TwinOaks

The snap removal part is pretty easy. You'll need a drill bit just a little larger than the post of the snap, a 1/4 inch bit should do fine. Go to the inside of the snap and you'll see where the post is peened over, or mushroomed. Use the drill to slowly cut off the peened portion of the post, very similar to drilling out a rivet, and the rest of the snap should easily separate.

It sounds like it might be somebody's attempt at homemade DOT snap......but, does it look as good as the real thing? I'm pretty sure that a lot of folks could rigengineer something like that, but at what cost? Is it worth saving a few bucks to have your products look like a half baked butcher job? Personally, I'd rather use the real thing and have my work known for craftsmanship and appearance, than be known to be clever yet cheap.

Chrome tanned leather is used in a LOT of things, and about the only things you shouldn't use it on is holsters, sheathes, or anything that'll be in contact with oxidizable (rustable) metal. The reason is that chrome tanned leather is made using chromium salts. Those salts are still present in small amounts even in the finished product and can damage the finish on metal. So, for something like a very nice pistol, or a custom knife, it'd be a bad thing to have a holster or sheath that eats the metal. Also, chrome tanned leather does not mold, carve, stamp, etc. as well. For something like a jacket or a purse, that's okay. It isn't unusual to see a nice piece of veg tan with a beautiful carving sewn onto chrome tan in the case of a purse.

GrandpaJoel, the little stand alone piece is intended to be a reinforcing tab. It's purpose is to prevent the holster from closing when the gun is drawn, thereby facilitating re-holstering. As it is positioned in the photos, I don't think there's enough of the tab wrapped around the top of the pistol to provide the support/resistance that prevents the closure of the holster.

Nice classy looking rig! Acrylic finish?

I airbrush my dyes too. I picked up the $10 dollar version from Harbor Freight . If you have any craft stores near you, you can check them for airbrushes, but be prepared to spend quite a bit more....somewhere in the $150 range. You'll also need an air source. If you don't already have a compressor, you can get those pretty affordably at Harbor Freight, too.

Ray, I'm continually both amazed and confounded by the questions you generate. But, I can appreciate your interest in leather history......heck, you've been around for most of it, right? http://www.ehow.com/about_4620962_what-rabbit-skin-glue.html My Google-Fu is strong today, and there are apparently even some videos on how to make Rabbit Skin Glue. Short version- Let a rabbit skin swell in water, then melt in a double boiler, being careful not to actually boil. Apply hot. Seems like Rabbit glue is used for all kinds of things from sizing painters canvas to ..........binding books.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net! The holsters look good, but IMO, the belt loop holes are a bit large. At that size they can allow movement of the holster independent of the belt. Also, on the reinforcement pad, it needs to wrap around the top of the gun more to provide better resistance to closing. A little bit tighter molding will help with retention, but since you don't mention what weight leather you used, it's hard to say just how much was possible. With 6-7oz, you could get a lot more, but if you made that out of 12oz, it may be all you could get.

....Get a piece of plexiglass, aluminum, steel, old cake pan,(anything thin but rigid) and place it between the gun and the back panel when you do your molding. That will let you do the majority of it without bowing the back piece. Then remove (unless it's really thin) and do the final molding for retention. I have a piece of 1/16th inch SS I use for this. After removing the 'shim' it's just a tiny bit more molding to have everything where I want it.

I think I read it on here that to have it evenly spaced, you need to divide the circumference by the number of strands to get the strand width. In this case, 3/16ths x PI (I simplified to '3' to get the circumference) divided by 8 (the number of strands you want), = a little over 1/16th of an inch....or about 3/32.....like Rgerbitz said. I just wanted to mention the 'formula' for finding the strand width.

Before I join yet another site for a small bit of info....... Do they still have the requirement for the deflector/shield (away from the leg) at the muzzle end of the holster?

....and I hear that Ren Faires are just ordinary people getting together to have a good time....... Welcome to LW.net! You did good by including a pic; we like it when new members read the rules . And no, I didn't vote either. I don't drink, so I don't need that excuse, and I've only been to one faire, and it was only to visit friends after it had closed for the day. They were all drunk and bumping into ME. As for the ZA....I have other plans, like figuring out a way to tan zombies. I figure it'll be hard to get cow hides, and there'd be less shipping involved. Besides, metal makes better armor. Preferably about a ton and a half of self propelled armor.

Search for " leather corset", I believe 'cambriolle' (sp?) leather was recommended as a liner due to it's softness.....and you are right, you DO NOT want it chaffing her.

I generally don't kill them offhand, but I have on occasion done the 'spider dance' and screamed like a little girl when one shows up in an unexpected place......like the collar of my housecoat.

Very neatly done! Good choice of the 'roon for the coloring. As long as you got a good thorough application, it should be black through and through- That means that rock nicks and rain won't really bother it. If at some point in the future it needs some touch up, a blow dryer will heat it well enough to make conditioners soak right in.

Depending on the application, a lot of the time I use clothes pins- the spring variety. I suppose there's also a bit of importance on the type glue you use as well. I use the weldwood contact cement on most things. I clip them on a coat hanger, and just hang it somewhere out of the way.

The execution of the design is very good, but I'm left wondering about keeping the spare mag on the same side as the weapon. It seems it'd be a bit difficult to access, depending on where the pistol sits. Other than that, fit and finish look great.

When you run out of Neat-lac, check out Deft spray lacquer from Lowes/HomeDepot. I read about it in a post (somewhere on here) and figured....why not? The stuff smells and acts a lot like neatlac....maybe a little faster drying.

Fantastic work like this serves as an inspiration to LOTS of people.

Question: Are you applying to the leather and then trying to spread it, or applying to the pad and rubbing it on? I had all kinds of trouble trying to spray on neat-lac and then rub in, then I started spraying in a small steel cup or spraying directly on a rag then applying to the leather. Works much better if it's already on your rag/pad because you're rubbing it ON instead of AROUND.

Looks good, Mike. I think you'll find that as your batch ages, it will lose a lot of its odor.

Most of the spirit dyes are alcohol based and penetrate the leather very well. Oil dyes penetrate well also. Acrylic paints can also be used, as long as they are layered on. AFAIK, any finish is 'safe' for contact with skin, although if acrylic paints are used, an acrylic finish should be used to seal the paint. Airbrushing the medium, whether thinned paint, or spirit dye is the easiest way to get an even finish, especially if the thickness of the finish is a consideration.

If you don't have a graphics program, you can download IRFANVIEW for free and it can do the resizing for you; 800x600 works well. If the speed is still an issue for the upload to the forum, can you email the picture with your dial up speeds? If so, I'll be glad to post it here for you. Email is DMDeLoachCustomLeather a t gmail d o t com.