Red Cent

It is going to depend upon where you get your leather and what tannery it came from. I usually buy local. Burnishes to a mirror finish. The only wet I used on this stuff is when I squirt the area to fold the holster and at the end when I clean it with Lexol and water. Dries hard. Very Hard. I ordered some leather and it was beautiful. But very, very soft and supple. My usual procedure did not work the same. They were not stiff enough for a SASS shooter. Especially the speed demons and my reverse sewn holsters. So I turned to the gang. And discovered a bunch bake their holsters. I ordered from the same guy the other day. He promised stiffer and dry (somewhat) leather. Should be here today. This ain't soft.

Rod Kiebler of Alto, GA started the raw hide reinforcement on cowboy leather. His holsters are very popular.

I called Roger (RJF) this morning and I finished our conversation ( after he called back) minutes ago. I mentioned that some were having difficulty in reaching him and he was puzzled by that statement. Roger is now taking PayPal, so that should speed up the process.

These are indispensable in my opinion. I use double shoulders and the first thing I do is lay two 36" rulers down, sight a straight line with a lazer, clamp down and cut the uneven bottom off very carefully. Then the draw gauge/strap cutter does the rest. http://www.alltradetools.com/catalog/c-clamps/1401-835954-2-1-4-handi-clamp.html

Research, research, research, ................................

Good lookin' stuff. What did you hand stitch?

I have not worked with the thin stuff and I don't use a creaser much. I have used the screw adjustable creaser and, for my use, is terrible. I used the adjustable groover to lay a stitch line that creates a raw groove that shows sometimes. So I removed the "blade" from the groover, found an Allen wrench that fit the hole and filed the "creaser" side to a deep V but not sharp enough to cut. Makes a great stitching line and used on cased leather will remain distinct.

JBL, do you compete in SASS?

Mistake! Wrong hand:). Looks good to me.

Sheps' huh?

Drum sander is your friend. I cut the outer and liner fairly carefully but they never match up real good. After the glue is dry I square all the edges with a drum sander and a drill press. I do this with almost anything including belts.

I build the buckle end first and, then, I worry about the center hole only.

Easy to get a good edge?

Are all you guys hand sewing?

RS, you look lonesome out here. I am always around a bunch of gun guys and I don't know anybody that owns one of those handguns. One order would more than pay for it but if you get an order. And I would think they would want a commitment, not just do you have one. Could you expand an N frame pattern without the fine molding?

Clean and neat. Awesome.

I do not use a groove cutter. Used to but I do a lot of natural finish and if you are just a tad off it shows. I machine sew. I took the groove device, removed the cutter and made an Allen tool with a rounded V bottom. And if I have a senior moment I can "erase" the groove. And I used to do the back. No more.

Get the needle that fits your needs. You can get a left turn needle or a right turn needle or a straight ahead needle. http://www.schmetzneedles.com/learning/pdf/leather-needles.pdf

Yes, they do indeed. But I had not heard of it being applied to leather. I was told a crock pot full of molten beeswax will last a very long time. I envisioned this waxy mess when pulled from the bubbling cauldron, but, supposedly, the beeswax permeates the leather and little residue remains on the exterior. From the response, it seems no one practices in this part of leather art. Off to the internet.

"Alien Gear Holsters are made with a beautiful, premium, incredibly comfortable 10-12 ounce drum dyed leather that is 100% sweat proof and water proof and will remain so for life. Others use 8 ounce leather and try to combat the sweat issue by selling you horse hide. For example, our leading competitor offers horse hide for a surcharge, but horse hide is not sweat proof. Theirs is not drum dyed and is not a comfy 10-12 ounce leather." http://aliengearholsters.com/

New to me. I am told that one can get a really stiff holster/leather thing when the product is dipped in pure liquid beeswax. The old crock pot seems to be the trick. Same method as Vinagroon. Hold it under until it stops bubbling. Hang and let dry. 'Fess up.

Forgot the holes. I dunno. Different? Works. If the customer doesn't like it, easy to fix.

Thanks. The screw (and glue) holds a tapered plug that orients the barrel to the front of the holster. Looks awkward if one molds the holster to close up the back of the holster. Never notice it holstering the handgun. Rooster, I think you are referring to metal reinforcement? No, those were wetted and baked some. The leather is pretty stiff and should hold shape.

http://i.imgur.com/RtYpHDx.jpg

Thanks folks.