Tallbald

Wow you folks! I really appreciate the teaching and will integrate the ideas into my next project. Thank you again. Don.

Hi everyone. I've made several holsters of various styles while I work to improve my technique and skills. To date, none have been lined. My leather comes from an importer next county over who brings the veg tanned hides in from I think the southern countries. Their customers are some of the tool belt makers and the backs of the hides are OK for the purpose. The price and service is really good, so I buy locally. My trouble is that with handling for cutting, tooling and stitching the knap of the backside roughens up and becomes "hairy" if you will. Is there some way to smooth the rough side before final finishing? I use only vinagaroon to blacken followed by baking soda wash and clear water before drying followed by neatsfoot oil and a beeswax concoction , or I will spirit dye the edge (thank you for the help on that technique) and oil finish followed by the same wax. The look and feel though of the inside is really unattractive to me. Is there a technique to smooth the inside I should try? Thanks as always, Don.

Hi TwinOaks. I sent you a PM. Don

I read a reference to "tear away" carving on a holster websight, and have unsuccessfully tried to search out the technique. What does this style of carving involve please? Thanks, Don

Just wanted to follow up with you all and thank you once more. I had to make the last part of my first embossed holster (the band the body slips down into) and it too needed the edge blackened. As taught, I edge trimmed, then wet with water and burnished well on a burnisher I turned from wood. The q-tip dipped in black dye just glided along leaving a beautiful black edge that once dried, I burnished again with the wax and neatsfoot oil mixture I talked about. So smooth and easy to do using the instructions given me. I didn't have shoe polish, but still had the Fiebings dye is why I used that. WOW. Don

Thank you both! It appears I have been sequencing wrong by dyeing before I burnish. In my mind I was thinking a burnished surface would not absorb dye. The artist's brush would not glide smoothly along and I had to dab the dye on. Thank you both for the teaching. As an aside, a western style holster for a Ruger Old Army I am completing is close to done, and will have this edge treatment as well as a finish of wax compound I made using a recipe I found here on this forum. By weight equal parts beeswax (bought with a 40% off Hobby Lobby coupon), parrafin, and neatsfoot oil .Rubbed in hard it is giving a nice low luster sheen and soft feel. Thanks again, Don.

Good evening all, and thank you administrators for allowing me to join the forum. Pretty new to the crafting of leather I am an occasional poster on another wonderful forum geared toward old west and frontier leatherwork items, and there are a few understandable restrictions on topics. My personal interests extend also though to modern holsters for concealed carry and Ruger handguns both DA and SA. I recently started dyeing the edges of natural finished (neatsfoot oil followed by Skidmore Leather creme) holsters for a nice contrast. I dye with an artist's brush after edge sanding, then allow to dry, wet the edge with gum trag and burnish. I have a LOT of difficulty keeping the dye from bleeding some into the leather past the sanded edge, and at times farther. Would a different application method be faster and less prone to over-applying while getting down to the root of edge fibers? I see some suppliers sell roller trays I supposedly could roll the edge across to apply dye. I have also been told to use "edge blacking" but I am also told it is basically a paint that can come off with time. I'd sure appreciate advise. Thanks. Don

Hi Kevin. That was my trouble too. Arthritis and other conditions have caused me to have to deal with my hands going numb and becoming stiff when grasping, and having trouble locating a stamp before striking. Using my press has made all the difference in the world to this novice (if I can even rate myself at that high a level!). Don

Hey JC I just re-read my post and I made a typo error. Did not mean to say .."that makes any sense" mean't to say "not sure if it makes any sense" (boy did I step in it!!). It's that I'm not really sure what I'm looking for because I'm not sure what can be done in finishing my holsters. How do I receive a PM? Thanks, Don.

Well I'm not quite sure if that makes any sense. A little sheen would be nice and I don't mind reapplying as needed. A flexible finish would be best, so I'm inclined to avoid an acrylic coating. A wax I guess is what I'm looking for. That's why I tried the neutral shoe polish. Is a beeswax mix a choice? Maybe something I could make up myself? Don Well I'm not quite sure if that makes any sense. A little sheen would be nice and I don't mind reapplying as needed. A flexible finish would be best, so I'm inclined to avoid an acrylic coating. A wax I guess is what I'm looking for. That's why I tried the neutral shoe polish. Is a beeswax mix a choice? Maybe something I could make up myself? Don

Hi folks. New to this posting on forum for the most part, but have lurked quite some time. Another forum I participate in is full of wonderful folks who help others immensely. I like to ask lots of questions, and my leatherwork focuses mainly on holsters. Although I am a single-action fan (Rugers primarily), I love making patterns for, cutting and hand sewing pancake holsters and pocket holsters for modern guns too, which as a courtesy to the flavor of the forum, aren't discussed in great detail. I have questions that at times may be more appropriate for this forum. Now to my questions if it's OK. I am wet forming my holsters after vinegaroon dying, baking soda washing and clear washing thoroughly. After drying, I coat several times with neatsfoot oil. I'd like to try a topcoat that I can buff to a low sheen, but Kiwi neutral shoe polish didn't work for me. I've been told af a product called Skidmore's leather creme that is reportedly great stuff, but it's not available to me except by mail. Several farm stores here, and some tack shops carry big-name leather dressings, but on a limited income I hate to spend money on a" maybe". Could some of you share with me information about things you all find works too? Thank you for your time, Don.

The fence is a strip of stainless steel mounted to a sliding piece of oak I can move forward or backwards and tighten in place with the nut on the threaded rod the oak slides on. The pointed guide is mounted to the strip of stainless and is just a little above the table so it can slide and let me set the distance from the stamp. Hope this helps. Don

Hello all. I'm a new person to leather crafting, but have really learned a lot with the help of web forums. I have arthritis and was not able to make the constant pounding movements needed for edge embossing and hole punching, so I modified my Harbor Freight 1 ton press with a center hole in the end of the ram and a tapped hole for a retention bolt in the side. A little workbench fiddling and I came up with an adjustable guide to give me even spacing from the edge, and the removeable table surface is cut from an old plastic cutting board made smooth so texturing on the board doesn't transfer to the cased leather when embossing. The tabletop and support block lift out and the factory plate can be used for other pressing too. A little after these photos were taken, I was able to add a wood drilled block to the back corner to hold various stamping tools handy close too. Boy it sure is a nice quiet affair to use on my kitchen table. A harbor Freight magnetic base work lamp stuck to the side out of the way lights everything well too. Looking forward to learning from the talented folks here, Don.

Ferg thank you so very much. They have just what I think I will be needing now and in the future. Don, southern KY

Hi folks. Kind of new here, but been a lurker a while. Hope somebody can give me guidance on buying heavy duty metal suspender clips for a set of leather suspenders I will be making. The thing is, my suspenders will also be a holster for my Bond derringer. Thank you, Don.