gunfighter48

I have a Model 5 and sew two 8oz belt blanks together to make concealed carry gun belts. It goes thru 16 oz of leather like it is soft butter. Two pieces of 4 oz leather won't be a problem. Once you get the thread tension set for what your sewing they run great. I find that I need to oil my machine each time I use it, if it's been a few days or week since it was last used. It will do 3/8 leather with no problems. Hope this helps.

The change over to digital was brought on because the US is running out of radio frequencies. Each nation is allocated so much frequency space by an international communication union and that's all your country gets by international law. As stated before the analog TV signals took up huge amounts of space in the US radio spectrum. The Europeans have had digital and HD TV for a long time. We were supposed to have switched some time ago, but the politicians got into the process and that slowed up our transitions by about 5 years. Digital TV packs a lot more signal in a much smaller space. For those that already can receive Digital broadcasts, the picture is much better in quality. While not HD TV it's a leap ahead of analog. There is big $$s riding on the auctioning of the old TV frequencies. There are many different businesses bidding for the newly freed up radio spectrum. The last I read the government will auction off the frequencies to the highest bidders. I would like to be a fly on the wall at the corporate offices of the bidders, should be some fun!!!!!!

You might also want to fun a stitch line (or even a double line of stitches) around the belt slot cut out. It will help to keep it from coming apart with use.

It's a red meat, was a little greasy, slightly gamey tasting, fine grained. Kind of tasted a little like mule deer venison but not as tough. The skunks in that part of the country lived off the land and not in garbage dumps. They eat small animals, grasses, wild berries, wild grains, etc.. fairly decent diet. I only had it one time, it was too greasy for my taste, but wasn't that bad. I'm glad my grandfather cleaned and skinned it!! If you shoot them just right they don't have a chance to spray their scent!!!!!!

Photoshop Elements 6 is about $80, Elements is a stripped down version of the full Photoshop program. But many of us find Elements is all we really need. Photoshop CS 3 or 4 is somewhere around $600. Paint.net is free and works on Windows computers, it uses Microsoft Framework. It does a great job of resizing photos along with simpler editing tasks.

When we lived in the wilds of NE Washington state back in the 60s I used to hunt tree squirrels in the winter. It takes a couple dozen to make a decent meal. They are great until the snow gets so deep that they can't get to their cache of food. They start to eat pine and fir needles and then taste like turpentine! My grandfather used to hunt ground hogs and bake them up. The trick there is to bake them on a rack so the fat drips off the meat, otherwise they are pretty strong tasting. I've eaten rattlesnake, cougar steaks, venison, elk, 4 types of grouse(blue grouse are the biggest, up to 4 lbs, but they only live on the highest ridges, lots of hiking to get to them), buffalo, skunk, raccoon, and snowshoe rabbit.

Well here's one of myself and my wife, sisters, husbands, and mother. I'm the one on the left side of the picture in the blue plaid shirt, my mother, my brother-in-law, my oldest surviving sister, my baby sister, her husband behind her, and last but NOT least my wife in the wheel chair. My oldest sister was 2 years younger than me and passed away last year. My niece brought her ashes up to the Seattle area to be buried with my sisters favorite sister-in-law. About the only time our family gets together is weddings and funerals.

What type of steel and where are you buying it from, for mouth reinforcement? John

I made a sizing belt, 11/4" wide by 72" long. I punched holes every 1" and marked the length (40-41-42 etc.) right on the belt. When I sell at gun shows and such, I have them try on the sizing belt where they like to wear it, then take the size right off the belt. Works great!!! John

I wonder who does the Buffalo Wings!!!!!!! John

That's outrageous!!!!!!!! Next time you make a skull clock what do you think about using a skeletal finger for the 1, 2, 4, 5.7,8, 10, 11 positions on the clock face? Have them pointing out from the center. Just a thought. John

I like it, looks like one of the characters in one of the Harry Potter movies. If I remember right it was the hat that selected which house the new sturdents were assigned to. John

Shorts, look for Shoe Goo or Shoe Goop (same product) at a sporting goods store. I used it to put felt soles on fishing waders and they never ever came off. It's a very thick nearly clear glue (kinda like heavy rubber cement). Apply a thin coat and put on the fabric then put a little pressure on it, let cure for 24 hours and use it. I've used it to fix all types of things that normal glues won't adhere to and it's always held tight. I even fix a cracked plastic tank on my carpet cleaned and it's still doing just fine after 2 years. John

I'm John Anderson, got my handle, gunfighter48, because I used to do Cowboy Action Shooting. It's target shooting with six guns, pistol caliber rifles, and shotguns - mostly double barrel. You have to dress as the real cowboys did or as the TV cowboys did. Nothing better than playing cowboys and indians with real guns!!!!!!! I grew up in the 50s with all the cowboy movies and TV shows, was the fastest draw on my block!!! So gunfighter, born in 1948 - gunfighter48. I started doing leather work because I couldn't afford the prices being charged for six gun holsters and belts. I still like doing holsters and belts, along with other leather work as I get interested in something new with leather. I am trying to start a part time business doing belts for folks that carry concealed weapons. A good belt makes carrying a pistol much easier. Off to a slow start as my wife hasn't been doing well lately with her Parkinson's and that's been eating up my spare time. But it will get there eventually. J Double A Leather Works is my business name. John

I bought the Consew CP206R, same machine as the LS1 from Sailrite. I also bought the Monster Wheel II, best investment you can make for these machines. If I can stuff the leather under the presser foot the machine will sew it, with the Monster Wheel installed. It also slows the top sewing speed down a couple of hundred rpms, makes for better control. These machines are great for 3/8" or less veg tanned leather. As Ashely noted the same machine is sold by quite a few distributors. I have a number of Sailrite accessories and they all work just fine on the Consew. John

Personally, I just get completely away from whatever I'm having a problem doing. Photography is one of my other hobbies, just bought a new Nikon D60 camera, and I just go out and take pictures. I also target shoot and head to the gun range once a month or so and put big holes in small targets, great stress reliever. As much as I like making leather belts, it can get to be a chore sometimes. I just take a time out and go do something else. John

Here's a link to a past question that I asked about the different needle systems. I bought a Consew machine that used the 135X17 needle system and was in the same boat as you, not knowing what needles to get for sewing leather. The 135X16 needles are what you will need for leather. Here is a link to my old post. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=902 If you look through the old posts you'll also find what thread sizes go with what needle sizes. John

Happy Birthday Leatherworker. This is the best leather working information site that I've found on the Internet. Thanks to the crew and all the members here that make it the BEST. John

I'll bite, what did you do????????? Inquiring minds want to know!!!!!!! John

How about making a stitching groove all the way down a belt blank BEFORE you punch out the tongue end!!!! Also measuring a belt out and forgetting to add enough length for the buckle end. It never ceases to amaze me how STUPID I can be at times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Johanna, don't give up you can quit. I did after 32 years, it can be done but it's the hardest thing I've ever done. Not only is it a physical addiction but it's also a life style addiction. You get used to taking a cig break, after meal smoke, before going to bed smoke, getting up smoke, etc. Do the patches if it helps, if they don't work go to your doctor, they can prescribe various drugs that will help a lot. The other thing I had to do was break the life style. After meals, getting done with a task where I would normally take a smoke break, going to bed and getting up; you have to find something else to take the place of cigs at these times. Eat a piece of fresh fruit or raw veggies, get involved in something else as soon as you complete a task. Toss the ash trays and lighters (man that was hard for me), then wash all your clothes to get rid of the smoke smell. When you want a smoke go pound some leather, get on Leatherworker, read a book, anything that takes your mind away from cigs. Each month it will get easier to stay off cigs. But I have to say that whenever I REALLY get stressed, I still find myself patting my shirt pocket looking for that pack of smokes. It's been over 12 years since I quit and the urge is still there. Like going thru AA, you can't ever give in to the urge again. If you need someone to talk to, email me and I'll give you my cell number. I'm available 24 hours a day, my phone is always with me. Would be glad to help. Keep plugging away, you'll make it. John

That's look great!!! Carving looks very good also. The only suggestion on future rigs is to round off the corner on the bottom left side of the holster. The square corner will get bent and damaged fairly quickly. Rounding that corner will make it blend in better and enhance the appearance. You'll also want to bevel the edges of the belt and holster, it will look better. You're doing great, just keep making them. John

Hi Ashley, Are you using the Monster Wheel on your machine? I put one on my Consew CP206R (straight stitch version of your machine), used the set screws to lock it down to the shaft and if I can get the leather under the presser foot, it will sew it no problem!!!!!!! Glad to hear you got the problems worked out on your machine, they sew great don't they!! John

I usually use two coats of Super or Satin Sheen both inside and out side of the my holsters. Haven't hand any complaints of rub off doing it this way. Try it on a scrap piece and see if it works for you. John

I have a Neel's Model 5 machine and it's a great machine for the price. I couldn't afford (and still can't) a $2,000 - $3,000 machine. The Model 5 let me start making heavy gun belts for people that carry a concealed weapon. Ryan Neel is a terrific guy to do business with. Extremely helpful at any time for any problem. He goes out of his way to make sure you get the best his machines will deliver. He's even advised me on other makers parts that will work with his Model 5. He provides customer service to the Artisan standard and that's saying something!! I have dealt with the Artisan folks and their service is first rate by any standards. John