Dorado

I made a pair of these and a cartridge belt for my 1873 SAAs. I love how they turned out. Very good pattern and tutorial. If you've never made a holster I'd highly recommend this as a starting point.

Yeah I'm looking forward to that. I won't as I don't think my stuff is good enough to sell yet but still. It'll be a lot of fun. I'm already looking to make another one. I'd like to have one that is a nice finished and polished black.

I don't remember who makes them but there are snaps designed for what you are looking for. They can only be opened one way so that they prevent them from accidentally opening. I'm sure someone will chime in soon who knows what I'm talking about.

No kidding...My hands hurt all day after I finished my marathon belt. I did all that stitching on the belt in one sitting not counting the billets. It was something like 650 stitches not counting back stitching. I'm just glad I spent the time to punch the holes before I stitched them. I had a hard time with my groover. I slipped in a couple of places and I had no choice but to follow the line I cut. That's the uneven part. I focused mainly on getting the outside as perfect as I could I have a couple of places that I'm not completely satisfied with but I can live with them for now. This isn't my first project but it is definitely the biggest. Most of what I've made have been small things that I've needed. Only advice I can offer it to go slow and pay attention. Hey thanks for the tip. I bought that Tiger thread off a guy on Etsy. I got 40 yards for like $6.

I really need to get better with my stitching. I'll need more thread before I can do that. I ran out. I was planning on doing a decorative stitch on the billet but I barely had enough to finish the belt. I have about one foot left. I need to order some more. I like that Tiger thread. It stitches nice and it doesn't break on me all the time like that crap I was using.

So thanks to the help of the gurus here I was able to make my first CAS gun rig. It's for my .357mag SAA's and I'm really happy with how it came out. There are a few things that I'd have done differently though of course and I'll make sure to do it right on the next one. But without further ado here it is. I wasn't thinking about it and I accidentally made some lines in the face of the belt and something very important that I learned. Sew on the billets and measure from the center billet to center the cartridge loops. I didn't know that and centered them exactly in the center of the belt so they are off set to the right too far however that means that I can get to almost all of my 32 bullets with my right hand. The main dye I used is Old Master's Red Mahogany wood stain that was then treated with SnoSeal before gluing and sewing. The Holster liner, billets, and cartridge loops are dyed with Fiebing's Saddle Tan in a 1:4 ratio with Mineral Spirits. The entire rig is then sealed with Resolene. Holsters are made with 8/9oz lined with 3/4 oz. Wet formed Belt is two layers of 5/6oz Cartridge loops are 4/5 oz I have no clue about the billets. They were made from a Tandy belt blank that I had laying around. I think it's about 9/10. I am very proud with how the holster liner came out. No wrinkles what so ever. Next time though. I'll glue the holsters together and burnish the edges before I gouge a stitch line and stitch it. So how did I do? This is my first holster and gun belt. and my biggest project to date.

No it's a 47" belt total. I have a 72" strip of 4/5 oz leather for the bullet loops. I'd like to get as many as I can on the belt as I sometimes forget to bring enough ammo and what I've had on my belt made just enough for me. My current belt has 15 loops but I'd like to double that. I think I can get 32 out of it according to what I've read. If not then I'm in trouble I just finished cutting the slots for them and that's how many I cut. I guess if push comes to shove then I can try skiving two strips together to make up the rest.

Dwight, that is exactly what I wanted to know. So about how many loops can I get out of a 72" strip? 24-26?

Alright well I have my holsters looking great. I wanted to thank y'all for all your help so far. Now I have another question. I'll be starting on the belt part soon. I have two strips of 2 1/2" 6/7oz leather for the main belt and I have a 1" strip of 4/5 oz for the cartridge loops. I'm shooting .357 mag out of these and I'm wanting to do the single hole woven loops. I have a slot cutter for the holes and I know roughly how to do it. My question is to how far apart should I space the slots. I've heard 1/2" but also 3/8". What would be better? I'd like to maximize the number of loops.

Thanks for the advice. I've got the outside colored now and I actually like the color I got. I'll keep that in mind next time I make a holster. However I think my next western one will be black and I'll use that Fiebings USMC dye.

I had already punched the holes for the stitching. Next time around I'll glue it together first then do what you suggest. I'm already planning on making me a black gun rig. But that'll be in another year or so.

Well I'm stuck waiting for more leather. I need the liner leather before I can sew this together. I don't want the liner dyed the same as the outside so I'm trying to figure out a different color. The outer layer is dyed with Old Masters Red Mahogany wood dye, then it's sealed to hell and back. I'd like something in the light brown area. The local Hobby Lobby has some Fiebings dye. I think I'll give that a try.

If I stitch last I don't think I can get the edges to match. Besides my holes are already punched. My next holster I think I'll try stitching last. I ruined one holster trying to gouge out the stitch lines. I couldn't get the points very well and I messed up really badly.

I got it dyed. I think I like the color I came out with. It's not as red as what I wanted but still looks great. I took a couple of pictures of what I have so far. I still need to line my holsters so I don't have them sewn together but I'll have that done as soon as I get the leather in. Once I get the liner in and get them sewn together I can sand the edges and fix that roughness. So, what do y'all think?

I think I figured out the color I want. At least it's the color I've got and it looks good. I've got the holsters cut and the belt loops sewn on, I'm waiting for the lining leather to arrive. The holsters are made from 9oz veg tan and will be lined with 3-4 oz. I'm planning on dying the lining and cartridge loops a different color from the main holster color. I'd like to post a picture of what I have so far. They are nowhere near being completed but are looking good so far. First picture is without the flash, second is with. Once I get them lined and sewn I can sand the edges and fix that roughness. So, What do y'all think?

Oh I know that much. I was just curious if there was a way to keep that smell for longer.

Y'all know if anyone makes a leather scented essential oil? I love the smell of leather but it tends to fade. I'd love to treat my leather to keep that scent for longer.

Take the concho and screw to your local hardware store. You can find something that'll work there. I've done that needing screws with broader heads.

Oh I know what you were saying. Perhaps I can put this on the back burner and wait until I can get a multipack color sample. I did try something different today. I have a few wood stains. I tried a sample of a few woodstains and found that Old Masters Red Mahogany gave a nice color. It wasn't as red as I wanted but I think that may come with finishing. I'm waiting for it to dry completely before I try finishing. I'd like to finish with SnoSeal as I can reapply it as needed and that it's flexible and waterproof.

Is that the same guy? I'm using the remnants of a 9oz Craftsman shoulder I got from Tandy's. What is Oxalic acid? I'll try oiling a scrap lightly first and try that. I tried on a cased scrap and it came out even just purple. I wish I had the money to play around and try different mixes. I only have the two colors. I can't afford more dye at this point. I'll have to wait. I do have some wood stain that might work. Would that be an option? I imagine that it'd dry the leather out more but that's what neatsfoot oil is for.

Here I was thinking it was something special or unique. lol

I know that different leathers take colors differently but where he got a red color I'm getting a purple. Perhaps I should try thinning the dye more? I tried 5ml of Range Tan and Dark Mahogany and about 10 drops of water to thin. Should I go for a more 50/50 dye/water mix? I've tried on a couple of different leathers.

I'm making a gunbelt and holsters and I'm having a hard time figuring out the color. What I'm trying to do is get something similar to this: I found it here http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=47343 In it he said that he used Eco-flo Range Tan and Dark Mahogany in a 50/50 mix. I've been trying that on scraps but I can't seem to get a color similar to what I see in the picture. What I'm getting is purple. I don't know if it's something that I'm doing or what. Can y'all help me? What I've tried is wetting the leather as if I'm tooling I'll then mix the dyes in a small container and apply with a Q-tip. I've tried thinning the dye with water but I'm still getting a purple color. I've let it dry and buffed, applied a thin coat of neatsfoot oil, and finish with SnoSeal. I cannot get that red color. This is my first real project that I'm dyeing, up til now I've just treated with neatsfoot oil and sealed with SnoSeal. I chose eco-flo as I heard that it doesn't fade as fast in the sun. I am planning on applying with an aerosol sprayer. I don't have any other dyes to use and I can't really afford more at this time.

Dwight I don't suppose you'd be willing to share that recipe with the rest of the class now would you?

I usually use SnoSeal for my leather things that are outdoors equipment, boots, belts, quivers, holsters, whatever. If it's goes outside it gets SnoSeal. All that SnoSeal is is beeswax, conditioning oil and an emulsifier to act as a carrier to penetrate the leather. Beeswax provides an excellent seal that doesn't stink or rot like many others, adding neatsfoot oil works as a conditioner and a protection agent. I tend to avoid synthetic seals as they usually fail me. I had a nice holster that was sealed with some ultra modern job promising the world. It lasted half of a camping trip before flaking off and trapping water inside the leather causing rot to happen. That's never happened since I started using beeswax seals albeit SnoSeal or homemade mix.