DANE

JPH, I made a sanding/edging machine inspired by John Bianchi the famous holster maker who started off making police gear and now specializes in western holsters and belts through his company Frontier Gunleather. A few years back he put out a set of videos on making western holsters. I'm sure they are available on DVD and are well worth the money. The machine has a 1/3 hp motor (1725 rpm) and drives a double ended spindle using a belt. One end has a light grit 1 1/4" sanding barrel and the other a 100% wool edging wheel. As stated in prior posts, synthetic material melts. I made the wheel by cutting out numerous 2" wool material rounds and sewing them together until about 1 1/2" thick. I punched a hole through the center using a leather hole punch then mounted it on the spindle. I made two edging grooves in the wheel by turning on the electric motor then pressing appropriate sized waxed wooden dowels against the wheel over and over while adding more wax. I only use a 50/50 mixture of household paraffin and bees wax. One groove for single layer 9-10 oz leather and the otther for double/triple layer. I use the sanding barrel to smooth and even out holster edges. It also helps fine tune the curves of the holster. I trim off the sharp edges using a standard edging tool. I then dye the entire holster. I want the edge and faces to have the same shades of dye. I apply two coats of Fiebing's Edge Kote. Apply a heavy layer of wax along the edge and rewax the wool edging wheel as it spins. Make sure to wear an apron and face shield as small bits of hot wax tend to fly off. Start edging the piece on the wheel applying enough pressure to get the wax to melt and fill the leather pores and gaps but not enough to burn. I usually rewax and edge a holster 3 or 4 times until I get the desired look. I have an edge finishing tool I made from a Phillip's screwdriver by grinding and smoothing off the tip. I heat it over an electric stove element (gas flame leaves black residue) then touch up the edges as needed. I finish off with a wool pad. For the face I like to use a few coats of Kiwi neutral shoe polish but heavy buffing between coats. This has worked well for me and I have received lots of compliments on my edging. I thin k it gives a very professional look. Good luck with your projects

From a fellow holster maker, you are off to a good start. Wear it, use it, take it to the range. This will give you some good ideas on where to make changes on your next project. I suggest wetmolding a sight track. Its easy to do. I use a 1/4" dowel cut slightly longer than the length between the front of the rear sight and the rear of the front sight. Using a utility knife notch the forward end to nicely fit over the front sight. Tape it in place using blue painter's tape. Doesn't leave residue on the weapon. Now it is ready for wetmolding. Remember to add just a drop or two of dish soap to the water you are using to dip the holster to wet it. Good luck.