LederRudi

Piece of art! Can't wait for the holster! Thanks for showing! You did the backgrounding early in the process. Any specific reason for that?

Admirable craftsmanship! Calamity Jane woulda been thrilled! I'm sure, your wife is too!

Speechless...!

I'll join the fan club! Outstanding work! The edges are impeccable. Is your method of edge-treatment similar to Bob Park's?

Thanks guys! I just looked at Frank's recently posted western holsters... Means, I need the positive reinforcement like a starving man needs a piece of bread! And yes, it's the El Dorado, it fits the gun (my son's blank gun) like a glove. Next time I'll concentrate on the edges and will try to do as Bob Park recommends. And I'll definitely avoid the edge paint. Rudi

8-10 oz lined with 4-5 oz, then folded over and sewn together. One coat of oil.

Congrats on your craftsmanship! Wish I could achieve something only half as perfect . A very noble-looking set! And bullets enough for a medium-sized range war.

Same here. Approximately 713 opportunities for converting such a project into scrap leather! Once again I pull my hat, Bob! Rudi

Now that's something to aspire to! Thanks for sharing!

Great design - perfectly executed - jealous!

Thank you, SooperJake and Dwight, for sharing your knowledge and experience! Rudi

Hello to all you fellow leather addicts! During the last few months I've played around with western holsters and came up with a few questions: - Using two layers of thinner leather flesh to flesh and making stitching grooves on front and back I was wondering if I shouldn't prefer a creaser over a groover as not to weaken the whole construction. Should I? Could I? - I also experimented with a "Wild Bunch" holster for a 1911 made of 8-9 oz leather lined with 4-5 oz, also using Mike G. Katsass' double layer technique. It came out OK although rather stiff which makes up for "quick draw qualities" and zero retaining. By the way, I treated it with a solution of ferric nitrate and several coats of oil and got a nice, deep black. When I folded the leather I found that there had to be a lot of stretch on the outside of the fold (which I had wettened) and that any tooling, had I done some, would have been flattened out by now, right? - I gather that some or most of you experienced pros glue in the lining after folding over the holster. So the tooling wouldn't suffer much but now other questions are arising: Do you countersink the stitching in the lining? If so, how do you get a stitching groove into the lining where the folds are? Thanks to all who might take the time to enlighten me! Rudi

I'm jealous of your craftswomanship!

I wish my 20th would look like your first!

I like it! Inspires me to make a similar bag for my son's aikido/iaido-trainer who carries around a bunch of japanese training swords (iaitos) all the time. I'd have to attach a shoulder strap. Not yet sure how to do it.

Thank you for responding, Kevin, and for the eleborate description of the process. I like the crisp precision which shows in the bit case. And I'm scanning ebay now for a press... Rudi

I like it! Nice, clean work! How did you mold it? Which thickness is the leather?

Same here! Yesterday I started experimenting with a solution of ferric nitrate which was mentioned by Chuck Burrows for cutting the corners. I'm very pleased with the outcome so far. No hassle with steel wool and vinegar - instant vinegaroon without vinegar. On the dark side: A pound of ferric nitrate cost me about 40€. But as far as I can see this quantity should last for quite a while, provided that I apply the brew with a brush and not as a dipping bath.

Apparently I'm not only close to retirement but also in an advanced state of dementia: I missed that Arbalet12 himself has posted the pictures... Anyway, the books show us some of the venerable tradition in which your art, Arbalet12, seems to be rooted.

I'll take position number five in the waiting line. Next, please!

I'd say these are really old ones. By the way, the design of the abstract framework reminds me somehow of Arbalet12's outstanding work.

For what it's worth from a novice, I'm impressed! Not least by your going round with the basket stamp and hiding the starting/meeting point!

That's exactly what I'd like to accomplish! ...someday.

Chuck, thanks for the hint at possible replacing ferric acetate by ferric nitrate. It seems in fact to be very difficult to get my hands on ferric acetate. Rudi

Hi Chuck, I'm inclined to take this shortcut. Would I still have to rinse the leather in bicarbonate? Best regards, Rudi P.S: I enjoyed your video on making holsters a lot!