TwinOaks

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.

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.

quick search: http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/chicago-screw-sex-bolt_1223427465.html?s=p will continue the search http://www.ampg.com/ultra-low-profile-socket-head-bolts-in-beautiful-type/

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.

very cool, and I'm surprised that the acrylic is holding up as well as it is.

Nice work! But you weren't holding your tongue just right....you should make a couple more.

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.

Thanks Ray, I'll get in contact with them and see if they know of a more local group. If not....I might be in for a drive

Thank you!

thanks for the update, good to hraer that it works so well

Get two part zippers....that just makes life easier. When you choose your padding/lining try to go with a fabric instead of wool; it's cheaper and doesn't get caught in the zipper. I like to sew the zipper to leather straps, then the straps to the case instead of straight to the case...it makes a small gusset, which gives more space inside the case.

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.

Another option is to make the sides longer than the front and have 'ears' that fold in

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.

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.

You should also look for the little box to click that says "add to post"

either connect the loop, or stitch through it. Or glue it in with good contact cement, then stitch through it. Or melt the end and smash it flat so there's an attached 'spade' on the end....and stitch through the flats. ETA: Looks like Camano posted while I was typing...oops.

Since suede can't be edged, you can do one of the following: Wrap the suede around the edge of the belt, or take the suede to the edge, and just edge the belt and let the dye try to 'hide' the suede edge, or stop the suede just a skosh short of the edge and either sand or skive it down to nothing where it meets the back of the belt, or bind the edge with something like pig skin. I'm sure there are other options, but those are the ones that come to mind.

I've been finishing off lock stitches with saddle stitching for several years now....nothing wrong with it, and I really like the results since I can put a "half stitch" in as the last stitch and have both thread ends on the same side (usually the back).

Do you mind if I try that pattern?

If you don't mind, I think I'm going to be trying this idea. It's an elegantly simple solution. One thing that I've found, though, is that not all letters are evenly spaced from the edge of the stamp...does this jig address that?

That's a very nice design for the holster. And, the difference between the two is an outstanding example of why it's always a good idea to test your dyes on a scrap of leather from each hide.

I'm with Camano....If what you are after is what's in the picture, but with a D ring, just wrap a tab around the D ring. There's no special sewing technique to it. Glue in place to hold until you get the holes punched. If you're trying to do it with loop, maybe make two sections of stitching so the rope has a little channel to sit in between the stitches. If you went with rivets, it'd just be one rivet close to the D, a space, then another rivet close to the end of a tab....just like on a belt. You'd just have rope between the two rivets instead of a belt keeper.

Oh....you meant a Welt. I thought you were asking about a liner. Carry on.

Nargil, you might also look at some 'household products' to use in place of the "leather" products. Acrylic floor wax under the name "Mop-n-glo" can be used as a finish...it just needs an extra day or two to get rid of the smell.