chiefjason

The answer is usually no. However, I do have some scaled pricing based on shipping vs local pickup vs friends vs repeat customers. So I'll sometimes adjust my prices for those. Let's say I quote a local guy my standard price, he asks for a discount, I can knock $5 off because I build the shipping price into my price. He gets a bit knocked off, I don't have to ship and make the same amount. Random guy asking and shipping? They better be buying a lot, then maybe. It's happened maybe twice. Or I'll figure in that I only have one shipping cost and use the money saved to negotiate a bit. I tell them I price my stuff at the lowest point I'm willing to take for it on a single item. They can take it or leave it.

Instead of tossing that one, try it as a cross draw. I don't usually do 4" like that, but once you go 6" or longer I push folks towards cross draw. But I also cant them. But the straight drop with the 4" barrel might work OK.

Watch the K frame molds. They have the exposed ejector rods and not the underlugs on most of them. FWIW, I usually have to build up a shorter barrel to make 6" barrel holsters. You don't need a lot of strength, just something to take up the space to mold it.

Some dyes are worse than others. Feibings Pro Oil Dye does not seem to bleed for me, even with white thread. USMC Black never seems to NOT bleed. Might want to add about a foot of extra thread and hope the extra thread catches most of the dye that rubs off too.

I have the hole master for my drill press and the round hand burnisher for molding holsters. The large end is great. I also use it for any edges that are not dyed. I've had both for a number of years with no problems.

I get mine here. Love them. http://www.proedgeburnishers.com/index.html

Great work as usually. Glad to hear from you.

Still busy. Just don't post as much stuff here as I used too. I'll jump pack on occasionally. And my real job has picked up so not as much time for this kind of stuff other than just browsing.

That does not look like cracked leather. You can feel the crack when the leather goes. I've had that happen a couple of times. Straps were probably either old or dry, maybe both. They broke when I went to bend the strap, even after applying oil. You can put too much finish on and the finish can crack. If you get a soft spot of leather the grain side will wrinkle when bent too. It looks like a combination of finish and soft leather from here.

Anybody sell it? Got a guy wanting some on a holster and I'm not shelling out $450 for a hide. Just don't get enough requests. Looking for Black, preferably in the US for shipping. And I don't think he'll be really interested in faux embossed leather. But that might be my only option. Unless I can talk him into Ostrich knee.

The thing that really kicked it off for me were the tutorials by Shane Whitlock. They really filled in some gaps I could not figure out. I've learned a ton on here from a lot of folks. And the person that put me on the specific path I've chosen to follow with my holsters was several online conversations with Red Nichols. He turned me on to flat back holsters. And I spent hours looking at pics of Brigade Gun Leather's stuff. On the opposite side of things, I've learned a ton from looking at rather poor attempts at holster making too.

I work in a warehouse and have to wear gloves in the winter. I can destroy cloth gloves in less than a night. Regular Mechanix gloves last about a week. But the Mechanix 4X material leather palms usually last me all winter using them for 4-6 hours a night, 5 nights a week. And they are flexible enough for me to write with a pen while I work, which I have to do as I work. They are not solid leather but some of the better gloves I've used in the last 5 years. My problem with welders gloves is that they are thick enough to be tough, but too thick to use a pen with.

@ $50. As of last week it was still at Hickory Antique Mall on Hwy 70 across from the old Catawba mall. Old Sky City building IIRC, but that's been a while. It's still tempting me, but I just don't have room for it.

None at all. I make a pretty big batch of it. Probably only every other year. Getting close to having to make more. The harder wax I use I have to line egg cartons with plastic wrap to get the liquid to set. It's more of a shoe polish consistency. I use it on my edges. The softer stuff I use as part of my finish on holsters.

Nice. My was goes in a plastic storage container, tupperware style.

Fiebings Pro Oil Black. I have never had a problem with it on the grain side. Sometimes it takes a couple times to get the flesh side a good black, it wants to turn a blue if it's not dyed well. But even then, it usually evens up when I apply finish to the flesh side. I usually dampen my leather first, seems to help it go on better. I do a lot of holsters with uneven dyeing, I like the character. Except black, that is all or nothing. And the Pro Oil has never let me down.

That would certainly be easier to pattern. I like it. This is the first time I have done it, so nothing is set in stone. The only reason I call it a mistake is I noticed it after stitching. I pulled all the stitching out, put an extra hole on each end, and re stitched. It was not how I intended it to be, but I still like it. A stitch or two and a good glue line will hold. Probably the biggest complicating factor on mine was how small the knives are. Not a lot of room for error, or room to work.

I just finished 2 that were folded over smooth side out. I skived and buried the leather into the welt. Which means you have to shorten the welt to compensate. They came out OK but I also learned a few things. The black one was buried enough to secure with glue and a couple stitches. I got the brown one short and had to stitch over the top to get another stitch in it.

Last leather holster I did for a laser I just brought the stitch line in front of the laser, but did not close in the muzzle. That give the gun/laser/light a shelf to rest on. If it's just for occasional use then the extra length of the holster to add the shelf won't be a problem.

I use a dead blow mallet so the mallet does not bounce too.

Dwight's right. Those lights take so much of the retention out of the holster it's not funny. There are guys that do a good job with them, but it takes a lot of trial and error. And an optic, yikes. If I were to even consider doing that I would start with an Avenger style pattern to make it easier to cut a space for the optic. And I would strongly consider doubling my price. So either they walk, or it's actually worth my time.

Boy that is one pretty rig. Nice work!

All veg tanned here. But Chrome tanned is used in some IWB holsters since it's stronger for it's weight. It makes a thinner holster.

I pull off more thread than I need. 6X the length I am stitching. Then pull several inches through the needles. No knot, no heating, just leave it. If several inches of it fray, who cares it's getting cut at the end. Is your needle at the very end of the thread and knotted to it? If so, try giving yourself some more room.

Do you know if it softened the finish on the furniture? I used to work in furniture and we had known issues with rubber feet on certain finishes. The rubber feet would react with the finish, soften it, and remove it when the object was picked up. To the point we told folks to use felt pads under the rubber feet. My guess is the problem is in the furniture, and that finish reacted with the sheath. I have a few spots on my night stand.