wizard of tragacanth

Thanks. I was very happy to find that. It is much nicer that the plastic envelope from Tandy... right? Got it from Rocky Mountain Leather Supply. https://www.rmleathersupply.com/search?type=product&q=needle+case Well, now that I think about it... I originally saw it on RMLS but bought it through Amazon. They were available in at least two different colors, light and dark, so if you want to keep two different types of needles, that helps. Oh, yeah, here it is. https://www.amazon.com/Chiloskit-Embroidery-Toothpick-Storage-Organizer/dp/B07F37885F/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=needle+case&qid=1577662792&sr=8-5 nick

Hey, thanks Frodo. I should have posted that the link worked for me the next day. Don't know what the problem was. That's a good find. nick

Okay, so you do have a diamond chisel but the pic that you showed, clearly had round holes, so what are we to think? Here is a comparison of Tandy Big Eye needles that I started this hobby with, and the Tandy, size 0, Harness needles that I use now. nick

You do not have diamond punches... they make diamond shaped holes. You have round punches. The holes are definitely big enough. Looks like you could drive a truck through them Not sure why you are having a problem. Maybe the needles are too big. If you are using Tandy big eye needles, that could be the problem. As my grip strength is waning with age, I have found that wearing Latex rubber gloves helps me to grip the needles much better. I sometimes have to use jewelers pliers to pull the thread through, especially when back-stitching. When measuring for thread length, I use a formula of 4 times the length of the line to be stitched, plus about 18-24 inches for working room. nick

Wow! Amazing. The link does not work for me but I think it is a problem with my browser. If anyone else has this problem, let me know. nick

Welcome to the forum John. You might want to get started by heading over to this sub-forum for holster making. https://leatherworker.net/forum/forum/29-gun-holsters-rifle-slings-and-knife-sheathes/ Enjoy! nick

Hmmm, well...off-hand, there is one thing that I can see that could be improved. One flower is mostly hiding behind the buckle and I am guessing that another flower, by the keeper, is hiding behind the tip of the belt. Next time, think ahead on placement of your design so this doesn't happen. The other thing that I notice is that there is a Glock on the table and a 1911 in your holster. Hehehe... nick

I was gonna ask you what kind of leather that was. Thanks for reading my mind. Hahaha... Those look great! nick

That's a good start. Well done! nick

Well, you have to use a "mouse gun", of course! For those who are unfamiliar, "mouse gun" is a real, oft used nomenclature, for a small caliber gun such as .22 and .25 I am not making this up. I held off this comment, trying to let someone else get in on this but I didn't see that happening, so I had to go ahead. Okay, I'm done. Sraab... glad to see that you are enjoying this too! nick

Recommend you start by searching YouTube for "Making a Western Gun Holster". Watch all of the videos that look applicable. Come back here and ask questions! nick

Welcome to the forum! What kinds of things do you want to make? My advice is to watch some YouTube videos on whatever item you want to make, to learn the tools and technique. A great start would be videos by Nigel Armitage and Ian Atkinson. Don't buy any tools until you know what you need and then only buy what you need for your first project. Add tools as you need them. This helps to avoid wasting money. Have fun! nick

You got 2 mouse hides? That was a hilarious typo. I'm thinking, what's he gonna do with mouse hides? Then I'm thinking, where did he even GET mouse hides.... all of this before I got to the "moose" part of it. Can't stop laughing! Anyway, welcome to the forum! Looking forward to seeing your projects. Leather makes for a great, lifetime hobby or a business, if you should go in that direction. To me, there is no better feeling than the one I get when I finish a project that I totally made myself. There is a tremendous self-satisfaction in that. You know what I mean. I see that you are interested in guns. You might want to make some holsters? Yes? Whatever you make, you will find camaraderie here. This is a great forum... enjoy! nick

That's a real gem of a sheath. Nice work. nick

What a great design idea, incorporating the pill case and so well done. Very, very interesting, all the way around. Really smart design. nick

Somebody's gonna be happy on Christmas Day!

To create a sight tunnel, you can use a dowel or chopstick. Sand one side flat and cut it to length (or use square stock and round off the top edges). I wrap the gun in Saran wrap, then place the spacer on top and tape it in place, using a couple of turns around the barrel. I hope you are getting your slot punch real soon! nick

Look at the second picture from the top. See the light blue layer of leather between the front and back of the sheath? That is a welt. In a knife sheath it is used to prevent the knife from cutting the stitching of the sheath. Welts are also used in shoes for different reasons. nick

Here is a post from October, that may be of some help or possibly more confusion.

I found this quote from Weaver... "If you get the linear inch of the pattern you are looking at and multiply that x 400 it will give you the amount of pressure needed to click out the die. Holsters vary in size a lot so I can't say for sure. As an example, if you have a die that is 10 linear inches, it would take approximately 2 tons of pressure." No mention was made of the weight of the leather and maybe that does not matter too much. nick

Hey Dwight... I'm sure you are right! I did not use a groover on the back, nor the front. I'm just glad that the stitching looks better on the front, rather than the other way around! Yeah, we will see. This is the first iteration of this design. The high leading edge was an experiment. It may work okay because this gun is very small, there is not a lot of barrel to clear the leather. I could re-do the stitching but I ain't gonna! Hahaha. I don't use a hammer on my projects because I would probably ruin them but I did try burnishing the stitching down. It didn't really improve the looks. I just need to improve my technique, or use a stitch groover! I just realized that in these pictures, the gun is not fully seated in the holster. Don't know how that happened. Thanks to everyone for your input! nick

Yeah dikman... I'm gonna go do that right now. (kidding) I think that may be the last time that I use linen thread. (not kidding) I like the color for a change. The stitching on the back looks like bad, I know. I don't know if I will ever learn to stitch well. nick

Really knife work as always! Get it... I made a pun, I think... knife work? Sorry! nick

Made this holster for my Sig P365. I already have an "Avenger" style that I use often and love the comfort it affords. Wanted to give this one a try. Just finished it tonight. Haven't worn it yet. Believe it or not, this is the first brown-tone holster that I have ever made. I have made many black ones, a few blue ones and one red one! There are some flaws that I could have improved upon but I didn't bother because I am a very understanding customer. Leather: 3.5 mm (IIRC) Tandy veg tan Dye: Fiebing's Pro Dye, Mahogany Thread: Mahogany dyed natural linen Edges: Tokonole Finish: Satin Shene nick

Cool, I like the chunky, masculine look of it. nick