TwinOaks

Sorry for my absenence, I've been busy doing that J-O-B thing. yech. Thanks everyone for signing up, and I'll compile and randomize the full list on Saturday. There's still time to get in!!! Also thanks to all for you patience, this PIF list has generated a ton of response, and as usual for us, things only get busy when you've already got something planned. If there's any issues with the list, such as shipping (which I hope to get right on the first try) let us know and we'll see about some name swapping. Time to sleep- I've only been up for 22 hours now.

I'm not a leather chemist, though I'm sure that one or two of our members will be checking with them on this. That said, one of the things to keep in mind is the content of the 'leather' oils. As we all know, leather is skin- so why doesn't IT go rancid? It's tanned. Leather oils are formulated to replace natural oils that keep the skin supple and resistant to damage. On Tandy mgr recommended Aussie conditioner because it doesn't contain triglycerides- fats. There's a certain amount of residual fatty waxes in leather. Proof of this can be seen when applying vinegaroon, as it pushes those tallows to the surface. The addition of any "food" products could increase the danger of molds. The problem with rubbing food oil into leather is that it allows mold to grow through the core of the leather. Even if you clean the surface and get rid of it all, there might be spores left that will pop up in another spot. The use of olive oil by some folks...I suppose for a sheen coat, or mixed to make an oil dye might not hurt. I haven't heard of anyone using it as a deep penetrating, or leather conditioning oil (olive oil latigo?), but what the hey, we're all here to teach and learn right? I'm interested in following this topic and seeing what some chemists have to say. Good topic.

yeah, but a lot af the free patterns are gone

I've never tried it with a pounder, but here's something from my fishing line spools: Take a piece of elastic band and size it to fit the spool snugly but not tight. Add a snap, then add an eyelet. Thread the eyelet with the running end of the thread, then snap the band in place around the spool. I doubt this will work with a conical spool, but hey, it only costs about a buck two ninety five to make and try.

umm, yes, beck to the OP. One way to make an IWB into a tuckable holster is to split the 'ears' where your attachment tabs are. You can add leather washers to provide a gap between the belt loop/hook and the attachment point. For hardware: You can use long rivets to attach snaps, t-nuts for screw posts.

Thanks for the pics, Ray. It looks rather......quiet. Oh, that would be so nice. Excuse me for a few, the kids are fighting again.....

Myriam's website Here ya go. Just click the link above. I think that's the page I bookmarked, but from that page you can easily navigate the rest of the site.

Okiwen, Bluegrass is speaking to K-man, whose name is also Kevin. You're in the clear. Gents, let's leave the legalese and so forth off the main board, please. That can easily be handled through PMs, emails, or attourneys.

I don't know what type of braiding your looking for, but Myriam (member) has some tutorials on her website.

Ian, From what I've read in the other's posts, as well as yours, this seems to be a singularly bad experience. I completely understand having your money tied up, and the frustration it can cause. As Bruce pointed out, they may be having a labor issue. If cutting the labor force was a neccesary decision, it's possible that some of the good help walked, and they're stuck with some minimum wage kids working after school, who have NO experience with which leather is which. I say fire off a letter (not an email) to the head honchos at HH, and reference this thread. You've done a pretty good job explaining what the problem was/is and why it's costing them your business, and see what they say. Again, write a letter, not an email, because the letter says "I'm ticked off enough to sit down and write this, expecting that it will be in your hands, and it's important enough that it needs to be seen by you, not somebody doing mass or automatic replies with the email accounts." 'Word of mouth' can be a great advertising method. When it's negative, it can be disasterous, and businesses know this. Imagine a new member reading only the first few posts of this thread- first impression is made. Do you think they'll even risk an order from HH? Now multiply that by several thousand hits per day (not including all of our guests). Do you think the suppliers would risk generating a bad reputation? Give them a chance to do right by you. We've seen several instances on this board where a supplier's head honcho was made aware of a problem and things were put right. We've also seen the other side of it where there's nothing but praise for the company, and how much that has positively effected that company (Artisan to be specific). We may not be organized as a Union, but as members of this online community we have a LOT of power as consumers. If HH's service has truly went the way of the Dodo, then others will have negative comments about it too. Lastly, thank you for sharing your experience- it let's us know where there might be some potential problems. M

The reason the ulu knife wouldn't make a good round/head knife is the blade geometry. Round/head knives have a lot of curve to them and that places more cutting edge in a limited linear space....more cut per inch. A strongly curved blade will almost aways cut better than a straight blade for the same linear distance the knife is moved. Also, from what I've seen, leather knives are pretty thin as they are designed to slice, where an ulu is designed to chop. For a rather extreme example, take a common axe and compare to a chef's knife. Axes are great on trees, not so great on tomatoes. Opposite is true of the chef's knife for the same reason - blade geometry.

You are CORRECT!, ma'am. What gets me is that I've been told "get _____ from my purse", while we were in the car and my wife was driving. I looked for several miles, then declared the purse devoid of the item. Then, while never looking away from the road, my wife reaches straight into the purse and grabs the item (gum I think) in less than a second, shows it to me, and tells me to put her purse back where it was. Now, if I'm told "get _____ from my purse", I just bring the purse.

That looks a lot like part of a Kevin King wallet, and if so, he custom makes his.

Ya, that's the one you posted before. Really. I think someone was asking about attaching turqois to leather and you posted that Beauty. Or your evil twin did. You haven't been sleep-posting have you?

That's just ridiculous.....but hey, if they can get that kind of money for those scraps.....and since fools and their money are soon parted..... As far as the $900 stuff....I say go down to the hardware store and pick up a roll of #6 ground wire (bare copper) and some 'weld nuts' (kinda like a t-nut but with no prongs), twist and beat it with a hammer, solder on the weld-nuts, splash it with vinegar, and let it sit outside for a week. Presto! Hand crafted 'antique' copper pulls. The nice thing is that annealed copper is work hardening, so it'll hold shape.

also the same as the Rossi pistols. Just curious about something here, but I've always recommended that weapons be carried on the body, not in a purse. This is because if the purse is ever snatched.....well, there goes your protection. Have you mentioned this to the customer? I know that men and women are shaped differently, and that can cause problems in holster design, but I really think it's the best way to go. It just takes a little more creativity when designing the holster. As an alternate, have you considered a gun pocket in the purse? There's several models of purses made with a side opening pocket with a closure device. They put the pistols in a 'gun only' location, where it's not likely to be assaulted by receipts, pens, coins, lipstick, Jimmy Hoffa, and who knows what else finds its way into a purse.

I went back and read the OP....for an in-purse-holster, a non molded pouch style is what you're gonna have to do. You mentioned snubbie revolver, and that could be anything from a NAA 5 shot .22 derringer to a Taurus Judge, and since you haven't specified what it is, we're a little in the dark. The cylinder size is what's going to get you, b/c if you make it for a 5 shot cylinder, a 6 shot won't fit into it well, and if you make for a 6 shot, the 5 shot will fall out. You're also using measurements given to you by the customer- take that as you will. Be sure to make attachment points for some type of clip to hold the holster in the purse.

Another option is a three layer approach. 1st layer is the backing/base. 2nd layer is a very close tracing and cut out of the stone's shape. 3rd layer is a repeat of the 2nd layer, but cut inside the trace line. This creates a stone shaped pocket, with a retaining ring on it. I think it was DCKnives that posted this method, so you might check his posts.

If you go ahead and make a 'sorta-shaped-like-a-J-frame' holster, and use a pic of the pistol from the internet for a profile, get a good sized spool of thread to simulate the cylinder. You might even check at a local gun stores and see if they have something similar you can trace/wrap with a piece of paper for a pattern.

Aussie wax does a pretty good job sealing it, but it is NOT a top coat or a sealer- it's a conditioner. Remember to thoroughly buff after applying dye, too. I've got to refinish a clutch purse I made because I forgot to buff it and it's getting an itty bitty amount of bleed through. One of the members here did a waterproofing test and Aussie wax did very well.

Here's something you might find interesting: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...amp;hl=splitter Yet another thanks to SmilinJim.

Bruce, If quick access to the pistol might be needed, stay with the strap. For horseback, or any other type riding where there's exposure to 'grabby' branches/brush, my personal preference leans towards a flap-over stye holster. That's as much for protection of the weapon as retention, but admittedly, it is NOT in an area where quick access would be needed- no critters ( 2 or 4 legged) to worry much about.

Since I've had a question about the shipping of our gifts, I'll post the info here for all to read. When the final roster is posted, the names will be in a randomized order, with substitutions (as needed) for those who can't ship internationally. At that point, we'll all be shipping to the name below ours on the roster. Please contact that person for a shipping address. In the previous PIFs, this has been handled through PMs. For those who've shipped internationally before, would you please post some specifics.

I've got a copy of the list saved to file on my laptop and it includes who can ship internationally and who can only go domestic. For our members who've signed up, but don't have their location listed in their profile, please let me know your shipping preferences. For our members abroad (not in the continental U.S.) please let me know if you CAN'T ship internationally. Here's the current roster: Twinoaks Luke Hatley Wildrose Timd1159 CitizenKate Jbird pabloz rdb Crystal GregGuab Colman westtxcowboy1979 Kani scissormedic UKRay Rayban dbusarow ferret DaveD Elegant ta2r Dynamik1 tashabear Pip Becca4u leatheroo rawhide1 MADMAX22 Pineyboy Dags3777 rhall carr52 leatherhead Hennessy