wizard of tragacanth

I use them interchangeably in writing and speaking but I'm sure there is a correct answer. Often when people ask me what I do in my free time, I say leathercraft, and they say, "What's that?" Oh... that means that I make things out of leather. Then they get it. I get similar reactions when I say, ham radio. : ) In which case I say... oh, you wouldn't understand. It's kind of like being on a forum.

Check e-bay. Years ago a forum member found one there. That's the only idea that I have.

In regard to my last post, two up ( I wish these posts had numbers for reference) I must have been suffering from old-timers disease. I meant to say that most CCW/casual belts are 1.5" wide, so the slot should be a little wider, like a minimum of 1/8" wider, so 1 5/8" for a vertical slot. Listen to Bruce Johnson. He said it right. Sorry.

Thanks for your opinion JLS. I have to agree, I think 6spi is excellent for most holsters. I am regretting spending so much money on the 5spi irons. Should have tried some cheap 5spi irons first. Live and learn! Love that brown holster you are showing there.

I second the notion that the best water repellency you can get is with Resolene (or Mop & Glo cut 50/50 with water). This is an acrylic film layered on your leather. It can be damaged and it is not 100% water proof forever but it is far better than any other top coat for this purpose.

Was going to suggest "Pull-the-Dot" brand snaps but just discovered that they require a special tool to set them. $124.

Did you find a punch? If not, here is my recommendation. Most belts are 1 3/4" wide, so add a little and make your punch 1 13/16". Most belts will fit 1/4" slot but give it an extra 1/16", so 5/16" wide is good. So, final answer is, minimum... 1 13/16" by 5/16". BTW, I use a 4lb. hammer for this punch. You are in Texas, so I would recommend Texas Custom Dies... good people. http://www.usacuttingdie.com This is the style that I have. If you have a clicker, that's different.

The bottom pic with the a close-up of the shot shell looks great. The other pics are dark and lack a lot detail. The background looks a cream color and I am guessing that it is white or close to it. Can you lighten your pics up? Your work deserves it. There are many ways to do it, with better lighting or changing settings on your camera. I have saved or improved many of my phots using a Freeware program called FastStone Image Viewer. It is very flexible and It is not too steep of a learning curve. It has been invaluable to me. I do make donations to them once a year. https://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm Oh, btw... nice work.

No glue? Well, then, that would be my first recommendation. I suppose there are other people who do not use any glue but that sure seems like the hard way to do it. I know some people say that the glue is only to hold the pieces together until they get stitched. Those people often use something similar to Elmer's glue. Personally, I feel that contact cement bolsters the integrity of the build and yields a longer life under harder use. I would recommend giving it a try. It's not cheap, it is a little messy until you get the hang of it and it has a somewhat foul solvent smell (kinda like some gun cleaning products). If you decide to give it a try, I would recommend watching some videos to understand it and pick up some tips. It is applied to both pieces of leather that you are joining. It has to "dry" for a few minutes and then the pieces are joined. It is an immediate bond. You only have one chance to get it right. I suggest laying a piece of parchment paper or wax paper (something that you can see through) over the bottom piece, covering most of it, with just a corner sticky out. Then lay the top piece on it, making sure it is registered with the bottom piece. Press lightly to tack the corner in place and check that all of the other corners and edges are in register with everything. Then, slide the paper out half an inch at a time, and tack down the newly exposed cement. Pull the paper out slowly and tack the leather down as you go. You don't want air pockets. When the paper is completely removed, use heavy pressure to fully bond the pieces. I usually just use my palms and my fists to complete the bond but if you have smooth roller that will not leave marks in your leather, that would work well. Your holster will be much stiffer overall. If desired, you can wet the leather and do more molding if you want. Contact cement is waterproof. I would wait overnight for the cement to fully cure before cutting belt slots or punching holes for sewing because the cement is rubbery and may stick to your tools. If necessary, you can clean up with Acetone.

Very interesting... love it!

If I may make a couple of suggestions? I would suggest that after you have glued-up your holster, you use some sandpaper on a small sanding block to gracefully level the irregularities on the edges of your holster. Use sandpaper wrapped around a dowel for tight curves. I use a paint stirring stick to do inside the belt slots. Then, use a #2 edge beveler to knock the edges off of all outside edges and the long side of the belt slots and sand them again to round them off. Don't try to go around the tiny curve in the belt slots. It is not needed and often does not come out looking good because the beveler gouges into the leather on the corner. Also, it appears that you may be using only a 4-tine stitching chisel to make the holes. I would recommend getting a 1 and 2-tine chisel to enable making more graceful curves in the stitch line. Use 4-tines, only if it is truly for a straight line. You can use a stitching wheel to mark the spacing for stitches on a curve for the 1 & 2 tine irons. Make sure that the TPI (threads per inch) of the wheel, matches the TPI of your chisels, e.g. if you irons are 6 TPI, the teeth on the stitching wheel should also be 6 TPI. So, look for that. After your holster is glued together and the edges are trued-up, set a pair of dividers for 3/16". Place one point to ride on the outside edge of the holster with the other point scribing a line in the leather, to follow for stitching. Do it just firm enough to be able to see it when stitching. This will keep your stitches equal distance from the edge all the way around. If you are using a strong contact cement, like Weldwood or Barge, you may not need to stitch around the belt slots at all, unless you just want to do it for style. I never do and have never had any separation of the layers, even after 5 years of use. Example...

My first thought was that this was definitely the wrong holster for this gun. After contemplating it for a few days, I have come to really like it. Anachronism, yes, but really very cool! Nick

Okay DT, that price seems reasonable enough. Thanks! If I decide to go through with this purchase, I guess the thing for me to do is choose 3 makers and get a quote from each. That would clear things up. Nick

Well, you bring up a very good point! I would be making small to medium holsters with veg-tan ranging from 6/8 to 8/10. Again, thanks for your insight CH. Nick

That's very clever Dwight. Concealed suspenders.

Hey Cumberland, Thanks for the recommendation, and the heads-up. Yeah, I figured that Weaver had a premium price on their champagne product but I'm on a beer budget! Nick

Hey Bruce, I'm so glad that you mentioned Texas Custom Dies. I bought a bag punch from them maybe 15 years ago, give or take but I couldn't remember their name. I was (am) very happy with their product and service. I will likely go with them this time... no reason not to. Nick

Thanks dikman. Yes, I did see the ad... and now I am seeing one for Tippmann. However, I am looking for personal experiences and recommendations. Ads do not give me that. Ads do not tell me if the products are reasonably priced or if they provide good customer service. Just looking for more info.

I need only a few, simple clicker dies. I would like to get dies made and sold by US companies. Where should I look for good quality dies at reasonable prices? Also looking for a 4-ton clicker press. Any suggestions? Nick

AIZilla... Did you ever work up your BTB? This is what I came up with. Works great for me. Very comfortable and concealable.

Thanks Stetson912. I will heed your advice. Yes, the leather is a thin 6/7. The "blown out" holes were done with my old Tandy irons. The tines are not tapered, so it is not possible to make smaller holes. That's why I got new irons. Next purchase will be 7/8 or 8/9 leather. I think .8mm thread would be a good move as well.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Yes, it is a small holster, and proportion does make a difference, And yes, some people would actually really like that look. I don't hate it but I think for my next project, I will try 0.8mm or 0.85, with the 5spi irons I tried Ritza on one project in the past and seem to remember that it is essentially a hollow tube that lays very flat and that did not appeal to me. I prefer the twisted cord "rope" look. Dave... beautiful work... My next project is a holster for my Kimber K6s DASA 3", so I can relate to snubbies.

I have always made my holsters with 6spi spacing and Tandy waxed linen thread. A couple of weeks ago, I got a wild hair and thought that I would like to try 5spi with 1mm thread. I got some 5spi irons and some Maine thread, size 0.040 (1.02mm). Used that on the BTB holster. Thread used on Avenger is my usual Tandy waxed linen, unknown size but smaller than 1.02mm. I'm thinking that the 1mm thread is looking chunky and I thought that's what I wanted but now, I'm not so sure. What do you think? I could try a smaller thread with 5spi and that may work better. A couple of comments about this little experiment. I really like the Maine thread for its' lower wax, better uniformity and overall handling. I absolutely love my new Crimson Hide Japanese irons for their super polished tapered tines. The 5 tine iron came out of the leather like a dream. These are both prototype holsters, made from cheap Tandy shoulder. Not the prettiest. The Avenger is Fiebing's Pro Dye, Mahogany, and the BTB was hot wax dipped. Maine Thread has free shipping for orders over $50. I went overboard, like I do on everything. Red, Black, Blue, and four colors of brown. I do not work for Maine Thread : ) What are you thoughts? Is 5spi and 1mm thread too chunky? Nick

With the complication of belt and suspenders, I think your best option is pocket carry... if your pockets are big enough, such as with cargo pants. Recommended high-quality, extremely shootable, small revolvers. Expensive but worth it: S&W UC632 (.32), K6xs (.38+P), Kimber K6s (.357) Recommended high-quality, extremely shootable, small semi-autos: S&W Bodyguard 2.0 (.380), Sig P365 (9mm) Do not even think about any kind of belly band... hot as blazes in the summer. If you cannot do pocket carry, IWB or AIWB carry offers the greatest concealment but I don't know how that's gonna work with belt & suspenders. Perhaps a belt pouch would be your next best option. Maybe put an Apple or Nike logo on it for distraction. For that I would recommend the S&W Bodyguard 2.0 for its' slimness and small overall size. nick

You don't remove marks... you never make them. Thanks for sharing that video. Beautiful work. Very enlightening. I would agree that it is high-grade, thinnish leather, worked with great skill. Very impressive. However, I never understood why people desire this level of detail. Personally, I do not want to advertise the gun at all. I would be perfectly happy if no one could even tell it was a holster. But, that's a personal thing. In reality, my holsters do have a little detail, mostly in the trigger guard and ejection port, for retention. nick