immiketoo

Welcome to the forum. You might do a google search of tack making books. I know there are many out there but I am not a tack maker so I can't give you specifics. There are also some good horsey Facebook groups that might help.

This is very true. Thats kind of the beauty of leather work though. There isn't only one right way to do most things. Not ALL things. Usually, you have to find what works for you with your vision, artistic ability and the tools and equipment. Anyone who says theres only one way of doing things likely hasn't learned anything in a LONG time. You can see this in some of the free video content on the web. The one thing that I find severely lacking in this field is that most people are afraid to experiment on their own to gain experience. They want an answer, or a pattern or a sure fire way to make a single product. What Jeff is getting at, is being able to take your skills one step further and learn to develop a pattern from a gun. That doesn't eliminate the validity of reading this book or watching that video, but it does seem a bit impersonal. I't doesn't mean that they're ass hats, although SOME are. Nothing you can do about that. The thing is, that we all learn in different ways. Some can read and interpret with more efficiency than others. Some need to have their hands on, and still others like to watch someone doing it, hence the video era. Free is like anything else, you get what you pay for. Quality instruction by knowledgable professionals is worth money.

Here's one I like. No words, no grandstanding and yet easy to see whats happening all the way through. As for what that was, just a guy making an observation.

Im only going by the things you say whenever the subject of videos come up, which are usually disparaging, and I'm curious. As for videos being a waste of time regarding holster builds, I'd think that you at your level might find a lot of them useless, while others who aren't as good would find many of them helpful. Eric Adams makes useful videos. John Bianchi made useful videos, but everyone is at a different level. What I like may not appeal to you and vice a versa. There are no secrets, and I certainly wouldn't keep a video to myself if I knew of something that hasn't been seen by anyone else. Speaking of Stohlman, I find that each time I read one of his books, I get a little more out of it that I didn't catch before because I lacked the experience. As I learn, the things he said make more sense.

There are plenty, but you seem to have a personal aversion to videos. Please give an example of someone who is making noise or making an attempt to be seen? I am curious to see what you think is grandstanding vs useful. I think people can learn from folks of all different levels. SOME videos are true songfests, and I can see how those are off putting.

Here's a few right off the top. I am not vouching for quality, but if a guy wanted to learn how, I'm sure this would put them on the right track.

So wait you can't find a pattern making video for a holster???

You suck. I'm jealous!

Bee Natural RTC will give you the effect you want, but you may want to suntan your leather a bit before sealing.

Zack White did the same thing to me a while back. 15 dollars to ship me 3 belt buckles. Thankfully, they saw the error of their ways when I called and it was only 5.12 in total.

Multiple threads merged due to redundancy.

As I said, one of many. I grabbed the first one I saw which shows a time-lapse of pattern development. Its at the very front of the video. THEN he made the holster. Not rocket science. But you're right about the usefulness of the thing. Just a matter of a little google fu and you have a full on pattern video. As for custom, there are only so many ways to wrap leather around a gun, ammiright? Believe you said those words yerself a few years ago. Either way, you wanna make another video on how to, feel free. I'm just saying there are already videos aplenty on that topic.

Lol..yeah, just saw that. Didn't realize it was you! I tagged my favorite SK collector for you!

Are you on FB? This will sell in minutes there.

Here's one of many on how to do it from Google.

Tons of videos on how to do that already. Check out the Facebook group Holster for Handguns. Bunch of guys there already on it, including Eric Adams from this site. Wouldn't want you to re-invent the wheel, Jeff.

Dude, just draw it out. Looks pretty straight forward, right? I've never seen this in any of the old standards, though.

Shit. BLADE!

That^^^

Swivel knife 101. The knife really doesn't matter as long as it swivels smoothly in 360 degrees. Aside from that you could use a stick or a screwdriver. What really matters is the polish on the blade. If its not mirror smooth, you will get that described chatter. Very few blades come from the factory in usable condition and you may have to finish the edge yourself. its easy to do. Get yourself some 400 and 600 grit wet dry sand paper and a strop with some red, green or black rouge. I prefer green myself. Find the angle of the blade and gently polish the blade with even strokes on each side, until you see even sanding marks. Then switch to the 600 and repeat. Go to 800 if you want, then do the same thing with the strop. Once your bald has a mirror smooth polish, it will carve like butter. How long it stays like this is dependent on the quality of the steel. There are good and bad steel but they will all work. You may just have to strop more than others. Right now, the best blade steel is from Leather Wranglers. It requires less stropping than any other blade out there that I know of. The worst are the blades from China. Tandy has a variety of good and bad blades, each in varying degrees of readiness. The end result is mirror polish. At that point, the blade doesn't really matter as far as smoothness. However, you mentioned varying angles. I stay away from anything thats very steep. Straight or low angles are easier to control and give better results. They also jive the user more confidence as you aren't fighting the geometry of the blade while cutting. Now, ceramic blades are a hot button topic. They work if polished properly, but they're brittle if you drop your knife (It happens), and I have yet to see one with an angle that's worth a shit. I have spent a LOT of money on swivel knives and blades and I use most of them a little, but one is my go to blade. I prefer steel as they are easier to maintain and replace, and they are generally less expensive. If you subscribe to the Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journal, I did an article on how to take a shit blade and make it useable. Basically what's above with pictures. Also, I have a website with videos that cover everything you could want to know about setting up your knife and blades. check it out. www.learnleather.com or find the banner at the top of the home page!

Ive used Douglas awl blades. I have three of them and they are great but really thick. I recently switched to awls by Lederlouis and they're excellent for half the cost of a douglas awl and haft. They are smaller and have small hafts that fit in the hand nicely.

You can't thicken spirit dyes. If you let it evaporate, you'll end up with a much stronger and more potent color, but it wont be thick like paint. Secondly, if your paint is cracking, you're either using the wrong paint, or applying it way too thickly. I use paint that has the consistency of milk for all leather applications. Try thinning what you have and sneak up on your color slowly with multiple coats.

My pleasure, bud!

You've been at this longer than me, but the first holster I built was from that kit. Its shit, but in that regard, it opened my eyes to the idea of flat backed holsters. Then I thought I knew better and made some 50/50 rigs. Worked great at my table. Now I incorporate a little Tandy into the mix

Yes!!!