Ran

Thanks Dwight. The customer specifically wanted "...a barbecue rig." I laughed and asked what he meant, and he said, "I want a holster and belt that I can show off at the neighborhood barbecue." Ha! Thought that was pretty funny..

This is my first stab at a holster/Gun belt combo. I've made and sold lots of holsters, but this is just my first belt sale (second belt build). Like all jobs, there are a few things I'd like to improve on. I've made several holsters from this pattern, but for some reason that I'm still trying to figure out, the stitch lines aren't as 'tight' to the mould as in the past. Maybe its time to re-draw my pattern?? Made the pistol grips too (stabilized box elder burl)

Eric...where do you get that little metal reinforcement piece for the thumb break? I've seen them made of dense plastic too, but I like the steel better.

Very nice work, Falcon!

Nice work, Eric! Dang...all those 'firsts' would have had me building at least a couple prototypes before getting to the customer's holster. I hope you were well paid for all that work..

Great work, Frank!

Thanks Rayban. Personally speaking, I prefer the 7 holes at 3/4" spacing because it just makes sense to me. In order to 'fine-tune' one's comfort, it seems like common sense to me that a 3/4" spacing gives the user more options. I guess that if someone regularly switches from OWB to IWB carry, a wider spacing 'might' be helpful?? The machine is awesome! (CB4500 from Bob at Toledo Sewing Machine). I couldn't be happier, frankly. I've had my share of broken needles and screw-ups, but all of them have been simple learning mistakes.

Thanks folks! I just received my first order for a holster with matching belt. Fun work!

Thanks Dwight. The seven holes was just a 'copy cat' move. Before I got started, I took off my Bull Hide Belt and copied the configuration. The holes are also 3/4" apart instead of 1".

I recently decided to try my hand at making a good stout belt for hosting a holster. This is my first stab at it. I had only a small amount of 6oz and 9oz long enough to make a belt, so I cut a couple of 1.5"~ strips, glued them together and started playin' around. Like any first attempt, there are several things I'll do differently on the next one, but all-in-all, I'm fairly happy with this one. (Oh...made the holster a couple of weeks ago for my Sig P938)

Jake....on the light side, I've used 7oz. On the heavy side, I've used 10oz. When I buy my leather, I usually buy 7-8oz or 8-9oz. Although I've experimented with lining holsters (suede), I've not done any such rigs lately.

Jake....I use a variety of hand tools for boning the holsters. Thank you..

Fivesixthree....no, not anymore. I'm stitching with a CB4500 now. I actually enjoyed hand-stitching, but the machine has afforded me SO much more time to improve other phases of the craft. And - of course - on top of that, using the machine is a lot of fun. Thanks for all the kinds remarks, folks. I'm getting there, I guess..

Here are some recently made holsters

Thanks Bob. I'll take a look at Joann Fabrics. We have one about 40 miles south of here..

I'll give it a whirl, Mike. Thanks..

Mike...I've read that a couple of times now. Can't imagine that it doesn't dull the knife prematurely, but I guess you'd have to try it in order to find out..?

Thanks Bruce. That's kinda what I was thinking (that the poly board I have is not dense enough). I'll have to look for something else, I guess. With some of the inferior leathers it cuts just fine. But, as you say, I'm probably not pushing down as hard with those because I don't need to.

I have my round knife razor sharp. I can literally shave the hair off my arm with it. BUT...on the higher quality 8-9oz leathers, I'm having trouble cutting. I have found that my knife is cutting into the poly cutting board more than it should, causing significant drag. If I slightly lift the leather, it cuts like butter, but this of course causes a loss of control. Is there a better cutting surface than the poly cutting boards? Or is my Wally World cutting board sub par??

Billymac....yes, this is my first leather stitcher. I'm a long time woodworker/cabinet maker, so I'm familar with with all sorts of machinery, and my experience with wood over the years has helped a lot in this transition to leather.. Funny thing is that I've recently had customers asking about woodworking, but with my head 'totally' wrapped around leather these days, I'm reluctant to take on any wood projects

I've worked with my CB4500 enough now that I'm feeling pretty confident with it. There's been a significant learning curve, but its been fun. Frustrating at times, but my problems have been virtually ALWAYS operator error. No regrets..

K..

Wiz and Sylvia....thanks for the tips. Wiz...not sure what you mean by "....raise moveable crank on back to top position in slot for lower lift." Sylvia...I found that post last night while doing a search. I think I might mess around with that idea.

Now that I've stitched a few holsters and a ton of scrap leather with my new CB4500, I'm working on fine-tuning the unit to better suit my needs. It took me a while to figure out how to make adjustments to the Servo Motor, but I think I finally got it. For a while, I had it stuck in reverse, but through trial and error I got it back going forward. Even though the pedal allows for variable speed, I found that if I slow the servo motor down, the pedal is much more forgiving and easier to 'finesse,' IMO. I suppose that if or when I get around to making belts, I'll want to speed the servo up some. But for now I like the maximum forward speed to be 'manageable' for this stitching machine neophyte..

Thanks Art. I'm gonna try this on some scrap material. I recently tried the 'burn' method using a soldering gun. Seems to have worked well. We'll see, I guess. Randy