TwinOaks

The resolene and super sheen WILL act as a resist, but I think using the lacquer resist works better. When I've tried it with the acrylic finishes, it seemed to pick up more out of the crevices than with the lacquer. For a really fantastic tutorial on using antique paste, check out this video:

An awl, two needles, and a spool of thread is about as small as you can get. :D For a powered machine, you might need to expand your budget a bit....hopefully Bob can help you out.

What K said!!! You'll be several hundred dollars into that Kindle cover by the time you're done.....but it's worth it. I'm not in the panhandle, but I AM just across the state line...and the bay...in Mobile.

If you're soaking that long, you are running the chance of damaging the leather. Give your brew some time to mature - two - three weeks outta do. You're smelling mostly vinegar, and as the brew matures, the vinegar gets 'used up'. I can smell mine, but only if I stick my nose in the jar.....but it's several months old, too. YMMV.

Thanks for the update, I need to go re-check the regs, then.

In case the idea has popped into anyone's head, getting an FFL to aide in getting guns is not that easy. AFAIK, current FFL regulations require that you have a brick and mortar store front.....plus, it's a good bit of money. Something that IS a good idea for holster makers is to get in good with your local gun store. It can provide you access to gun models for patterns AND it gives the store owner access to a custom holster maker.....which can build a good bit of business for both of you. I took the latter route, and besides holsters for my friend that owns the store, I get orders for guns that he sells. Tonight he called and informed me that I had 3 orders waiting for pick up.

I pulled the pic for you.

What you are getting is wash-out. When the acetic acid reacts with the tannins, some of the tannins are pushed out of the leather by the water portion of the vinegar. With the soak in baking soda, you're adding MORE water. Instead of soaking in baking soda, just give it a quick rinse. I rinse with just tap water to avoid over neutralizing the leather, which should have a slightly acidic pH. After the rinse cycle, let the leather dry a bit, then oil it. After some discussion in the various threads, I'm of the opinion that lightly dampening the leather before adding the vinegaroon helps to open the pores better. When I use 'roon, instead of soaking it, I use a quick dip or I brush it on. If the brew leaves the leather a dark gray color as it dries, oil the leather or use a conditioner like Aussie and REALLY rub it in.....you're literally pushing some of the oils and tallows back into the leather.

Save drawing and just print out a bunch of capital 'K' and lower case 's' letters in a font you like. If you have a simple graphics program, you can pretty easily mirror the K's. Once you have them printed, cut them out and stick them to another sheet to get your layout just right. When you've done that and have everything like you like it, photo copy it and there's your pattern. Grab an internet image of a basketweave and print it. That way you can position the BW at varying angles to see which way you like best. It's really easy to scale the pattern this way, too.

Cobbler's nail puller for #2?

ummmm, yeah. You're offering to sell it for $20, but posted a picture for any and all to download.

Asking price?

Welcome to Leatherworker.net! We're always glad to see new members. Don't hesitate to ask questions if have any; we'll be glad to help where we can.

Don't worry about a rail, just tape a small block of wood or plastic (the right size) to the bottom of the regular blue gun. You shouldn't be molding the exact shape of the rail, just allowing for it's width/height. Mlapaglia molded an M&P and had severe holster lock because he molded tightly to the rail....after smoothing out the inside of the holster, the holster lock was solved. You can always go back after the initial fitting and press in some details with a modeling tool. That way, it LOOKS like it's molded to the rail, but the inside of the holster doesn't hang up on it.

12oz sounds like it would be plenty thick to support it, but I have to wonder about the belt holding the holster. Maybe a chance to add a gun belt to the order?

Forgot to add: It works very well. It won't pull a perfect vacuum (like a vacuum pump) but it WILL pull the leather down tight to the object you're molding. After that, it's time for the tools.

Treat the multiple layers as a single piece when doing the edge. Sand/cut the edge so that it's uniform, then begin slicking and burnishing it.

The food saver (and I guess most others) have a little catch tray in case moisture is pulled into the machine. If it's ever happened, it's been a drop or two. Then again, my leather isn't dripping wet either, it's fully cased.

I think you'll be 'okay' with that process as long as you let the oil dye dry completely before putting the acrylic on it, but keep in mind the acrylic paint will only be on the surface. Paint is not a dye and doesn't penetrate the leather the same way. Also, since the acrylic paint is water soluble, you're going to have to spray the resolene in multiple light coats to avoid dissolving it, which results in runs.

Molding leather, whether it is for a gun, knife, phone, or anything else is a process of stretching AND compressing the leather. As you know, dry leather may stretch a little, but not much. Wet leather will stretch very well, but may not hold the shape. CASED leather will stretch and hold the shape.....wet still stretches better though, and that's why you see discussions of "wet molding". Essentially, all you're doing is forming the leather to the object and there's a couple of ways to do it. Most people start out working only with their hands/fingers, and can get good results. When you start adding tools, the results get better because you can press harder and in smaller places. Some of the tools I use are my folder/creaser, modeling tools, and the handles of my other tools. For a holster: First, make sure you've left enough room in the layout to allow the leather to stretch. Then, insert the gun, stretching the leather as you go. Once you've got the gun reasonably snug in the holster, start pressing down on the leather to form it to the shape of the gun. I use the creaser/folder to follow the lines on the frame, the wooden tool handles to press close to the frame, modeling tools for small details. This part is where you start to see the details of the gun. Another way I've done it, which is much faster and easier, is to vacuum mold the holster. I put the gun in the holster, then put the whole thing in a bag, and use a food saver to pull a vacuum on it. Other holster makers use a press with rubber pads to press form the holster to the leather.

We have one for sale in our 'used' section!!!! http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=35387

Instead of trying to force the machine to short a stitch, mark off the correct spacing from the tip of the belt to somewhere on the straight edge. At that point, you KNOW you'll hit the tip of the belt with a stitch hole. Now, measure back from that point to find your starting place. If the starting place is in a bad spot, manually short a few stitches by a small amount to get to your starting point. It's better to shorten a few stitches by a little bit than to shorten one stitch to make the distance. Using Rayban's pic as an example, it's 6 stitches (7 holes) from the tip of the belt to the straight sections. Sewing at a common 6spi, you mark 7 holes from the tip to get to the straight side. Now, measure back along the belt - let's presume a 36 inch belt from end to end. That's 216 stitches per side (at 6spi). You simply measure back from the 7th hole to where you want the stitches to begin, and mark it. Do the same thing for the other end, but only measuring to the mark you just made (starting point). If they line up, that's good, but if they don't, you measure the gap between the two and divide by the number of stitches in which you want to 'hide' the shorted stitches. I usually try to hide a stitch length variance in 4 stitches, but no more than 6.

Call Wickett and Craig and ask about getting a hide that's split to the size you want.

That is correct, use the cheap tools to learn. Your deluxe kit should contain a few, so start with them. I wouldn't bother with the geometric stamps or the basket weaves unless you can personally look at the stamp in the store. For other tools: The Osborne awl (not the Tandy one with 3 tips) is a good all-around awl. It's a little large for common waxed linen thread, but it'll do. They're also cheap enough that if you break one in the learning process, you're not heart broken. Starting out, don't worry about a head knife. They're fantastic with thicker leather, but on thin stuff a razor knife or shears work just as well. Edger, groover, over stitch wheel, hole punches (no, not the one that looks like pliers) etc., the Tandy tools are 'okay' Modeling tools are pretty decent, and clean up nicely on a rouge pad. You can find a lot of tools in other places - wing divider, rulers, paint brushes, needles, other 'common' items can be obtained at better prices locally. The pattern packs and craft-aides are pretty handy while you learn how to make patterns. Tandy leather is good to learn on, but be aware that there is MUCH better leather available.....but at more cost. Pretty much, use the inexpensive tools and inexpensive leather to learn on, and when you're working at the limit of what they can do...upgrade. Digging around on this site, you'll probably find quite a few more topics like this one. One of the members was kind enough to make a stamp comparison between one of Tandy's and (I think) Barry King's geometric stamps. The difference is very easy to see. Note: Don't hit the Tandy stamps too hard, and keep the receipts for any Tandy tools you buy. There have been several cases of poor handle to head soldering, and the head can pop off, but I'm fairly certain Tandy will replace those.