Davm

I am making a western cartridge belt. I am not sure of the terminology but there is the main belt with the cartridge loops and this doubles over itslef in front with a loop. Then there is the buckle strap with buckle and tongue for the buckle- both sewn in front on the main belt. The buckle strap has a belt loop for the tongue which is identical to a normal dress belt. There is then a second loop for the main belt. This second loop- that is my issue and photos don't show the detail. Is this loop attached to only the main belt, under the buckle strap OR... is it connected to the buckle strap and goes over the main belt. In other words- where do you connect the larger loop? Thanks.

Thanks

Thanks for the help. What exact Fiebing's dye do you use? On the oil- straight neatsfoot? The top coat- what do you use? The buffing- I have not done that, maybe that is the source of my trouble. Thanks again.

I've made quite a few leather holsters and sheaths. If it is for "show" I'll go ahead and dye the leather but so far the dye always leaks or bleeds if the leather gets wet. I've asked a lot of knowledgeable leather workers who always give the same answers but I don't think they comprehend what I'm talking about. There is having a leather item subjected to a light rain and then there is the "wear every day" knife sheath that gets totally soaked many times and dries while you wear it. So far all I have come up with is a 50/50 wax/neatsfoot oil- which is okay however if I could get a chocolate brown that stood up as well- that would be nice. All help appreciated.

Thanks, I've used some alcohol dyes that really dried out the leather too much.

I'm making a western style holster and I want to form fit the gun to the holster. In the past I have always soaked the leather with water, wrapped the revolver in plastic and put it in the holster. I have so far never had any water get to the gun and rust it however it is always a worry. Someone told me to wet the leather with rubbing alcohol instead of water. Any comments appreciated.

I saw one set up with snaps on the straps, the snaps on the back. I sort of like that because if the strap ends up being too long or short- just make another, not too much work.

Well, I've thought this out some. This leather, it was pretty thick to start so what I now have (2 sides glued together) is like the sole on a shoe. If I go with the Mexican double loop there will be 2 problems, one is getting the loop open enough to insert the pouch. Even if I can do that the loops over the pouch will be really thick and not look correct. So....I've decided on the sewn on loops- Buscadero style. The idea of cutting vertical slots and having the loop on back on the skirt was because I thought the loop between pouch and skirt would hold the pouch away from the skirt but in thinking this out, if the loop is sewn far enough- side to side (to the skirt) the skirt then folds a little around the pouch so it looks tight together. I'll still have a really thick pouch to pull through the loops but I'm thinking it will work. The reason I was thinking of the vertical cuts in the skirt and bringing the loops (straps) through the skirt and attaching on back was I could sew the loops easy after they were around the pouch and not worry about pushing the pouch through sewn on loops. This is going to be a "using" holster. On the finish I was thinking of a 50/50 mix of neatsfoot oil and carnauba wax. I've used that on knife sheaths and it darkens the leather a little- to a light russet color. If I could burnish the edge black, that would look great but I've tried dying a burnished edge and found it hard to do and to keep the line of dye straight. Once again, any suggestions very much appreciated.

On the dye, any tips on keeping such a straight line on the edge?

Thanks for clarifying the terminology. You can probably tell I'm a novice. I don't know how to post photos but right now I'm just stitching the entire border and then I'll sew the pouch. Then cut the loops or slots and tuck the pouch into the loops or use straps. I was thinking about making a wood form and inserting it in the loops to stretch them out and then wet everything and try to pull the pouch through the loops.

I was going to make a Mexican double loop holster BUT I glued two sides together to get a thick piece and it is so thick I am worried that I won't be able to pull the holster through the loops. Last night I thought about modifying the project and do two loops that go around the holster body- like on a Buscadero rig. I thought I could cut 2 vertical slots for the loop on the back flap and then sew the ends of the loops together. I however have been looking at photos and it seems that there may be no slots and the loops are between the holster body and back flap. I think I'd prefer the slots- if it is done that way- keeps the holster body next to the back flap. I could "loose stitch" the ends of the loop together to get it into position and then tighten it up. I need advice on how this is usually done. Thanks for any help.

I have several strips that I can use for the belt loops but once again they need to be thinned down. Because they aren't that wide I figured I could use a straight razor blade clamped to some sort of jig and pull the strip through it. My issue is the gun belt is too wide, unless I find a longer razor blade.

I am making a western gun belt with bullet loops. I want to make the belt a double thickness by gluing and sewing a liner of the same material but that will make a really heavy belt. I need to thin or skive the inside belt piece but how to do it in a uniform manner is the issue. I thought about a jig with a razor blade inwhich I pull the piece through but how to set it up is a problem, most razor blades are not that wide. Any suggestions appreciated

With the Fiebings dye, I still get rub off or runs if the leather gets really wet. How do I seal the dye on a belt that is worn outdoors in the rain so the dye doesn't blled out and stain my pants?

Hi, I'm new here but I've been a leatherworker for many years. If I am making an item that wouldn't be subjected to really bad weather I use the standard dyes and super shene type sealers, etc and that's that. If I make something, say an axe cover, for a canoe trip, then I treat veg-tan (carving) type leather with a Neatsfoot oil and wax mixture and that produces a russet color and works okay. If I try dyed leather the dye always leeches out and stains clothing etc. I know there are some rather complicated ways to dye leather and get a fast color BUT....they might be beyond my abilities. What are some of the easier ways (if there are any) to dye veg-tan (carving) leather a brown color and not have that run run if the leather is continually wet from being outdoors? Thanks.