mlapaglia

I had the same White/grey grain with Resolene. I took it off and went with Leather Balm and Atom Wax. Not sure what causes it. Maybe its the vinegaroon?

Option A: stitch and wet form holster, stick in oven on 170 (lowest mine goes) for about 10-12 minutes, let dry overnight. Dunk in Vinegaroon, then baking soda, then in clean water, re insert gun, and let dry again....(will redunking in all of these thing ruin my first molding?) Option B; Stitch and dunk in vinegaroon, backing soda, clean water, then wet form, bake and let dry.... Either option will work. Its what you decide you like better. I do "B" but I dont dunk it I in the vinegaroon I use a dauber and "paint" it on. Then the same for the baking soda after about 5 minutes and finally a QUICK rinse in water. Bake it for 25-30 minutes. (if your over does not go low enough put in an oven thermometer and cycle the heat on manually.) How about edging...do i do the hard to reach places before I stitch?...and will vinegaroon color it after it has been edged with gum trag? Yes always edge as much as you can before assembly. Its much easier. Gum Trag will not take vinegaroon so I use USMC black and pain my edges after I have then burnished with the gum trag. Hope that helps. Remember there are probably 10 ways to do these steps. Find what works for you and do that.

Dont just walk away from the Tandy tools. They are not the best. They are on the lower end of quality but if you can go to Tandy and pick your own you can find the good ones in the pile. The other thing is cost. I have a friend who wants a Corvette. Problem is he can not afford a Corvette so he decides to save his money and not buy any car until he can get his vette. Sometimes its better to purchase a tool you know you may have to replace in order to get the tools you need to get started. As you get better you can upgrade the ones you use the most first. There are a lot of people that only have the Tandy tools and manage to do just fine. BK is great but Ill buy a $14.99 pear french edger from Tandy because I cant afford a BK version at $65.00. Its not the best but I still have a french edger to use while I save for a better one, if I decide I need one. Sure you might spend a little more in the long run but you get more tools faster and then you decide which ones you want to upgrade. Just a thought.

Thanks

I agree with the Leather works concept. TO me it has always been a place not a person.

Perhaps. But there are a lot more Tandys so a lot of people won't have to pay shipping. But thanks for the info. I never heard of Beiler's before. They have a web site?

For those that have not seen one the new Smith & wesson M&P Shield is a fantastic firearm. I own 9mm version and needed a holster. This is 8-9 Herman Oak back. Oiled leather for color. It sits great and is very comfortable. The best part is I can tuck in my shirt and still wear it inside my pants. This is the prototype So it has a few places that need a little work but on the hole I am happy with it. since it is IWB there is no need to mold it. The waist band on the pants holds the firearm in place. comments. If someone wants the pattern let me know. Michael

They were selling them on eBay for a while, Its the rope border with only 2 lines of text. Top and bottom. Maker in the middle. I could not find my picture of the one they have but its identical to the one Grey Ghost does. So I will show you what it looks like using one from Grey Ghost. (Forgive me Jeff) 1 inch was all they offered on eBay. It does not have a long shaft. Its short and uses the Tandy Hefty Handle to stamp it with. If you have the handle its not a bad deal. If you dont own one just go with Grey Ghost.

This is not the greatest but I have used one for a year and it works just fine for me. Normally $24.99 On sale until June 30. At your local Tandy or order on their website. http://Tandyleatherfactory.com For the price if you dont have one or want another to leave set up at a certain width its a bargain

Dont worry about it.

To be honest, I am not fond of the concept. But you always do what the customer wants. You did a good job I just do not care for the idea.

Also, What is your budget?

Thank you sir. Michael

Bruce, Tandy has 3 groovers, Which one is the new one? Thanks Michael

Here is what this forum has to say about Ambassadors. From a post by Johanna back in 2008, "When we started out, we asked a half dozen members to help out with welcoming people to the board, helping them find their way around and spreading general goodwill and sunshine. I never expected the board to get 1500 unique visitors a day back then, or to be several thousand members strong. (Kate says she knew it would happen all along!) We were lucky to have the help of the original team! But, the board is growing, and new members join and post every day in lots of areas. We asked for help again, and got 9 more volunteers. LW is grateful to all of you who take the time to contribute to the board, and thankful to have such a fine crew of Ambassadors to represent us. There are a lot of people behind the scenes who make this place such a great place to be." From what I can see its not a level obtained by donation however I am sure all of them have donated to the site, It is a volunteer position where people are asked to " welcome people to the board, helping them find their way around and spreading general goodwill and sunshine." (changed welcoming to welcome to make the snip read well)

The problem with a small of the back (SOB) holster is if you fall on your back you might crush some vertebrae's. It has happened in the past. The police depart around here as an office on perm disability due to an off duty fall with an SOB. Not saying dont do it just giving my viewpoint.

How about cut the end off and sew a new billet on in the fashion of a ranger belt? If you had two you could cut back both ends and sew a chape and billet on in the ranger style. Now that I think about it, it might be a silly idea. You would not have the over lap behind the billet and chape. It could be done with a little thought.

Pick any forum that has been around and has a lot of new people all the time. the search button use has been a common thread on all thoses forums. Most of the search functions do not do much if you do not know how to properly phrase the question. But, I can see how that would be frustrating to you. But doesn't that negate one of the main purposes of this board? There are people that like to ask verses look up an answer. Some need the reassurance of a response. Others use it as a way to introduce themselves. Some just like to chat. About all I can suggest is don't open a thread started by someone whose name you do not recognize. Michael

Im not sure but it looks like the leather was just oiled and then had a clear finish applied.

Im not sure there is a "right" answer to when to start molding. There are several points where you can start. It is up to you. I wet the holster under running water and wait, at the most, 10 minutes then start. As it drys I go back and touch up the areas I feel need a little more. Once it starts looking like good cased leather, almost the original color, I stop and put it in the dryer to get it to 125 deg so it gets hard. Then I put it in front of a fan until the inside is no longer damp. That works for me. I am sure there are others that do it differently and it works for them. Try with some scrap and find the method that works best for you. Michael

Olive oil is what I have found that works well on leather and darkens the least. Many times it does not darken at all. I use extra virgin but have heard that regular olive oil works just as well. Give it a try.

if you are worried about getting sued, incorporate. It will limit what you can lose. Im not sure if an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation) would work as I have not looked into them. Its not too expensive to incorporate.

Good idea. BUt still buy Al Stohlman's " "The Art of Making Leather Cases" Vol 1-3 and "The art of Hand Sewing Leather". Buy the sewing one first and as you make your smaller things master the saddle stitch. The purchase the 3 volumes of the leather case books and read them at least twice. Make a Knife sheath or a Belt or wallet first. Then after a few other small items move up to a purse or single section pack. everything you do will help prepare you for the rutsack you want to make. You can do it but it will take a little time to get there. Along the way you will get the experience and tools you need. Good luck

show us a picture so we know what you had please.

Im not a lawyer but it looks like it uses the same principal that the ones that keep the belt of a pregnant woman's stomach uses. They are sold all over. Id say you are care. Print on them "Use at your own risk". But the only person that will be able to give you a good answer is a lawyer.