Ed in Tx

The post immediately below yours that says "Holster Patterns" would be a good place to look. jlsleather.com has posted several different patterns that available on his web page. Modifying a pattern for IWB use is fairly easy. If your uncle is right handed use a right hand pattern and put whatever method of attachment ( belt loops or clip) on the outside face.

You may have exposed a top secret!! they may be after you.. LOL.. What is really ridiculous is they probably paid the manufacturer less than $500. Personally, I don't get the pricing schemes some companies use such as the "wholesale" "retail" pricing. I don't know what the requirements are at Weaver but places like Tandy seem to be looking solely as easy profit. I would much rather do business with a company that doesn't make you jump through hoops to get a decent price. I am small time compared to a lot of folks doing leather work but I still spend at least $2000 annually for leather and supplies. I'd say that's a bit more than someone that makes one or two small purchases. I'm sure they don't care if I buy from them or not but I'm not going to be forced to pay more unless I prove something.

I found that the best sponge to use are the ones that they sell at the home improvement stores for tile grout finishing. You can cut them into whatever size pieces you want. They have worked well for me and you can store them in a baggie or whatever container you wish until you need it again. Obviously you can't use the same piece for a different color though. To me they are the perfect density and don't flake like some of the dishwashing sponges do.

Gary, The sizes of thread that you mention 130's and 90's is going to limit your audience to the folks doing primarily light/middle weight leather work. Items such as holsters, duty belts and saddles etc. that use heavier weight leathers rarely use and thread lighter than a #207 and use thread sizes all the way up to #346 and above. Garment makers and those using lighter weight leather might even use something smaller than a #69. You have your work cut out for you. Best of luck in your venture.

Have you considered touching base with a company such as Springfield Leather Company to discuss your idea? They are a standalone company that has a large customer base across the spectrum of leather crafters. Kevin or Rusty would be the ones to talk to. Personally I only sew by machine now, I started out hand sewing but after hand stitching a couple of belts I made the investment in a Cobra 4 machine.

I have an old Singer treadle machine and bought the COATS brand thread from Walmart in #69. It's says its upholstery thread and I am sure it would be more than sturdy enough for the wallet interiors.

Weaver Leather has a similar punch on their site but it sure isn't $350. In fact it is not even close!!! Try $2300...

I went through the same decision process about 5 years ago. Thankfully I bit the bullet and bought a Cobra 4P machine. I had never used a sewing machine in my life and learning to sew on the Cobra 4 was easy. Don't spend the $1200 - $1400 for a manual machine and end up regretting it, spend a bit more and know that you have a sewing machine that will work well and hold it's value. Just my 2 cents..

Chicago screws are the only way to go. The customer can change buckles anytime they wish by simply removing the screw side and replacing them after changing buckles.

I'm not trying to criticize by any means but from experience snake skins that are processed using glycerin and alcohol don't work very well. They are next to impossible to bond a piece of leather and many times there are issues with the scales flaking off. Alcohol and glycerin do not "tan" a snake skin, they are a method of preserving the skin. There are a couple of taxidermy suppliers on line that have a kit for actually tanning the skins. I don't recall the names but a google search will find them for you.

Ditto on the countertop places.. It will need to be a place that does the actual cutting of the countertops. The thing to look for are the kitchen sink cutouts, they are usually decent size and plenty thick enough. Make sure you don't get the bathroom countertop material as it is generally to thin to use. A lot of places will give it to you but even if you have to pay the $20 or $30 it would still be cheaper than buying it somewhere online and having to pay shipping.

The hybrid holsters I have seen are normally joined using rivets not sewing. There isn't a sewing machine that I know of that would be capable of punching through kydex. Pre-drilling all of the holes might work for hand sewing but I would be very hesitant to attempt doing it with a sewing machine. The pre-punched holes would need to be oversized to accommodate the needle and thread. The type needle you use would also have a bearing on the hole size you drill as well. A spear point needle is different than a diamond point not to mention LL or LR twist types. Just my 2 cents..

Just to add to the confusion.... There are also leathers that are chrome tanned first then veg "re tanned" As far as using chrome tanned leather for a holster, I certainly wouldn't put gun in one. I believe the issue arises when chrome tanned leather retains moisture from sweat or some other source. The chromium used in the tanning process can react with other metals. I have seen holsters where the maker used a suede a the liner which I have been told is a big no no.. the suede fibers can rub off and get inside the working of the gun.

Springfield Leather is by far the best supplier I have dealt with. As mentioned they are willing to answer your questions. On the rare occasion when I have had an issue with leather they sent they will make it right without and problems. I have purchased Hermann Oak from them as well as the import veg-tan. Recently I bought some of the import tooling that they have and it was great leather. Right now they have a huge stock of various leather they have show as "the leather disrupter" and the prices are very low. I am placing an order tomorrow for a few pieces in fact.

I have used camel several times however I can't guarantee it was veg-tan or chrome. Looking at the hide cross section it appears to be veg-tan. If your concern is using it for a holster you would want to use veg-tan cowhide for a base and the camel as the exterior. You can't for camel for a holster using it alone, at least I have never done it. One thing I know for sure it makes some awesome looking boots.

I have made a few FD and PD badge holder/wallets and the one thing I can say for certain is there are no generic badges!. There are numerous shapes available. There are also different curvatures on the back side. Some of the officers I know have purchased separate badges on their own that are flat and intended specifically for use in a badge holder. Fire88 pretty much described the same process I have used in the past for curved badges. If you can get your hands on one of the badges to trace it's shape that would certainly be a good place to start.

Thanks Mike and Fred... I guess the regulations are a LOT more stringent then here in the US. That shouldn't really surprise me as some states here in the US have regulations that are more stringent than what the actual federal regulations are. Several states have outlawed exotics that are allowed under CITE regulations including the ones you both mention. As much as I would like to make this person a wallet I would hate to be responsible for someone ending up in jail and getting stuck with a substantial fine. Thanks guys I appreciate your input very much. Ed

Needing some help with regard to the regulations in the European Union and finished products made with exotic leather. I have been asked by a customer to make a wallet that they want to send to a relative in the EU as a Christmas gift. I know regulations are different in the EU with regard to exotic leathers and I would hate to have someone buy a wallet from me only to have it confiscated by customs. I mentioned the issue to the customer and they said that their mother-in-law was actually going to take the wallet back with her when she returned. I told them customs could just as easily confiscate it from her.. maybe he wants her locked up?? In any case does anyone have any experience with this and if so what are the basic regulations. Thanks in advance for your help. Ed

I don't think Tanners Bond Contact Cement was intended as the sole medium to bond materials like you are doing. I use the product on a regular basis, however, I also sew the materials together. I make belts, wallets, gun holsters etc. using Tanners Bond. Using it alone might be possible if you were using regular vegetable tanned leather with no finish on it at all. If you are using upholstery leather or garment leather they have a finish and may be chrome tanned which might impact the ability to have a solid bond.

I believe they were Organ brand needles that I had the issue with.

I had a similar situation that about drove me crazy. After trying several things it ended up being a very tiny burr on the needle. I had put a new needle in so didn't think that was the issue but it ended up that I had a bad pack of needles. Worth checking out.

Springfield Leather has a pattern that is very similar to this. The pattern has 2 variations depending on the size of pistol. The pattern even tells you how much leather required.

Sound like typical Tandy junk leather. No vegetable tanned leather that is properly tanned should take that sort of effort to cut. If I were to guess, the hide you have probably has a lot of "rawhide" at the center as a result of not being fully tanned. If you look at a cross section of the hide is the center a different color than the outer sections that usually means the tanning process wasn't done long enough for the hide to be properly tanned.

I have purchased elephant hide for far less than $75 a sq. ft. Elephant hide is readily available at the Boot and Saddle Makers Roundup in Wichita Falls usually for $40 sq. ft. at the high end. You can purchase pieces as large as you want and some vendors have smaller pieces as well. Last October I purchased a couple of really nice pieces for $25 sq. ft. One was about 60" long and about 10" wide for $120 the other was around 3 1/2 sq. ft. for $130.

Using something like Fiebings Deglazer prior to the dye might help. The Deglazer will remove the glaze that occurs during the finishing processes at the tannery.