Ran

Great looking belts, CT!

Only rarely do I dye the interior.

I just watched your video, Jack. Its fun to see how other leatherworkers do the various steps. I do some thing just like you do, and other things quite different. That's part of the fun of this type of work... Nice job!

Nice pistol, Piddler!

I have officially learned something today.... I've had the same thing happen, although my shop IS heated 24/7. I DO turn the temp way down when I'm not in there, but its never below freezing (not even close).

Good idea, Pete! Thanks for the tip! Really though, we sometime don't give ourselves enough credit. I'll bet most of us can 'call' a thickness with our hands. I was just building a holster yesterday from what was supposed to be 8oz. I could tell just working with it that it wasn't quite 8. The caliper confirmed that it was 7oz..

I like it! Nice job, Shooter! Merry Christmas!

I just finished a gun belt. I used 4-5oz for the liner and 8-9oz for the outside. Turned out just under a 1/4". About right, IMO..

Ha! I was just kidding, of course.... I have a few friends who like to poke fun at me for 'sewing.' Randy

Oh...and Paul, I have to correct you. 'Sewing Machines' are for girls. I use a 'Stitcher' (pronounced in a very low and masculine voice)...

I agree with Benlily. You'd never get away with it in woodworking (in fact, you'd have a mess on your hands)., but leather work seems to lend itself to 'bending the rules' just a bit. I seem to be burnishing my edges throughout most projects. On occasion, I've even gone back over my edges with wax 'after' my final finish has been applied and 'set' just to bolster the shine a little..

Jeremy...I just use T50 staples (3/8"), butt the ends of the keeper, mark the holes using the staple, make holes with an awl, push the staples through the holes, then bend the ends over with a needle nose pliers. Its all hand work. No stapler involved. They hold up very well.. Randy

Very nice, Paul! How do you like the machine? What size thread are you (and 'can' you) run in that unit?

I like the design, Vaalpens. (I also love Sigs!). Very cool that you were able to use your Dad's collar brass..

Those look like fun little projects, Jack. Nice work!

Very cool! Thanks for posting the pics, Alex..

Looks great, Dwight! I made a holster similar in design to that one for a local guy. I believe he uses it often

Thanks for the tip, Josh! J Hayes...yes, I cut both halves then cement. I make the keeper from 7-8oz and staple the ends together. I also have a little template for the keepers too. It creates that nice, uniform shape. I used to skive the buckle end, but now I just stop short with the lining, thereby creating a more thin end. As you can tell, though, I like a very stout belt.. They are really for hanging a holster, but one can wear them for whatever..

Charl, For the holes, I like to use a 3/16" round. I've also used a 7/32" oblong, but I prefer the round. As for cutting the leather, I'm a long time woodworker/cabinet maker/furniture builder,so I'm big on building jigs. I simply cut my belts from a side of leather using a utility knife, and for the straight edge I have made myself a 48" X 1.5"- template made of 1/4" plywood. I've also made 1/4" plywood jigs for each end of the belt for marking holes and the slot for the buckle. Oh boy, handstitching. A tip of the hat to you! I hand-stitched for about 2 months and then said 'enough!' Stitchers are expensive, but OH do I love my CB4500! Hope that helps. Any other questions, please fee free to ask...

Gosh....thanks for the kind remarks, folks! Vaalpens...its roughly 9oz outside and 4-5oz inside. I sometimes dye the inside lining, and sometimes I don't. This time, I just left the lining natural and that's how it turned out. It s 1.5" (a tick under, actually). Honestly, I'm not particularly fond of making belts. As was said above by Eaglestroker, its a LOT of edge work!! But for my BIL, it was worth it... . Merry Christmas everyone! Randy

Thank you, Benlily!!..

My BIL Larry is a terrific guy. I was with him and my sister the other day when he remarked about the belt I was wearing. I told him that I had made it myself. Larry is not the kind of guy to ask me to build something for him, but I've known him a long time and can tell when he really likes something. So I built this belt and shipped it to my sister to give to him for Christmas. Larry is not a gun guy, but he liked the 'beefy' characteristics of my gun belt. I hope he likes this one! Disregard the holster...I just added it to the pic for effect

I hear ya there, Vaalpens. I LOVE my 1911s. And, like you say, building holsters makes a guy think he needs more pistols!...

Supercub...on the straps, I simply make a 'hard' line (I use a groover) part way up the straps and change colors such that it can be seen only from the back. I don't have a pic of the back loaded up, but maybe I can snap one today and post. Dwight....YES, -20F as I type this post at 4:20AM on Monday!... Vaalpens...I agree regarding the 1911 profile lending itself well to a tightly boned holster. I've built many similar holsters for other firearms and they don't always provide the same aesthetics Thanks for the kind remarks, folks!

I like it! Nice work..