St8LineGunsmith

I still have not figured out what border tool that is you used.

nice work there

this is a cool video I found so thought I might post it here.

Very nice! I made a holster recently using the tri weave basket stamp I really like that stamp

Ya you can say that again!

Here is a chart that may be benefical to the discussion at hand http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=45085 anyway I usually don't gauge the leather with an instrument i just eyeball it however I have been messing around with the stuff off and on for the past 38 years from building saddles to coin purses so I have a pretty good idea of what weight should be used with any particular type of project. I totally agree with everything Dickf and twin oaks has said which is sage advice for anyone looking to profit from their work. there is a general rule of thumb that should be followed when selecting the right weight and type of leather for any particular project just like you would not want to make holsters from a piece of 12 oz saddle skirting you would not want to make billfolds from thick leather either. Imapeopleperson I dont think anyone was trying to rake you over the coals or say your work looks like crap I just think they were trying to give constructive criticism so don't take it to heart the holsters look good for the style you were going for back years ago wet forming was seldom done on holsters however with the evolution of pancake and paddle holsters wet forming the holster to the gun has become common practice the thing about wet forming it is easy and can be done even if the finish has been applied to the outside of the holster as long as the flesh side remains unfinished or untreated with water repellent coatings however wet forming works best with an untreated or unfinished holster because it will take water and wil form much better. anytime wet forming is being applied it is very important that the leather is sealed afterwards so it will retain the shape of the pistol it was made for otherwise if the holster gets wet it can loose its form of the weapon. that is the whole deal with wet forming is that it securely holds the firearm firmly in the holster so it will not accidentally come out

It is sometimes difficult to judge by a picture but the leather does look to be thicker than 8-9 oz just judging by the pic. 12 oz leather measures aproximately 6 Mil or 1/4" IIRC and 8-9 oz is in the ballpark of 5/32" to 7/32" just under 3/16" 3/16" to 9/32" would be 10-11 oz leather IIRC

if it were a period accurate western holster the leather would actually be around 6-7 oz but I like to make all my holsters out of 8-9 oz leather and pancake and paddle holsters are 8-9 oz leather the holsters in the pics certainly look like they were made from 12 oz. heavier than I would use for those types of holsters however the OP might like using thicker leather for whatever reason. I would not go as far as to say the leather is too heavy for the application if it was for personal use and the thick stuff can be molded just as easy as the lighter weight leather just need to be soaked a few minutes longer however you don't see holsters on the market made from leather as thick as these. most holsters and belts I make are cut from the same thickness leather which is 8-9 oz I saddle stitch and lace my holsters and I sure would not want to stitch up leather that thick by hand. awfully difficult pushing an awl through 12 oz leather when it gets that thick it is time to bring out the drill press and a round awl blade to make the stitching holes. even when installing a welt i sometimes push my stitching holes through with a press

I would really like to get my hands on the pattern for this rig!

you need to buy a strap cutter, a round knife and you don't want to let this deal pass you by http://springfieldleather.com/34928/Sandy-Brown-Bridle-Leather/ you will need to invest in a stitching awl haft and a small and medium blade and harness needles and thread https://www.osborneleathertools.com/index.php

go to the special purchase section at SLC and click on the leather catigory there are really great deals on leather. as far as getting a discount on tools you can get some really good deals on e bay and amazon and the classified section here Hawkes Leather on e bay has a lot of good deals, I bought an ergo swivel knife for 27 bucks shipped i believe tandy sells them for 39.95 amazon has a round knife for $6.20 + $1.75 shipping I also buy tools from Osbourne

making a wallet you will definitely want to use the small awl blade and a split piece of artificial sinew will fit in a large glovers needle the small blade is pretty much all I use but I do have a medium for just in case. you will want to sharpen the awl blade so it will glide through the leather. the small harness needles are a good match to use with the small awl blade and a full (un split) piece of artificial sinew. small tapestry needles work good too in a pinch I only use artificial sinew and it will thread into a "0" harness needle any thread thicker than sinew will require a larger needle than the "0' harness needle but tapestry needles have a large eye that will accommodate heavier threads Diamond Awl Blade another thing you want to do before you start sewing is to glue your parts together by using contact cement on the stitch lines this will make the stitching process easier and the wallet will never come apart. the sewing awl has its uses just not on leather. they are great for sewing heavy canvas and nylon straps.

my next swivel knife purchase will be to buy a tangle boss from tanglefoot trading co

Here ya gohttps://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/p-1489-spur-strap-pattern.aspx these patterns are free and you can make them as plain or as fancy as you like

I know this is an old thread but i think the contents is well worth bumping the thread up to the top for new members to take a look at

thanks for the upload!

I use a woodworking V gouge for making folds just as an adjustable v gouge would be used for that same purpose I dont have oblong punches but I do have wood working chisels and round hole punches that I use for making ob long holes in leather and they are very clean and look good so the answer to the question is yes woodworking tools can be used for leatherworking. however that being said a v gouge would not be very well suited for the practical purpose of carving designs on the grain side of the leather. keep practicing with your swivel knife it will eventually click. a couple of good tips I can share would be to always keep the blade honed and never try to do any knife work on wet leather for it will make the blade drag.use an angled 1/4" filigree blade instead of a straight blade, ( it is easier to make tight curves and corners with an angled blade.and does not require as much presure to get the intended depth of the cut. wait for the leather to absorb the casing water and dry , dont plunge the blade in so deep into the leather that it is difficult to maneuver the swivel knife bot not too shallow that the impression looks washed out. everything else revolves around Practice, Practice, Practice... and this is one of these cases if you don't use it you loose it so stay in practice another thing is if you go to www.springfieldleather.com they have stamps 999-L, 999-R and 301 that can aid in making clean straight and curved lines in your carvings until you get a good handle on the swivel knife.

I wonder how many people are making and selling " Pancake holsters" after seeing one by the originator?... Hmmmm.

Thanks for posting! I will share the file with my leather working class Saturday

I have patterns for Colt or Remington C&B revolver flap holster, buscadero belt flask holder and bullet pouch it can be made for either CS or US I suppose I could donate you the file if you PM me your e mail adress

I have been a metal fabricator for the last thirty years of my life so if I can assist you in any way I would be glad to give you some info. the thing about working with hard metals like Ti and SS it cannot be annealed to soften it so it is essential is to keep the cutting tool as well as the work piece as cool as possible and heavily lubricated and not to have too high RPM. if you can flood the tool with a water soluble cutting oil that is designed to keep both the cutting tool and work piece lubricated and cool your degree of success will be much greater when working with these hard metals. 440 stainless would be an excellent choice of material for making blades. check out the tangle boss swivel knife from tangle foot trading co I think it is a revolutionary design. I really want to make a swivel knife along that design.you could probably make one with the right size tubing and a couple of end mill bits and a small lathe would be very beneficial but I don't have access to one but clever use of a drill press might sufice

you are going to ruin a lot of drill bits and cutting tools working with titanium because it is nearly as hard as the tool steel I really dont see Ti to be very practical for making a swivel knife for cutting leather not to mention the cost of tooling to make the knife JM.02