Modad2010

The stuff I've had tools well and burnishes great, it's just been very difficult to cut and the sides have had too much in the way of flaws. You guys that are ordering from outside Missouri must be gettin' all the primo stuff. Would love to be able to order right from the tannery, but I don't do enough volume to be able to order 10 hides at a time.

So I had to go to Springfield Leather to pick up some HO for holsters. When I got there I discovered that the price had gone up by $0.80 s.f. I looked through about 25 hides and only found one that had a decent shoulder area that they were willing to cut off for me. When I got it home, it was like trying to cut through a concrete block - stropping my round knife after every 6-8 inches of cutting. It did the same thing to my bevellers - had to resharpen and strop them. When I first started making holsters a couple of years ago I loved working with HO, but now it seems to be a chore to find good piece of leather, and them working with it is more of a chore than something I find enjoyable to do. Does anyone else seem to be experiencing the same thing with Herman Oak? I was able to get a piece of Wickett and Craig a while back and liked it - thinking about switching over. Just wanted to add that this was 7/8 oz. stuff and this has been the same case the last three times I purchased Herman Oak

As of yesterday, HO at Springfield Leather went up about $ 0.80 a sq. ft.

I tried one out at the Springfield Leather store a while back and it is definitely on my gotta have list. Just gotta get the funds and a place to put it. It is similar to the one sold by Weaver and used by Hidepounder here on the forum.

So I tooled a belt for a friend and instead of using a dye I just antiqued the entire piece, wiped off the excess, buffed with a soft rag and let it dry over night. When I applied Fiebing's leather sheen to the piece it lifted the pigments and streaked. The piece will now have to be remade. What finish should I have used?

Beautiful stuff, Chief. I'm curious about the dye color too.

I am just finishing up a scabbard for a 12 ga. coach gun. I will be putting a coat or two of pure neat's-foot oil on it and am wondering if I should use Feibing's leather sheen as a final finish. The scabbard may be subjected to some adverse weather conditions and was constructed of 11/12 oz. Herman Oak. Any thoughts or opinions?

I got a used Artisan Toro 3000 from Cobra Steve for a very reasonable price. Has worked out great for me doing concealment holsters and double thick belts. His mechanic goes through the machine to make sure it's working right and sets it up for your desired thickness and thread size. Great thing to start on and then keep around if you upgrade to a bigger machine later. Steve's customer service is fantastic too.

Thanks guys. I'll give him a call this week.

Hey folks, I had a gentleman say he would like for me to make him a holster for a 5" 1911. Not usually a problem, except he would like to have full coverage grey elephant. Up until now I've only used remnant pieces for trim on holsters and have not had a need for larger pieces. So far in my search, 4sq. ft. is the smallest amount I can order and that comes at $45 per sq.ft. Does anyone know where I might find about 1 to 1.5 sq.ft. of grey elephant?

The strap looks great, Chief. I'm kinda liking the Martin flat top it's holdin' up too.

Thanks guys. Looks like it will be the Springfield in the cocked and locked 5". I also like the idea of marking it at the other lengths. I already have a mold for a four inch Sig 1911 that I picked up earlier for a custom build. Thanks again.

Dwight, Which Model of rings do you have, the Colt or the Springfield A-1?

Not too worried about the height of the sight since I mold in a sight channel with a dowel rod, but thanks for the info.

So I am needing to get a cocked and locked mold gun for a 5" 1911. The only one that Rings has is a Springfield A-1. I have heard that sometimes the various 1911 makers weapons won't always fit right in holsters that were molded to other makers weapons - Kimber into Springfield or such. Can anyone suggest a mold gun that will fit the widest variety of 5" 1911's and does anyone know which ones will not work together? Thanks in advance.

Tossik, don't worry too much about the flat-backed issue. The holster you built seems to be patterned after the well known and much copied Milt Sparks Versa-Max II. Most folks who have owned and carried with the VM II consider it to be the most comfortable IWB they've ever used - myself included - and it is not a flat-backed holster. I like your use of some contrast with the reinforcement piece and with the stitching color there. Your stitching looks nice and even and clean, but as Dwight stated should follow the lines of the weapon more closely. I'm looking forward to some pics of the belt after it's stitched (never could bring myself to do a double thickness belt until after I had a machine). Dwight gave some great advice on many points and it should help you. All in all a very good looking first effort!

I was glad to find this post because I was considering purchasing one of these. I bought a C.S. Osborne 1 1/2" EP punch and the edge rolled the 2nd or 3rd time I used it. I took it back to Springfield leather and they sent it back to Osborne to see if they would cover it on the warranty. Two and a half weeks later and still no word. Think I'm done buying Osborne. Just curious - is that a block of bee's wax you are putting the punch into before using it?

Rob, have you heard anything back from Tony on these?

I had my wife take it back to Springfield leather today because I was at work. Rusty gave me a call and said he was going to send it back to Osborne for me. He stated that they may or may not choose to replace it. I was going to have my wife pick up another Osborne edger and creaser for me, but told her to wait because I want to see what Osborne is going to do about the punch. If they stand behind their product I'll buy more from them - if not I'll buy from someone else like Barry King or will look for older Gomph or older Osborne tools. I was really disappointed because I had to wait to afford the tool and then have it fail the second time I used it. I now understand why the older tools are so prized today. They were made to be used for a lifetime and the company would stand behind their product.

A couple of months ago I finally bought a 1 1/2" Osborne English point strap end punch for making gun belts. A couple days later I broke a finger that put leather working on hold. Recently, I finally got back to the bench and made a double thickness belt ( 2 layers 8oz.) - punch worked great. Tonight I was punching another belt and part of the right side of the punch buckled and bent. There was nothing under the leather but my cutting board that was placed on top of my granite slab. I am really disappointed about this. Has anyone else had anything similar happen? I have a 1" round strap punch and an 11/2" oblong punch - both Osbornes and have had no problems.

A couple of months ago I finally bought a 1 1/2" Osborne English point strap end punch for making gun belts. A couple days later I broke a finger that put leather working on hold. Recently, I finally got back to the bench and made a double thickness belt ( 2 layers 8oz.) - punch worked great. Tonight I was punching another belt and part of the right side of the punch buckled and bent. There was nothing under the leather but my cutting board that was placed on top of my granite slab. I am really disappointed about this. Has anyone else had anything similar happen? I have a 1" round strap punch and an 11/2" oblong punch - both Osbornes and have had no problems.

I have one of the multi molds for a Sig 1911 and the first thing I had to do was remove material from the ejection port and trigger areas. I really like the mold and would buy more of them if it weren't for having to remove that material myself. The areas that need to be blocked off for working kydex are the exact areas that a leather worker needs to mold to help with retention. Just my 2 cents.

I agree with Sheathmaker, using the word custom allows your customer to know that you are willing to do made to order, one-of-a-kind, custom work.

I recently picked up a used Toro 3000 and have sewn a few holsters with it already. Tonight I tried sewing my first mag pouch - a one piece wrap-around that is sewn up the back side. I had some issues as I got close to where the leather actually wraps. Is there a particular method that works well to keep the presser foot from marking the leather there and keeping the stitch spacing even? Is wetting the leather to make it fold easier an option? I just don't know about sewing the leather while wet. Any help would be appreciated.

Great looking rig! What size thread are you using? I've been using 277 top and bottom and it looks smaller than what you are using. I love the stitching on your rig!