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hi and welcome

hello and welcome

welcome. i like my Mayans when i go to my local coffee shop. they make awsome breads and other tasty treats too.

welcome and good luck on your future.

well it would depend on the holster youre going to make. if youre going to make some western style, you could probably go to a local SASS shoot and setup a table. there maybe a charge, but i would have some of your handywork there so the people can see your work. if youre going to do it for modern style guns and/or CC, i would again make some and for some COMMON guns and take them to some local shops to sell on consignment or if they would buy them outright. ALso, i would make sure you have some type of info on the holster so they know who made it and any contact info.

i find that if you have a big "scrap" bin, it will overflow and multiply. therefor i put all of my scraps in a xerox size box. once it gets too full, it either gets sorted and or dumped. I dont like to but after a while, i know that if i havent used the scrap in a year, i doubt i will tomorrow. You should try looking in your yellow pages for "used" office furniture. We have a store locally that specializes in used. i got a used 3 drawer lateral file cab for < 100. new were 300+. also, look for "going out of business" sales due to the economy, there should be alot of them. Also, local schools will have surplus sales sometimes along with local govmt offices. have you looked at 2 drawer file cabinets? maybe putting 2 or 3 side by side would be cheaper. the only issue is having space for large scraps. also, look for some local recycling place that specializes in building supplies/stuff. sometimes you can find cabinets. another idea. check out your local lowels/HD for any of their "Damaged" stuff. did you look at Harbor freight? some of the Automotive chains have their own version of the mechanics tool cart and are cheaper then Craftsman. but you get what you pay for too. if youre handy with wood tools and welding, how about building it yourself? you could get some of those plastic rubbermaid/sterilte "under the bed" storage and make sliding shelfs for them. the "hobby drawers" are what i would call "map/drawing files"

you could always go back and put some type of lining on both. even the holster. you would have to remove the stitching on the holster and add the lining. the only issue i could see is that the holster maybe too tight after the lining is added.

unstitch the perimeter enough to get to the strap holes and then hand sew in the straps. then put it back togeather. if you try to use a curved needle, you will probably spend 2 or 3x more time then what it would have taken to take it apart.

I really havent seen anything on here that would warrant a "that sucks" or worse. Even when i was starting out in leatherwork and did my first tooling job, it wasnt that bad. it wasnt as good as others, but it wasnt a "that sucks". Everyone makes stuff to their own ability and what tools they have at hand or access to. If they have the opportunity to practice to better their skill then im sure it will show. also, sometimes you dont know how long theyve been working at their craft. also, when youre looking at a picture, its sometimes hard/difficult to tell exactly what needs to be done or could be done better. edit: also. anyone can be a "critic". but can the "critic" do it better or teach that person how to do it better?

the only thing i will add is that i liked the quality of some of the MAST hardware better then weavers. When Weaver gobbled MAST up, that difference went away.

can you give us a tad more info? like size, what you have/use now or pics? maybe color if thats what youre looking for?

do a test sample first. some glues will seep its way thru the fabric. im sure you dont want your paper money stuck to the lining?

i think that you will approach the problem from your experience. i think that once he finishes the project and looks at yours he may see some changes that could be done or like his better. everytime i do a new project i always think about what could have been done different. but sometimes you dont have the opportunity to make it right.

thank you. I was surprised how well it turned out. I usuall go for the dark colors - since its not as easy to get/show dirt when working on them.

that shark has an odd texture. Yes, hows it to work with and sew?

I attached the strap the hard way. I stitched it down instead of using rivets. The ends are just butted togeather. The Cartridge carriers were for someone else. He shoot CASS and from what i understand only load 5 in their SAAs eventho they can hold 6. One carrier (10 continuous loops) is for rifle and one for hand guns. The originals are made back to back, but this guy wanted to mix and match calibers so i made him a set for 32, 38/357, 44 and 45 and separted the rifle from pistol. Now all he has to do is to thread a lace thru the holes and use what he wants. I was thinking about using cotton webbing due to a similar gun belt i made several month ago for one of my friends, but using leather cartridge loops. I had left some cartridges in the loops overnight and noticed some light corrosion on them the next day. I guess that most people will not keep any rounds in the loops, but you never know. thanks for the complements too.

If youre going to use any zipper, i would keep the shearling away from it. other then that, i would say its up to you how you want to build it.

Grooving before you stitich would help in aligning your stitches. also, it looks as if your awl isnt being used properly. your awl holes should have paralle edges from hole to hole. And if you dont have a overstitch marker, i would get them. it takes the guessing out of where to stitch and it makes your stitching more uniform. other then that, i would say youre doing good.

Everyone starts at the bottom. It all depends on how you try and learn from your mistakes. ALso, leathercraft is personal. Not everyone is going to make it exactly the same and you will add your personal touches here and there. youve done a good job too. what i ask myself is: 1. does it work as intended? 2. can i make it better the next time? 3. what changes would i do?

well. the holsters i have made, i had the guns or the person i was making the holster for had it. i should mention that i only make holsters for friends so leaving the gun w/me isnt an issue. im not sure how much those plastic/aluminum props go for, but if you want to expand your holster line, it maybe worth it to buy some a little at a time.

welcome

i found out that the buckles are lead filled also. but i did find someone making SOLID BRASS ones.

you know. I have that book/cat but forgot all about it since i buy locally and/or use weavers when i cant. but thank you for reminding me about it. i will have a look-see.

it will do. hopefully the buckles will be usable for the belt/holster setup. thanks.

just an Fyi. i think the newer MS Word has the addition of creating PDFs.