renegadelizard

I tried it last night, and it is possible..however, my modeling spoon really wanted to slip...i had to go real slow and light pressure, repeated passes...i ran an edger on the outside, then cut in my two lines, then ran the spoon on the shelf of the cuts...it turned out pretty good, but nowhere near as nice as the link you posted...practice would make it better, but i still thing better tools are needed...

The finish that Katsass, aka...the Grump..or Mike in some circles prefers is good old mop and glow cut 50/50 with water...its cheap and effective..some like it, some dont, but most try it cause Mike has been using it for longer than most of us have been alive, so his word is highly esteemed...for a flesh side out, i would wet form and let it dry for a day or two, then dip the whole thing in the mop and glow mix, pull it out, shake it off, and let it dry for another day or two...

i would line it with the dark and go with white thread...stitch every seam before folding it over and sewing the rest of it together...it looks like its a slim jim design, so the sewing wont be nearly as bad as it would be on a mexican loop holster...my first holster was a revolver as well...good choice for a first piece...oh, and i just didi the opposite of you....i wanted to cut out a pattern for a sig 1911, but i wanted mine flesh out so i could overlay it with fake ostrich ...i cut ti the normal way of course...lol...gotta start writing more on my patterns...crossdraw avengers seem to be my nemesis here lately....good luck and post some pics when you are done...

Awesome...the grain is incredible...it looks almost like snakewood...great color choice for that...how difficult was it to mold and bone that horsehide?...i can never get it wet enough to really get it in the nooks and crannies....

What is this foot press you speak of?..got a picture?

i use my scratch awl..

hey rick, what leather wieghts are these used for...im interested in both..

Very nice Chris...did you vacuum mold?

I agree..awesome...like everyone else here, im motivated by your skill and your material and color choices..you've got quite an eye for this stuff...my budget wont allow to try and bird except for the legs..but i found some ostrich on cow that im gonna try...i know, it wont be the same, but i can afford to screw up on those until i can get real bird skin...

I thought about that TO, but i used contact cement and sewed it...and since it wasnt exactly flat, after i glued it, i hammered it down real good...lol..its stuck like chuck...and i glued and stitched a reinforcement piece on as well...i think im gonna nail it to the wall above my work bench to remind me moderate my excitement... ive fixed a few foul ups before...dye issues, errant holes and whatnot, but this is pretty unfixable...if i only had one of those history eraser buttons...i can laugh about it now, maimly because i screamed about it enough already...i think im gonna keep it as a reminder...

very nice, clean design....i like the look...stitch length looks a little long, but thats really just my preference, nothing critical...belt slots look very clean...

well, i rushed home from work to finish up a 1911 cross draw holster ive been working on and landed in leather 101 instead...this was a ostrich leg on ostrich leg cross draw avenger...man i was pumped...went to cut out the belt slot and realized that in my rush to get it all together, i had sewn and glued exactly where i wasnt supposed to...holsters aint much good when they only hang from one loop....so now im out 30 bucks in ostrich leg and i feel like the kids who forget to put the car in park and drive though a garage door....well, at least now i get another shot at tweaking the pattern..lol...

My wife agrees with Dwight...full size gun belt was too much for her comfort...i went with a single layer, 10 oz belt blank and slicked the inside real well with gum trag before sealing it with angelus 600...she loves it..says it comfy enough for every day wear, and just stiff enough to support a gun, but she doesnt carry every day...i know it wont last forever like a good double layer gun belt, but its really not so expensive or time consuming that i cant make her one every few years or so...springfield leather will skive down their belt blanks to whatever you need, even have the ones with the snaps and slots already done if you want..

+1 on the weldwood...it gooes on much better than barge, still smells, but when you buy in a quart can, its about 5 times cheaper than barge...and it sticks...i overlayed a satchel with oil tanned leather and weldwood even got that slick stuff to stick...

6 SPI/24" per hour is what?..6 stitches every 2.5 minutes....that is pretty fast all things considered, ...when i handsew, i usually lay out my stitchlines, groove, mark the hole location, awl until i nod off from boredom, wake up and start sewing...now, just the sewing alone, i was getting 5-6 stitches per minute...but when you add in the other steps, the total time per stitch extends dramatically...but like Mike said, there is no such thing as fast hand stitching..

i placed an order with W&C on the 4th of October, and was told it would take 10 days to get to the splitter, then i would get a call from them....it is now 20 days later, and when i did call, the lady that took my order acted as if I was bothering her by trying to figure out where my order was...im gonna call once more today, and if i get the same answer i did last time, which was "they will call you when its ready", im gonna have to cancel...

i have mine on 2000...slowest speed on my dremel...i thnk the issue is the chanel im using...ill try to tweak my technique a bit more...thanks for all the responses.. another thought here...does anyone make grooved sanding drums..lol...that would be sweet...

Thanks all...Ive tried going up a size, to the largest channel i have, but i suspect its still too small for my belts and such..i should have got the flat drum and the 1/2 inch channel....ahhh...another lesson learned..

A bisonette will work better, but i suspect the real issue here is the belt slot width...i had a die made to cut mine because i couldnt find anything commercially available to get 1 1/2 by 5/16...1/4 was just to narrow to get my edger in, especially on the backside...now i can get my 126 number 3 around with no problems...and here is a tip...try not to turn the tool, but rather turn the leather into the tool...this makes a smoother cut for me...

Thans Dwight...i get pretty decent edges using my dowel rod..and my process is pretty close to yours..the only thing im doing different is using the dremel bits...so i was wondering if their was a specific trick with these tools to get it done right...i bought them because everyone here who has them has good results with them except for me i guess...just wondering what im doing wrong...here is my process... belts...glue the two stips together after the top has dried from dying...hammer the strips and let dry...measure, mark and cut the belt to length..trim belt edges and sand...bevel the edges...moisten the edges with soap and water, attempt to burnish with the dremel tools....get angry....go outside and dye the edges...use the dremel tools again and give up on them...go back outside and use my dowel rod/drill press....shiver, shiver, go back inside and down stairs and finish with wax and canvas.... holster process is the same...like i said, ive tried using other lubricants, and the end result is the same... btw:..when im making a holster for personal use, i do use my saliva...best thing for burnishing IMO..customers might not agree though..and rightly so...lol...

Hey all, i bought a number 1,2,3 and 6 burnisher from beary a few weeks ago and cant seem to get them to work...ive tried a cs orbourne #4, a keen edge beveller #3, and a number 2 crafttool..to get the edges as round as possible, .ive tried using beeswax/paraffin mix, glycerine soap, soap and water, and just plain water...ive tried sanding after edging, before edging, and both before and after...ive tried it on single layers of7/8 and 8/9 oz, double layers of 8 oz, 5/6 ounce, and 7-8 oz...every time and every way i try it the results are always the same...i get a good burnish on the parts that i edged off, but i always end up with a hairy stipe down the center...how do i get these things to work?..im at wits end here and not looking forward to standing in a cold garage burnishing with my drill press and dowel rod setup...

Hey all, maybe someone can help here...i ordered 4 of the dremel burnishers from Beary a few weeks ago and Im not having any luck with them...it seems lie I am only getting contact with the beveled side of the leather...where i ran my edger..but the actual side isnt getting any contact at all...so i end up with what looks like a hairy streak down the middle...this is even happening on single layers of 8 ounce, double layers of 6-7, and my 1/4 inch belts...i ordered number 1,2,3, and the cone burnisher...i have tried using water, water with glycerine soap, and beeswax and parafin mix, all to no avail...i was using a Craftool Keen Old #126 Edge Beveler , size #3 and thought that was the issue, so I bought a cs osbourne #127 Edge Beveler , size 4 and that didnt change anything either...number #2 craftool, still no luck...I tried resanding them after i beveled them, thinking that maybe when i cut them i pushed them out of round...that didnt have any effect...then i though maybe i wasnt pushing on it hard enough, i pushed harder and just burned the edges then....i really want to figure these little jems out, i dont relish the though of standing out in my garage this winter burnishing edges with my drill press and dowel rod setup ..please help out...im at wits end.. don

Glad that you are out of the hospital Mike, and hope you have a speedy recovery...I wonder if "the lady's firm, smooth, tend - -- uh, closest to her skin" had anything to do with your heart going bonkers..lol...

I would pare off the sharp corner on the bottom...the stitches do look a little close, and maybe add a sweat shield to the back side....as to it being over built...i would have to agree..8 oz is plenty thick, you could probably even use 6-7 ounce on a smaller gun like the ppk...these are all just design issues though..the actual leatherwork looks pretty good..if this is your first holster i would say you are well on your way to doing great things...

Any luck on the casting Josh?