-on that makes various mold materials.

Buy a binder? Just look around, as they are being thrown away all the time. I have picked them up from 1"-3" thick, and a lot of the time they are new ones. Look for businesses that hand them out for their product literature. I have some big ones that came from a beauty supply company. Look for businesses that are closing up, as most of the time the binders that they used are tossed in the dumpster. You don't care what the outside looks like, just the binder clamp.

Dirtclod, the bubblewrap rolls in question are the big commercial ones . They won't pass through a standard interior door. IIRC they were 36" wide, and about 30+" in diameter. Hey Ferg, I wouldn't say this is a political problem, it is the capitalistic system at work. If left alone it should correct itself. The company may go out of business, they may adjust rates, OR there may be enough people that don't care, and keep them in business. One thing I found out working at the Jelly Belly Candy Company was that I never charged enough. I was a graveyard shift mechanic there, and got talking with the purchasing agent one morning before clocking out. I mentioned that I used to have a machine shop, and he asked me to look at a part they they just ordered. It was a simple part, and I told him that I would have had a hard time charging him more than $100, and it would have probably been less than that. He told me that they just bought 20 of them at $300 each, and that was less than what the factory wanted. As long as there are people willing to pay the price, companies will charge whatever the market will bear. Personally I don't want the Gov't in my, or anyone else's business. As I see it they are far too powerful as it is, and have enacted policies that are detrimental to conducting business. I always get the total before confirming the order. I didn't place an order for a pallet of Bren magazines, that I could have had at a great price, because the shipping would have pushed the unit price over what I could resell them for.

I remember tire sandals back in the 70' s being sold at K-Mart. I am looking to make some sandals for my Halloween costume, as my original store bought ones are crappin out, I go as a Blingy Jesus, and I was a pretty decent hit on the Las Vegas Strip last year Lots of folks wanted their picture with me. Digging through my misc leather I found some thick stuff I can use for the main body, and I have a ton of thinner rough out hides that I got cheap that I can just laminate for the sole. That, or, I may look at some vibration dampening mat my friend has for a core, or possibly the top layer. Lots of options. I have a book from 1972 that shows a lot of hippie leather. Very imaginative, and actually very cool items. Yep, I said cool. The artisans are a mix of Europeans, and some Americans. They disdain factory stamps, and are more into using everyday items for embellishment. They have a whole section on sandals, and how to fit them. Looks easy doing it their way, so I am going to give it a shot.

Cool, thanks for the responses. I know about the shooting sports, and how women are increasingly getting interested, especially in SASS, and women do like to accessorize I just figured that the Big Guys would have had all of the bases covered already. A friend of mine just finished making a (LEGAL) suppressed Ruger MKII , not a standard item needing a holster, so another leather working friend is making a holster for him . So, I can see the custom side. I also didn't realize the relatively short lifespan of a carry holster. I have some old military pistols ,1912 Steyr for one, that I would like to make replica holsters for, if I can find a suitable pattern / original. Sarco sells replicas, but I haven't seen one to judge quality yet. Just one of those things though, I'd rather make it myself even if it ends up costing more. Nice to know that there are some folks who can make a living doing what they love to do.

Let me preface this by saying, I don't make holsters, and own very few for my handguns. With that being said, I am amazed at the number of holsters being made on this site for retail, and not just for personal use. I say this because there are so many commercial makers like Galco, Hunter, uncle Mikes, etc, and I always saw tons of NOS, and used holsters for sale at the gun shows. I also see a number of folks going with the Kydex, or nylon holsters for duty rigs for the low maintenance. So what gives? Are the commercial holsters just not up to snuff in some way? Who are you selling to, if you don't mind me asking? I could see someone wanting a custom holster with their initials, logo, etc, but I see a lot of plain basic holsters being sold by you folks. Again I never would have thought that so many of you could make a living making holsters with the commercial competition out there. Good for you. It is nice to see that small businesses can still get it done.

Undercutting comes from too much heat, or too fast. That was my problem when I first started welding, too fast. Once I got the right darkness shade, and learned to watch the actual puddle edges my welds really improved. It just takes some practice. Having an instructor also helps alot. I took night courses at the local community college . Keep us updated with your progress.