BDAZ

Has anyone had any experience in scanning and or printing your own plastic replicas for holster production? There are some STL fines out there that I am going to test but I would like to be able to scan and then print my own guns, Thanks! Bob

Water is the universal solvent. Right!? Try dissolving plastic in water..ain't nothing universal about water as a solvent. I am in the soy solvent business and hold patents in solvents. Nomencature in many fields INCLUDING leather differentiate between water based and solvent based products, solvent referring to a high VOC solvent like alcohols, Acetone or various other solvents. Most petrochemical solvents will soften or dissolve many water based dyes and finishes. The reason this MAY occur is that there is often water in the solvent. it may be 10% or less but it will have an effect. Please do your homework before hitting the submit button. Cya! Bob

http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=431 Just an example. Typically anything is a spray can will be solvent based. Cya! Bob

Any oil or alcohol dye works well. I use a $14 detail spray gun from Harbor Freight and put on a moderate coat. Enough so there is some pooling in the depressions, but the Reso dries clear and totally protects any coring or overlay paint I may use. I would NEVER use it with any water based "Eco" dyes. For that you need a solvent based sealer. Cya! Bob

Wouldn't work because vinegaroon needs to penetrate into the leather and it would spread.. Cya! Bob

A source of washers would be fantastic! Cya! Bob

The best! Cya! Bob

I have been a web master since '95. The fact that your company's colors are yellow and black doesn't mean you have to use them as the basic colors for your web site. You want the viewer to focus on your products, not the Halloween colors. This advice is worth what you paid for it heh heh.. Cya! Bob

Sign up at your Tandy store as a manufacturer/reseller, assuming you are a business. Then you will receive wholesale prices. Buy the strap cutter, not expensive, and much cheaper than having someone do it for you. Cya! Bob

I think the web sit isn't up to the quality of the holsters and instruction. Too amateurish. I find the use of "urine yellow" a bit off putting. Cya! Bob

Mine is marked 33" x 58" plus the border. I have had mine for a year and if it gets too badly marked I'll just rotate 180 degrees. Cya! Bob

The copper rivets require a ball peen hammer and preferably an anvil in addition to the setting tool available from Tandy. They are stronger than stitching. Cya! Bob

Second the copper rivets, They look especially good on latigo which is what I make my collars with. Cya! Bob

Costco has a really nice cutting board 20 x 15 x 1/2 for around $8. I use a table sized (40 x 60) mat on my cutting table from the fabric store,. which was around $40 on sale. I find the grid and ruler marking incredibly useful! Cya! Bob

Also have the Goldstar $59 shipped with one set of dies. I also bought their snaps which are also a good deal. Cya! Bob

I had a similar problem with the bobbin thread visible just below the surface of single layer thinner leathers (4-5 oz.). I replaced the bobbin spring but check to make sure you don't have any stuff under the bobbin spring which would lighten the tension. I cut a few coils off one of my upper bobbin springs to lighten the tension and it is now working perfectly. I can go from a decorative stitch on a single layer of 5 oz to a double layer of 5 and 7 oz with a perfect stitch. Bob, If I understand your issue you have the "knot" on the bottom of your work and you want to pull it through to the middle? Just loosen the tension on the bobbin spring. Cya! Bob

I have cut a very thin strip of leather about 1/8th inch wide and have it glued, on edge, to a board. I use white or green jewelers rouge and strop in the opposite direction I cut. I have 3 different widths for 3 different groovers. Ooops..that's for an edger but I'll leave it up. For the groover I just run it along the edge of my strop in the direction opposite I use to cut. Cya! Bob

It is not a dye at all but a chemical reaction between the vinegaroon and the tannin in the leather. I tested on some samples from a banjo head maker and it had almost no effect. I inadvertently left a piece in for a week and it eventually turned black. I soaked one sample in a super strong tea solution to introduce some tanin and it turned darker but not black. Some of the black will rub off but not like a dye. Neutralizing with baking soda will help reduce the odor. Cya! Bob

Try the Prevail Sprayer, available at home depot... Cya! Bob

You can achieve a similar look by printing the text in reverse on a laser printer, then apply toner side down and swab with acetone, then rub with a creaser to transfer the toner. Once dry it is pretty tough and can be sealed with a WATER BASED sealer like Resolene. It's not engraved but very legible. It's essentially laser printing on leather. geo tracking.... or a top secret restaurant?? Pretty close to some excellent wineries..been there...done that! Cya! Bob

One of the really kewl things about Vinegaroon is that you can use white or natural stitching, then dye and the stitching stays light. Nice job.. Bob

I use tan 1:1 with Methyl Alcohol and apply with a touch up spray gun. I use a few light coats and I allow to dry (10-15 minutes in AZ) in between coats. Cya! Bob

I used to do some work for the Ostrich Co-op in Oudtshoorn, South Africa. They had ostriches up the wazoo.. http://www.kleinkaroo.com/ Let us know how you make out! Cya! Bob

An aside..there are various "upgraded" blades for utility knives including blades made in England and Japan. These tend to produce sharper edges which last longer. Cya! Bob

Finding copper washers is no problem.. Even Harbor Freight has em.. Cya! Bob