TwinOaks

Those look like an extrapolation of a belt edge painter....same style set up with an extra pulley installed (and extra length belt) to give a working face that doesn't require feeding the piece into a machine. Of course, the edging is probably altered a bit too to a slightly higher viscosity / more surface tension than standard edge dressing to keep it on the belt AND prevent it from slinging off as it rounds the pulley. Lastly, keep in mind that the set up like that really isn't needed for smaller shops.....unless you're planning on producing hundreds of bags per day.

Agreed 100%. I often take the 'scraps' from projects and cut welt strips from them. Tip: Cut your welts larger than you think you'll need so you can trim the edge down evenly. Nothing ruins a nice edge like a gap where the welt is.

Appreciate that casemaker, but the intent of this thread is to see if there's enough of a market for SLC to carry the 1/8th inch.

ANY of the kydex can be bent until broken, but the 1/8th inch should be quite a bit more resilient than the .093. My personal experience is that the .093 belt clips can be flexed enough to make a "hinge" point....kind of like flexing mild steel back and forth to make it weaker and eventually break. When I make belt clips with the .093, I make the "top" of the clip by forming over a ~1/4" thick jig, That gives a pretty substantial gap at the back, and they can be opened to 3/8ths" repeatedly with no issues. Out of 40-ish clips I've made this way, I've had one break. Then another piece (internal trigger guard catch) built differently also broke, but it's because the user was using a different gun in the holster than what it was designed for. The 1/8th inch thickness is more or less the industry standard for most tactical gear made of Kydex......Fobus holsters are 1/8th inch material. On the size you want.....It is sold by the square foot (pricing expected to be as above), BUT you can order it how you want it. Rusty at SLC actually cuts the 1x1 pieces from a 4x8 sheet, so you could order up to an 8' piece, as wide as you want, up to 4'.....or even a whole sheet (32 sq. feet).

Call and speak with the folks at Springfield and also your nearest Tandy. A couple of years ago I picked up a side of leather that is absolutely identical to "Coach" leather from Tandy. I purchased it as an 'odd lot'. Some of the retailers will buy remnants/unused pieces from other companies and resell it in the odd-lot packs. Given my experience with SLC, they'd probably look for it for you.

You are most welcome! I get most of my materials from SLC, and I like having a "one-stop-shop". My problem was that I really don't like the idea of paying close to $10 per sq. ft. for it. So, a toll free call to SLC later...here we are!

Barbed, you can see the real deal at Leatherwranglers.com. JDM, You did a good job with the tools you have, and I hate to rain on the parade, but here's some things you might want to know about: Circular saw blades are often made with L6 steel. L6 is not a BAD metal to work with but it is somewhat limited for knives. I've noticed that it tends to rust quite easily. Also, circle saw blades may be too thick to effectively cut leather the way you want. I just checked my head knife and while the tang of the blade is pretty close to 1.5mm (or really dang close to 1/16th") it has a distal taper to ~.5mm, (or 3/128ths....a hair thicker than 1/64th") at the edge before the final blade bevel. To get your blade thinned down enough to sharpen....or to sharpen to the proper angle....it would've been better to do your grinding/sanding while the blade was annealed. If you need to do it now that your hardened blade, keep in mind that you'll need to keep it below critical temperature. Use hand tools, or if you use a power sander, keep bare fingers on the back of the blade to monitor the temp. If it's too hot to touch, it needs to be cooled before further work. I do this when I make stamps from bolts, and just keep a glass jar of cold water handy for dunking.

Typically, when I use t-nuts, I bury them between two layers of leather to provide a solid leather back on the holster...whether rough out, or smooth. So, the way I construct them, no the straps can't be moved from one side to the other. Besides, if you have a sweat shield on the holster, that can't normally be relocated....though I guess you could build it as modularly as you want.

One of our retired members who has hung up his swivel knife had one and tried to use it for purses and handbags. It was up for sale a few months later and he went to an industrial head set up for leather. If you're planning on making one or two, the Sailrite might work for you, but like other posts have said: You'll be better off getting a machine set up for sewing leather.

Thread a 3" long screw in from the back and set it to the depth I'll need....then it's off to the belt sander. Take it right to the surface of the screw, taking care to keep it squared. Then, when done, turn the screw out past the sanded area to straighten the threads. Remove the screw, and install the t-nut. Incidentally, I do use 8/32 from time to time. I like the 6/32 because I can use a 6/32 machine screw and it sets nicely inside a line 24 snap without any modifications.

UPDATE: The price per piece for 1/8th inch Kydex T will be $6.75 / ft......if there's enough of a demand for it. By comparison, that's $2.50 cheaper per sheet than knifekits (dot) com. If you're a member of any other forums please let them know about it.

Get enough contact cement fumes going, and there's NO PROBLEM with creativity.....getting it on the leather may be an issue, but you can see all kinds of cool stuff.

6/32

Still getting info from SLC, and will post the prices when I get them. Right now, they've got a quote for the Kydex 100 which is higher impact rated, and we're waiting on the quote for the Kydex T (which is the more common type). The Kydex currently available through SLC is either .06" or .093". I've used the .093 and seen some breakage on 'C' clips and 'J' clips from hinging at the top of the clip...hence my interest in thicker material. Here's the link to SLC showing what they currently stock: http://springfieldleather.com/22548/Kydex-T%2CCalcutta%2C.06%2C1%27x1%27/

Still haven't decided on February yet...but I'm working on an idea. Just trying to get caught up with all the stuff I've got going on right now, too! It's just the way it goes, I guess....dry spell followed by being absolutely swamped with orders stacked up (both leather AND the day job). If you have an idea for a challenge, by all means post it! I'm not the only one who can do this. I do need to put together a little pictorial to show how I used the swivel knife to lift the feathers.....I'll try to take care of that tonight.

I have been looking for .125" kydex for my holster/sheath clips and Springfield Leather CAN get it.....but they need to order a minimum quantity. I'm discussing this with Rusty at SLC, and decided to ask our members if they're interested. Pricing info will be posted as it becomes available. If there is enough of a market to justify it, SLC could carry it. So....are you interested, and how much might you realistically purchase at a time?

Look up "Keith Valley Saddlery" on Youtube to see a demo of antiquing. Follow Aaron's method...but I like an additional coat of neatlac when done. As far as keeping it off the rest of the piece....If you have resisted correctly, there will be no transfer. You could also opt for applying with a q-tip to keep the coverage to a minimum. ....wait a sec....are you using antique gel, or antique paste? The paste works very much better IMO.

Best of my knowledge, it's a coating over nylon, so treat as nylon. I'd say burn the holes rather than cut them, and use a round point needle for sewing.

There was a post here, not long ago, that detailed how to lay out mag pouches for double stack magazines. Because of the taper on the mags, it's necessary to lay them out a little wider at the mouth to accommodate the different amount of stretch at the top vs. the bottom of the holster.

Yep, what Busted said.......except I opt for a using a very small spout on the bottle of oil. My preference is RemOil, which is marketed for firearms, because it carries a bit of Teflon with it.

If it's set up for a looong time, there's a possibility that the cable has rusted inside the sheathing. Back off your presser foot tension a LOT and re-try the lift handle. If it moves freely, then it should be 'okay'. If it's still stiff, plan on oiling the cable. DO check the point where the cable inserts into the arm. Make sure that connection isn't torqued down too tight, as it will cause the cable to bind a bit....in other words, you've got a 12 inch cable in an 11 inch sheath. Back that out if needed. If a little lubrication doesn't free things up, plan on shipping it to Tippmann for a refurb. They're pretty reasonable on their rates and you'll get it back knowing it's all done correctly. On the thread take up lever- it SHOULD move up and down. When you push the handle all the way 'up', you should not be able to push the thread take up arm 'down'. If you can press it down, or there's no up/down movement, there's a screw loose on the inside of the machine. Take a few minutes to read the thread by Particle where he asks to see the backsides of pieces sewn on a Boss. There's a ton of good info in that thread.

Can you provide a link? I've not heard the term, and would like to read all the post to see if offers some context.

It's 70F here today. But then, y'all probably don't deal with 100+F summers either.

The only different tool I use from the above method is to use a stiff bladed putty knife that I sharpened for cutting the slots. Like Particle said, wood chisels can stretch the leather due to their thickness, but the putty knife is very thin in comparison. If you play 'connect the holes' to make your slots, be sure to start the cuts at the holes. Cut away from the holes, never into them. If you're off a teensy bit, it's easy to hide it in the cut, but much more difficult if you get off line and cut the leather outside of the hole on the end. This especially true if you're connecting the holes with a razor instead of a chisel. One slip with a razor and you end up slicing the top/bottom of the hole when the blade over runs the slice.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net! Be very careful about getting started working with or repairing leather.....it gets addicting! We're glad to have you with us, and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.