BubbaJon

Good to see ya on here bud. You found the leather equivalent of MO.

Man! That peacock feather inlay is a first for me! How do you protect it? I love it when I see inspirational posts like this - I tell myself "I can do it" when I see these.

Master of understatement! That is some dang nice work - especially the side lacing. What did you decide on for waterproofing?

As everyone else has mentioned fantastic job - it certainly belies being a first. I'm just getting ready to do my first holster this style - I'm experimenting using Photoshop to design the pattern. My first pattern was right on as far as fitting - I did however revise it to have a skinnier back. I like how you abbreviated yours quite a bit - I might have to steal that idea. Question - is your loop cut from the back or riveted on separate? I'm thinking I will rivet or sew mine on instead of cutting it.

I'd like to add... DAYyum! My 1894 would be proud to wear one of those fer sure.

Dang! Let's see what fancy looks like!

I've been experimenting with ways to get the 6oz leather to flex smoothly where the binder folds. I'd just like to know how you did yours as it looks crisp - does it fold well?

How'd you do your hinges? Anything "special"?

Hmmm - I like that idea. I'll need to check what I have on hand that would make a good "hinge". Thanks guys!

I want to make a binder for lack of a better word. I have a small three ring strip about 3/8" for the spine and a nifty little latch clip that I want to put on the inside of the front to hold loose paper/notes. I go to a lot of classes and meetings where I have both printed material and I take notes. The clip is for the notes and the 3 ring for the printed materials. I may ditch the idea of the 3 ring/clip combo and just make 2 separate items. The most useful would be like a clipboard with a cover that folds over. I have some 5oz I want to use for the outside and I will tool it. I have some pigskin that should be suitable as a liner and the stiffener material I plan on reinforcing the binder with. Just trying to draw a picture here. It occurred to me that I don't have a clue what the proper way to construct this so it has a "hinge". Originally I had thought to just make the outside 1 piece and shape it where I wanted it to fold when it was cased. Then it occurred to me that would be unlikely to lay flat when opened. Completely open to references, opinions and how-2's. Thanks! Jon

Incredible!

Thanks - I could not get that dang strip to burnish on the one end so I didn't bother on the other. I guess because the leather was both thin and was limp because of the tooling. Good eye on the loop alignment - I actually decided not to follow the comb and now wish I had. I agree on the groove. I did it on purpose as a "fence" for the eyelets and afterwards didn't like it. Chalk 'em up to learning!

I used a piece of paper to create the sleeve because the curvature of the butt gives the front and back a gentle arc I taped the paper on the butt and used a wood block to hold the pencil to draw the botton edges (kept it at a constant height) and then tried to draw the front line best as I could using marker points based on the rear. The rear was easy because it had a hard edge - I just creased it with my finger. I then added 1/8" all the way around to compensate for the leather thickness which is somewhere near 8 oz. The end cap was molded on my actual butt capp which I unscrewed and I added two cork spacers that I cut using the butt cap - I did this to get the additional depth for the gel pad. The bullets I used a scrap piece of leather and actually sewed two bullet loops with bullets in them to make sure the rounded bulge was accounted for. I then cut the thread and measured the distance between holes. In the case of my .44 it came to 9/16" spacing on the sleeve and 1 1/8" on the loop strap. So I measured them off using a scratch awl to mark the stich lines. I then tooled the leather and when completed used the 6 prong stiching chisel to poke holes in the sleeve and cartrdge loop strap. Hope that helped.

Thanks - it's a Marlin 1894 in .44 magnum.

I dunno how much bragging to do on this but I'm pleased with it regardless. I learned a few things - most notably be a little over on all measurements. I had this measured to meet along the bottom of the butt - it ended up actually on the sides. But it actually looks alright that way. I'm not sure if it was shrinkage or what since I had checked the fit before I tooled on it. I used the actual rifle butt cap plus some cork I cut to shape as a mold and wet molded the cap. Unfortunately i was unable to get the top and bottom radiuses to mold properly. I ended up cutting them and using a leather "patch" to close it at top and botton. I did measure the cartridge loops accurately which pleased me no end and it ensured the bullets are held tightly. I had created a previous version that was just a "saddle". It slipped after a while from the taper of the rifle butt. This one came about from a couple of conversation about the cowboy shooting "purists" sticking their nose up at recoil pads, and another on using tacks and rivets looking "tacky". So - I wanted to make one with a "cap" to keep the sleeve in place and I used rivets to hold things in place. I made it a little deeper so it would hold a piece of gel as a recoil pad. Comments and critique appreciated! From left to right: butt cap, recoil pad, sleeve, cartridge strip The finished product. I could use suggestions on a tidier and better looking way to tie the lacing.

Not a critique - just an observation. As an owner of nice guitars and rifles I find I look for straps to have as little metal as possible to avoid nicks, dings and scratches. Of course I could be compensating for my own klutziness.

Nice work! I just did a molded double decker style cartridge case and when I showed it to one of the local gurus he said he always tools, dyes, stitches THEN soaks and forces the mold in to shape. Craziest thing i've ever heard but I admit if it works it could solve several logistic problems. Any opinions on this? How did you do yours?

Interesting. Reminds me of many years ago In Germany/Europe hunters used a really cool folding stool/walking cane. Essentially it is a cane with a hard point. Attached to the cane are two rods that fold out into a "v" with the cane providing the third "leg". Into this was a leather "bucket" in which the hunter sat. So in practice they would get to the spot they wanted to wait, open at the top, move around back and place against their rump and lean into the cane which acted as a single pole prop to take the weight off. I still have the one that belonged to my father in law. Similar to this but made with a cane. http://www.fashionablecanes.com/90325.html

Seems like you could do something similar with a veiner... I like the ropy look of the sample...

Dang that's pretty!

I have a noobie question since I'm getting ready to try my hand at cases - what order to do things in: burnishing tooling shaping I ask about burnishing because I'v eread that for shaped cases you should not burnish before - so I hear you burnish before tooling so now I'm all confused as to which chickens come before which eggs...

Simply stunning! Wow - you folks sure set the bar pretty high.

Holy Crap that looks cool!

Thanks - no the burnish I'm referring to is using a rounded piece of wood to bring out the grain and make it a little shiny. I'm not even sure if it should be done first - Like I said when people discuss a particular something they tend to ignore all the steps up to what they're talking about. Makes it hard for a total newbie to figure what steps go where and when and why. Good to know the dying and such can be done when wet. I would think that for a molded case you would not want to condition with something like Xylol because it would soften the case.

Hi folks - sure am glad I found this site - an awesome amount of talent and information! I'm going to be making gun leather and cases. I am at the beginning knowledge wise. I've been playing with some vegetable tanned leather scraps seeing for myself some of the things I read about but I cannot for the life of me find how some pieces fit together in the order of things. I want to make some formed cases for stuff like rifle cartridges and I'd like to try my hand at carving and tooling a few. So here are the "topics" I know about and the order that I think they need to be accomplished. burnish leather case and form (very wet to be shaped to a form) let dry to stage where looks natural and yet wet enough to take tooling Tool/carve dry completely die and stain (which first?) sew finish edges and such Does this sound about right? Feel free to throw tips and cautions at me - leather is expensive enough without me wasting ti from ignorance! thanks!