RoosterShooter

Well ... he's another twist to the question. If I were to go with a different type of leather would I be better off? Like maybe a Chromexel or Latigo Retan Veg ?

Dwight ... how do I apply the 50/50 beeswax and neetsfoot oil? Hand rub? I have an abundant supply of free beeswax! I raise bees and use it for anything from candles, bullet lube, and waxing zippers! Do you happen to have a pic of the case so I can see the color of the finish? Thanks

With the items I ship, holsters, I just order 100 USPS Padded Flat Rate Envelopes at a time, and they all come at once. If I start getting low I just reorder, and they arrive before I'm finished with the previous box. I can fit 2 good sized holsters, wrapped in butcher's paper, in each padded flat rate envelope and ship it from my door for $5.15 a package online. You can't beat that. Also, they now offer $50 insurance for FREE on each package, and if I recall correctly the additional insurance is along the lines of 10 cents per dollar additional insurance. I can't beat that with a hickory stick! If I were to send the same package through UPS it would cost me around $12 to $14. I do this all from the comfort of my computer screen and my USPS.com account. I order supplies, and ship all from the same interface, and it's free of charge to use it! Batch orders are a piece of cake! All I do is choose "Batch Order" and it automatically plugs in my shipping information for each label, and gives me the option to 'Add to Batch' after each form.

I've been making leather holsters for awhile, and have come to the conclusion that holster finishes don't belong on pouches, purses, and wallets, and visa versa. So, I have a molded leather possibles pouch that was made using veg-tan 5/6 oz. leather. I wish for it to keep as much of it's form as possible, but want it to have an oiled leather appearance. I thought about using 100% Neatsfoot oil and Angelus Lustre Cream, but I don't want it to lose it's rigidity. How should I go about keeping the rigid form, have a nice natural leather appearance, and make it soft to the feel? Thanks.

There are a lot of good points being made here, but the reason I do good business is because I charge 'Flat Rate' charges on my shipping. Granted there is nothing I make that would be more than 5 pounds ... unless they ordered bulk. However, those USPS Flat Rate boxes can get anywhere in the Continental US in 2 days now for a very small fee compared to UPS which can be 5x the price depending on the weight.

They carry a large number and variety of items like rivets, bag handles, buttons, clasps, buckles, etc ... However, they make you feel like you're getting a good deal on your order, and then hit you with an exorbitant shipping charge! I weighed and measured the order I received last, and for me to ship it to them UPS was $10 cheaper than what they charged me! All savings went out the door when they tagged on their shipping charge.

I'm not a defender of Tannery Row, although I have ordered from them before. One thing you have to keep in mind is that Horween / Tannery Row will only sell you #1 Grade whereas Springfield gets their Tannery Run (TR) grade.

I usually use Ohio Travel Bag for my bulk buys on snaps, rivets, and screw posts. However, here lately they're charging almost half the amount I pay for the items on shipping! Is anyone else noticing this? Today I ordered 3 items in bulk quantities that weighed less than 2 pounds for box and all. Shipping was almost $20! Any 'Savings' you make by purchasing their standard items ... you LOSE on shipping because they charge outrageously high prices for Standard UPS Shipping! If this is going to be their standard practice from now on I think I'll pass. I can get it much cheaper if I were to pay retail somewhere else! Your thoughts?

I'm having trouble visualizing what you are talking about with the thread feeding from the spool Wizcrafts. The following pic shows how I set mine up due to the fact that I kept getting twisted thread in the eye of the Thread Guide. Should I be using a different angle on the Thread Guide?

Long story short ... I'm on my 3rd Boss from the Factory, and it's still doing the same thing. I'm wondering if I have my thread tensions set wrong. I spoke with 2 different people there at Tippmann, and both times I have reset the thread setting back to factory and worked up. The machine will work fine for 10 to 20 stitches, and then it goes back to this. I'm scratching my head here, and need the Guru's to help me out on this one. Could this be something as simple as not winding the bobbin correctly? I could understand if 1 machine were bad, but 3? I'm leaning towards user error on this one. Your thoughts?

You say it's too much machine. Would you want to trade it for a Singer Industrial designed to be used on heavy canvas and light leather? If so ... message me on here to get my attention on this post. I don't check the 'For Sale' section very often. Thanks

I line all of my holsters with 4 oz. leather. However, I wouldn't dare run it alone without some sort of thick stiffener.

I found the thread guide on the needle bar. Evidently someone, over the years, had adjusted it too close to the need bar, and it was sitting flush. A carefull pry with my precision flat-head screwdriver pulled it down slightly to expose the ring. On another note .... what would be the easiest way to clean this old machine up? There is thread and oil debris everywhere, and I'm a meticulous individual when it comes to clean equipment.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see a thread guide near the needle that is described in the manual. Plus ... those pics / copies leave a lot to be desired. There is almost no visual reference due to the poor quality of the copy. As for the copy that gottaknow posted .... I don't see an oil pad or a thread guide near the needle on my machine. Can you find it in the pic, and tell me what I'm missing? Thanks.

Here is the Singer 211G155 I picked up at the yard sale last week. I've never threaded a machine quite like this one. Is this correct? It seems to be a little different than my 211G151. Thanks.

I'd like to find a pattern as well for a canvas style dog pack. They're expensive if you buy them outright, but much more affordable to make.

I went to Rural King tonight and bought a couple of 1/2" belts. The won't fit on the machine or the motor pulley. I guess they're a 3/8" belt. One belt, a 1/2" x 4" was right on the length, but it didn't ride in the right place. I think a 3/8" would do it.

I bought an old Singer 211G155 today from a yard sale, and the lady knew nothing about it. The machine was 'as is' and DID NOT come with a belt, but DOES have a servo motor installed on the table. The belt would be a 'V' style belt, but how do I measure for a new belt? Thanks

Can't say that I blame you. I stopped using Ebay and Paypal 10 years ago. I got burned badly by a guy in France. Needless to say .... I never saw my money again, and he got his stuff for free!

I have several Osborne punches, but they are all narrow width. I am looking for something that is extra wide for belt loops on my holsters. I have been hand cutting them to this point, and that is entirely too time consuming. Thanks.

I have several Osborne punches, but they are all narrow width. I am looking for something that is extra wide for belt loops on my holsters. I have been hand cutting them to this point, and that is entirely too time consuming. Thanks.

The one thing I have never liked about Kydex holsters is the indention in the trigger area. There have been documented cases of firearms being discharged due to the holster being too 'aggressive' in the trigger guard area. That's something to keep in mind.

That's my next question. ..... If I'm sewing 'pre-formed' holsters on my Boss .... what presser foot do I need? I'm thinking of ordering a 'Left' or 'Right' anyway so I can "Dye before sewing" to get contrasting colors on my leather and thread. It's hard for me to visualize without seeing it, so that's why I'm asking. Should the presser foot be on the left of the stitch or right on a holster?

How do you measure the stitch line for a revolver pattern? For a semi-auto it's easy because everything is uniform. However, on a revolver it is skinny at the barrel and widens considerably at the lug. How do you make the transition on your pattern? Thanks.

Don't wet it, because you'll just turn it into rawhide. I've learned this from experience as I've been tanning and preserving my own hides since I was a pup! A lot of deer hides get purchased after deer seasons in the various states, and from various butchers. These "Green" hides often sit long hours on trucks that travel all over the country. Sometimes the meat on some of them is rancid by the time it reaches the tannery, and they cull those hides from the bunch. However, the smell is still in a lot of the hides that were stacked on top of them. If it were me, and the smell bothers you that bad .... I'd use an alcohol based dye when the product is finished, and that should kill the smell. You can buy fairly neutral dyes that will put enough alcohol in the hide to kill the smell. Just my 2 cents, and your mileage may vary.