Colt W Knight

I really like Stohlman books for techniques and such, but a lot of the patterns are out dated in a lot of his books.

Sherling is always classy Neoprene yoga mats you can buy at the store make a nice padding material as well. Nice and cushy.

cross-grain leather belts, to the best of my knowledge, are just an embossing style used on designer belts.

I like to get that shoulder measurement as well. That way I can keep names and designs out front where you can see. I have a horrible time with folks that can't measure.

What type of skin is the 1911 in the first pic sitting in?

Very nice. One thing I have learned making guitar straps and belts. Too many people can't use a tape measure. I can give specific/detailed instructions with illustrations, and they still get it wrong. I flat out quit making dog collars because measuring for a dog collar seemed like too tough of a task for most.

Excellent. I have to make one for my new 1860 army, and I am having a terrible time deciding what style I am going to go for.

You can buy some home-style shoe polishing machines, but they won't be very good quality. Quality bench mount buffing machines are quite expensive. It is generally much cheaper to make your own. You'll need a buffing arbor, a motor, and some buffing wheels. http://grizzly.com/products/Buffing-Assembly/W1681 You could make this work too if you had the right kind of motor and pulleys http://grizzly.com/products/5-8-Heavy-Duty-Portable-Shaft/H8025 Here is a hand held buffer - about 75$ at sears or cheaper at harbor freight - you can use bonnets or nicer wheels from automotive supply stores. The problem with using Grinders is that they turn so fast, they will burn/melt finishes very quickly. That is why buffers generally cost so much, they are geared down to turn at much slower RPMs. Metal buffers turn at higher RPMs.

Figured Walnut Thanks Yall.

I readjusted mine once to sew some different material, and it took me a week and half to get it set back the way it was. I think if I was going to do it professionally, I would just buy different machines with different setups.

Recently picked up an 1860 Army repro, and I realized I needed something to tote around my powder flask, balls, caps, etc. I get to make my first 6 gun rig now! BPB 1 by coltwknight, on Flickr

Mcmaster Carr carries these Stainless Steel Rivets, but I don't know if they will work for your application. http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-rivets/=veb3hc

Its a beautiful thing when you can get the most out of a tool.

So the problem is that most dyes and paints we use on leather are either water based or alcohol based. So, water/alcohol work as solvents. When you brush on a clear, all the water from the finish leeches into the already dried paint and leather, and the dyes/paints intermix degrading the color or causing runs or thinning. One way to combat this is to spray on several mist coats of your sealer which prevents excess water from penetrating the rest of the project. You can buy aerosols specificically designed for leather applications like saddle lac or wyosheen. These are lacquer based, so they use a different solvent and wont screw with the waterbased dyes and paints. However they are expensive. most sealers or clears you buy at the store are designed to go on hard surfaces, so when they dry, they will crack when you bend the leather. Recently, I have started using Mop N Glo which works much like acrylic resolene, but its cheaper and easier to get. To spray it on, I mix it 50/50 with water, and use either a prevail sprayer or an air brush to apply several light coats. Has been working well for me. You can even buy hand held sprayers that have a pump, so they work like a prevail sprayer but don't require the cartridge. mop n glo

How did you apply the sealer? Brushing or wiping it on will often yield poor results. Spraying is much better.

I like every single one of those holsters. Impressive work.

When this happens on my Consew 206 RB-1, it is almost always due to the needle not being square. If it is just a little bit off, it will shred the thread. It will handle #138 thread all day long, and twice on Sunday.

Ideally, you would never rewet your tooling leather. Wetting stamped areas will cause the leather to swell, and you will for sure loose definition and depth on your tooling marks. Aside from the Bob Park link and advice you have received already, You need a good place to tool/stamp. That means a nice solid surface and good piece or marble or granite. Strike your stamps with a good mallet made of appropriate material to get a nice deep impression. If you are using really cheap stamps, they generally don't leave real crisp impressions, and you may not be getting the depth and definition you want from the start.

THanks

I have used a HF set of metal stamps on leather. They didn't punch as deep as my small set from Tandy.

Id buy them if I wasn't recovering from Christmas. Those all look like popular models a holster maker would need

I have a Consew 206. It will handle wallets like a champ, and even heavier veg tan leather ( 3/8")

Impressive rig. I really like your border pattern. I need to get one of those squigly stamps.

I sell leather padfolios, guitar straps, and ranger belts.

One piece of advice. You will get bored making belts and collars, and eventually, you will want to tackle more advanced projects. Once family and friends see your leather work, they will start in with "requests" and I bet you will eventually make a wide array of items. Having the option of the cylinder arm is great. A lot of cylinder arm machines have flat bed attachments, so you get the best of both worlds. I have a flat bed machine that will handle 3/8" inch of leather. I never thought I would need anything bigger. Within a month of having the new machine, I wanted more capacity and wished I had a cylinder arm.