Boriqua

There are people more knowledgeable than I but I personally would not use clear lac on anything that would be subject to repeat bending back and forth. I have RUINED projects and had others ruin some that I had used clear lac on when it was bent repeatedly. We are going to hope that that book is going to be opened and closed often! If you are concerned about preserving the colors and not having them rub off so are looking for a protective finish the super sheen will work just fine. Again I wouldnt over do that either and were it mine I might carefully paint supersheen on my design pieces one coat then give a light overall spray and call it a day. I have never used cova color ... I like the cheap acrylics I get at the hobby store so I dont know about running but to date I have never had a problem with acrylics running or rubbing using resolene or supersheen. Having said that ... go paint up a scrap and let it dry well and test before you put a brush to all your efforts. I find the supersheen to be more durable than resolene. I use mostly resolene because I prefer a matte finish but if its protection or resisting I reach for the supersheen.

So I have always used fiebing's dyes, either the solvent or the pro oil. I have also used for many years their Acrylic Antique stains. About a year ago I bought some fiebings cherry "stain" I have used it as an undercoat and its ok but when digging around on weaver today I think the stains are supposed to be mixed with oil? So where do there stains fit in. Im a little confused. You have the dyes, the acrylics and then ... little did I know ... a whole host of stain colors http://shop.fiebing.com/c/leathercraft_dyes_leather-stain?pkey=1d380b5a67725714d8a3d7ca967a324b&ckey=72706.72707.72771.0.0 How do the stains differ from dye. Im not talking antique stains or pastes but the stains they show at the link above. Im hoping its something new and cool to me that I can add to my playing around. Thanks! alex

That is really nice bob .. Depending on the project sometimes I like to just let the basketweave fade out and not hem it in with a border although the stitching acts as a border on these but it just fades top and bottom

I actually like the "womans" version a good deal less. It reminds me of a doily and I am pretty sure unless the woman is in her 80's she doesnt do doily but I could be dead wrong. I'm not a youngster and I think old people when I think doily. I could certainly be bringing my own mental baggage to it though and see it from my own experiences and others will love it. That is what is great about options

Love the braided edges! Nice job.

Simply amazing! I have painted portraits and it was hard enough to learn how to do that marginally well/ok. Carving it !!

Nice stitching and you even do cool graphics! I think that is an excellent first post. I keep wanting the welt at the trigger guard to be closer to the gun but its your design not mine. I say very nice first holster and post!

I strop my awl before each use and if I am doing a holster when I get up to thread my needles for the second side I will strop it then too. I have a 10 x 3.5" pine board I mounted a piece of 4/5 oz to and loaded with rouge. I strop my razors often also. Sure as hell beats sharpening if I can keep my edges nice along the way. Few things are more pleasurable to use than a nice sharp highly polished awl that glides through leather!

Really nifty idea !

Thanks Peeps !!!!

So I posted how much I like my new pro stamp but have a question. Is there any significance or history to the symbol in the middle or is it simply a flourish that means nothing? http://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/craftool-pro-stamp-basketweave-x2844

Love it! Nice work.

ah but I am a fidgeter kind of guy so I am pleased when its not whatever someone deemed worthy because then I have no bad feelings when I use it as a base to ... well ... fidgit. One day I will share what I did in my real life and sometimes I thought it was great .. and sometimes... well I was glad other people liked it!

Well I am using your stitch lines soooo that is that then. I hate turning people away but I am small beans and its not worth the potential dissatisfaction. Thanks brother. I actually went and bought a couple of your patterns on etsy today. Friggin bargain! I felt a little guilty about the free ones I downloaded on your site and figured I ought to buy a couple. Stay tuned for my take on an Avenger! I have been wanting one for myself forever but I kind of flubbed 2. Sigh ..now I have to look up "stitched sight channel" Just when I think I have learned a ton ... there is still a ton more to learn. Awesome!

Yea I am looking at the difference between my rocky tactical and the colt blue gun. Its a big difference. I wonder if the Springfield 1911 blue gun has the "blockier" muzzle. I hate telling people no but I make holsters along with other leather work because I dig it and try and keep it fun and I just dont think there is a big enough calling for the Sig 1911 holsters that it would be worth it for me to get a mold? Springfield and colts I can make decorated holsters all day and there will be buyers. New mold is 60 bucks. While I hate doing it maybe if I form the holster to my Rocky? Rocky Colt

I hadnt been to your site since I bought my makers mark from you ... man you got some cool stamps on there! Have to go shopping

No worries using tandy but I find I have a better chance of getting a not so good one when using tandy leather than say weaver. Having said that I have used a WHOLE lot of tandy leather over the years. Like I said .. cut out your pattern and then take a minute to rub some neatsfoot on it ... then as muhc as you want to move on to the next step .. set it aside overnight, give it a light buff and away you go like nothing happened and it has helped me in the past. One more thought although it is a little aside of the OP. Tighten up your circles when you are rubbing the dye in. Looks like you tried to cover a fairly large area quickly and I think you may be happier with the results if you really do tight overlapping circles when you rub in the dye. Takes a good deal more time but .... Having said that ... aesthetics and what we want the end product to look like differ from person to person so I dont know if there is a RIGHT answer but you may want to try it. alex

Found a fair pic on the net that shows the muzzle of the Sig nightmare carry. My holster is built on the colt 1911 which admittedly my rocky fits real snug in. Do you think that guy will fit and form with some break in? The holster is constructed of a single layer of 8/9 oz shoulder front and back.

Whew !! Dwight .. your one of my leatherwork heros! Between your comment above and JLS, another forum member I follow intently, commenting on my white lizard its a great week! Thank you everyone!!!

I have worked on all sorts of projects thick and thin and the only time I had blow outs like that was on two different Tandy hides. Both were 4-5 oz but I doubt that matters. It was just to dry. When I saw it happen on my first project all the pieces I cut from those hides after that I treated with a light coat of neatsfoot oil and let sit overnight and then worked with them as usual and had no further problems.

Grumble Grumble .. freagin sig has to take a perfectly fine 1911 and make some statement! So I have someone that wants to buy one of my holsters but it turns out he has a Sig Nightmare commander size which has these really high squared off shoulders on the slide. I think the leather should stretch to accommodate it but Its a pretty dramatic change. So I have 2 questions Has anyone tried successfully to get a sig nightmare gun in a holster built around a colt 1911 or rocky 1911? Is there a mold for the sig, can I use the 4.2 sig nitro mold? Thanks everyone

The inlay piece was a bit of frog skin I had left. I took these pics before I had my light tent set up and the direct light is making the frog a little more red then it was. It was a bit more burgundy wine. I hand stitch everything and that was black Maine thread at .040 and if memory serves it was at 5spi. I have since switched to doing most of my stuff at 6spi. The back is 8/9 oz shoulder and the front is 2 pieces of 4/5 with the frog glued between but only at the center. I skive the frog all the way around so it blends between the layers. Hope that helps Alex

Do a search for monitor lizard on ebay but shop around. I have seen a fair price difference. I dont think I paid more than 20 bucks for it and it was about 18" by 12" so depending on how you use it you can do a lot of projects with it. Be sure to get one that is not glazed. It sucks up dye and holds it so you can make whatever colors you want and then just seal it with resolene after. I have an idea for dyeing some yellow for a bag project.

Not only do I like the tooling but the painterly way you handled the color is awesome.

What type and thickness of leather are you using? How did you apply the glue? Perhaps you might be better served with a spray adhesive like 3m Spray 77. Used to only be able to get it at art supply but I just saw it at my local big box hardware place. Either lowes or home depot .. sorry I can remember which. I use weldwood contact cement almost daily and I have never had the glue come through so I am really interested in what your using for my own future reference. Alex Edited to add If you send me the picture I can make it smaller for you and send it back.