lws380

I just send an email and say, "Thanks for your inquiry, I do not make ____________ (fill in the blank). I appreciate you thinking of me". I've learned to say no a little more and try to concentrate on my more regular business.

I'll be there both days, Friday and Saturday. Never have been and I'm looking forward to it.

If it is not too late, I'm in New Braunfels and I have 2 Cobra 4's. You are welcome to use one of mine. Contact information is on my website. Or you can PM me if you want. www.bearcreekholsters.com

Those little suckers are great. A must have IMO. It puts light right on the sewing where you need it. What i like also, is that I plugged it into the motor outlet. So when I turn on the machine light is on automatically. Likewise when I turn off the machine the light goes out too. The light helps as a reminder that the machine is on or off.

Check to make sure there are no small burrs on the hole in the foot that the needle goes through. I had a small burr at one time and it really only created problems if I sewed faster for a belt. It was very tiny, but enough to screw up the thread. I just cut a small strip of 400 grit sand paper and sawed it back on forth in the hole and it was gone. Make sure to cover the plate with something to keep sand paper dust and stuff out of the lower part of the machine.

I was getting a few dropped stitches on my machine too. I realized how it happened. I notice one day the needle was not centered in the slot for the strap plate. So I centered it by loosening the plate and centering it for the needle. Then it started dropping stitches, but only a few. I read the manual and it said the needle has to be close to the left of the slot in the plate. Actually it says the width of a business card, which is not much. So I loosened the plate and moved so that the needle was within a business card from the left of the slot in the plate. That is while standing in front of the machine looking down like you are ready to sew. One I moved it back as indicated dropped stitches went away.

I use two strips of 6-7 oz. After glued and sewn it is good and stiff and close to nearly 1/4 inch thick. I offer 1.25 and 1.5 inches wide. The bigger the gun the wider the belt for extended carry. I wear a 1.25 inch side and it works fine for me even when carrying a larger gun. One thing about a 1.5 inch wide belt, it will not fit as many belt loops as a 1.25 inch belt. Typically, after a belt is secured and it goes through the keeper, the end of the belt goes through the first belt loop on the pants. When you have a quarter inch belt, now that loop has a .5 thick belt x 1.5 inches wide. That will not fit lots of pants, or at least it did not for me. 1.25 fit in more pants for me and I liked that it was a little more diverse than the 1.5 wide belt. If you use thicker leather, it will be even harder to fit!

Any suggestions on what 6-7 oz splits could be used for? I'm getting some and have never used splits before. Not sure if they are usable or not. Any suggestions are welcomed!

I use Hermann Oak (yes, Hermann has 2 n's) too and it is good stuff. I think it makes a nice product. Your holster looks great! If you ever get a chance to go to the Hermann Oak tannery in St Louis, go see the tannery. I recently toured it a few months ago and it was very interesting. The vats that they use for tanning are the same wooden vats they started the company with around 1880. Hides are in the tanning solution for around 21 days or so. Same process since 1880's. Just wear an old pair of shoes. Hermann Oak staff was very nice and accomodating.

I dip mine and it gets a pretty good even color. With small projects and a small amount of dye it may be hard to dip. If you use a dauber, you may have to re-apply to get even color, but that also may make it darker than you want. Use soap and one of those green scrubby pads to get the dye off. You are probably just removing some thin layer of skin to get it off. Also, try to do this before it dries too long on the finger or hands. I lay the scrubby on the middle bar of the sink and push hard while rubbing the affected finger over the scrubby.

Nice thread high jack! Ever consider starting your own thread?

Looks good. You may want to try with a sweat guard on the body side. Most people seem to like that from my experience.

They are a little different. Kel-Tec shows the width to be .77. Ruger list the width of the LCP at .82. Length and height is slightly different too. It is very little, but slightly noticeable in fit sticking an LCP is and molded Kel-Tec P3AT. I use the molds for each just be on the safe side.

UncleGeorge, Glad you like the machine. I still love mine. I was hand sewing and my old hands used to hurt from the sewing. Not any more!

If I try to pull the thread through the second tension it is nearly impossible unless: 1) I depress the tension foot pedal/presser foot or 2) pull extra string from the first tension before pulling through the second tension. When you push the presser foot pedal the tension loosens on the top tension screw as the presser foot comes up. Can you post a picture/pictures of how it is threaded? Also, make sure the bobbin thread did not come loose from the center of the bobbin. Sometimes when I change bobbins, the thread does not seat right in the middle hole of the bobbin. I have to open the end and check to make sure it is in the right place.

I'm by no means an expert. But i was having some sewing problems with thread tension particularly when I changed color of threads. I finally just loosened both tension screws all the way out and started over with both. Just unscrew the tension screws all the way. Then restart just until the adjustment screws start to catch. Then turn each one the exact amount of turns. It took 3-4 full turns (for each) with mine using a #24 needle and 277 thread top and bottom. When it gots close to correct, I would tighten the top tension just slightly (1/4 turn or less) to get it right. Also make sure the threading is right. You mentioned the second tensioner, so make sure the thread is betweeen the little curved wheels. I have had it come over the wheels when making the second wrap around. It helps to use good lighting to see as you thread. follow threading directions as in the manual. Good luck. Call Steve for more info, he is good about explaining what to do.

I would not agree (and probably most other folks) that a few years means that long. 15 or 20 years is what they call a $hit load in TX. A few years means 3 to me. But fortunately I've had the benefit of Steve's service and totally understand the point that the OP is trying to make. I interpret his post to be a rounding endorsement of the service Steve provides and not how long he has had the machine. Steve has always helped me and it appears I'm not alone. Being able to get answers and help when you need it, is invaluable for a new machine sewer like me. Thanks to the OP and Steve!

I had a similar problem with Professional Light Brown dye. Initally could not figure it out. What cured it for me is that you have to stir the dye very well before you use the dye. I dip my holsters to dye. If I do not stir the dye right before dipping, I get same type of blotches. And they never went away. I dried in the oven on a low temp and that did not work. Sealing it just makes the blotches darker. Maybe you can dye the holster black to save it. So now every color gets stirred before use, and that has been working well. Good luck!

Not so much that you can't get the gun out. Plus with wear and use they will get a little more loose over time. Depending wear someone wears it, some retention is good. If you put a smaller holster in cargo pants pocket, the holster can move/flip. In that case you will be glad you had enough retention to hold the gun in the holster. Most of my customers like to have some retention and they are pleased to have it. Since you are making your own, try it both ways and see how you like it.

Without the gun that is good. To get any retention you will need to have the gun or a dummy gun IMO. I would not suggest putting a Chicago screw that high. Keep them towards the bottom. The higher you put them the harder it will be to grip the gun. By hinging at the bottom the panel will separate from the holster more and allow the hand to grip the gun and index the forefinger along side the slide/trigger area. If you know someone will not want to remove the panel for front pocket carry, you could even stich the panel and holster together towards the bottom. But that takes away some of the versatility.

The trigger guard kinda pushes that out of the way going in. Coming out it rubs a little, but from the back side of the trigger.

Uncle George, PM me your phone number and I'll call you to discuss. Kind of a long story and I can talk faster than I can type. Doug

jrvinny, Nice work there! I've made holsters like yours with the snaps. I switched to Chicago screws for a couple of reasons. First, it is much easier to construct. Secondly, I felt that the snaps are much more likely to fail compared to a Chicago screw. No real experience with that, but I just felt the Chicago screw design would hold up longer. Regarding easy removal of the panel, with Chicago screws you can use a penny or dime in your pocket to remove the screw head. You don't have to have a screw driver. If someone wanted to take the panel off several times per day, your design would work much better for easily removing the panel. However, I've found that most people use the holster in a particular way and don't take the panel off and on multiple times per day. I had one question. Is there any reason you did not cover the trigger a little more?

I don't get complaints that the holster comes out with the gun. There is some experience level on how much molding to do. To much and the holster will come out, to little molding and it will not have enough retention. The back panel (rough side) provides some friction in the pocket. Did you break in the holster? Mine are usually just a little tight when mailed, but they loosen with use and practice drawing. You can also wrap some saran wrap around the gun to loosen if needed, but you have to be careful not to over loosen at first as it will loosen with break in and use. As shown the holster can be used front or back pocket. Panel removable by Chicago screws. For front pocket use the thumb push off works very well, with or without the panel.

I bought a Cobra 4 machine from a local leather shop. Brought it home late last week and have been practicing with it. It does appear to be fairly simple to operate and easy to sew with. I do mostly holsters and do not need lots of speed. I can sew fairly slowly with the Cobra 4. I'll probably send the motor back to exchange it for the EPS option that is available. I've contacted Steve for help several times and he has been most helpful and there when I needed him. I've read many comments about his great service, and now I have experienced it. I'm happy with my Cobra 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doug