TwinOaks

It really sounds like the leather isn't sealed at all. I suggest one of the myriad saddle conditioners, preferably one that has a wax in it. This will seal the leather against moisture for the most part, and still condition it. Other than those, perhaps a silicone compound for waterproofing.

I don't recall seeing a tutorial at this site, but check out Kingsmerecrafts.com. They have some pretty well laid out tutorials.

Here you go. I resized and retouched it just a little to pull out some of the reflection (just a bit). The ability to enlarge the photo is going to greatly depend on the resolution of the original picture. If you have a 3-5 megapixel (mp) camera, then getting much larger is going to get really grainy. The larger the mp of the pic, the more you can blow it up. I used Digital Image Suite for the majority of my photo work, but many of the graphics programs will allow you to resize the pic. If nothing else, you might try Photbucket.com, or another of the photo hosting sites. Again, if you try to enlarge a pic too much, you'll get distortions/fuzziness when using a low res original.

This is heading just where I hoped it would- Other Colors. I'm really impressed with the tonal qualities of doing leather this way, and I'm hoping someone will have a suggestion for other colors. Why oh Why didn't I pay more attention in Chemistry.....

I'm a little confused about this program- it seems from the example posted that all it did was was convert to black and white. Just about any graphics program worth its pixels can do that. An even easier method would be to take a color photo and just print in black and white.

I used it on a holster for an 'N' frame Smith. see here. It came out very well using Aussie. You won't have to seal the leather. It's not a black coating that can wear off. After this treatment, it's BLACK leather. On a test piece, cut through it, or skive it and you'll see how deep the color runs.

Raftert brings up a good point- the diameter of the horn is really going to matter when dallying. The height is also gonna play a major role because it determines how many wraps you get before doubling over on top of the rope.

Dang Tom, That's pushing the edge a little further on out there isn't it? Nice work, especially on the coloring.

I didn't soak the leather in the vinegaroon, but instead wiped it on/ dribbled it. After the second series of rinsing, I lost all the vinegar smell. Now, after molding and drying/hardening in the convection oven (150F) for about 20 minutes, I think I'm done. There's absolutely no hint of vinegar smell. I applied Aussie to the exterior and to what I could reach on the inside by hand, then bagged the gun, slathered on some Aussie conditioner, and worked the gun in the holster a bit. Result? It looks like everywhere leather will contact metal, I have a good coating of Aussie soaked into the holster. I'm gonna call this one complete, snap a few pics, post them and go deliver the holster. If anyone else has some ideas as to what's going on chemically, I'd still like to have your input. Y'all have a wunnerful day. Mike

Hi, Chris, and welcome to Leatherworker.net! Your kind of attitude is what helps get others interested. We're glad to have you with us, and look forward to seeing some of your work. Just check out the FAQs page for posting some pics. Mike

I just colored a holster with the vinegaroon concoction and after its bath, it got a good soaking in neutralizing solution. I noticed that the leather, once treated with the ferric acetate solution is more resistant to water. Specifically, I dipped the holster to neutralize it, then rinsed with warm tap water. While soaking in the baking soda solution I didn't see any of the typical air bubbles. Once I rinsed it though, the regular water penetrated much more deeply and I started seeing bubbles as the water soaked into the leather. Back to the soak, same thing. More tap water, more bubbles. This leads me to a few questions: 1. Does the ferric acetate force the tallows to the surface, making the surface more water resistant? While rinsing, water would just bead off of it. 1.A. If the tallows in the leather are forced to the surface, will saddle conditioner restore them to where they need to be- back in the core of the leather. 2. Since the regular tap water penetrated more deeply than the base solution, should I be concerned with pH levels in the center of the leather? 3. While neutralizing, is it safe to presume 'normal pH' levels on the surfaces (grain and flesh) of the leather, while not being overly concerned with the center leather's pH? Without any additional finishes, the holster looks spectacular, and yes I'll get a pic up in a little while. I appreciate any insights to the suitability of the leather for metal contact (blued). Of course, that brings up another question too... Since the ferric acetate is a type of salt, what are the odds that any un-neutralized reagent actually improves the finish where it's worn thin? ( I know, wistful thinking) Thanks, Mike

Wow. I think I'll have to go all the way to supercalifragilisticexpialidociously nice work. I gotta agree with Ken, that quiver is ART!!!! Now, about the PIF I'm wanting......

Sure, I'll split. Beeza, I sent a PM to ya.

Interested here. PM me a guestimate on shipping cost.

My fast reply hasn't stopped working as far as I can tell. Of course, I've been offline for a day or three, but even before that, I haven't had any problems with it. I wonder if it's a Vista thing....I'm running XP most of the time, or Linux, and have no issuse at all in IE7 or Firefox. Oh, and Beave....yes...please, do leave the hat where it's at.

To quote Henry Ford: You can have any color you want...as long as it's black. Mine is still brewing, but should reach maturity this weekend. I was tempted to use it on a holster I did last weekend, but since it was my 1st PAID job, I thought I might just go with traditional dying. Wouldn't want the holster to strip the finish off the pistol within the first week or anything like that. I do have a question about the vinegaroon, too. Is it really necessary to neutralize it, or is it possible that the acid is 'used up' in the reaction process?

Of course the 8 tracks still work... they're practically indestructible. I like anything that has a good solid rhytm. I really like Garbage, but not because of the music, but because it's pretty easy to tune out. It settles into white noise pretty well. I do my best work when the left side of the brain is preoccupied.

Another aspect that I believe would definitely be copyright infringement would be if a maker used a 'trade name'. For instance, if I started turning our roughout holsters and called them "summer special"s then I'd be treading on Milt Spark's toes rather badly. But, the idea of a rough out holster at a 10 degree cant certainly isn't new. If a maker does like Jordan said, and documents his development of a product, regardless to similarity of an established product, then I don't think there would be serious repercussions.

Nice job on your stitching and molding. The only thing I'd add is an additional 'ear' with a another clip. The clip will help stabilize the holster, and the addition of the 'ear' will help flatten the profile of your pants. Also, my personal preference is to have a little bit of a cant to the holster, as it allows a full grip and indexing on the trigger (guard), while allowing you to cover more of the pistol. Another way to look at it is that you can have the pistol deeper in the holster while still keeping the grip high. Very nice job, and I hope to see more of your work.

Interesting topic! I made a holster loosely modeled on a post made by Jordan, and credited him, and asked permission. Later I found a similar style called Askin's Avenger, which seems to be a root for LOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTSSSSSS of holsters. Boomstick even has one on his website, and says " ...my take on the Askin's Avenger....." or something similar. So I think that if there is a 'generic' version of a holster, then freedom of design should be expressed. However,in an event we had here, a member touted his 'new' design to be made for Wilson Combat. Tony K. was notified and rebuffed the guy's claim by posting pics of the holsters that he's been making for a good while. There was enough difference in the design to be technically different (1 snap vs. 2), but the whole thing was clearly a remake of Tony's design. Perhaps the worst outcome for the guy was that Tony K. knows Bill Wilson personally, and intended to give him a call to inform him of the 'knock-off' status of the holsters. If that played out, then the order could have been canceled, and the guy's reputation ruined. Incidentally, it was pre-crash, and I don't know the actual outcome of the squabble. My point is that there could be far reaching consequences for infringement that don't even include the law. Personally, I'd be just giddy if someone decided to exactly copy my design....as long as that person didn't cut into my profits

Hi and welcome to Leatherworker.net! Nice job on forming the holster, especially for your first attempt. For your next holster, if it's IWB, you might want to add another loop at the front of the holster ('top' in respect to picture position). This will help distribute the weight of the pistol better, and keep the holster more or less level when you draw. I don't think I've seen the belt loop attached to the holster with a snap before, and it may be due to strength/retention issues. Still, for you first attempt, you've done an excellent job- especially considering the materials you had to work with. Looking forward to your next project.

golly, but that looks familiar.... Rayban, you did a nice job on that. What I did on the ones I made was very similar, but at the butt end I made a tapered radius groove that wraps around the end. To do it, use a dremel with a conical cutting bit. Start thin, then get deeper/wider as you wrap the groove.

If you have acces to a scrap yard, you can take a relatively small hunk o' metal and set it in a smallish bucket of concrete to achieve an anvil.

Howdy and welcome to LW! Nice work, very clean lines. Hope to see more soon. Mike

I think it'd be okay as far as the blade is concerned. The bigger issue I see is its stability. Shaky table = bad cuts, and if you have to lean on it, I'd be concerned about slipping- you, the leather, the knife, or all three. On the other hand, a plastic topped table would make an excellent coloring table for your application of dyes, paints and finishes. Just my thoughts on the matter, and it may well be that the version you have addresses the issues I mentioned and is indeed a sturdy table; I hope that's the case.