SooperJake

Very nice, Josh.

Great work!

I used a stitching chisel, believe it or not. I have a 4 prong and a 2 prong but I bought 2 four pongs and sawed the outside two teeth off of one The spacing where much more exact that way. I also stoned and polished them to both sharpen and reduce the size. The holes close up just about as good as a regular awl. I really sucked at using the wiz wheel/awl method. I kept missing the groove in the back, which looks much worse than no groove at all. Just like machine sewing. By the way, if you are using an awl, a wine cork on the back side of the holster will really save your fingers.. Plus, no more stabbing my fingers. : ) If you go the chisel route, dip them in wax for ever punch, and make sure you keep them perpendicular to the surface. Also, watch them you don't bend any teeth. Thinning them from sharpening they want to bend easily. Tap, tap, tap. Not WHACK. Make sure your thread is properly waxed. Some of the guys here in the forum are WAY better at hand stitching than I am. And they are happy to offer advice. Take it. Many decades produces mastery. I got impatient and bought a stitcher

Thanks, Dwight. I've had the website up since April but no sales. Now I've got 2 Facebook pages and I'm looking at some Forum advertising. I'm also going to go around to the police stations, and get hold of some of the CCW trainers in the area. Try some kind of promotion to get my name out there.

This is a hand sewn one from back when I was first learning.

Nice work Supercub.

Just curious: Do you insert your mold when you are attaching the front to back or is it rigid enough not to flare out at the sides? I tried this technique before and noticed I could alter the fit if I smooshed the front down or brought the sides in too much when gluing.

Thanks for the compliments. It was stitched on a Cowboy CB4500 with 277 thread (top and bottom) and a #25 needle. The finish is Angelus 620 (matte) cut about 50% with water and shot from an airbrush. 3 coats. I let it cure for almost a week (was humid at the time) and then I used Renaissance wax polish on the top. Sometimes the Angelus stays kind of tacky, and the wax takes care of that, without leaving fingerprints or excess shine. Come to think of it, I think I used 600 on the slot holster and the mag carrier with the bullfrog band at the top. Either way I cut them with distilled water for use in the airbrush. One thing I have noticed with airbrushing is it tends to lay the finish on in such a way as to reflect less light e.g. it doesn't really lay on as smoothly as you might think. Could just be the quirks of my gun. Anyway, I like finishes with medium to satin sheen best.

Nice one Josh.

Yes Yes, Robert, I took them in a positive way. Photography isn't one of my strong suites by a long shot. One day they will invent a point and shoot camera that will not only yield the best picture possible, but upload it to a photo program and do all that work too. I want that camera!

Very nice work!

The camera is a Canon S100, which during my research was rated as the best point and shoot camera out there. I still like my Nikon Coolpix 4500 better, mostly because I had it long enough to master its quirks. I hope the SOB that stole it dropped it in a fishbowl. As I recall I took that picture, above, inside a large photo tent with 2 external lights. One bouncing off the wall next to the tent and one shaded but shining in from the right. Under my current living arrangements, I can't leave my photo area set up. Ideally, I'd get things situated and then leave the hell alone. Appreciate the tips. The last couple picture I took were outside under overcast sky. Just a few quick snaps to get a couple items up on my website. http://www.corvusleather.com/Talons-Mag-Carrier-T-100.htm http://www.corvusleather.com/Talons-II-Double-Mag-Carrier-T-200.htm

If I had to guess, I'd say any kind of mechanical retention device use by a company was developed by them and is proprietary.

Matt, I'm in Wisconsin too. I set up a system per imiketoo which works pretty good. It is a large plastic storage box with a furnace filter and a shop vac doing the work. You can also check out this link http://www.tcpglobal.com/airbrushdepot/booth.aspx for some inexpensive capture options.

Where is this at right now? Is rob buying the lot or?

Thanks, Paul. I didn't think anyone was going to answer so I ordered a hide from Roje. I'll bookmark your link for next time.

I'm running the same pump but bought the good poly bag from Veneer Supplies, along with an extra bag clamp and hose kit. I have since cut the bag in half to make it more storage friendly. I can spritz the bag with water on the outside and a bone folder will slide along nicely while the gun/holster is vacuum formed. I've also been casing and plastic bagging the holster for an hour or so before molding which lets me use less water and hastens the drying afterward. I seem to get crisper boning this way.Great demo Dwight.

Are different areas of a sharkskin more usable than others? What should I look for or want when I purchase shark?

I seem to be having a problem with the black thread shortening the stitch length somewhat. Today, when I finished stitching a holster and cut the top thread it snapped back like a spring. Thinking back on most of the issues I've had stitching in the last few months, I've been using black thread pretty much all the time. I never stopped to consider the thread might be the culprit.

How common is the "springy black thread issue"? I Believe that may be the crux of some of my troubles.

Nice work Josh.

Do you find a particular style / design seems to sell more often than another? Singles vs. doubles? Do you limit your offering?

Eric, do you apply wax to the exterior to eliminate the tacky feel of the acrylic also?