TwinOaks

Thanks for posting the pic, Whitebeard, I'm having camera issues. Sorry Dan, I didn't take any pics before shipping, but I'm glad you like it. I'm a little disappointed that the edges started getting fuzzy- I thought I'd pasted them down better. I guess that's the downside to applique. Also, I'm a little disappointed to see that the bubble wrap from FedEx mashed down the waves. C'est la vie.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net! For a first project, it looks good. Kudos to you for your research into the design, the work shows that you thought out what you wanted. Looking forward to your next projects.

from the glock website.. Glock 21: length of slide 7.59 inches, width 1.27 inches Glock 17: length of slide 7.32 inches, width 1.18 inches Mold to the 17, leave a a shade over 1/4 inch extra at the muzzle, and tell the customer you recommend damp molding the holster to his/her exact weapon. If the holster is going to be snug enough to not need a retaining strap, then the buyer should be just giddy over how tight it fits. (call it a break in period)

Hi and welcome to Leatherworker.net. We're glad you found our little corner of the internet. There's lots of members, both amateurs and professionals, who'll be happy to help with any questions you might have. Ask away, and enjoy one of the friendliest sites on the 'net.

I should have added " don't buy an expensive model on MY recommendation". The Paashe happens to be what I have, but you can get 'as good as' for leather working uses with something like a Badger. I got the Paashe for doing very detailed models, not leather, and it is a bit on the pricey side. Do some research on the different models and what you'll likely be doing..... before deciding. However, to quote Luke : " If you've got it, spend it." (but he was talking about sewing machines)

Natural light when available, and run of the mill compact fluorescent lamps in the evenings. ..something tells me that Ed is gonna have a book to write on this topic.......

For really detailed airbrushing you're looking at a very nice quality airbrush (AB). For example, Paashe, Haiwata, etc. For 'general' spraying, such as larger areas or application of finishes, you can get by with "hobby" type ABs. I use the $5-$6 dollar model from harbor freight for big areas or finishes, and my Paashe VL for any detail work. There's a also couple of threads on this very topic that might shed a little more light on the issue.

Aside from time to sit down and work on a project, color is my biggest hurdle, too. I take scraps, run a test color on it, and write down everything I can about it on the back of the scrap- something like ..." timber brown, 1:5 mix, 4 layers", or " Midnight Blue-1ml, Blood Red-3ml, airbrush X, 1 pass". That way I have "custom" color cards for the dyes I have on hand. ....and if you do this, don't leave them where the dog can reach them.......

It might be kinda tiny to look at, but I've got one for my avatar. If you need it blown up, lemme know.

Surf over to GeekstoGo.com, forums, malware removal. Then follow the directions in the guide and make sure you got all traces of the nasty thing off the computer.

Whew! Just made it...... Isn't it ironic that everything seems to pile up in a 'has to be done right NOW' manner ONLY when you have something you want to do?

I think most of have achieved that effect followed by a long string of adult language...... Think of it like rubbing an eraser across a pencil smudge..... Dye the base color, let dry. Apply resist to the areas you want "streaky". Let dry. Apply the top color coat over the whole thing and then dip a dauber or rag in alcohol and run over the resisted area - BEFORE IT DRIES. Clean/swap daubers and repeat as desired. The solvent should pull the dye off the resist, giving you the streaks you want. In areas you want a little more dark, don't clean the rag. Let dry, apply finish and top coat.

Tandy sells "Craftaids", which are embossed plastic. You lay the craftaid on leather and rub/press it to transfer the pattern. There was also a thread on here worth searching for on making your own craftaids.

P L A N N I N G. Lay it out in steps, then consider starting with the ground seat.

One piece cut out like a donut, then wet formed over a mandrel (happened to be my mallet handle). I also used the tapered handle of my edger to help stretch the smaller circle to a larger diameter. There's also a bit of skiving on the flesh side, otherwise one side is drastically thicker than the other. And yes, I remember someone saying I cheated by doing it on the computer.......<sigh>.

Hi and welcome to Leatherworker.net. We're glad you found our little corner of the internet. There's lots of members, both amateurs and professionals, who'll be happy to help with any questions you might have. Ask away, and enjoy one of the friendliest sites on the 'net.

Tippmann BOSS (There's also the Aerostitch) vs. one of the Cobra machines: The boss is lighter and can be moved more easily. It's manual, so it runs without electricity which could come in handy depending on your location. The downside is it's MANUAL, which means you need to guide with one hand, or train a monkey. It's about a $500 less, and $500 is a lot of leather, or some leather and a tree or two. You'll need to make a stand for it, and that's infinitely adjustable in height so long as you make it from lumber and have a saw handy....I saw one pic on here where it was built on a stand like a stitching horse. Downside is that to 'adjust' it, you might need to move it....but it's lightweight! Cobra machines are specially built machines based on commercial/industrial machines. Steve is one of THE sources to find out anything about most machines, and a great guy to talk to. They are relatively large and heavy, and should have a (mostly) dedicated space. You won't enjoy moving it around a lot, and most likely won't toss it in the bed of the truck and carry up to the hunting camp. The only Cobra in the same size bracket as the Boss is the class 3 machine. I think it has a 9 inch throat (vs. the 6 inch throat on the Boss). Everything else has more throat under it, which could come in handy when you realize you need another line of stitches in the middle of a large piece of leather. Since it's a powered machine, it frees up your second hand to hold material and guide the material (leather or other). The Boss uses a jump foot feed, in which the needle penetrates and pulls the material, then the foot 'jumps' and holds it. I've also heard of this being called a "square feed" which reportedly maintains the same stitch length even when adding or subtracting layers of leather. The Cobras use a triple or unison feed. They use a 'walking foot' which presses and feeds from the top, feed dogs which feed from the bottom, and a needle feed which penetrates and feeds the leather. The needle feed aspect of this has been described to me as a pendulum motion, and may not maintain stitch length, depending on the thickness of additional layers. Boss machines come with a drill attachment for winding bobbins, Cobras have one built in so you can make bobbins while you sew. For actual sewing- Many machines will advertise a range of material thicknesses, but few advertise that you'll actually have to adjust the tensions to make pretty stitches. It doesn't matter what machine it is, until there's a fool proof automatic stitch tension checker, you'll need to test a scrap or two to get the tension right for the thickness you're sewing. Both feature speed adjustments- With the powered models, you turn a dial. With the manual models, you get aspercreme or icy-hot. For long continuous runs (Belts) the powered models win. There's more learning curve with the powered machines, but the pay off is in production times. Also, there's an issue that I've seen on here a few times- Tippmann's decision to go to a aluminum frame instead of iron. I've read quite a few threads on broken rack gears, cracked frames, etc., and a bit of unhappiness about the lighter frame. I can't think of any threads about a broken Cobra machine....... There it is in a nut shell, and this should not be the only thread you read about it. Click over to the sewing forum and do some reading there too. Sit down and put pen to paper and write out a list of what you need the machine to do, then compare that to the machine's ability. For example: Need to make double layer gun belts in 20 min. Cobra? Yes Tippmann? My arm aches thinking of it. Example 2: Need to go out to Old Man Clay's farm and do some quick repairs on a few of his working saddles. Tippmann? sure, put it in the truck. Cobra? Call a chiropractor....quick! I'm sure some more folks will chime in, so stay tuned.

You pattern the holster exactly like you would a strong side holster- you just change the angle. The construction is pretty much the same, but you will need to make some allowances for how much grip you have available when holstered. I DO suggest oversizing the pattern while in the design phase, because there will be some 'adjustments' to the anchoring points for your clip/loop attachments. Just like other IWB holsters, you'll want to pay close attention to the molding for retention.

Just experience with bent rivets, Ray. I STILL bend rivets on occasion, but I'll keep using them because they serve both aesthetic and functional roles.

Cool effect with the rivets, Ray!!!! Wish I'd though of that. Also, I'd like to add the comment that proper rivet setting should sound like this: " Tap,tap,tap,tap,tap,tap,tap....", and not "....WHAM!.....Aw, dangit, bent another one...." --not that you would do so, Ray. There just always seems to be a new comer to the craft that doesn't understand it.

My only issue with using the chisels is that if you ever punch a 4 prong hole through front, back, and a welt of 8oz leather......you'll need to hammer the leather off of it!! They are good for spacing, though, and on thin leather a pretty quick alternative to an awl.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net, from lower Alabama! Pull up a chair to the tooling table and stay awhile, restrooms are down the hall, one of the Mods will be along directly to brew some fresh coffee, and stay away from the donuts.