SooperJake

Method, cost to customer, tiered charges? Free? One fixed price? I hadn't shipped anything priority mail in a while and it has gotten kind of expensive for the flat rate boxes I see. Looking for input. I would like to hear from anyone that uses any of the major options like USPS, UPS, FedEx, or any company for that matter.

I am using a NuWave Oven. The low setting is 106° F Another woodworking finish that wroks, and sprays nicely is General Finishes Exterior 450, which I use on some archery stuff. I cut it 10% with water. So far no delamination or crazing.

I don't like the idea of a "one-size-fits-most" approach concerning holsters. That very concept, practiced by a major manufacturer, is what got me into making holsters in the first place. Being able to reholster your weapon one handed without looking is a good thing. Your IWB should be rigid enough to allow this.

Give this a whorl on some scrap, Eric: sand, dye, burnish with canvas or a piece of scrap leather gran-side. I burnish now with canvas wrapped on a rod of steel on a buffing machine, but it works by hand too. A wet dyed edge burnishes almost effortlessly on good leather. Worth a try.

Nice work, Josh.

Why not try using a piece of natural sponge? You are obviously having a chemical reaction with the synthetic sponge, which is petroleum based in its manufacture. For one color dying I dip dye now. Airbrush works good too, but is a little too light an application for my tastes. Fiebing's Pro Oil dyes applies pretty good with a dauber. Several successive applications (while still wet) help even out the color. Remember to let it dry completely before you fiddle with it. Wet leather always looks darker, I remind myself all the time to be more patient when dying, so that I see the real, dried color first, before I add another coat. Pro Oil Saddle Tan is terrible dark when first applied, but lightens up a lot after drying. I just used it for the first time the other day, and really like that color. For water based dyes I have been using a Turtlewax yellow car sponge, or a no-name equivalent which is half the price. I keep a piece for each color in a plastic lidded container so they are always just a tad damp. So far no mold after 3 or 4 months. I rinse them good before I put them away.

Great Comments all. Thanks, and keep them coming.

Nice rig!

I'm curious as to how long the average person takes to make a holster? Let's say a pancake holster, one color, no tooling or reinforcement/ decoration, or an Avenger with a reinforcement sans tooling or exotics. I'm not talking about actual hands-on working time, but inclusive time of drying of dyes and finishes and the like- ready to ship.

Nice job, Mike!

How's the dust collection on the Rigid?

Nice work Frank.

Nice work! Who supplies your sharkskin?

One and a half actually, on the 4500. Not sure about the 3500.

Your design is an idea I, too, have kicked around, but thought the mouth might crush under belt tension. I guess I'll have to give it a go. Thanks!

Nice job!

I'd suggest making your loops smaller. How well does the mouth stay open under belt tension once the pistol is drawn?

Thanks Wiz

What should I adjust when the knots are visible from the bottom? I sometimes have to switch between the flat plate and the holster plate and when using the holster plate, it seems the knots show up more often.

Welcome to the Forums, Armin.

Woodstain, unless it contains a dye in its mix, is pigment based, and will likely blotch and pile worse than it does on wood. If you try anything made for wood, I would suggest trying Transtint from Homestead Finishes. Your major woodworking stores will carry it. It can be mixed in denatured alcohol , tap or distilled water. It is an aniline dye. I have no doubt that it will dye leather. But colorfastness lifespan, in direct sunlight, would be worth testing for some duration. the dashboard of your car is a good place for that test. Dye a piece of scrap. let it dry good, and lob it onto the dashboard. I was at the woodworking store today and forgot to buy it. A 2oz liquid bottle will make 2 quarts at full dilution. Economical if mixed with distilled water. Same company makes Transfast, which is a powder you mix with water to make an aniline dye. It is even less expensive. http://www.homesteadfinishingproducts.com/htdocs/TransTint.htm

How was the class and where did you take it?

Further experimentation revealed it to be the leather, not the dye. I took scrap from 4 different hides : WC chestnut drum dyed, Hermann Oak, Tandy Royal, and Springfield's Mexico tanned #1 double shoulder. I set them side by side and dyed them one after the other. Two of the four turned white and two didn't. Hermann Oak and Wickett & Craig took the dye with no hazing. The Tandy and the SLC Mexico turned white as fast as the solvent from the dye evaporated. I think I know why the Eco Flo turned white now, too. I must have used the SLC leather on that belt. By the way, I tiny amount of neetsfoot, applied once the dye is dry, took away the white. I'll check tomorrow, after the oil fully disperses, to see if the white stays gone. Jake

I dyed a couple holsters with Fiebing pro oil black and when it dried the leather has a white haze on both sides. I applied 3 successive coats with a dauber to get good coverage ( one after another) . Some neatsfoot does seem to reduce the haze but it would not buff off at all. Any ideas as to what might cause this? I have also gotten a white haze using Tandy Eco Flo Pro black. Not the same hide.

Where, approximately, do you draw the line to cut off belly leather from a side? What am I looking for specifically?