TwinOaks

I think a more popular method is to use a hydraulic press and some rubber 'plates'. That gives good detail without the risk of marring that a hard surface like wood might do.

That's one reason most holsters and sheaths you find will have grain out on both sides. The obvious exception is 'rough out' holsters/sheaths. The feel of the grain side can be changed a bit by conditioning. Also, another major player in the issue is the type of leather used. I've had some leather that the grain side was stiff and almost abrasive- like it'd been glued to make it lay flat. Others....well they felt like fine suede. Like I said, the type of leather is important. "Carving leather" as sold at box-mart stores usually doesn't have a really nice flesh side to it.

The only downside to using a 'seal a meal' type device is that if you're not careful, you end up with little grid marks all over the leather. The commercially available bags all have little micro channels for air passage in one side of the bag. If you try this, be dang sure you have a dowel taped in place for a sight channel.

Natural causes, huh? Cast bullets are made from lead....that's natural. Wooden arrows are natural. I've alway kinda figured that being hungry was natural.. See where this is going? If you need an 'all natural' bow, I'm pretty sure I can whip up something that uses twisted/braided plant fibers as a string and real spotted owl or red hawk feathers for the fletching.

Good start on the site Monica. But, I am disheartened.....nary a mention of your 'family'. I'm gonna go pout.

Warning: If you are 'sensitive' about certain topics like this don't read the rest of this post. I got a little cynical with my thoughts. Gee, that is so thoughtful of her. Seems almost...................................Stupid. If she really wanted to make a statement, she wouldn't wait until she died. C'mon, how about being a volunteer paraplegic? Open letter to this wacko: I challenge you to step up your efforts at being shocking. Go have a voluntary amputation of both legs. Then you can have your umbrella stands, barbeque, and leather. Why wait until you kick the bucket? What, you don't want to be inconvenienced by a wheel chair while you're alive? Go ahead and donate yourself to science NOW. I'm sure there's some nutcase scientists that wouldn't mind having a 'test subject' of your ilk. I'm thinking something along the lines of "Boxing Helena"....... Feel free to add to this. Once we get a few pages of outlandish ideas, we'll mail it to her. And isn't India the place where cows are 'sacred'; the place where you see starving people and healthy bovines in the same place?

Don't forget that it's cheap Denster. If you have a piece of leather that just doesn't wanna turn black, you can give it some extra tannins with black tea. Nope, I don't know what'd happen if you dropped tea leaves in the brew. I haven't tried it.........................................yet.

Ray, the habit of naming inanimate things doesnt' seem so bad. I'd only start to worry if you start hearing the tools in the shop talking about you as an inanimate object. ....and stay out of the faerie rings.

I've seen super glue used as a finish before. A cue maker I know in n. Alabama would apply it while the cue was still on the lathe. It (usually) turned out a very nice and hard finish to the cue.

Fresh vinegaroon does have a certain .....presence. At least until it dries thoroughly. My brew doesn't smell like much at all after if fully dries, but it's old. You could use it in place of dye for a couple of reasons: It's a chemical reaction in the leather. The leather is black, not colored black. Cutting it will yield more black leather. The blackness of it doesn't rub off, and requires no buffing to remove excess particles. It doesn't show scratches as badly. Adding a touch of oil or conditioner restores the color. When playing with W&C scraps, you can get some awesome blues instead of black.

What the heckle, I'll add my $.02 as well. Regardless of which glue/cement is used-whether it's Master's, Barge, Elmer's, Titebond, or something starch based and made out of over cooked rice- what is the point of the cement? I was under the impression that when bonding two pieces of leather, it wasn't 'to hold it until you could stitch it', rather the stitching worked to enforce the areas under the most stress and the glue held it all together. I was also under the impression that when bonding hides, it isn't supposed to be temporary. It shouldn't be "o.k." for the leather to work loose and start squeaking- not even on a long break in period. The squeaking leather means that the leather isn't bonded and is rubbing against the other leather, weakening both. Now I've read some articles in the saddler's section that refer to pieces being glued to a saddle. The original intent was to go back and stitch it later. Reality was that the stitching never happened, and the pieces stayed put just fine, and this was a working saddle. That's what I think of as 'bonded'. For this thread: Lobo, thanks for the suggestion of an alternative to "leather glue". Beaverslayer also had some suggestions on the same lines and I'll let the folks use the search function to find it. Also, lighten up and go easy on the caffeinne. Just because a member asks if you'd considered X, or thought of Z, or anything else.....it most likely isn't a personal attack. Its been nice to see all the different views expressed here, and BIG THANK YOU to Denster for doing the test pieces and posting your results. Me, I can't drink anymore so I'll keep using something with high VOCs. P.S. I glue then stitch my holsters, then apply conditioner(s), and if needed a top coat. Yeah, coloring gets in there too sometimes. I haven't had a squeaking holster yet. Granted I've only made about 12, and it includes the one I carry on me. Since at least one aspiring novice holster maker is able to make non-squeaking holsters- by hand, and with a whole year's experience- you might to re-think some of your statements like "all new leather items squeak, at least until they break in". Perhaps there is something to be learned in your 38th year of experience.

Sweet Mother of Customization, those are SPECTACULAR! I just happen to have some red oak sitting around......dang it, I've got too many projects! But in the very near future, I can see my 1991A1 wearing a set. Cut, shaped, sanded, then dunked? Or dunked first? ....ooo....and I got a knife project too....

One of my holster clients has a LCR on order and want's a holster for it ASAP. When he gets the gun, I'll get the pattern- should be about a week left. If you check the Ruger website, you should be able to pull some dimensions on it. update: ruger website specifies the same fobus holster as the sp101, so dimensions should be reaaly close.

I listen to a couple of different genres- anything from Bocephus and Charlie Daniels to Garbage/techno to classical guitar. It depends on my mood. Right now, I'm listening to my neighbor try to figure out why his Harley with straight pipes is backfiring..... I work at the dining room table, so sometimes I listen to kids (6&8) fighting, other times it's my wife asking if I'm coming to bed yet. On a brighter note, I've cleaned out my workshop so I'll soon be moving out there. Just as soon as I replace the meter box on the house with a 200A service and run some power out to it via underground conduit.

looks like a 29-4

I say schedule it at The Tower. Plenty of room, and the custodial staff is first rate from what I hear. It's an easy to access location, plenty of parking, valets, etc. Customers and vendors should be advised to lock valuables in their trunks because security is ho-hum.

ummm, did you remember to oil the leather after applying the vinegaroon?

What, rapidly accelerating the BG in several directions doesn't count as stopping the threat? +2 on your ammo choices Bree. The Fed. EFMJ is some impressive stuff.

Awesome find! Congratulations!

After speaking with my father, he related that on a small scale (using me as an example) the insurance would be incredibly expensive. There are "non-standard" carriers who would be happy to take your money, though. The scenario we discussed using me as an example is paraphrased as follows: I make maybe 3-4 holsters/ quarter. Getting insurance for that would start at about $2500. If something happened and I got sued....well, I got nothing to take. I have little to none in tangible assets, and taking the house would put the wife and kids on the street. Were it to happen, I would contact the attourney and explain that I've got nothing worth suing for. Sure, I could get sued for $10,000,000, but there's nothing to get. A lawyer (who'd be suing EVERYBODY) would probably drop the suit against me and go after others. So for someone like me, well, I almost have "nothing to lose".....well, there's reputation and my beat up old Ford. Lawyers are more usually after money, and won't chase those without it unless they're trying to prove a point. That's presuming that the holster was at fault in a ND/AD. In the case you referenced, the biggest issue IMO is why a 3 year old wasn't properly secured in a moving vehicle. That and why a Police Officer left a cond. 1 pistol in the child's reach. etc. Probably is gonna do more harm than good, unless it's just a nuissance suit and he's hoping to settle out of court. Back on topic.....the insurance would be worth it if you have a shop and are doing it as a business (incorporating is an excellent idea, per Bree). For me, the cost of the insurance doesn't make sense, so I only build holsters for people I know.

Well, as I'm quickly learning, you'll never get more than you ask for it. For some folks, they like to brag about a $300 box they got. Some think recycled cardboard is fine. If you price your work for 'common folk', that's who you'll have as customers. If you price it for folks who have more money than sense, they will be your customers. It's a balancing act for sure, and I wish I could tell you where the balance point is. You just gotta find your niche and make your pile while you can.

You might also try Woodcraft.com they cater to woodcrafters and have a wide selection.

Wow, this is something I never considered! Thank You for bringing this subject up, I will definitely have to look into this. My father works in the insurance business and I'll give him a call and seek his input. Another thought: Can a holstermaker provide a "I won't be held responsible" disclaimer with holsters? With most things horse related (in Alabama) we have an "equine activity law", which states the owner/trainer/stable/et al are not responsible for injury or damage because the person is knowingly participating in a potentially dangerous activity. Could something like that appy to gun related activities?

And I thought I needed another hobby...... Thanks Suze, that was a riot.

Another thing to remedy a lack of tannins in the leather- give it a wash with strong black tea (unsweatened!!! and no Lemons). Tea is very high in tannins and will help to add some to the leather. Instead of a chunk of steel, I prefer to use steel wool- pick a guage, it doesn't matter. What does matter is burning it before use. The steel wool has a light oily coating mixed in with it to keep it from rusting in the bag. Burning it clears that problem. With my batch, after the vinegar had eaten all the steel wool, I added a short handful of old nails. Since then, the vinegar has been "used up", and there is no more reaction with the metal. Also, there is no visible reaction to baking soda, or a baking soda solution. I take this to mean that most of the acid has been reduced in it's reaction with the steel, and I typically just rinse with tap water. That's also the point that I wet mold it (for holsters) since it's already saturated. Once it's partially dried, I pop it in the oven to heat up, checking it frequently so I don't scorch the leather. NOTE: Don't place an unwrapped gun in the holster while it's hot. The hot leather is "breathing steam" and cold gun steel will cause instant condensation....on the gun.