TwinOaks

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.

I agree completely about the edges. Read this tutorial for info on first class edges.

Water generally will not cause a lot of bleeding with an alcohol based dye once it's set. You should buff it really well to remove all the surface particles. For the molding, you don't have to soak the leather, just dampen it and allow it to sit a while so the moisture evenly distributes through the entire piece...this is called 'casing'. You also do not have to soak the entire holster. Use a spray bottle to dampen only the portions that will be molded....and you could even spray the inside of the holster and let it soak through. If you're still concerned about it, once you dye your thread, you could always wax it which should keep any runs out of it.......incidentally, you are using linen, right? YMMV, but when I make a holster, the thread really only serves the purpose of keeping some nice neat lines and keeping the edge from fraying/peeling after a lot of use. I glue my holsters like I don't want them to ever come apart....and so far, none have.

I really like the look of the linen thread (waxed), and even though I have a stitcher now, I'll still hand sew some items.

Dear Customer, I am sorry to inform you that the saddle you asked me to repair appears to be beyond reasonable repair. As you know, almost all hard use items reach a point at which replacement is the best option, and this appears to be the case with your saddle. After a detailed inspection, there is ample evidence that the leather, hardware, and critical components have worn to the point that safety is a concern, and I must advise you to stop using this saddle. I can, at your discretion, arrange for return shipping or disposal of the saddle. I can also provide reference to a saddle maker that may be able to use the saddle for a pattern to build a replacement. Please let me know how you'd like me to proceed. Thank you, YOUR NAME Of course, if the local saddle repairer doesn't build saddles, leave out that last part. This kind of message tells the customer all they need to know, and gives the option to be rid of it or to retain it- you never know, maybe it was Grandpa's saddle and holds special memories. If they tell you to get rid of it, then you can do some experiments, and maybe perform an autopsy on it to learn a little more about saddle making.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=19888&st=0&p=128727&hl=minwax&fromsearch=1entry128727 I've also used one color recently on a sheath, and will certainly be using it again. A little more conditioning may be needed, but YMMV.

Yep, it's easy to get wrapped up in the big picture and not notice the little things. I know we all try to stay busy, but sometimes you gotta just stop and take a few minutes to look at something.

Dick, that's a superb job on the holster.....but you have my sympathies for having such an ugly....UGLY gun. I think you do a lot here, so I'll do you a favor and dispose of it for you, and free you from any further ridicule about the ugliness of that 1911. My shipping address is........

I just use a rubberized "poundo" mat I got from Tandy. I use it under my stamping stone as well to dampen the sound. Never any problems with a rubber mat dulling a tool. I don't have to worry about handling a lot of lead with it either. To help keep them sharp, chuck them up in a drill and slowly 'turn' them against your strop.

Since you're basically sewing a 30-60-90 triangle, your angled stitch should be twice the length of the loop's width. But that leaves you trying to make the vertical stitch a multiple of √3. Kinda hard to do when the sewing machine is set to SPI, huh? So, here's how to "nudge" the last stitch of the diagonal: Stop a stitch sooner, lift the needle and foot, move the leather, check the needle placement, adjust, drop the needle and foot back down, and start stitching again. You'll need to mark the location of the top of the loop and where you want to have the stitch, something like a little dot pressed in the leather with a modeling tool. Nudging the last stitch will result in a stitch that's either a little longer, or a little shorter than the rest of the stitches in the diagonal stitch, but since it'll be hidden under the loop, it won't matter much. The only way to make it so that no nudging is needed is to set the machine to stitch at an SPI where the numbers work out 'just so', and that would be a little difficult. It'd also require setting the strap width to match the magical stitch length. So why does the stitch end up in the wrong place????? When you set the machine to sew at a specific SPI, it will, provided you're sewing a consistent thickness. When you sew the loop, you're sewing 2 layers; on the diagonal you're only sewing one so the stitch length may 'stretch out' a little bit. A brief reminder of the formula is A2+B2=C2, where A is the short side, B is the long side, and C is the hypotenuse. Carpenters use this to check 'squareness' of a frame by measuring 3 inches on one side, 4 inches on the other, and the diagonal between them better be 5 inches...32(9) + 42(16) = 25...or...52. See, all that math gets confusing....just lift the needle and foot, and move the leather to the right spot.

It might be sun dyed....or tanned. Leather will get a tan just like your skin, and a really beautiful color can be achieved by simply oiling the piece and letting it sit in the sun for a couple of hours. You still need to seal it afterward, but one of my daily carry knife pouches is nothing but a little oil, a lot of sun, and quite a bit of sweat. It almost matches the "british tan" dye I put on my multitool case.

Here's a link to the sheath making process as described:Ragweed forge sheath making I think that will fairly well explain it.

check out the suppliers at the top of the page. If they were sub-par, there'd be plenty of discussion about it. These suppliers have earned the trust of our community. My personal experience is with Springfield, and is second to none. Good prices, and very quick service. The leather is exactly as it was described.

What about a brass brush? That way it'll pull up the fibers without cutting too many of them. Then again, if it's worn smooth, sanding might be the better option.

Welcome Patty. You'll find that Leatherworker.net is a wonderful place, and we'll be happy to help you with your addictionhobby

You can look at our various websites to see our base prices, but I have a feeling that at $40, the guy doing the buying is getting them while the getting is good. At that price, I don't blame him, and if you are happy with the money, then it's all good.

Hi Ellen, Have you considered using a table that folds out from the wall? It's a great way to save space because you can simply put the table away after using it. For your leather concerns, I suggest contacting Springfield Leather (see ad banners) for your leather needs. They are the only supplier I personally know of that will cut leather per your request. That saves you space and money (though there might be a small fee for the cutting- I don't know), in that you won't have whole sides needing storage. You can call them and tell them what you're looking for and from my limited experience, they are great to work with. I have NOT seen any negative comments on their service. For setting up multiple stages of production, the easy answer is to get a couple of cheap table cloths. Simply cover the table with the appropriate cloth for dyeing/staining/glueing, etc. That reduces the number of physical work stations you need. For waste leather (is there really such a thing!?!?!?) make some flesh side out ( aka rough-out) pieces that don't rely on the appearance of the grain. I ordered a double shoulder of leather from Springfield at a fantastic price, but the stipulation was "These hides have some grain damage". That was certainly the case, as there are scratches and cuts all over the grain side. But, I'm happy with it because I got a LOT of leather for a very little $$, and I fully intend to use that leather in ways that the scratches won't matter. Welt material is one of those uses. Making 'rough-out' IWB holsters is another. The grain simply won't be seen, so why pay a premium for a clean grain that doesn't matter? What about decorative inlays? Do you have pieces suitable for that? Do you have dye test pieces? Do you mix dyes for custom colors? Make up color tabs and write the recipe on the back of the piece, then punch a hole and hang them all together on a ring or bead chain......instant color swatch book. Thinking outside the box helps a lot, and as long as you can find something to do with it, it really doesn't count as waste leather.

Set up some kind of fume hood leading to a filter w/ activated charcoal. It doesn't need to be all that large, but should have a decent amount of air flow (CFM rating). Something like a bathroom exhaust fan should be plenty as long as you have a good filter on it, and it's relatively quiet. You don't necessarily have to exhaust to the outside either....just have a filter to capture the VOCs and recirculate back to the room.

My thoughts exactly, Reaper. I hate to be the negative voice here, but you really do need to ask him about it. If by chance he's reselling your product as YOUR product, and making a little more on it, no big deal, it's called enterprise. But, what if he's changing a little something and selling it as his own? Maybe obliterating your maker's mark? Or worse, claiming it as his own work? How about if he's taking the credit for your work, makes a questionable change to the holster, leaves your maker's mark in place and somebody gets hurt because of it? Guess who's getting sued. OR, since he's asking for holsters for a lot of different types of guns, could he be getting you to do the research and design phase to develop the holsters, then sending them to a sweat shop to be knocked off? If nothing else, I would have to ask him why, and if he won't tell you, then refuse any more business with him. If it's all legit, and he just has that many guns...offer more customization for a small premium, and a direct contract for production. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR MORE MONEY FOR YOUR PRODUCT. The true value of your work is NOT what you think it's worth, it's how much money a person is willing to pay for it. I think it was John Henry (Johanna's late hubby) that said the right price for an item is when the customer gets a pained look on their face, but still pulls out their money. A perfect personal example: A few months ago, I built a left hand paddle holster for a model 29 S&W and a matching stock wrap for a shotgun. The customer finally came in and picked up the items after being on the road working for 4 months. Two days later, my friend at the gun store called me to ask if $100 was enough for making another stock wrap, because that's what he quoted the customer. I was a bit shocked. I was thinking somewhere in the $50-$60 range. He quoted $100 and the customer jumped at the opportunity. I'm happy to build a stock wrap for $100!!!!! If you have someone selling your products for you (guy in the gun store) that knows the customers better.....LET them set prices. Why did I wander so far with the example? Well, if the person buying multiple holsters from you really likes them that much, he's probably just happy as a lark to get them for the price he's paying. See if he'll go for a little more money for a little more customization on HIS holsters, and buy directly. Either way, as the maker, you need to know what's going on with your product.

Not a problem. The easy way to do it is to carve and tool the piece, then antique/highlight as normal. Then apply a wash (very thin mix) of white acrylic paint one thin layer at a time with either a dry brush method or block dying method. For the block dyeing method, you are essentially silk screening over a piece so that only the non-tooled/ non-compressed areas get touched by the color. Be sure to clean the leather very well before application, and the acrylic should stick. The use of acrylics on leather should be done on pieces that will receive only limited flexion. Seal with an acrylic sealer like Resolene, and you may find a sprayed application easiest for good coverage with little chance of wiping off the wash.

Use chrome tanned leather.

When you say 'all you have available is from Tandy', I think you may be overlooking some really important sources. Home Depot, Lowe's, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and even Walmart have things you can use on leather. They aren't advertised as such, but they still work. I used Minwax wood stain on a sheath recently with outstanding results- better than I could have imagined. I used a can of Deft spray lacquer (wood finish) to seal it. To me, the stuff smells EXACTLY like Neat-lac, but it penetrates and dries a little quicker. Hobby Lobby and Michael's sell liquid latex you can apply for masking. (there's a tutorial on here about that, too.) For coloring and finishing the piece, don't use the all-in-one. Scott is on the right track with his recommendations; to get the best results, you'll need a multi-stage finishing project. An airbrush is a great way to get even coverage and a fade, but for some things, you'll want to resort to a fine brush. For all the backgrounded area, use a spirit dye and carefully 'paint' in the dye around the piece. In the broader areas, you can touch a fully loaded brush to the leather and let the dye run out to the leather. If you decide to spray, you'll definitely want to add a resist to protect your colors, and work in layers. Don't be afraid to experiment....just do the experiments on scrap/practice pieces. Also, don't expect to do all the finishing in one step. I've ruined several (hey, I'm stubborn) pieces because I wouldn't set it down and let something dry. Don't expect edge finishing to be a one step process either; sand, edge, slick, burnish, dye, reburnish, and seal (Just like Bob Park's tutorial!!) works so much better than the edgecote dye I tried once. Like I said, multi-stage will give the best results, and just try to have a little patience. P.S. If you use a lacquer finish, remember that you need to rub it into the leather, not just spray it on. Spraying it on will likely result in puddling, and flaking of the lacquer. Spray onto a rag or sheepskin scrap, then rub in. If you use dyes for coloring, you'll need to buff the dyed area to remove leftover pigment (what causes rub-off) before rubbing in ANY finish, otherwise you'll get some colored swirls that'll make you pull out your eyebrows in frustration.

Depending on the size of the holes you want and the thickness of the leather you'll be using, you could also try this. The only downside to it and the rotary hole punchers is that you're limited to the edges of the piece. If you want to move into the center of the piece of leather, I suggest finding the most common sizes you'll need/use and buying the appropriate single hole punches. They produce much better results than the rotary cutters, IMO. Also, if you decide to go with a 'rotary punch', go ahead and spend more up front to get a better tool. The really cheap versions don't always line up just right, and I have bent the handles on mine from trying to get a hole when the punch didn't line up ' just so' with the anvil. The spring punch linked above should be fine for smaller holes. If you're worried about punching a lot of holes w/ a mallet and single punch, you could always just chuck it up in a drill press, add a cutting mat, and use the drill press as a hole punching press....(not running). Yes, you could even drill the holes, but most of the time, a drilled hole doesn't look very good. A punched hole will squeeze back together just a bit, tightening up to what ever is in it and looking much better.

I guess I should have been more specific: a few light coats of oil and check it. The oil will need at least a day to distribute through the leather. I absolutely agree with Ann, don't just keep adding oil, an d even if you do add oil, do so sparingly. Since you have the oil on hand, you could use it an a test area to see if the leather is salvageable.

I've been using that method as well. I get around the imprint of the air channels (ridges) buy placing another piece of smooth plastic in the bag between them and the leather. I've also found that I get great results if I do most of the deep/sharp molding through the plastic while the leather is still really moist (and preferably still sealed). I can chase the lines down very well WITHOUT BURNISHING the leather while doing it. Every time I've tried to get really deep/sharp lines when working directly on the leather, I've ended up with slight burnishing from the friction. After molding, I set the mold in an oven, then dry with forced air, or overnight.