marine mp

OurJud. The onlyiest way I see of doing as you want, is to use a sewing machine that would fit inside the pocket??? Don't know if they make one that small. JMHO Semper-fi Mike

Dakotawolf, Very nice piece, indeed. You already identified your mis-step with the stitching around the trigger-guard, and I believe a little to much slack in the stitching,under the trigger-guard alongside the slide. Tighten that up a bit. Also, I would bring the belt-loop inward a tad more to give a little more "meat" to that area. JMHO. But all-in-all, nice, no doubt. Semper-fi Mike

RosterShooter...check your PM's. Semper-fi Mike

George, a few suggestions, take them for what they're worth.......on edgeing, I use water and a deer antler and just rub it smooth, then rub some glycerin saddle soap on it and quickly rub that in to seal it. The edge is usually dyed the color of the holster when it is dyed. I know you talked about not raising your prices, but do a study to see how much you are paying yourself, plus supplies, and the sech and figure how much profit you want to make. You may be selling yourself way short. Also, I still cut patterns and sew by hand so the clicker-intel is out of my league. JMHO. Semper-fi Mike

Hotflint, The holster is a beautiful piece of work. The stamping is also very good, and quite original, it seems. That being said, I think the holster part is a bit too busy. The 2 securing straps are great and the back pad seems quite nice. JMHO Semper-fi Mike

My thinking is to talk to the cobbler and see if there is another product that he could substitute in place of the glue (if it is, in fact, the glue) that may be more user-friendly to second-hand smellers!!! He or you could put in a system that purges the air ever-so-often. But, if the case is such as the cobbler was there first (and they are usually old-timers) you may think about finding a new place to locate your business. JMHO Semper-fi Mike

Chevvy64, I regularly use resolene as my final finish. I dilute it w/water to 50/50. It is water-reisitant but is not in any way waterproof. It seals and protects. I've never had any complaints from customers and it does give a superb finish. Semper-fi Mike

I contacted Eric Adams at Adamsleatherworks.com and he gave me some advice as to which glue, for leather to leather, he uses to produce the outstanding holsters that make me jealous!!!! Thank you Eric for the information. I put a holster together last night and no clean-up was needed and it stuck like you said it would. A whole new world opens up for this homeboy!!!!! Thank you sir. Semper-fi Mike

Carson, I've been using Feibings and Tandy to glue leather to leather on holsters. I was spending more time on clean-up than I liked. I contacted Eric Adams of AdamsLeather, and he suggested DAP Contact Cement. I tried it yesterday and a whole new world opened up to this homeboy!!!! The directions says it'll stick a D-9 cat to a steep bank!!! I believe it'll work in your situation. It does have some fumes, but I find the eco-friendly stuff usually sucks. Take care...hope this helps. Semper-fi Mike

Oved...I go at least 1/8" from the edge. I do all hand stitching and have never had a stitch pull out because I leave enough space between the stitchline and the edge. Hope that helps. Semper-fi Mike

Tanglang69, most excellent work for a fairly new leatherman. No doubt. A few words of constructive criticism, If I may be so bold.....stitchline looks to be a tad bit to close to the borders, need to pay a little more attention to finishing the edges and for myself, I particularly like to see more rounded than squared off corners. They tend to be more forgiving. All in all, nice stuff. Take care. Semper-fi Mike

Never. My holsters l do a liner on the sweat shield and skive the edge just inside the holster pocket. I also use 8-9 Oz and typically use a 4 oz liner on the sweat shield but never dye the inside. Semper-fi Mike

Very nice indeed. For having worked w/leather for such a short time, you have learned much....grasshopper!!!!!! Semper-fi Mike

Glockinator....My .002¢ would be to have the gentleman send back the holster, return his $$$ and no hard feelings. 3rd time is a charm. He perhaps is looking for free holsters and should have been more specific when ordering. Again..jmho. Semper-fi. Mike

Hello the forum, Mostly I am a holster maker, but as of late I've become interested in making my own "bolo" tie or ties. I was considering making one out of leather, but haven't ever seen one done. Are there any folks on the forum who could give me some pointers and perhaps if you make them, would perhaps know of a supplier of hardware. Thanks. Semper-fi and This We'll Defend. Mike

Very classy work, Chris, no doubt. Thanks for takin' care of our soldiers. Semper-fi and This We'll Defend. Mike

USMC0341, Use the search at the top, right of the page and type in "leinad". Yours and my post will come up. Mine is titled..."ever see one of these". It is a "over-under" type thats flatter than the pepperbox, but it is made in the pancake style. Take care and thanks for your service. Semper-fi Mike

Lizard, I used the same process you do up to and including the water rinse. Then I change it up a bit. I let the leather sit overnight to dry. Then I put pure neatsfoot oil on it . Let it sit overnight. Sew it up and prep it for forming. Dip it in water and a tablespoon of elmers glue and mix up in sink and dip the holster for a minute or two. Form it and let it dry overnight. (Or use heat, whichever you prefer). Put a coat of resolene mixed 50/50 with water. Then rub in a coat or two of Bluesman's mixture. (Neatsfoot/beeswax) . I've never used the Montana Pitch Blend but have heard good things. I don't look for a "shiny" holster, per se'. I rather have a less shiny holster these days as do my customers. I don't use the "vinegaroon" much these days as it seems to change the leather make-up so as it doesn't form and hold like the dyed pieces do. Hope this helps some. Regards. Semper-fi Mike

Dominic, I re-did a black leather jacket last year and it did have some kind of finish on it. I just put some black Feibings on the entire coat and finished it off with 4-way leather care from Feibings. Worked great. 1) I don't know the chemical make-up of Bag Coat, I jsut know thay it must work for it to protect leather that carries the mail. 2) I wouldn't mix it with any water. I'd try it straight. 3) A far as dampening the leather first,.....I'd prolly put some neats-foot oil on it (or 4-way care) to replace the oils in the leather that dying diminishes, then put whatever waterproofing you would use to finish. I do believe 3-M makes a spray-on waterproofing, but I never used it. Hope this helps some. Semper-fi Mike

Dominic, I don't see why you couldn't use either. Don't put the resolene on to thick...I would do it 50/50. The better solution would be Feibings Bag-Kote or Feibings Uassie leather balm. The bag-kote was developed for the mail carriers who used to use the large leather shoulder bag to deliver the mail. Semper-fi Mike

Glockanator, I don't know if I can answer out of experience as I don't make IWB holsters, but.......were I too.....I believe the pancake would do a better job of being able to conform to the body better and be able to hide easier as there wouldn't be the wide radius in front to hide. JMHO Semper-fi MIke

Mishka, Shoulders work best for any kind of boning or molding which would be involved in the mag or holster designs. When I design a holster or mag holder, I usually sit down with pen and paper, cardboard and patience!!!! I would thing that mag holders would prolly be best made of 7, 8 or 9 oz. material. Not sure what is required with the competition rules but you may need some #24 snaps and a snap setter. I make holsters and everything I do is hand sewn the saddle stitch and 9 cord thread. The thread is quite heavy but it lends to the design and beauty of the product, in my opinion. You can use the "search" part of the site and I recall a few designs that were posted. There a a lot of guys and gals on here that have a ton of helpful information to get you going. Semper-fi Mike

Mudruck, Hope this ain't too late, haven't been on in a while. The vinegaroon.......there is a chance that it may do a small bit of migrating but if it is painted on with a fine brush, you may have a better chance of success. Vinegar black (vinegaroon) does change the chemical make-up of the leather as it works on the tannins. You will find that it has more flexibility than when you use dye. I make only holsters and find that to be true with them, therefore when I have to mold and bone a holster, I do not use vinegar black. It just doesn't shape as well but is more flexible. The painting question with the Eco-Flo Cova colors, I cannot answer as I don't paint anything...but they do have red dye. Hope this help some. Semper-fi Mike

Red, All of what Chris said. Plus,...dilute 50/50.....oil and immediately dye. It makes the dye go on evenly if you are doing it with a dauber or sponge. Let the dye set overnight and "rub-it-out" just like you would the black. Any excess will rub out on the rag instead of the Resolene taking it off. JMHO. Semper-fi Mike