Steven Kelley

I pull them through to the back side of the holster, cut them to about 1/8" long, and burn them with a lighter. While they are molten, press them down so they are flat. This will keep them from pulling through to the front.

Very nice! I like it.

I generally use hard rolled horsehide for holsters, but have tried soft rolled. I prefer the hard rolled personally. The soft rolled was very limp and soft. It did stiffen up nicely in the heat box after molding. Actually, once finished, I couldn't tell the difference between it and one made from hard rolled, as far as stiffness is concerned. I've only used it once, and probably won't use it again.

For holsters, I never use an edge guide. First, I sand the edges even and bevel the top edge. Then when I stitch, I just use the presser foot as a visual guide to gauge the distance I'm sewing from the edge. With a little practice, you can run the stitch line at whatever distance you want without needing an edge guide or marked line to guide you. I made a belt recently and used the edge guide. It makes it much easier on long straight pieces. You just set the guide at the distance you want your stitching to be from the edge and stitch. Gently press the piece toward the edge guide as you go, so that your piece stays against it. It's really easy to use. I think the key here is to just cut some scrap leather and start sewing. Run through a couple of bobbins of thread just practicing, and you should be ready to tackle anything a holster can throw at you.

Some are and some aren't. The hide I used was approximately 12 sqft, and it has 2 long "arms" that are about 60" long x 7" wide. Several strips can be cut from each of those arms. I have had some hides that were not long enough for a belt. Usually Roje posts pictures of the actual hide you are buying, and you can gauge by the shape whether it will work for your needs or not. They have several listed on ebay, which is where I purchased this particular hide.

Yes, it did burnish well. This is the first belt I've made, but I've used a lot of shark in the past as trim on holsters. On many of those hides, the wrinkles were raised a lot more than this piece. The taller wrinkles make edging and burnishing a lot harder. This hide has smaller/shorter wrinkles, and everything I've used it for has been very easy to edge and burnish. The only problem with shark is you never know what you are getting until you open the box. The Shark is laminated to a 3oz piece of cowhide, then that is laminated to a 6/7 piece, so the total thickness is right at 1/4". Roje Leather has quite a few pieces of shark right now.

Thanks. The buckel does have some texture. The shark skin came bro Roje Leather.

I make holsters as a second full time job. I've had many belt requests, but just do not have time to add them to my offerings. However, I needed a new belt to go with a holster I'm making for my new DW VBOB, so decided to make it myself. It's a true 1/4" thick x 1.5" wide with full shark on the front, cowhide on the back. I laminated the shark to some thin leather (maybe 3 oz), to get the overall thickness I needed. If you see something that needs improvement, please let me know, this is my first belt.

I draw a line on the leather to establish the stitch line around the gun, but not on the edges. You can use the presser feet as a distance gauge from the edge. Once you get the feel for the distance from the needle to different parts of the presser foot, you just keep that point at the same distance from the edge and sew. There is a learning curve going around edges and keeping the stitch length consistent. Once you get the feel for it, it's pretty easy. Just get some scrap leather and practice, a lot. Draw the outline of a gun on the leather and practice sewing right on the pencil mark. Draw some smooth curves and follow them as well, trying to not only keep the needle on the line but also keep the stitch length consistent. Stitch right down the edge of a piece experimenting with keeping an edge on the presser foot the same distance from the edge all the way. And most of all, go slow. Turn the max speed on your servo way down so that it doesn't get away from you.

You need two gum rubber pads, 12" x 12" x 1" thick. These need to be soft, around 40 durometer. I use 2 of these on top and 2 on bottom of the holster when in the press. So that would be 2" of rubber on each side. You will also need a stiff plate under the bottom piece of rubber and on top of the top piece of rubber. I use 1/2" thick steel plates, but you might be able to use something thinner. Here is a link to MSC where the rubber sheets are about $43 each. Place the wet holster with gun/mold inside into the press, between the rubber pads. Pump the press until you feel some resistance (you can experiment until you get the feel for it). Leave in the press for a couple of minutes and remove. You should have a nicely molded holster. You can then use hand tools to bone in the fine lines of the gun once the leather has dried out a bit. http://www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/NNSRIT2?PMAKA=31934573&PMPXNO=1848726&cm_re=ItemDetail-_-ResultListing-_-SearchResults

Bob, When I get ready for a third machine, you'll be getting an order for another Cowboy. No doubt about that.

Yes, mine does have that and it is working properly. It just does not release enough tension so the piece can be easily pulled out of the machine, without pulling thread by hand from the take up lever. It does release some tension, but not enough. It's really not a big deal at all. Maybe it's the way I have the tensions adjusted on the machine. The Adler releases quite a bit more of the tension, so that you can just pull the piece out. I have white thread in one and black in the other. After using the Adler a few days exclusively, I needed to use the Cowboy yesterday. Overall, I actually like stitching on the Cowboy more than the Adler.

Bob, Mine only has one screw holding the needle. And you are right about the take up lever. Being able to see it would be nice, but since the tension is released when the presser foot is raised, at least you don't need access to it. I'm glad to have it, and also very happy that the quality and performance of the Cowboy is on par with the Adler. Its not that the Adler is lower quality than I expected, but that the Cowboy is exceptional, and for half the price new.

It's less than 10 years old. Plate says made in Czech Republic, but a large percentage of it could be from China.

I've had a Juki 441 clone for about 8 months. Late last year, I made the decision to purchase a 2nd machine to speed things up a bit (aka - get my wife to help me stitch things!). So I was going to buy another Cowboy 4500. I love the Cowboy 4500 by the way. It's been absolutely fantastic. The stitch quality is great. It's a very well built machine, and Bob's customer service can't be beat. I also had a itch for an Adler 205, but didn't want to pay twice the price for the Adler when the Cowboy would make the same quality of stitch. So one night I'm searching Craigslist and run upon a local guy selling a used Adler 205-370. To make a long story short, he inherited it from his father, who was a saddle maker and purchased the machine very shortly before passing away. It had been used a total of 2 times. It looked brand new. I bought it for roughly 1/2 the price of a new one. Obviously, I couldn't pass that up. So I've been using it for a few weeks now trying to get it all dialed in, which I now have. So after using both side by side, this is my comparison for any of you trying to decide between a 441 clone machine or an authentic Adler 205. The only issue I've had with the Cowboy has been with the servo motor. It starting acting up a bit and Bob sent out a new motor. The Adler, not being setup for holsters, took some tweaking. The Adler is a more "polished" machine. You can tell the attention to detail of all the parts is a little better. The machining is nicer, paint is nicer, knobs are nicer, etc. It's 2x the price new, so it should be, right? But when it actually comes down to stitching, I can't tell a difference. They stitch virtually the same. One neat feature of the Adler is that when you press the pedal to lift the presser foot, it relieves tension on the top thread so you can easily pull your piece out. Not a big deal, but neat. I like the harness feet on the Cowboy better. They are a little smaller and smoother, so it's easier to see exactly where your stitch is going, and a little easier to go around corners with. Tension control is the same. Threading the machines is totally different, but very easy on both. The area in the machine where the stitching happens is more "open" in the Cowboy, which I like. That makes it easier to see everything. The stand that comes with the Adler (from Weaver's) is a little heavier duty, but doesn't lift high enough to stand and sew. The Cowboy stand is plenty heavy and has a much broader range of height adjustment, from sitting to standing. The bobbin winder on the Cowboy is a part of the machine, and it works very well. The bobbin winder on the Adler is an separate piece that is mounted to the table. It has a wheel that contacts the drive belt when engaged. Both work well, but the winder on the Cowboy gives me a more consistently full bobbin than the Adler winder. I cannot adjust the Adler winder to fill the bobbin more full, so I need to modify it a bit. One small nit picky item is the door covering the bobbin/shuttle area. I hate the hinged door on the Adler. There is a spring wire that holds the door closed. You have to use a screwdriver to pry the spring back and open the door. I hate it. I love the cover on the Cowboy. Just turn it one way and it pops right off. Turn it back the other way and it's locked in place. The Cowboy will sew thicker leather than the Adler. I don't know the exact thicknesses off hand, but the presser foot lifts quite a bit higher with the Cowboy, if that's a concern for anyone. I don't sew anything near the max thickness for either one, so it's not a big deal for me. They are both extremely well built and very heavy duty. I can't imagine either one being "under built" for anything you want to run through them. Obviously, the Cowboy being a Chinese built clone, isn't going to be as nicely fit and finished as an authentic Juki or an Adler, but it is very nicely built and finished nonetheless. Having both and using both side by side, now I am very confident in saying that unless you find a screaming deal on a more expensive machine (Juki or Adler), don't waste your money. The Cowboy will stitch just as well, it's built like a tank, and you'll get customer service to last a lifetime. I'm sure Cobra, Techsew, etc. are probably equally as good. I've only used the Cowboy so that's all I can speak to. Bob is great to work with. Steve has lots of great reviews, as does Ronnie from Techsew. I have had to deal with Weaver's for a few small things for the Adler, and they have been very helpful as well. Now back to work.

I also have a Cowboy 4500 and could not be happier with it. I was in the market for a second machine and found a used, but like new, Adler 205-370 on my local Craigslist. I bought it for about the same price as a new CB4500. Needless to say, I couldn't pass it up. Anyway, after using it next to the CB4500 for a few days I can say the Cowboy lays down a stitch equal in every way to the Adler. The Adler is a more refined machine. You can definitely tell the parts are machined a bit nicer, but overall performance is the same. If I showed you a sample from each, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Actually, I prefer the Cowboy in certain ways to the Adler. The Cowboy is a fine machine and I'm happy to have one.

Yes, I heat dry. I'm with Lobo on this one. It saves a huge amount of time when working on multiple items. My heat box is basically a plastic storage bin with a hole in one end and a small space heater with fan. I have an oven thermometer in it and it keeps the temp at a constant 120°-125°. The fan also keeps the air moving so the pieces dry very quickly. I would estimate it takes about 40 mins to completely dry a holster in the box. Mine is large enough to have at least 10 items in at once, but I seldom have more than 5 in at a time. At some point I'll make something a little nicer, but what I have works very well for now, and it was cheap.

I recently made a drying box using a plastic storage bin, digital meat thermometer, and a fan forced utility heater (aka - small space heater with a fan). The storage bin is one of the larger ones at home depot. Using one with a hinged lid would be even better. That's my next change. Basically what you do is cut a hole in the end of the bin about the same size as the heater. The heater will sit outside the bin and blow warm air inside. Drill holes in the sides of the bin for wooden dowels. The wooden dowels will pass through both sides of the bin so items can hang inside the box. A digital meat thermometer, the kind with a wire running from the thermocouple to the digital display box, can be used to tell you how warm it is inside. I run my heater on low, with the thermostat turned to max so it doesn't cycle on and off. It maintains a constant temperature of 120° - 122° inside the box. The moving air also helps dry things more quickly. Originally I was a little worried about the heater sitting so close to the plastic bin, but the plastic doesn't even get hot. It's just warm. The bin was $10, the heater $20, and I already had the thermometer. I've been using this setup for about a month and it works great.

For dip dying after the holster is formed, you will need about a gallon. For dip dyeing the pieces, before assembly, you can get by with a quart. I buy Fiebing's Pro Oil by the quart and gallon from Weaver's.

I will have to agree with all of the above. I purchased a Boss, thinking "I can save a few $ and get by with it". Well, after my second holster with it, I was regretting the purchase. It will make a good stitch, but there is minimal throat clearance. I think they advertise 6" or something like that, but I measured closer to 5.25". Anyway, when you swing a holster through the opening, and the holster is too long to fit, you have to bend it to pass through, while also guiding it to make sure the stitch is in the right spot, and pulling the handle. You need 3 arms. I sent it back under Tippmann's 30 day return policy and purchased a Cowboy 4500. If you buy all the attachments you mentioned for the Boss, you will be in the same price range as a Cowboy 3500 or a Cobra Class 3. The Boss is also a little finicky with tension and settings. My Cowboy just sews and sews. My advice after traveling down the same road you are on is get a powered machine. I bought a Cowboy and Bob's customer service is second to none, so I recommend him. Other's have had the same experience with Cobra and Steve. Basically the same machine, so you make the call. You won't regret it, but I think you might regret the Boss after a while.

For my needs, I would say: 1. 3.5" 1911 C&L 2. Kimber Solo Don't care about the two

The leather I order from WC that is plated, is in the correct range of thickness for it's weight. I really don't know if plating makes it thinner, but I would assume is probably does slightly, so they would adjust their input leather to make sure the finished product is what you ordered. That's a total guess on my part, so take it with a grain of salt. Just know that if you order 6/7 oz plated leather, you will get leather that's thickness is in the correct range for 6/7 oz.

I think they also call it "plated". At least the way the rep from WC explained it to me, they run it through rollers to compress the leather and make it a little firmer. So based on that, I would say "holstering" and "plating" are the same thing.

4.5" c-c leaves about 3/16" from the edge of the belt to the edge of the snap, and 1/2" to the center of the snap. I leave 1/2" of strap length past the center of the hole for the stud, and 5/8" of length past the cap. That extra 1/8" makes it a little easier to unsnap.

I use PTD snaps almost exclusively and have a distance of 4.5" between the holes, center to center. I then wet form the loop around a 1.5" x 1.4" belt blank, and put a crease at the top edge of the belt. That allows the snap to lay flat and engage a bit easier.