St8LineGunsmith

out of all my head knives, round knives and skiving knives my most used knife is a folding lock back razor knife I got from Harbor freight the blades are thin and very precise and the blades can be stroped to be sharper than the factory edge and if you do finally dull a blade beyond its usefulness just slide a new blade in to replace the old one. then I do as dwight mentioned I burnish the edges with an electric belt sander and or drum sander. this process often requires additional edge beveling to remove the excess edge build up from sanding.

there was the hand of God rig now there is a reaper rig not my taste but hey whatever the customer likes and you pulled it off well

I agree with Chief 100% a lot of the most essential tools you will need you possibly already have or can obtain from the local hardware store I get a lot of my tools from harbor freight tools you will need that are very inexpensive. these are also the tools of the craft I find most useful cutting board 1. Folding lock back razor knife 2. small framing square 3. steel straight edge and ruler 4. wing dividers 5. punch 6. stitching kit 7. lacing chisel you will need a single prong also 8. lacing needles 9. keen edge beveler 10. skiving knife 11. strap cutter you will need snap and rivet setters and hardware you will need dyes and finishes you will need a slab of marble or granite for tooling and stamping and setting which you can get cheap enough from a place that sells marble and granite counter tops. and of course a basic carving starter set. from that point you can add what you need as you go I would recommend buying through Springfield leather to get started the least inexpensively and join their wholesale club, you will save a substantial amount right off the bat call them to join they will set your web account so you can see your wholesale price when you sign in to your account.

watch Dangerous beans make the saddle stitch this is how to do the saddle stitch the right way http://youtu.be/TGuiha5S2oE

as long as you are placing the stitches in correct sequence then you don't need to make the knot. despite popular belief the knot don't make the stitch any stronger but ya the pricking iron will have no effect whatsoever on the result you are trying to achieve. the pricking irons only purpose is to mark an evenly spaced stitch hole line. FYI you can still get a nice herring bone effect on your stitching with a grooved stitch line as long as you stay in sequence.

regardless of your method of how you decide to mark your stitch spacing the trick to getting a nice stepped stitch all depends on the how the stitches are placed in relation to the direction of the slant of the diamond awl hole. step 1 & 2. I stab and make first stitch from the left with the slant of the diamond to the top at 45 degree angle looking forward. step 3. the second right hand stitch is placed to the bottom of the diamond hole. repeat steps 1,2 and 3 this will establish the stepped herring bone pattern.

I am the Poly Grip Kid the local club is Tennessee Mountain Marauders there is a shoot this Saturday at Mystery Dog Ranch There is another club in Flintstone GA called American Old West Cowboys

I see them all the time at SASS matches. Nice work.

when I am making loop or paddle holsters I use 8-9 oz veg tan when I make pancake holsters I use 6-7 oz veg tan when I make a lined loop or paddle type holster I use 6-7 oz veg tan and line it with 2-3 oz veg tan I usually buy from Springfield and I use HO as well but when I buy leather I always call in my order and specify to the operator that I want a select piece. I usually buy a whole side at a time, that way I can pull off several gun belts and there is always less waste with a side than with a single or double shoulder I have recently started buying leather locally from American Saddlery here in Chattanooga they sell Sho Tan leather which is really nice leather I never used Wickett and Craig leather so I cannot comment on its quality but I have heard it is a very premium leather.I think that Weaver sells W&C

According to all the diversity of the comments made how the individual holster maker wet forms a holster there is no set in stone method in order to achieve the same end result. one thing that is for sure a necessary part of any wet forming procedure is the leather must be wet, period Every other step is pretty much at the discretion of the maker.

ya the 8082 is a piece of crap IMHO here is the one you want V gouge and it is easy to sharpen and keep sharp

My local TLF actually has a very knowledgable staff. some employees have been there back when it was still just the leather factory back when Ron was still the man in charge. the only issue I have with TLF is their ridiculous pricing.

Yes Sir followed the instructions to a T and everything fell right into place I am mighty proud of how my first one came out now I need to make a south paw rig for my self.

I have been using American Saddlery locally lately for my leather purchases since I found out they sell to the public. much higher quality leather and usually less than TLF prices Ya I liked it a whole lot better when Tandy Leather factory was just the leather Factory. the leather factory started out at the old Scholtz tannery in Chattanooga, TN The leather factory bought the Tandy brand because Tandy was more popular and well known than the Leather Factory so the lrather factory bought the tandy brand for one million dollars when Tandy filed for bankruptcy. I still have a good time up at the local TLF on Saturdays just hanging out with my other leather head friends.

Hey Jim speaking of copied work How do you like this? I made it with Harness Leather and lined it with 3 oz veg tan

Well my local tandy also fired their manager and replaced jim with an even more awesome manager, Dana Is very helpful and will replace faulty tools or anything that you are not satisfied with. Dana holds several classes through the week which costs a small material fee to cover a portion of the leather and other hardware that may be used and we have an open workshop every Saturday which usually turns into a BS session about an hour after everyone shows up we learn a lot just bouncing each others tips and tricks off each other. I hope TLF keeps Dana.

LOL I just googledDap contact cement and guess what? that'd be Dap Weldwood Contact Cement

I use Dap contact cement. put it on both pieces let it almost dry then slap the two parts together, lightly pound the joint with a mallet and it will not come apart.