renegadelizard

im gonna have to take you up on that one...i could really use someone to either stop me from sewing my fingers together or to call 911 once i do...

I think it looks pretty dang good...give the horse hide a try next time...12 bucks for the but...you can cut a lot of reinforcement pieces out of one and my customers like the idea of something different...added value without added cost...

Unfortunately, i see myself doing this exactly while making a smart ass comment to my wife, something along the lines of "seriously hon, if a six year old in bangladesh can do it, how hard can it be...."..lol...thank all of you for the advice...i will do my best to bow to your collective wisdom...

Well, i done it...im semi-retiring my stitching pony in favor of a Cobra Class 4...cant wait to get it...my fingers are numb right now...six throat reinforcements, 80 stitches each....cant wait to get that lovely machine...im planning on using 277 top and bottom...any comments on this?..i see a few people that go 277 on top and 207 on bottom....educate me fellas, any tips and trick, anything at all to shorten my learning curve will be greatly appreciated...OHH, and Cobra Steve, if you are reading this, thanks again..you guys have a lot to teach the rest of the free market world...your customer service is top notch... Don P.S. Where do you guys buy your thread from?...im assuming bonded nylon would work the best...any forum supporters here sell it?

Good Job.....thats pretty awesome...Im working on getting a cobra 4...the leasing company said my business was too young too for them to help out..so im expoloring other options

I use a large reinforcement piece on top of the grain out side and integrate the clip into that, i usually use hore butt for that piece....the horse i get isnt real consistant in thickness, but i try to cut the piece out of the 4-5 ounce sections...horehide is great for this as it is thinner but very stiff...

I do mine right before wet molding..the vinegaroon soaks it, then the backing soda and fresh water rinse...let it dry for a bit, then mold...im sure there are other ways, but it kind of flows this way for me...also, after i mold and bake it, when it is still damp, ill go aheah and do my edges then..after the vinegaroon has dried, its hard for me to get good edges

I just called steve yesterday, waiting to hear on financing but i see a cobra in my near future...

Nice lines on that...is that hand or machine stitches?...very clean...im sure it will sell quickly so what you're saying is my man card is secure at this point...cause if he was playing a pink guitar, well my making a pink holster or two don't mean diddly squat...lol..

Thanks Mike..ill try that method...dip dyeing just seems so wasteful to me...you cut your dye 5 parts denatured alcohol to one part dye, right?

3/8 ths is plenty..when you wet mold, do you put a belt blank in?...typically, i will mold the back and then put a belt blank in anf flatten out the belt slots to relieve any pressure points and set the curve of the wings, then ill mold the front

Hey Mike, have you ever tried using sponges?...someone here made a refernce to using small kitchen sponges and applying in small circles...i tried the foam brush, and it worked okay on smaller pieces, but still streaked where my brush overlapped...i think the dye might be suspect as well..one of the batches i cut with mineral spirits instead of denatured alcohol...

Too funny...after I posted this I found this video..very informative,..i just wish he was doing bigger pieces...have you tried Block dyeing?...i wonder if that will work

when you fold the leather over to make the pouch, instead of sewing the two sides together, put a 8-12 piece of leather between the two sides and then sew it together...its a sandwich where your two sides are the bread and the piece you sew in between is the meat...it will stiffen up the holster lengthways...this is pretty important with long holsters and heavy guns...

Hey All, this is gonna sound stupid, but could someone post a video of applying brown dye?..every time i try, it come out mottled looking....i can get a even coat for the love of all things holy...i usually spray on with an airbrush, and that works, but sometimes production is halted due to my air compressor sounding like a steam engine and the kiddos bed time...but i would really like to get stuff done...time is money and all. black i can do okay, anything else is a crap shoot.... thanks for all the help Don

I was thinking something along those lines. I was goin to get some wc in 5 oz holstered for doubling up the front for inlay work, and stay with the ho for my hybrids and for the flesh out IWB. Not that the ho isn't goo enough, I just hate to dye.

They look real good. Something you might want to consider in your next set though is maybe putting in a welt along the Main seam. This will really stiffen theses Lon rigs up quite a bit.

Hey Eric...Ive been toting a gun on the job for 18 years this year, and i have had the opportunty to carry lots of different mag holders...the pancake style is, in my opinion the best...the fold over snap on ones sag out after a while and get caught on everything...the belt channel ones sag out after a while as well...for less bulk on your doubles..shrink your negative space in the middle and move your stitch lines in as close as possible..you will have to work to get the mags in when wet forming but it will be smaller by far...i did an inside the pocket mag holder for a sig 239 in 357 sig..i got two mags, side by side to fit in pocket with room to spare...ill try to find a pic of some of my "no boundaries" mag pouches so you can get a better idea what im talking about...now, i wouldnt stop offering the ones you make now..they are incredibly awesome looking mag pouches...i would just offer ALW "lite" mag pouches as an alternative...

Hey Paul, Its pretty good leather for the most part. I've only had to return on out of the 5 or so I ve ordered so far. I think I am going to have to try Wickett and Craig soon though..i hate trying to get even dye coloring, and they have pre dyed leather...the HO B grade is pretty good too, but you get some belly leather with that...Springfield has the absolute best customer service though...ask anyone here...

I leave 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch...1/4 moreso on mag holders and such, but ill do 1/4 on smaller holsters as well...

I'm not sure. I use the low odor kind and I've used it with auto body paint reducer as well. The low odor mineral spirits smells much less offensive. Denatured alcohol works as well. Actually, now that I think about it, I did use denatured alcohol with this as I ran out of mineral spirits with my brown dye.

Hey Mike, how did you attach the top of the belt loop. I'm scratching my stubble here trying to figure that one out.

SOB holsters should only be worn by people with spines made of a harder material than the gun they are carrying is made of...when/if you fall, and you land in the worst possible spot as dictated MR. Murphy, t wil be the same as if you were hit in the spine by a block of steel...not very comfortable in the best of scenarios...

I like that sheath. I have a nice knife in my box waiting for a sheath. I've been scribbling trying to find a design I like. This one fits the bill perfectly. Now to order some 5 ounce from Kevin.

Which cut of leather and what weight should I get? A double shoulder or a complete side? Which of these pieces would ya'll recommend? http://springfieldle...oling-Leathers/ and what oz.? I want a big piece of leather because I'll be making a couple of cowboy rigs too. You can Get HO single shoulders for 4.99 a sqaure foot at Springfield. This is what I use nearly all of the time.. What about horse butts? I've read that's good for holsters and belts but I only see small pieces from Springfield. Horsehide is different to work with, not bad, just different...it has to be wetter to avoid splitting the surface when doing extreme bends..it has a consistancy which reminds me of wax impregnated cardboard...when edging, it shines up super fast...buy one and play with it..you might like it, you might not.. What size thread for holsters? #277 or #346? I'll also be stitching a matching belt to use with it. Why wait, I hand sew everything..give it shot and you will learn all kinds of neat stuff.. I have a XD .40 Sub Compact and want an outside waistband, higher ride for better concealment. What holster design would you guys recommend? the avenger style holster is comfortable, but not very concealable..its also called the professional..it design lends itself to use by professional Law Enforcement types..ie, plainclothes officers..please note, there is a difference between plain clothes and undercover...plainclothes officers have no need to conceal, they need day long comfort as they go about their business..undercover need concealability above comfort...make both types, a pancake to wear concealed, and an avenger to wear to the range...