treadhead1952

Hi JR, Very nice work all around. Too bad I am too old and fat for an IWB though. I want to try some horsehide out, it seems a lot smoother finish than cowhide.

Hi All, Being of unsound mind, it was time for a new addition to my collection of handguns. I have been wanting to add a "Wondernine" to my stable for a while now, the idea of a handgun with a magazine capacity rivaling some submachine guns seems interesting. Browsing around the local shops I located a pretty decent deal on a Ruger P-95. Once I got it home the first question that arose was what sort of leather do I want to pack this thing around. Being that it is a full sized semi auto with a double stack magazine, inside the waist band didn't seem like a very good idea. That pretty well lets that out so OWB it was to be. Using the pistol to draw up an outline to study to see just how I wanted it to go led me to this eventually, a pancake style with a riser in the back to keep the back of the slide from poking me in the side when I sat down. I also added a stiffening band around the top to help hold it open when the pistol was withdrawn so it would be easier to re-holster it when the time came. As usual for me, everything is saddle stitched as well as glued together for maximum longevity. I have had it out and about a few times now and so far it has shown no vices to speak of.

Hi KT, Very nice work all around. I have been threatening to add some inserts to my stuff, so far it has just been threatening though.

Hi Bbays, Very nice and clean work. I like the close to the body styling of both.

Hi RT, That is some mighty purty leather to be hid out all the time. Nice work though. I am considering trying my hand at a shoulder rig, possibly something like the old Bianchi X 2000 series.

Hi All, I wanted to come up with some new sheaths for some of the knives in my collection. Just about all of them came with one, but some, as in the case of my Arkansas Toothpick, just did not fit, the knife was too large and wouldn't sit all the way down into the sheath that came with it. Forget about drawing it out once you did get it mostly in there, not exactly what one would want in such a large sharp two edged knife. Since I have been browsing around looking at some of the offerings that others have come up with I saw a number of very nice and well designed ones. For my first effort I chose one of the knives that I liked, a large Bowie design from the collection and went to work. I made a pattern using some card board, traced it out on my 7-8 ounce belly cut that I have and then trimmed it out. I used some scrap cuts to furnish the two sections that I wanted to add between the front and rear parts to give the necessary thickness as well as protect the thread from the blade. At it's widest part across the blade it is nearly 3/16ths of an inch thick. Following the advice I received in another post I angled my basket weave stamp when I started tooling the leather. I used the larger of the two basket weave stamps I now have, the X510 to do most of the stamping with the D436 Camouflage and Border stamp to go around the edge. I used the Adjustable Groove Cutter to run a bead around the edge of the rear part first and layout the four lines that would be used for the stitching on the belt loop. It also laid out the area to be tooled on the front piece. Once I got the basket weave pattern and the border stamped, I used the round back edge of the top of the basket weave stamp to hide my over stamps from the basket weave pattern on the outer perimeter of the front and belt loop area. Once I had all the tooling done I started gluing up the two spacers to the rear panel and folded over the belt loop and glued it up with Contact Cement. All the stitching was laid out with a #6 Pounce Wheel and then punched through with by Awl and hand sewn using the old two needle saddle stitch method. I ran a false stitch line across the top of the front panel. Before I started to stitch up the front and rear together I applied some Eco Flo Super Sheen to the edges as a Dye resist. Next came some dark brown Eco Flo Dye to the areas where I made the border with the D436 Camo Tool. Once it dried I used Briar Brown Eco Flo Color Tint watered down and applied with a sponge over the whole thing inside and out. Letting it dry I used more of the Eco Flo Super Sheen to seal it all up. Next came some more of the Contact Cement to glue the front panel to the spacers and rear panel. Now I could sew it all together using the same saddle stitch method as before. I had saved the false stitch threads at the top and used them to start the stitching and anchor the front and rear together. They ran down about an inch and a half and then were sewn back through the same holes for about five or six loops. I started with a long single thread with the two needles at that point to go all the way around the sheath. Next came sanding the edges down smooth first on my 8" electric grinder then switching to 320 grit wet sand paper to finish the edges. Once they were smoothed out I applied a coat of Fiebings USMC Black to the edges. A couple more coats of Super Sheen were applied to seal it all up, I may go with another coat or two after everything has had a chance to get good and dry after a day or two.

Hi All, Having gotten a hold of a Belly cut from the local Tandy store to start off my leather crafting and figuring out what I wanted to start with, a new holster to carry my little 3" barreled 5 shot .38 Rossi came rising to the top. I had a belt slide that sort of worked as long as I didn't start jogging and with a renewal of the permit, I figured it was time. I had purchased a Kirkpatrick TSS holster for my full sized .45 Auto when I got it long ago and it has served me well. It carries the big hog leg in the right spot, I can cover it with a light shirt or jacket and I can truck around all day without any problems. Naturally making up a home brew imitation of this tried and true design wasn't a great leap of intuition but seemed like a good idea. Making the pattern was a matter of tracing the outline of the little revolver on a sheet of card, leaving enough space around it to stitch some and then cutting it out and folding it over to get the opposite side. I like this design as it uses the leather of the holster itself immediately behind the holster body to make a space for one belt slot and then adds a leather strap around the top of the holster to stiffen it to keep it open as well as provide the second belt strap on the rear of the holster shell. With a double row of stitching on the reinforcement it is plenty stiff without an insert of any sort. I will admit my stitching leaves a lot to be desired, I ran out of thread on the needles a couple of times, had to let one row of stitches go as they were under the back belt slot and, well, it is my first holster after a long pause in my leather crafting career. Before I folded it over to be sewn up I used some Eco Flo Dark Chocolate Dye to coat the insides, not wanting to have any light colors showing up should it get flashed. I gave it two coats of Fiebings USMC Black spirit dye, rubbing it down after each once it was stitched up and had been wet formed to the little revolver. I looked it over carefully but couldn't find any light spots, the leather seemed to suck the dye up like a starving puppy. For a finish, I actually found a partial can of Neat Lac that I had left from my last foray into the world of leather crafting. These photos are from the first coat. I will let it all set up over night and rub it down before adding a second coat overall.

Hi BGD, Okay, I am in good old Lost Wages, Nevada and getting back into the swing of things again down here. Uh, creative standstill, lets see, I usually just go buy a new knife or gun which would require some new leather and let nature take its' course. Since you are into doing the beating and banging over a nice hot forge and anvil, go make a new knife and then you will need some new leather.

Nice lookin' Possibles Pouch there. I like the inset weeping heart with the cross on the flap.

Hi Rob, I am working on an adaptation of the Kirkpatricks' TSS holster for my little J Frame Rossi .38 Special, which I added a Hogue soft rubber three finger grip to. I set it so that the entire grip is above the holster rim as well as 2/3's of the trigger guard. I like the way the Kirkpatrick TSS carries my full sized .45 Auto, you can go all day without it weighing you down. At the same time when I comes time to present it for business, the grip is right there. I will remember the wet forming details you guys have provided once I get it all stitched up. The general shape of the holster is pretty compact, shrinking the leather further to conform to the nooks and crannies of the revolver will just make it more so as well as aid in retention of the piece since there are no safety straps or other retention devices.

HI CD, I have to agree, nice clean job of stamping. I was wondering how that three petaled stamp from Tandy would look, now I know. Time to break out the lace and get to work.

Hi RT, I like them both, the way the grip extends far enough out of the way of everything to get a "shooting" grip on there makes them prized for their down right usefulness as a carry holster.

Hi Allen, I thought the clown was pretty intense on the last one, but all these skulls musta just about drove you outta your (all puns fully intended) skull! Sorry, I just couldn't resist. But they do look pretty righteous, nice work.

Thanks Mike, I appreciate the fast response and excellent information. I suppose that equates to the old "dunk it in a horse tank" approach I read about in the Al Stohlman book on holsters.

Hi Rob, Looks pretty happening other than that trigger guard issue to me. Although I draw and keep my trigger finger lined up alongside the pistol or revolver until I have it up in firing position, being able to wrap a knuckle around the grip close to the trigger guard is pretty important for me I am interested in how you managed to shrink the leather down onto the parts of the pistol so tightly. I am working on a CCW type holster for my little 5 shot .38 Special and that is the one thing I have yet to figure out.

Being a rookie as well, I can't offer any criticisms but it sure looks like a fine job and a handsome project to me.

Hi Aaron, Living out here in the desert, I will have to come up with a supplier to get some of those exotics or go do a little Snake Huntin' out in the tulies and rocks to harvest some of my own. I need to pick up a skiving knife so I can shape the edges of my newest cell phone case before I get started on it. I do like the way that using the adjustable gouging tool worked to outline the edge of the pattern before I started working on stamping it. It also came in handy when I finished the pattern off with the camouflage tool that I have. I am also thinking about adding a belt loop to it instead of the clip. The way that it goes together, I can sew the belt loop to the back part of it, fold it up and then stitch the sides up on either side of the loop. That would eliminate all but the self stick Velcro patch to close the flap as far as extra bits that would have to be purchased and added to the case.

Hi Aaron, Yeah, they include a pad of some soft fuzzy material with a self stick back to it to protect your cell phone from getting scratched up. I was considering some stitch work on this second one rather than the rivet action, I like sewing this stuff up. That is a nice looking sheath, I like the insert, what is that, Ray? Thanks Mtn, Man, it has been a long while since I did anything in the way of stamping or leather construction. With all the knives I have and other stuff, it is just time to get busy again.

Very nice work, I like all the tooling and lacing.

Hi All, I got a chance to do a little shopping at, where else?, Tandy's of course. I was in the market for some leather. My pocket book being somewhat deflated, I figured that I could probably afford a belly. Besides it was the perfect opportunity to go in and ask the ladies behind the counter 'how they were fixed for bellies'. I wanted something a bit heavier than the lightweight leather that was provided in the original Cell Phone Case Kit.. While the little case works just fine, a heavier duty one would probably be better for long term use. I also have a couple of other ideas that I want to do that will require some leather in the 6 to 7 oz. line. I had the choice of three that they had in stock and for just under $15 I walked out the door with just what I required . Once I got done with my day at the salt mines, I turned my attention to the little card stock pattern tracing I had done of the original cell phone case. I had traced it out on a sheet of 110 pound card stock, I use it for making card models so I have lots of it around. It is roughly the thickness of a business card. I selected a section of the belly that I had that looked pretty happening for this project and traced it out with a pencil. This got cut out with a pair of scissors. These are pair of Fiskars Titanium Scissors that I use for my card models and they are kept incredibly sharp, I have used them to cut out 1.5 mm thicknesses of card and they made short work of the leather. So now I have what appears to be a leather copy of Thor's Hammer to tinker on for my next incarnation of a Cell Phone Case. Now I have to figure out what sort of a tooling pattern I will be adding to this one.

Hi Travis, Yeah, I work for a Photography company here in Las Vegas, catching stuff like that is second nature anymore. And using Photoshop to rework the patterns that you can dig up from many of the books and craft aids to better fit your own designs is a most excellent idea. Being a model maker, I can appreciate the patience that it took to "paint" in that back ground work. But like most things done well, a little patience goes a long way in yielding superior results. Looking forward to seeing more work from your bench.

Thanks both of you. And yes, I am hooked on leather work. Although it is about the fifth time over the course of more years than I care to think of. Part of the package for this little Cell Phone Case are four other patterns besides the Basket Weave which was accomplished with the small X501 tool that I did. One of the other ones suggests using one of the Geometric Stamps from that set with the craft aid grid they sell for them. I suppose you could freelance any of a few different Geometric Stamps on there as well. There are two floral patterns and one that I almost did in lieu of the Basket Weave, a Snakes' Head. I think the Snakes' Head would look really exceptional with some fanciful dye or paint work. All of these patterns are designed to be copied over then traced over so you can add them to the leather. And yes, like most things in life that are fun to do, it is gonna cost some money. Tandy seems to have that part down really well I think. But if I purchase a tool every payday as I have done in the past and get some leather to work with from a few different sources, I can contain those costs to a certain degree. With the odd purchased product such as this little case to supplement my own meager imagination, I can find lots of stuff to make. One of my other hobbies is knife collecting and while most of them do come with a sheath of some sort, building custom sheaths for them is one of the things I am looking forward to doing. Shooting is another of my hobbies so I have holsters, slings, cases and all the impedimentia that goes with that hobby as well to roam around in.

Nice looking Cell Phone Case there Nighthawk and thanks for putting one up that isn't a copyrighted work so no one gets in trouble with it.

Hi All, I got a private message from one of the members concerning my little post here. The gist of it was a request for uploading a copy of my traced outline of the pattern to this website. I had considered doing that, but then reading over the instructions and decoration sheets that came with the kit, I came across the Copyright Notices generously plastered on the stuff at the bottom of each page and not wanting to get Johanna into trouble with the Tandy Corporation over a (Currently $9 on sale) cell phone case, I thought the better of it. I figure if an individual buys one from them and copies it ad infinite-um there isn't a whole lot that Tandy can do about it, but plastering any part of the design or parts there of on the web would probably be another story. I will say after wearing it at my job all day, using it several times answering phone calls, getting in and out of the van I drive for work, making deliveries to our stores, it has held up just fine. No problems with it coming off of my belt, losing my cell phone, interfering with the seat belts of the vehicle or anything else rude, crude or socially unacceptable. So I suppose that is about all that one can say about an item as humble as a Cell Phone Case, well other than recommend it highly for anyone else looking for such an item.

Hi MOA, If you can find one at a Tandy store or go online to the CS Osborne website, the basic stitching awl by CS Osborne is a hard choice to beat. That is a picture of mine in the photo I posted up above. They cost anywhere from $10 to $15 depending on the model you chose and where you purchase it from. Here is a link to the CS Osborne website so you can check things out for yourself. https://www.osborneleathertools.com/ Jay treadhead1952 Las Vegas, NV