byggyns

With that information, Some additional advice if you are making a similar design in the future: Set up your assembly process so that the stitching will be done once, and the support system(back piece) will be stitched at the same time as the front to back holster pieces. An alternative is to stitch the support system first onto the holster back, then stitch the holster front on, which will hide the prior stitches. regarding the aesthetics, I like to get my pieces cemented together and the outer borders of the piece set (both cutting and sanding the pieces even) before I lay out the stitch lines for the perimeter of the holster. You can use a divider or stitch groover to keep the stitch line at a consistent distance from the edge, then come back and edge bevel, hand sand, and burnish/finish the edges after stitching.

I talked to the guy who measured for my parents' new countertops about wanting off cuts. He's a family friend. He came back on a later trip with two of the old showroom sample pieces for quartz material they didn't carry anymore. They are around 12" square and 1.25" thick, with slightly rounded top edges, smooth sides, and a polished top finish. Both were free, since they were just sitting around and taking up space in the back of their shop. That size works well for the limited size of my work bench.

I've always heard that wool/fleece works well. Anything will hold moisture, even synthetic foam padding. You can also use cotton flannel. I have some older cases with that for a liner. I would look at modern microfiber fabrics too. They are designed to take any dirt or grit away from the surface and prevent scratching. I'm not sure how that would work long-term without washing, but it's something you can consider.

I like the LED panel because you can adjust the temperature and intensity of the light. You can go from the bluish side to the yellowish side just by turning the knob. They are made for photography/video, so the adjustability is a must in that context.

I made one that's position-able after I watched this video. Instead of the flexible tube, I bought a cheap microphone boom arm and an adapter for the 1/4" threads in the light panel. Works great to put light directly above my head onto the work area. For shop lighting, the LED shop lights work great. I like the ones that have the long tubes like older florescent shop lights.

First, let the dye dry for a long period of time and buff the hell out of it. You don't want your rag to pick up any dye. Then, add more wax to the thread, and re-wax often. You can scrape the excess wax off once the stitching is complete, and the wax picks up a large portion of the rubbed off dye.

You could look at the old GI Thompson SMG mag pouches for inspiration. If it were me, I'd probably do a drop-leg style that straps to the thigh rather than a high ride belt mount.

I have to agree about the holster, it looks great, and I enjoy the hidden belt loops and inlay. I'm glad you said that was your first post, and most recent holster, because if that was a first holster, it's way too good. I also have to agree that condition 1 is the safest way to carry a 1911. When carried locked & cocked, there are 4 mechanical safeties (3 if it's a series 70) engaged: grip safety, thumb safety, half-cock notch, and firing pin block. A 1911 carried in condition 1 is as safe, if not more so, than a Glock. Condition 2 (hammer down on a loaded chamber) is the most dangerous (due to having to drop the hammer on a loaded round without a de-cocker). Also, if you're carrying a series 70 in condition 2, the firing pin can be activated by a blow to the hammer (which is resting on the firing pin). Condition 3 or 4 are safer, but then you have to cycle or load the weapon in order to be able to use it (making the overall safety reduced since you don't need to draw a weapon until you absolutely need to draw the weapon and use it immediately).

This is great advice. Also, the steel rod in hardware stores is softer steel than most tool steel. This means that the steel will be less likely to splinter and send dangerous fragments into little eyes and hands. After reading your initial question, I was also going to suggest JB Weld, which Tom has already done. His method of mass preparation should work great for the quantity you are dealing with. Just make sure the top end of the rod that will be struck has been rounded off or slightly chamfered to remove any burrs and prevent damage to the mallet from a sharp edge.

My dad taught me about the toothpick/match stick/bamboo skewer trick in order to fill the screw holes in a door frame to replace a door striker plate,. The new one had holes in a different location than the prior one.

My major critiques have to do with safety. I'm not in favor of an exposed trigger on the XD, as snags can occur, which could cause a discharge. Also, the retaining straps on the 1911 holsters depress the grip safety, which removes one layer of safety built into the weapon. I'm not sure about that retaining strap through the trigger guard on the Smith revolver. I'm not understanding the point of routing it that way. Stylistically, I like them. I'm more in favor of tighter fitting molded holster, but I can see the value in a more loose holster with well-done tooling.

I think it's to secure the loop. Ka-Bar factory sheaths use a single piece of leather for the back of the sheath and belt loop. That piece folds forward and is secured between the front and rear of the sheath body by the stitching. That rivet is probably used to make sure that short tail of leather between the two other layers isn't pulled up in the center when withdrawing the knife repeatedly from the sheath. If you look at the edges, you will probably see that the leather there tapers down after it hits the beginning of the stitching.

I think the key with the straps at the slide under the hammer is to have the retention strap be integral to the main body piece of the holster. a nice curve in the cut up to the slide should keep the strap down and prevent it from jumping over the back of the slide. I've carried my Ultra CDP (3" barrel) in a Bianchi shoulder rig with the first style of retention strap that Dwight showed. I haven't had any issue with the strap moving around, popping open, or messing with the safety. I'm not doing gymnastics with it on, it's my rig for when I'm wearing a suit.

Depending on the size of the stripped screw holes, some regular wood glue and toothpicks have worked for me in the past. If the holes aren't large enough for using a dowel, just squirt some glue in the hole, dip each toothpick in glue, then shove them in the hole until you can't get anymore in. Clean up any excess glue. After the glue dries, trim the toothpicks flush to the surface. The screw will go back in with the toothpicks to bite into.I don't think I'v ever had to do that repair a second time on anything.

Once you punch down the washer, use some side cutters to trim the excess post. That should leave enough of a burr on the post to hold the washer in place. Then use the ball side of a ball peen hammer to peen the post around on to the washer and lock it all together. You need a stable base to peen them on. I use the steel rivet setter plate (with the little hollows for the rivet heads and caps for snaps) on top of an end-grain cutting board. Now that I have a bench vise with a decent size anvil, I may start using that as my base. I'll also agree that the hole in the washer may be a little too large. It should be a struggle to get it to go all the way down. Who did you source your rivets & washers from?

Tandy's professional water stain is better than the regular Eco-Flo dye. I've used it in dark and light colors (not black yet) with the top coat designed for it. https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/eco-flo-top-finish-gloss-8-5-oz-250ml I also used resolene over the pro water stain, and it had some issues cracking after drying, but didn't have any color draw off. I'm sorry I can't give you help specific to the eco-flo dye, but you should be able to get the Pro Water Stain even in Cali.

journal covers (including small field notes sized covers; look up the Midori Travelers Notebook), pen slips, bookmarks small draw string pouches (for the lighter weight stuff) Luggage tags, ID badge holders Wrapping tool handles (I like to do that to some of my larger punches for more grip) You can also make a wrap for just below the heads of axes & hammers for those missed hits that like to beat up the wooden handles.

If it were me, I would do the center of the front, back, and flap on the bag with the ball panels arranged vertically next to each other. then use more panels and trim them to fit the gaps between the whole panels. That way you have the full panels as a focus. Maybe mix and match and use the panels with the logos & lacing as your central focus and the plain panels as the fill ins. A layout like this, with the red ovals as the full panels. I know the shape of the panels is not quite an oval, but it should fit a little like this.

Boriqua, I haven't had any issues with NFO on gun steel either blued or parked, carbon steel knives, or various stainless knives and stainless guns. All of my experience with it was with veg tan. I won't keep any steel stored in chrome tanned as I had a stainless blade damaged keeping it in chrome tan, but that sheath wasn't oiled with NFO.

Having not made one, I can't give you a measurement. However, if you want an easy way to lay it out, use 3/4" poly straps like are used on backpacks. It's less than $0.25 a foot at my local hardware store, and makes laying out strap goods easy since I can just fold it over and safety pin it in place. It cuts easily with a knife or scissors & ends can be sealed with a lighter.

The thicker the leather is, the more you want the holes to be oval shaped. If you have thick leather, tight fitting round holes will cause the tongue on the buckle to want to stick out or force the belt material to bend too sharply. A lightly scribed line will help your holes to stay straight; line up the tips of the oval with the line. You can also make a template out of thin plastic cutting mat or bag stiffener and clamp that to the belt before punching to keep those holes straight.

kitty litter and oil dry are both fuller's earth (the older traditional products, at least). As mentioned above, get some fuller's earth with the fewest number of additives possible. The least expensive oil dry at most auto parts stores is almost 100% fullers earth.

I have an end grain bamboo cutting board, which works well. the end grain acts like the stump/slab,. I use the side with the channel for punching and use the flat side for cutting. The one I have came with rubber feet on one side, but I pulled those off. It's similar to this one: https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Antibacterial-Top-Notch-Kitchenware/dp/B011EQF4ZY/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1504011992&sr=8-15&keywords=bamboo+cutting+board+end+grain

With the "Thunderer" (m1877) being double action, I'm fairly sure that there are some dimensional differences from the classic SAA (m1873). I know that the "Double Action Army" (m1878) was even larger than the m1877.

I'll second the suggestion of adding an awl to your stitching. I use the diamond chisels for laying out my stitching on holsters, but when I stitch I have an awl and use it for each stitch. When you are punching through 2-4 layers of 7-9 oz veg tan (sometimes even more), you need the extra help. I'll also say to go with smaller needles. I use a #2 John James for 1 mm thread. When I sharpen my awl, I do it the way that Stohlman lays out in his books. Just sharpen the front edges, leave the shoulders blunt. After I push it through, I give a little twist to temporarily open the hole (which is why the shoulders have to be blunt, or it would cut), then when the stitch line is finished, a little hammering helps to close it back up. Make sure you match your awl blade size to your hole/thread size. If you go too big, you end up with more hole than you need (and more chance for the holes to tear).