TwinOaks

Nice holster, Shorts. I agree with Dave, groove the stitch channel and hope for the best. I really liked this holster type (Askin's Avenger) when I saw it. However, after a little use, I've found that the loop on the back of it tends to stretch a little. I made mine out of 6-7oz VT, so that may be part of the issue. The result is that the pistol tends to flop a bit, and vertical slop makes for an inconsistant draw. For EDC I find it unacceptable, but for a range holster, I like it. Also, I think this design really should have a thumb strap. I hope you can overcome these issues, but since I don't make a lot of holsters, I didn't put much effort in it. I look forward to seeing the refinements.

Sounds like you're headed in the right direction. What color is willpower with a bit of righteouness thrown in? Hmmm...ask a Drow?

PETA conspiracy....it's gotta be. They've managed to get someone on the inside at the tanneries.

Nice work you two. I'd thought of trying my hand at it, but said, "Nah..." Seeing what you've done...well I might just have to try it now.

My brother in law is allergic to deer hide- but only after it's processed. I've never heard of an allergy to actual leather (until Jo's post) but I've certainly heard of chemical burns. It sounds to me like you're having a reaction to some of the chemicals being used- not the dead cow. There's been reports of some people having severe reactions to the chemicals found in common household cleaners; bad enough to head the the ER. Hang in there. Oh, and if someone wants to give you a little very dark purple/ black pill about half the size of a green pea.....make sure you're where you want to be for the next two days before taking it.

I think what you're seeing is probably a reaction with the metal. (If I understand the description) Much like the effect of vinagaroon (do a search on that if you don't know what it is), any of the itty bitty metal shavings that might come off when opening and closing the snap can stick to the leather and change the color. It's a chemical process, not just an application of color. That means that there's no undoing it. It also means that whatever you used to seal the leather has worn off. For future avoidance, either use a different sealer, more of it, or check it every couple of months and reapply if needed.

Oh, okay. I guess I mussed it up when translating from spanish to englich.

'S easy....Use eco-flo dyes, then buff with a damp cloth along the edges. Maybe wad up the damp cloth and roll it along the belt, letting the moisture 'ruin' the finish. Then...seal the crap out of it so it doesn't do it anymore.

I love this site so much...I learn so much here!!! I always thought wing dividers were employees at the local chicken processing plant.

Well, for Twinkle and IcingDeath, I think you'd probably like to use a hardened leather. Do a search on the forum for it, as there's several topics. You will probably want to avoid chrome tanned leather as the salts in it can damage the swords' finish. I think the seams will probably need to be on the inside (as worn). For decoration, you might try scroll work instead of a lot of tooling. Color? Well, pick something that will match Drizzt's description.

Check out Tandy and look for their free patterns on the home page. There's quite a few to choose from. Good luck. Mike

World domination, eh? Sounds like you caught too many episodes of "Pinky and the Brain" ...NARF!!!!

Why not just order a frame safety (mil spec or extended) and drill a hole in the blue gun? That would pretty much solve the problem. I've seen ambi safeties for as little as $35-40, so single side safeties should be in that range, maybe a little lower. Order both plain and extended, and because they use the same pin hole location, they're interchangeable. Jeff, just because I'm a 1911 afficianado, I'd like to raise a point. The 1911 wasn't intended to be carried in any particular way. JMB designed the pistol per the military's specs. The beauty of the 1911 platform is that it can be carried 4 ways, relying on the user to determine the best method at any particular time. (yes 4, not 3- cond. 0, 1, 2, and 3) I do agree with you that the 1911 should be carried in cond. 1, if there is a possibility that it might be needed (and if you decide to carry it, you probably are intending to be prepared). I also agree that the most dangerous aspect of cond. 2 is lowering a hammer on a live round- most uninformed people believe that there's a severe danger of the pistol being dropped and firing.

Shorts, Mold the holster the way you can, and don't worry about the position of the safety. Horseshoe leather states that his holsters are molded in that posiiton (unlocked- inferring cond. 2 or 3 carry) so that he can't be accused of advocating cond. 1 carry (paraphrased), and thereby avoid lawsuits. Rings is probably thinking the same thing. If you really think about it, it won't effect the carry options at all if you don't detail mold that area. That's one little safeguard in a highly litiguos world. On the several 1911 holsters I made, I left the safety area unmolded, relying on time and pressure of the owner's use to mold the leather. If you really want to mold tightly to the bluegun, I still don't think it'd matter, because the plunger should stop the movement of the safety unless 'actively' disengaged. Of course, epoxying in a little wedge would leave you with two things to mold to, offering the choice. I think I can pretty well guess your postion on which condition is best for carry...

Now, Now, friends....I know it's fun to think about a horde of angry leather workers wielding swivel knives and mallets, but I don't think it's productive to talk like that.... ... awww, heck with it. If we can find them, I say brand them with the makers' marks, and stamp them into submission.

Tandy sells one...maybe the same one. Check E-bay, as there's usually a pretty good assortment of leather tools there.

Great job, ya'll. Thanks for the quick return to normalcy.

WOW! If you don't mind sharing the pattern, I'd like to be on the list too. Is that made with a real stirrup ( of which I have a few laying around here) or is that all leather?

sent a PM to you. It has the Army and Navy pistol and holster pics.

Charley, I can understand the intent of your post. However, I reiterate that the members (new and old) that produce work that could be entered into competition are not likely to post work that warrants ' Your work sucks. You have no business even posting here.' For the most part, the people interested in having work 'critiqued' are the ones still learning . Anyone who posts in the 'critique' section is already acknowledging that there are flaws in the piece, and is asking for someone to point it out. If you think you have a piece to enter in an IFoLG show, then you're probably (or should be) aware of rules, regulations, and judging criteria. That level of craft may be deserving of harsher criticism, but if it's good enough to compete, how much criticism is needed? To the politeness of members here: I haven't seen or heard of a single 'flame war' between any members, nor any other strife. Do a search on Jbird. Look at his preliminary work. It isn't really something to write home about, but instead of lambasting him with "you can't carve worth a dang", or "man, I haven't seen work like that since I taught a bunch of 5th graders", the members responding to his posts gave truthful comments, offering suggestions on how to improve. Result? Instead of reading a bunch of hypercritical negative comments and thinking "this is a bunch of stuck up, unhelpful, SOBs", and putting down the leather because he was discouraged, he took what we gave him and did a little more. Now, his work has improved dramatically. (NOTE: Sorry Josh, these comments are not directed at you, but you've shown a lot of improvement so I'm using you as the example.) If anyone has grown accustomed to getting the type of criticism you're suggesting, or feel that it's the only way to get a point across, or even find themselves responding to ONLY that type of criticism, they have my sympathies. *late edit* when I started writing this, no posts after Charley's were present. I guess now I know why the @#$%$T% computer wouldn't post through! Jo, I think you said it very well.

As always, beautiful work, Az. You're doing a fantastic job with the colors. Acrylics? It's a great effect on the 'wings' to use thumbprints and pear shaders to imitate hammer marks on steel.

just post your work in the Critique My Work section, and ask for brutally honest feedback. Also, don't expect someone to post "that sucks", because for the most part, we're an exceptionally well mannered forum. Most folks here aren't inclined to speak with that kind of tone, and will instead make suggestions that are more gently worded. Besides, we're our own worst critics. If someone posts " I know it looks bad, can someone help me out and tell me why?" then it seems silly to blast the person. If a person is turning out production level work, has seen the art that is displayed on this site, and feels the work is worth displaying..... then the posted work is probably waaaaaay beyond such harsh criticism.

Actually, I do have a board stretcher! I got it off e-bay last year. Modifying the clamps allows me to use it on leather as well. I'm currently in a bidding war with somebody in Maine for a hole shrinker. I'm really hoping I can get that little jewel! Last week I found something that I can write off as 'business expense'. I'm an electrician, so when I saw a few adds for 'bucket of Volts' I jumped on it with quickness. I'm sure I'll save some of them for personal use, 'cause you know how 'excess' material gets used up. With regards to " [with leather], you can't cut off and add a piece...": Actually you can, in some situations. Obviously, not everything is correctable, but with certain skill sets it can be done. A really good example of this is a vest that Beaverslayer made for competition. (I think it was the IFoLG comp.) He didn't like the design right smack in the middle of the piece, so he cut it out, made a better piece, and laced it back in. End result is a masterpiece. I'll agree that some planning goes into most things. However, the ability to modify the work midstream is quite prevalent in leatherworking.

You mean some people actually plan their work? What an interesting concept....