mlapaglia

It could be drum dyed veg-tan. Or Dipped veg-tan or even sprayed Veg-tan. If its not you certainly could use veg tan to make it. Ive seen excellent spray dyeing done on veg-tan that looks like it was drum dyed or even dipped. Thats my opinion anyway

I agree, removing the filter lets you use a thicker liquid according to the manufacturer. This way you get better coverage without having to make as many passes as you would with paint the consistency of water.

So you can use liquid thicker than water. With thin dye you get the filter but when it's thicker the filter would limit the suction so you take it off.

Thanks guys. I just called Preval and they say thin it 3:2 Paint to water. Also remove the filter from the bottom of the tube and it should be fine. I was hoping someone here had tried it and come up with a known ratio. Thanks again for all the information.

This is probably the only holster Ill have to do with acrylic paint. Hopefully. I really need to know how much to thin the paint down. When you used yours how much did you thin it?

For the Resolene? I use a 1 inch foam brush. As long as its 50/50 im not sure it really matters Straight Resolene is a pain to apply. Lots of bubbles and streaks. Try what ever you have on a scrap piece and see what looks good. 2 thin coats area better than 1 thick coat.

Selling to relatives of friends is often a problem. Sounds like you have this under control. Get him to document how to stretch a holster and we can all learn the secret.

You can achieve that look by coating the tooled area with a resist like resolene or super sheen. Then dye the leather except for the tooled area. once the main dye is done using some antique dye on the tooled leather and wipe it off right away. it will stay on the tooled area and come off of the higher (untooled) area of the leather. Thats not a very good explanation but its a resist method of antique dye application.

My wax/neetsfoot oil combo is a firm paste. A lot like past shoe polish used to be. Maybe not quite as stiff. Works great as does the resolene 50/50.

Looks good. 4.5 - 5mm is really thick. Its equal to 10-12 oz leather. Id stick with 3 - 3.5mm 7-9 oz for pancake holsters. 3.5 mm can be detailed Im not sure it would be possible to get and real detail out of 4.5 -5mm leather. The stitch line on the trigger guard looks pretty good considering the thickness of the leather. Id say for a first one you did very well. Michael

I use 8-9 for OWB holsters and 6-7 or 8-9 for IWB holsters depending on the size of the gun. For a shield or Sig P938 6-7 works really well as an IWB. Buy a back or double shoulder, or single shoulder but stay away from Belly unless you are making something you want to really stretch. If you get shoulder watch the area near the neck. It can stretch almost as bad as a belly. Michael

I have to make a pink holster and Im going to use Angelus acrylic paint with a Preval Sprayer. How much should I thin the pain down and is water ok to thin it with. Any other suggestions would be welcome. Thanks Michael

Try this or something like it

the molding is very well done. I think you need to work on keeping the stitch line straight. A groover might help. Grove a straight line then follow that with the needle and awl. Over all nice job.

I did some searching and found one reference about a Red Boss machine. This stated that the red model was the original version. That would make this one pretty old and probably in need of some of the updates that came out. As stated more information about what it comes with would help.

What does it come with? need that to set a price. I have never seen a red version of the Boss. I wonder if its been repainted? A few more pictures of different angles would help.

on the whole it looks great. I think you could use more leather on the outside of the belt loop. Its pretty thin there. Could break under the tension of the belt.

I sand my belt loops just like my belt edges. I sand and edge them before they are attached together. I find this works find and is easy.

White spirit (UK)or mineral spirits (US), also known as mineral turpentine, turpentine substitute, petroleum spirits, solvent naphtha (petroleum) or Stoddard solvent is a petroleum-derived clear, transparent liquid which is a common organic solvent used in painting and decorating. It is not the same as denatured alcohol.

When you make vinegaroon you keep feeding it steel wool for two weeks until it wont take any more. Some people just put some steel wool in at first and assume thats enough. It takes a week or two but it will work after a day or two but be too acidic for long term usage. "Roon" make the leather difficult to absorb water. FYI, an hour is about 59 minutes 30 seconds too long. I dip my stuff for 10 secs 3 times. works great. Try a little warm water it should make it damp enough to stamp. I use Resolene 50/50 with water, 2 coats on my vinegaroon items. Works great. You might find that a week or two the flesh side may turn black anyway on the one you brushed on. Since its a chemical reaction it sometimes keeps going to the other end. Just takes more time. Vinegaroon also makes the leather stiffer so always tool it first. Be sure to give it a coat of neets foot oil to restore what the dying removes. Good luck. Its all I use for black leather.

Looks good. With that much fresh vinegar in the mix make sure you neutralize the acid with a baking soda/ water bath. You could have problems down the road if you dont kill all that excess acid. Dont go crazy with the baking soda in the water or you could have problems with an alkaline overload. Too much of either thing is not good. Michael

FYI, The floppy part of a shoulder or double shoulder is the neck end. That part of the hide gets a lot of movement so it is more flexible than the area over the shoulder or rump. With experience and practice you can learn to avoid those area for projects you need the firmness on. I have the same problem when I get a side. Had to learn what was what when looking at a side. easy once you figure it out. Michael

Sorry for the delay. I blew out my knee and can't get into my shop. My son is coming by Saturday to dig out the pattern for me to send to you. I thought I sent you an email explaining things must have messed it up. You should have the pattern Sat evening. Call me if you need to. 303 eight eight one 1045 Again sorry for the delay. Michael

You may find that in a week your deluted section will still turn black. As noted its a chemical reaction not a dye. You will need to get some dye and figure out the right mixture to make a grey. I have not tried a grey before so Im not help.

Both good advice. This is a 2 year old thread so he probably got it working.