TwinOaks

Adding to PB's supplier recommendation....Springfield Leather. Click the banner at the top of the page. Kevin may have some pieces of appropriate size handy. All you need to do is call. You can even ask around on here, as it's not uncommon for members to send new folks a bit o' leather, if they have it. For actually making the sheath: You need to PLAN it before cutting. Copy paper, notebook paper, file folders, etc., work fine. Knife-Cutting the leather requires a sharp knife. Non replaceable blade hobby knifes work fine, so does any ol' utility knife with a good razor blade. (you'll just have to be careful with the cuts, and always cut away from an inside corner) For the stitches, you need to space the holes evenly. A overstitch wheel is marvelous. A fork will do just fine. Same thing with setting a groove for the stitches. Set one tine of a fork on the leather and hang the rest off the edge. Presto, consistent spacing for the stitch groove. Once it's scribed, you can use the butt of the handle to crease the line. Awl- pretty much anything that'll stab a clean hole (but not a hole punch) will work, but a diamond (blade shape) awl is just so much nicer to use that it doesn't make sense to MacGuyver this. If you need to, you can use a bicycle spoke, stiff wire, piece of chainlink fence, sharpened small screwdriver....you get the idea. Needles and thread- Go to Walmart's craft section. Waxed linen thread is under $2.00. Needles are $0.72 for a variety pack, so you can use the size you like best. Glue- pick any good contact cement to hold things in place while you stab holes. Stamps- ANYTHING that can make an impression can be a stamp. I've used Torx bits for cryin' out loud....they looked good too. You can make a short term stamp out of a stick if you want to. Just carve a reverse image in the end of it and away you go. Finishes- Probably the easiest 'finish' is just a coat of oil. You can use Extra Virgin Olive oil if you have it on hand, then set the piece out in the sun for a couple of hours. It results in a nice color. Another very simple finish is "vinegaroon", aka striking, aka ebonizing. Do a search on this forum for it. There's several multi page threads about it. Good stuff...........if you want black. Hope this helps out, as I've done the "poor man's leatherwork" thing before. Nifty thing about it is this: If you're creating and adapting skills to what you have on hand (i.e. no traditional leather tools) you'll be making things like nobody else.

Sewing speed is a direct result of the motor on the machine. You should be able to fit it with one of the DC servo motors and a reducer. If you don't want to go that far yet, you can somewhat reduce the speed by putting a smaller pulley on the motor shaft, and a larger one on the head. It works just like gear ratios in a transmission.

I think the second number is your model number. In this case, 112w115. http://parts.singerco.com/IPinstManuals/11...3_W116_W120.pdf

You can do the same thing with a little better penetration by melting some parafin or bees wax into some neatsfoot oil. Dip the piece quickly and you've got wax impregnated leather.

Box fans (~$20) typically have at least three speeds. There's your relatively low rpm motor for a leather sander/ burnisher. Mount the motor and control to a 2x4, mount a pulley further down the board and there's a belt sander. Extend the shaft from the motor (or add to it) and use a burnisher to hold the pulley/belt in place. Now you can sand and burnish all at the same station. Just wondering about something.... Has anyone made a concave pulley for their belt sander? It just seems to be a really easy way to get the rounding started on an edge.

It sounds like perhaps the holstering and drawing of the weapon has removed the finish and slicking from the interior of the holster, letting it bleed. When dye is applied, it needs to be buffed to remove any excess. Since the holster's already sewn, you may have to resort to using a ruler or paint stick to buff the interior of the holster. You'll also need to reslick, then reseal it. Nothing...and I repeat NOTHING does as good a job on slicking leather as just good ol' work. You'll want to basically burnish the interior of the holster, prior to sealing. Once that's done, you need to apply the sealer in enough quantity to penetrate the leather and work it into the leather. Neatsfoot oil may do the trick, it may not - Lobo has had good success with it, and there IS that little thing about history and what's been used for a long time. I haven't enjoyed NF oil as much, but it's probably user error. If you're intent on using an acrylic like Resolene, you might consider getting your hands all gummy (use exam. gloves) and smearing/rubbing the finish in. Spraying it doesn't give a thorough coating when you do it to the inside of a holster. There's also dipping it. If you use any type of oil and/or wax finish, keep in mind that warm leather absorbs better than cold leather.....just don't put it in the toaster oven and forget about it.

"Is there a book or an internet site that anyone can recommend to me..." You're here!!! Welcome to Leatherworker.net, best site on the entire www. Now, the part about NOT buying materials before knowing what you want to do.....we gotta work on that. Really, you need to have a huge assortment of tools that you have no idea how to use, plus at least a square yard of various leathers to intimidate you....I'M KIDDING! There's two easy ways to build a sheath- one piece of leather or more than one piece of leather. The single piece is shaped funny because it has front, back, and belt loop all laid out before cutting. A multi piece sheath is easier in the aspect that you can use smaller pieces of leather that are all cut to a simpler shape. The multi-piece is harder because there's more sewing. As far as what leather to use, Josh is right. Veg tan is the easiest on you and the steel, because some leather (chrome-tanned for example) has salts in it that can damage the finish/surface of metal. There's a good bit of sheath info at Ragweedforge.com, click here. He also generously has some links to other sheath makers at the bottom of the linked page.

done.

The Cobra class 3, Artisan Toro 3000, (and others like them) are short arm versions of the Juki 441. You'll see them often referred to as 441 clones. There's also the 'standard' or long arm version which is around double the arm length. Then there's the Adler versions, Cowboy Sewing machines, Highlead, and a host of others. These are all electric sewing machines and require a stand (or work table) and motor. Most of the ones set up for leather have speed reducers as part of the package. A ballpark budget is about 2 grand to get started with one. In the manual department, only two companies come to mind. Tippmann's "Boss", and Luberto's "Classic Cub, and CC II". They are in the $1200-$1500 range. I'm currently going through the list too, and trying to decide on what type machine to get.

For blade geometry, you have a couple of considerations that I'm sure you've thought of, but I'll list them anyway (in case someone else wants to make one). A single bevel, aka flat grind, has the advantage of being able to replicate the angle during sharpening. All one has to do is lay the bevel flat on a sharpening surface and presto, it's matched. The downside of this is that if your bevel is too thin, you can roll the edge (as afore mentioned). Several bevels gives a little more strength, but the user risks destroying those bevels while sharpening if jigs aren't used. Then there's the convex 'bevel'. Bill Moran used this to the extent that it was dubbed the "Moran Edge". It is essentially the most durable way to keep a tough, yet incredibly sharp edge because it keeps more steel behind the edge to support it. Bill Moran used a technique called "slack belt sharpening", but as innovative as he was, he didn't create the process. The 'original' convex edge was used on katanas and other medieval weaponry of that era. It's also commonly found on straight razors. Think about it- When stropping a razor on a leather strap, the strap is seldom held perfectly flat (as opposed to methods for stropping swivel knives). The result is that the edge gets rounded, or convex, as it's stropped and polished, because the belt gives a little as pressure is applied. I've had a little limited success doing it by hand, but the sure way to do it is with the 'slack belt' that Bill Moran described. Set up a belt sander with a little less tension than it should have, and it lets you curve the belt around the edge your sanding. You hold the knife at a fairly acute angle, then press the side of the edge into the belt. You can pretty easily set up a jig or at least a gauge to indicate how much pressure you're putting on the blade. The more acute the angle, the thinner the convex cross section. Just remember to sharpen AWAY from the edge..... You can go through a few grits on the belt this way, and I think it'd be best to finish with a worn belt embedded with rouge to get a burr free polished edge. It's also pretty dang easy to keep sharp because all you need is a strap of rouge loaded leather hanging near your work. Hope that helps, and I'll be happy to elaborate if anyone needs it. Also, I like the idea of a full tang, but would recommend at the very least adding a radius to the butt, so that it's palm friendly.

The Boss is no longer the only manually operated leather sewing machine. Luberto's has expanded their line to include the "Cub" series, which has a full rotary crank and is available in two arm sizes. Leatherstitchers.com is their website, but I don't think they've upgraded the website to include the Cub yet.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net. Sorry to say it, but there are cheap stitchers, good stitchers, but no cheap good stitchers, nor good cheap stitchers. OR You're looking at a pretty substantial investment for a sewing machine that will handle thicker leather like holsters and sheaths. We have a sub-forum specifically for sewing machines, and there's lots of info there worth reading. DO NOT JUMP THE GUN AND BUY AN "INDUSTRIAL SEWING MACHINE" FROM EBAY.....until after you have done a little research into what kind of machine you need.

Hi Josh, In leather terminology, 1 oz = 1/64th of an inch, so 8oz = 1/8th inch. The idea behind a holster is to securely hold the weapon, with an added benefit of keeping it from getting dinged up. While duty holsters are often thicker (I've seen some pushing 3/8" per side) most of our members are making for concealed carry, whether it's IWB or OWB. The holsters don't have to be really thick to be very strong and durable. Part of the process for making the holster (most of the time) is molding the holster to the gun model it will carry. The wetting of the leather helps to harden it to a point (search the term cuir boulli). Then there's the mouth band which reinforces the mouth of the holster. That typically doubles the thickness of the top of the holster. Sometimes that is further reinforced with polymers or metal. So while it may not seem like a lot of leather, it's been worked to a very firm temper....without being too stiff. For IWB holsters, thin is not a bad thing. Remember, we're talking about a holster that fits inside the waistband. A really thick holster that doesn't flex would be rather uncomfortable. An IWB holster really just needs to keep the weapon in the same spot, keep it from falling out, and provide for a smooth draw, and provide a safe way to carry concealed. Looking good while doing it is just an added bonus. I've personally made a few holsters out of 7/8oz leather that are pretty dang hard to sqeeze closed. My IWB holsters are generally much more flexible, with a reinforced mouth for one handed holstering. My philosophy on that is as follows: Except for a range scenario, if a person is wearing an IWB holster, and the weapon IS NOT in it, they probably want to be able to crouch, crawl, wiggle, squirm, lay down, roll, dodge, and run away very fast....without having a holster digging into their hip or leg. I hope that's cleared it up a little.

Deb and I had the same idea....I posted this over in the thread this one links to....oops.. " wrap with the self adhering 'vet wrap' (or similar) to the shape/contour you want, then cover with a piece of shrink wrap. Heat it to shrink it, and you've got a customized vinyl covered grip that won't hold/absorb moisture, but it's still as soft as the padding underneath." I was thinking the self adhering bandages would be easier to wrap with, and provide more cushioning.

Everything everyone else has said and the belt slot needs to be a little bit smaller....unless you wear a belt that thick. Don't worry about the leather, it'll flex and whatnot to accept the belt. Having an oversized belt slot can give the holster unwanted 'play'.

well, perfect practice makes perfect. If you practice bad habits, you'll only reinforce them. The trick is knowing the difference, and having this incredible group of people to guide you will help you learn the right way.

One sealer you may like to try is Resolene. It's an acrylic finish, and several of our members use it. Follow the advice to topcoat, then seal it. Even though Resolene is a sealer, it isn't waterproof. I made a utility sheath for a knife and liberally applied the stuff. Water will bead off of it, but one day on the belt and it was thoroughly soaked (I work a lot in non-airconditioned places). I also like to use Aussie leather conditioner. It gets into the leather like neatsfoot oil to protect it, but doesn't contain any mold food like NF oil does. As far as the dye-to-shirt transfer, buffing the @$#% out of it is really the only way to get rid of the excess dye particles. For just basic black holsters, have you considered vinegaroon (aka striking, aka ebonizing)? If not, do a search for it here on the forum and see what you think. You can also search for topics like this one. I suggest typing in ["holster finish"] including the quote marks. There's tons of great info here.

Another option is to make one in the "Ranger" style, which involves a narrower billet and buckle sewn onto the wider belt strap.

Bags and holsters and guns, oh my! I agree with Dwight that the addition of the bag isn't needed when forming a holster. I suggest it for wet molding because of the excess water in the leather. When I wrote of it, it was in the context of needing to stretch the holster, which means the leather needs to be wet, not just cased. So is it really needed to protect the gun? Nope. However, since the holster is going to be stretched, squeezed, et al. by the gun, it seems inevitable that some water may squeeze out and get inside the gun. It's nothing a routine cleaning wouldn't take care of. It just seems simpler and neater to let the bag keep the water out. If the wet forming is done with vinegaroon, I HIGHLY recommend the bag, just because I don't want the ferric acetate and tannin 'juice' running down inside the slide. I a little 'oops' with my 1991a1. It's got the Parkerized finish and I used it to mold a holster for another 1911...with a vinegarooned holster. By the time I was done sitting the holster out to dry, I had little rust spots on the slide, dust cover, and trigger guard. Doing the same with my wife's M&P compact, I've had zero issues with a reaction, but it's coated in Melonite, which is just fantastic. I haven't had any issues with bag lines showing up on the leather (6-7 oz), but I'm not using WC, HO, or other top leather, and the holsters I've made are for IWB, anyway.

go find a "dollar tree" store and buy some of their cleaner under the brand name "Awesome". The stuff lives up to it's namesake, and I've used it to pull IODINE out of a white towel. It's a little harsh on the skin if used straight, and it'll etch glass, but might work.

Ray, I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. I've been on the other end of the tale though. When I ordered my singer 66, it wasn't nearly as 'clean' as was described and due to the lack of sufficient packaging, there was some damage to the machine. I posted truthful comments about the shipment and listed them as "neutral". Next thing I know I was lamblasted by the seller for "negative" feedback! I checked and sure enough, it was listed as negative. The seller then persued me via ebay trying to damage my rating. That was enough for me, and I haven't been back for anything other than browsing. As far as protection from false claims like you described, I think it's worth the extra money to ship "signature required". I read a thread on another forum about a guy who is allegedly defrauding people. He stated in an email (made public by the site's admin) that he prints a shipping label immediately upon receipt of funds. That way it doesn't matter when (or if) he ships, there's a paper trail showing that he shipped it!!!! Signature receipt of shipment protects the shipper and proves that the package was delivered.

Appologies, y'all, I forgot to mention the insulation.....Yes, there should definitely be insulation in the exterior walls, the windows, and the ceiling/roof. I've been surfing a bit, and looking at vertical wind turbines....hmmm. It isn't hard to use pulleys (use your SR2 in reverse!!!) to increase your speed, and run to an automobile alternator. Then all you'd need is a 12V DC pump, and some 12V DC LED lights, and you'd have the lighting, heating, and cooling for the shop taken care of....as long as the wind blows. Of course, I guess it'd possible to attach a treadle to the generator.......... As far as keeping MY shop warm.....well, I don't have one. I use the dining room table, and that keeps my wife steamed enough that I don't worry about additional heat.

Depending on your budget, you might consider geothermal heating and cooling. The ground (deep) stays at a fairly constant temperature year round. One way to do it is to install pipes fairly deeply, at least 15 meters, then route the pipes through the internal walls/floor of your structure. Once that is done, it's simply a matter of circulation. In the winter, the ground (and piped water) is warmer than ambient air temp, and in the summer it's cooler. After the initial installation, you essentially only have to pay for the power to run a pump. It's on a closed circuit (same water keeps going around and 'round). I don't think you'd have a balmy 80 degrees or any such, but mid to upper 60s (F) doesn't seem too outlandish. Likewise in the summer, it wouldn't be the same as an AC, but it'd be a good start.

( I saved a lot of typing! )

Hi Kissholsters, What kind of work are you looking to have done? Carving, accents, belt loops? If you can be a little more specific, I think you'll get a better field of candidates.