renegadelizard

let me know if you still need some...i think i got quite a bit of black

i have done alligator overlays, and they are a pain...the backs of all of mine were really hairy...but after you shave them down real good they work just fine...i run mine to the edge, bevel, dye, then burnish while the dye is still wet...it seems to finish better for me that way...also, make sure you pay attention to the very edges when it comes to shaving them down...alligator and ostrich both have many layers of flesh that seem to matte down, so after you shave it, pull up on it with your fingernails to make sure you have it all...dilute your glue on these as well, it penetrates better and keeps these layers from separating...

I cut it 50/50...less shiny...full strength would look pretty plastic like i think, and the 600 is a satin finish to begin with...the 400 would look like glass...

I use the angelus spirit dyes as well, cut 5 to1 with denatured alcohol...i dont think you can really tell any difference in hardness, i cant anyway, but then again, i bake all of my stuff to make it harder, so maybe im not the right person to judge that..after it comes out of the oven and dries in front of a fan for 24 hours, i dip the whole shebang in a bucket of the angulus/water mix, shake it off a bit, and fan dry it for another 24 hours...even on some of the stranger dye jobs ive done (zombie green on ring lizard), ive never had any issues with the dye running...it took me a while to fix my how to steps in an order that worked for me, but once you do, you will rockin..best wishes!

Hey Frank, what weight did you use for the belt?..I have an old Bianchi rig in my shop that i resized for a customer, and he used two 8 ounce pieces and a suede like lining...im just thinking that your way might be a little easier than trying to laminate 3 pieces of leather together...

Sam, you are probably a little late for that unless you cut the stiches and cut the glue line...even then i dont think it would accomplish a whole lot

Try angulus 600 or mop and glow cut with water...using an airbrush, you have to remember that your dye isnt going to penetrate very deep into the leather, and any scratch is gonna show releatively quickly...

I said as much to the customer..lol...he looked at me and said, i'll just thread it thrrough my pant before i put them on..lol...it has 2 belt loops sewn into the back as well... good luck with that one..originally i though i was building it for 1911's, then he decided he wanted it for those beasts...the glocks should be easier/smaller...just have to deal with those dang jacked up trigger guards..lol..

I agree completely, but i cant get some of my customers to understand that...ive had a few customers with shoulder issues that physically cant draw from a butt up position, and i try to talk them into crossdraw rigs, but it doesnt always work out for the way i want...i have found thats is nearly impossible to get a good firing grip on a butt down rig as well..

Here you go...im pretty sure you can figure it out

I dont like the way Galco does their belt tunnel on the back...belt tunnels wear out too fast for my liking..thats why i go with a belt slot instead...pancake slot typically dont wear out...ever...lol...

Thanks, im using angelus 600 cut 50/50 with water..no too plasticy looking yet pretty durable..the website was a beast..it took me forever to do it...you never really realize how much work goes into a website until you have to do it...

You have gotten a ton of good info in this thread so far...i just wanted to add that maybe you should look into pre dyed leather...i use a lot of wickett and craig black and chestnut...no need to dye anything...the mop and glow/water in a bucket, or angelus 400 or 600 cut with water is about the same stuff..great finish, no fumes...focus on your holster design process (drawing patterns), and your basic construction techniques first...worry about the carving/tooling afterwards...you are trying to cram two different arts into the same piece before you have a handle on either...ask yourself, would you rather have a well crafted rig with no floral design, or a sub par rig with sub par tooling?...not trying to be mean here, just take your time and get the steps down before jumping in the deep end...keep at it and the best of luck to you...

Awesome Rig Ray...i love the design of your harness..very ingenious..

put the belt loop under the rear of the slide...i make these quite a bit..its a three piece pattern..ill see if i can find some pics for you but basically, its a pancake with the forward belt slot located under the end of the slide...you have the back piece, then you have a reinforcement piece on the back piece where the loop is located, and then there is the front piece...its sounds complicated but it really isnt..

Hey all, thought i would share one i finished up a few weeks ago... the customer wanted a double rig for a taurus raging judge...he also has shoulder obility issues so the cant had to be extreme..after six patterns and one pattern holster we finally agreed on this...the customer sent me a pic of the rig all dressed up...this was quite a challenge but really fun and the customer loves it...

Hey Matt, I was reading through your process and i noticed a place where we do things a bit different...try burnishing your edges when they are wet from the dye...this will dry them quickly...then rub on your saddle soap and reburnish (is that a word)..i guess its more like a polish then...i use a beeswax and parrafin mix...i tried the bar saddle soap a while back but didnt really like the way it turned out..i do a lot of exotics and the wax mix really works well on those...

Very nice Ray, I do a lot of elephant rigs and belts, mostly overlay stuff...and pretty much just like you did yours...i love working with elephant, shark and hippo..those are my top three...all except edging...there is no easy way to edge them, i just keep at it....here is an example

Nice Rig Matt...one thing i have started doing on any type of sling is to use openbacked chicago screws instead of lace for the adjustment points...the lace looks better, but i like the security that the chicho screws provide..

Thats a good looking holster!..

+1 on this...i had a machinist friend make me one...his brother makes shotgun wads for the military, and they use the same type of set up, so he just took my dimensions and made what he calls a press die...i use it in a 1 ton arbor press and it work like a charm..clean, even slots every time...spend the money on a good custom die, it will save you more than enough time and frustration to pay for itself.

i use my regular oven...it will only go down to 170, so i put a wooden spoon in the hinges leaving it open about 3 inches...dont preheat it...20 minutes exactly and its out and off to the fan for 24 plus hours...then a quick dip in angulus mixed with water and back in front of the fan for another 24...dont use a toaster oven...ever...it makes leather break like a cracker...

cool tool....pelvic joint breaker....i use to have one of those many moons ago...then i left it in the back of the truck one day and next thing you know, it rusted up so bad i could barely get of out of the sheath...now, i i need to break a pelvis, i use a tomahawk or hatchet... awesome basket weave

Nice Silk, i like the way you use the retention screws on your holsters. i have to ask, on some of your long barreled holsters, even though you arent stiching up close to the gun, are you still glueing up close o the inside of the holster?

Im glad to see you back buddy, we all missed you, even those of us who stopped hand sewing..lol...hope your health continues to improve and you stay around to set all us pups straight when we start doing wacky crap... don