Jordan

All done, made it in three pieces and sewed it up by hand, was supposed to be british tan but since it was not all from the same piece of leather I had to use alot of dye to match it all up, turned out kinda mahogany.

Finished, sorry for the blur batts need recharge. Or the autofocus didn't work. As far as a special formula for getting the right size I don't think one exists, also as to where to locate the stich lines it is pretty much trial and error, more the latter in my case.

The one I am in the process of making for an XD = I made a paper pattern, cut the leather 3/4" larger on the left and right side to allow for the thickness of the pistol, then wet the leather, rough shaped and trimmed some areas around the mouth of the holster (on a small board), put the whole thing in the foodsaver sucked out the air, boned the leather for sharper definition, removed it and let it air dry 24hrs. Then I cut the back piece to the shape I wanted, trimed the front to match the back, punched all the holes, edged it, dyed it, sewed it and lightly wet moulded it to the pistol again. It is air drying without the pistol as I type this. When it is dry I will dye the edges and finish it with a clear fiebings acrylic. I posted some pics in another thread of the parts and will post a pic when it's done unless it turns out like total crap then I will have to start over. I am sure I forgot to write down some steps but it will come to you with practice

Another for the scrap gallery I just finished this cigarette belt case

Older style Wood thread spools, newer plastic ones no good. on an arbor mounted in the DP chuck works good

pics

I believe there is an edge sewing process called a french edge. I'm not sure of the process, but items finished like that look real good. Looks nerve wracking for small stuff to me so I never tried it.

Very nice, bet she will love it. If you make another, smaller stitching holes or larger diameter thread will enhance the overall look. Still, a great job, it will last a very long time.

XD is a very thick gun so I also am having some trouble getting it to look right. If I can I will try to post a couple of pics tomorrow, I made it with 3 parts but havn't sewn it together yet. 1. front is moulded over the gun 2. A flat back piece including sweat/pinch shield. 3. A strip sewn to the back with slots that allows the belt to exit between the back and the strip so slots are not seen from the front. I am not sure if it is going to work at this point it may be too bulky but I used scrap so it didn't cost much. As far as the shape I just played with scissors and paper until it looked right to me.

Hailed, but dunno bout the sun slit, perhaps slight sunshine, wish I had paid more attention in code breaker class. LOL cold then warm here then cold again wish it would make up it's mind.

I think it will blend together nicely with dye and finish, You will most likely be the only one to notice the flaws, an unfortunate byproduct of the creative mind.

Beautiful work, the colors are very complimentary and the stiching is very good, adds to the overall well balanced looks, seems too nice to cover with just any old belt.

How bout Gothidan Floral Style

Thanks guys and yes on further inspection it does say camillus n.y. 11-1981 on the handle

I used tandy block out on the basketweave and fiebings british tan dye on the rest, on the last brush stroke I dripped on the blockout so I did a quick wipe over it with the dye, got lucky that the dye didn't soak through the waterbased blockout and it ended up 2 tone instead of a major screwup. Ah, yes the memories of the ol' hippie days, like the outdoor Grateful Dead Concerts, getting kicked out of Disneyland on National Yippie Day, no bills but no money either. I didn't put much thought into the retention strap just slapped it on and not to happy with that. I will have to do better in that area if I make anymore, I noticed while wearing it I hit my elbow on the top of the knife repeatedly, so I imagine raising the belt loop or putting a foward cant on it would lower the knife to prevent that?

Yup 1st one, helps that I been messin with leather for awhile and the three volume stohlman books on making cases is an invaluable asset. Thought I'd throwin a hair barret for ya Drac Thats a cutical stick (multipurpose tool for the ladies)

I have seen pics of a few, they don't look too complicated with a table saw or router to cut a channel and a scroll or band saw to cut the shape, some glass and epoxy then a lot of sanding and polishing to round over the edges. Uh Oh, I feel a project comin on! A slicker smooths seals compresses and fixes dents on flat areas rather than the edges of the leather. and around curves as in saddles.

I needed practice and my old K-Bar that I recently found and cleaned up, needed a sheath, so I rumaged a piece of scrap and let 'er fly. Turned out pretty good for my 1st sheath attempt, I will have to refine and improve on it for the farmers market this summer.

I have an affinity for old tools also, the ones you show have a lot of character and look to have many more years of quality work left in them. I especially like the stitching pony with the wooden screws. enjoy your treasures.

They also have alot of sales almost monthly. I get most of my stuff on sale or with the resale program, wish I would have had 30 bucks last month, could of got an Al Stolhman head knife....oh well next time. It is true that others offer lower prices but tandy is just so darn convenient. Hands on the merchandise beats mailorder for me everytime.

The cheaper ones have cardboard and then they step up to some type of foam rubber, closed cell so it don't get waterlogged at least this is what I have found on the one's I have reverse engineered. Some belts also have the rubber inserts or a type of rubberized webbing. The expensive ones probably use a leather welt skived to shape, at least that is what I would do if I wanted a fatter rounder look.

The stitching is astounding, well done, truely a functional work of art.

Not bad for 1st one. For me paper is alot cheaper than leather so play with your bersa outline on some patterns. I found that reversing the patterns and tweaking angles will give you a pretty good crossdraw pattern, I also found just looking at holsters in the shops around here gave me lots of construction clues and ideas to try. And with paper you can just toss it if it doesn't work out instead of trying to repurpose a messed up piece of leather. Welcome and be sure to post what you come up with so I can borrow it LOL, Jordan

Research, research, research. Ask other artisans in the area how they do and sit around and check traffic flow. Maybe contact summerschools to see if daytrips to the beach are in their plans and weigh the costs with what you can afford to lose and then go for it if it feels right.$0.02

He has risen indeed, may his peace be with you, happy easter to all.