Red Cent

Except when you go to reverse gear

I need some. Getting tired ordering from different places and paying shipping. Does anyone know of a place to order all of them? Price helps. I don't need thousands. Probably hundreds. And I would like to stay away from specialty shops. Appreciate the assistance.

water and grinder/burnisher.

That equals 8-9 ounce leather I believe. I cut this weight with this: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=carpet+knife&view=detailv2&&id=C20941CA5D724F345BC12BD0CDE34DF443D4FEEC&selectedIndex=176&ccid=3sI8g2bQ&simid=608027263846253341&thid=OIP.Mdec23c8366d08298e172bd93f9accd83H0&ajaxhist=0 It has a thinner blade than the utility blades and has four cutting points. You can buy them with the top of the blade covered. Difficult to cut sharp curves.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013U75B8/ref=s9_top_hd_bw_g328_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=1RYQ1W6W1SSJ598YTANH&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=aac52c78-07b3-54fe-8096-6872408addca&pf_rd_i=15755331

http://escortgunleather.com/page106.html

ALERT!! ALERT!! Gimpy old person showing off!!

Ivenchw, you may not be compressing the leather. Get you a rolling pin and/or a one handed roller. The glue may not be dry. I sew after I glue and I machine sand some stuff but when I go for the shiny edge, I wait at least 12 -14 hours after application. Using a band sander, and after the edges get square you may see a white line. I take this off and come out with one piece of leather. Well, if you don't look too hard. In the few years I have been on the forum, we have discussed the EDGE!! It is not necessarily what you use to obtain the edge, it is more often the leather you use. I have found that cheap per sq ft sides versus "premium" sides are stiffer and very dry. Man, does that stuff polish by simply running a wet rag on the edge and running it through the old dowel rod. Some of the premium sides were so supple they could be used for feet saver mats. And it was nigh impossible to get a shiny edge. That is when one reverts to Hide Pounder's beeswax/paraffin combo rubbed on and then, using the dowel rod to burn in the wax. It really works. One member called it the leather worker's Bondo. By the way, getting that edge takes some studying and practice. It ain't just science, there is a little art.

Water and a home made dowel rod in a stripped down grinder with a keyless chuck.. Leave as is, apply clear coat, dye, M&G,........whatever.

Shame to hide that one. Looks great.

Mine are built for SASS and most do not like the tight to the body position of the grip. That is why my screws are lower. And I leave a large curve where the flap goes over the belt. If the buyer wants to wet it and compress it, they can get the close to the body grip position.The extended backflap provides additional stiffness. Mernickle has two T-nuts just under the belt that snugs the holster to the belt and it will not move. Bob built my first custom rig around 2003. He places a third screw at the bottom of the back flap. This arrangement is typical of the IPSC/USPSA holsters back in my time. Kirkpatrick uses a sandwiched T-nut as I do mounted on the inside of the back flap to keep the holster from coming up with the gun in case, heaven forbid, one would make a clumsy draw. A holster made with a thickness equal to approximately 14 ounce leather with the additional strength of the glue and good stitching will make for a lethal weapon. Mine will sound like a hollow log if you tap it. Combine that with a belt of about equal strength and you do not have any flex. The attached picture is one of G.W. Davis, an originator of SASS and a highly gifted holster maker. I have this rig in rough out. Picture also attached. Note the extended back flap. Davis ran with Alfonso, Andy Anderson, Ernie Hill, and others. And thank you Dikman and Tugadude. BTW. And I apologize for the blatant showing off. http://www.mernickleholsters.com/ca/CA23_23/ca23_23.html

Nice holster, artistic license with picture.

The holsters are two ply. 8-9 ounce outer and a 5-6 ounce liner. I sandwich two t-nuts in holes punched in the back of the outer. Then I punch corresponding holes in the back flap and secure with screws. T-nuts are preferred because they will not spin when you tighten the screws. A lot of holster makers put a welt in the holster but I do not tolerate welts. Too bulky looking.

Some time back, I was told how to set the bobbin on my Cobra 4. I found with a sound setting on the bobbin, I could play with the two upper tension knobs only. http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,47819.0.html

I seem to have had the same problem some time back. Dirt Clod suggested I go to polyester and use 277/207 on the top/bottom. Solved the problem. I have a Cobra 4 and I can tell you it ain't threaded as suggested from the factory. The CB4500 is the same machine as the Cobra 4. My C4 does not have the post on top to wind the thread. Steve said they decided they didn't need it. I have said it before; there are 937 ways to thread these machines correctly. The statement that the path of the thread should be inspected is a wise one. Wiz preaches that one. I had a spindle of thread that would catch as it unwound. It would cause a skipped stitch. I could not detect the hang up when it happened. I could see the skipped stitch as it occurred. One time I happened to see the string jerk out of the corner of my eye. Repositioned the spindle and guess what-it worked. Steve and Bob know a whole bunch. But they have learned by experience also. Stuff happens. Good luck.

The belt loop hole is long because of the angle of the belt. The heel of the grip is barely above the belt.

mlapaglia beat me to it. Unless requested after I inform the customer, I always use a roller buckle. Customers will complain after a while how the edges of the belt look scruffy. Duuuh! That sharp horseshoe shaped opening is bad on a flat piece of leather.

I use T-nuts on my lined cowboy holsters. You will see that the nut has three barbs which I grind down about half. In the back of the holster, the outer is hole punched in the proper place(s) and the T-nut is sandwiched between the layers. The back flap is hole punched to match the mouth of the T-nut and a screw(s) holds the flap. I generally use two located to satisfy the customer's style. The Chicago screw will come loose between the leather and spin. Bad ju ju with the customer. http://www.ifithermoplastics.com/products/t-nuts

Nice!

Interesting. UPS backed down to the garage, rolled the first piece up (Cobra 4) and asked where do you want it. Put it into the proper place along with the other stuff. Art, I have posted there are 197 ways to thread a Cowboy or a Cobra. I had the usual tension problems and (yeah, you guessed it) started to experiment. Worked it out pretty quick. Wonderful machine. Ky23, from the looks of your work, you don't need help or need to experiment. Very nice work. "I installed the edge guide and not sure if I like it or not." It will grow on ya.

If you dye first, the glue will come off easier. Rub with a finger works. Sometimes I will use a Big Mistake eraser. If I glue natural leather, I use Oxalic Acid with a soft cloth. Wet the glue spot well and lightly rub. It dissolves. Be careful not to burnish the leather.

Now that is a new one. I am watching.

Looks good. Suggestion. Get a stitching groover and run a "ditch" around close to the edge. Using the edge coat sparingly, the stuff will get to the ditch and disperse making for a very even edge.

Beautiful work BHP.

On most any piece of vegetable tanned leather, a drop of NF will leave a dark spot. Put some of the NF on a piece of old t-shirt and squeeze the rag. As you wipe the NF on, you will realize that you have streaks and you have to keep applying and rubbing until it looks all the same. If you concentrate on one spot, you will over do it. Sun light is your friend. Get the leather as neat (no pun intended) as you can and give it a suntan. It will tan to a beautiful color. JB dips the holsters and belt, and actually, pretty fast. He wipes a lot of it off. He does not mind if that rig is not stiff. It changes color and will change a lot more in the sun. Try to sell a soft pliable holster to a SASS shooter and he/she will probably laugh. My SASS rigs are NF'ed after sewn and finished. Or dyed if requested.