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TwinOaks

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Posts posted by TwinOaks

  5. Posted · Report reply

    For me, the biggest issue is a good solid striking surface, It needs to be firm without any wiggle room.

    THIS ^^^^^^^ . Even the best tools on the planet will yield unsatisfactory results if they don't have a solid surface to work against. Your pounding surface needs to have a lot of mass. I used to set rivets on my granite slab (sink cut out), but noticed an immediate difference when I swapped over to a bench vise/anvil mounted on the corner of a table. The sound went from " Claack! " to " thunk". With more mass UNDER the rivet, all the force of peening went INTO the rivet instead of trying to bounce the granite around.

    If you can, pick up a 15lb anvil (or larger). Harbor freight sells a few sizes relatively cheaply. If you can't do that, try a scrap yard, or even a railroad yard, and see if you can get a scrap of rail. Then, set it in a small bucket of concrete, and you'll have a REALLY solid work surface.

  6. Posted · Report reply

    When laying out the strap sections for the retention strap, cut it LONG..by at least an inch. That gives you plenty of room for adjustment...once the dummy is in the holster. If you need a thumb break tab (to stiffen the part where the thumb hits), cut an oval out of kydex. The SS ones are the best, but if this is a one off piece, you probably won't want to purchase just one.

  9. Posted · Report reply

    The running advice is "get more machine than you think you'll need". IMO, you should either bid on the two Wiz suggested, but put away every penny you can to save up for "enough machine", and budget at least $1000. Or, just take your budgeted $$ and put towards more machine. Call Steve Taryrian (Cobra Sewing machines) or Bob Kovar (Toledo industrial sewing) and see what they have in used machines. Trying to get a machine to do more than it's supposed to is just going to be a loooooong headace. Until then, start putting a % of what you're earning into a jar or box, and get a machine that comes with incredible customer service, and that is set up correctly when you get it...instead of picking up a second hand machine that you don't know it's maint. history. But, that's just my $0.02.

  10. Posted · Report reply

    There's some things I don't stamp, but for the majority of things...if I make it, it gets my stamp. The few places where I've sold my products (and one more than most) have all been happy to have my stamp on the items. Even if you don't put your maker's mark on it, I'd do something sneaky like write your name between the layers of the holsters. And get a signed waiver that releases you of any liability. If he doesn't want your mark on them, then he doesn't get ANY warranty on the goods, and they are non-returnable. And what the heck, since it's just as likely that YOUR holsters might get used as patterns for some other maker.....add a surcharge.

  12. Posted · Report reply

    Welcome to the best site on the internet! You'll find that the majority of people here are more than happy to help, but it may take a few days before they see it.

    I'm going to move this topic down to Leather Sewing machines so that the resident experts will more readily see it. Good luck with your stitcher.

  15. Posted · Report reply

    The inverse pricking iron has tines that are reveresed from the standard..OR as David wrote in the first post, you won't get slanted stitches. That's because if you punch both sides with the same pricking iron, the slots will for an ' X ' instead of a ' / ' when the pieces are put together. To get the same angle all the way through, the front and back stitch holes have to be mirrored.

  20. Posted · Report reply

    It might be the solvent in the neat-lac that's causing the problems....or maybe it's the application method. If you're having to "wipe off the excess", you're applying too much at once. Try applying with a little on some sheepskin, and working it into the leather in a light circular pattern. If there's enough to drip from the wool, it's too much. And yes, it should be worked in, not just applied to the surface. One thing you might try is after letting it dry, lightly mist with water then buff until it develops a shine. In doing so, you're removing any loose particles, and also putting a light burnish over the surface. As the NL penetrates and starts to dry, it will develop a glossier finish over 'pre-glossed' leather than unburnished leather.

  22. Posted · Report reply

    Lobo's post reminded me of something that needs to be mentioned for the sake of our new holster builders.
    What IS retention??? Retention is simply the holster's ability to keep the pistol or revolver in the same place, despite all influences except the user's draw. So, how do you do it? There are two methods, but they interact with each other and both use the same force: friction.

    The first is having a closely molded holster both limits movement and increases the surface area of the leather in contact with the gun. Limiting the movement reduces wear on the gun AND the holster, so it lasts longer and performs the way it's supposed to. The additional friction from a closely molded holster prevents the gun from working it's way out of the holster when the wearer is moving. It should be noted that while molding the leather, it IS possible to get it TOO close. One of our members was molding a holster to a pistol with a light rail, and when assembled he couldn't draw the gun from the holster. The leather and the cutouts on the light rail acted like a zipper.

    There is also the method which uses ONLY friction, not closely molded lines. There's an excellent example of that here in the forums in a cowboy holster tutorial by Jim. His method uses just the friction of the holster squeezing back against the barrel, cyliner, and frame. The result is a holster that holds tightly but releases with a quick tug.

    Either way, the keys are how well the hoslter holds onto the gun, and how well it releases the gun when the user draws. Do a lot of experiments with your holster designs, and test, test, test. This is one area where "oops" isn't allowed.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    If you have a round knife, you can use that. A "skiving" knife is just one that makes it easier to keep the blade at a constant acute angle to the edge of the leather. Safety skivers do it by having a uniform radius holding the blade, so no matter where you are on the curve, it's the same. Other knives are at certain angles, have certain grinds.....gobbledygook. Work on keeping whatever knife you have at a constant angle while you slice the corner off the leather. If you need to go "feather thin", you'll need shallower angles over a longer taper. If it's going to be a LOT of production, then you should look at a motorized knife like a bell skiver.

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