dikman

Thanks Bobby, that's exactly what I wanted to know. Not having access to old original holsters is why I asked, as the photos obviously can't show how the leather actually performs. By the way, would these saddlers have had any type of stitching machines, or was it all done by hand? And what size thread would they have used relative to our sizing system? In the photos some of them look like they've been sewn with fairly fine thread (#138 ?).

My understanding is that Alibaba is primarily a source of items for business, and thus bulk sales, and they generally do not sell individual items. Aliexpress is the Chinese equivalent of ebay and they sell individual items there. Of course, they may be a bit dearer as a result. I've bought a few things (including three servos) via Aliexpress with no problems. As Matt said, though, you will basically be on your own with regards to adjusting, setting up and getting it working. If I decide I need a 441-type machine I probably would get one that way (due to the high cost of them here in Oz - not the sellers fault) BUT I'm prepared to accept that I'd likely have to do a bit of work on it. I recently bought a Chinese mini-metal lathe (here in Oz, fortunately) and virtually had to rebuild it as everything was loose!! Unfortunately the main controller board has died and, of course, they don't keep spares so I'm about to demand a complete refund. The basic machine is very good, it's just the lack of attention to detail that is the issue, but I tend to think that a sewing machine will probably be built a bit better. Back to main topic, the usual suspects (Singer 111/211 class, Seiko 8BD-type, Consew etc) should be more than adequate for your needs.

Thanks fredk, so the major difference between the old skirting and what I get is it's pre-dyed. That would account for the fact that most of the old leatherwork is all the same colour as I guess it would make life simpler for the saddlers. Is skirting a particular cut of the hide, or is it simply a term to denote how the hide is treated (which is what it sounds like to me)?

Pity we're not nearer, Brian, I'd be only too happy to help out. Sounds like some long days ahead for you.

I've finished the book (sob! I want to read more!) and have a couple of questions. He refers to the most common types of leather used as bridle and skirting. I gather that skirting is the heavier type but how does it relate to what we use today, as in what weight would the two types be? In most cases it appears that holsters were normally a single layer of leather (unlined) so would they have been fairly soft (by our standards, where we generally make rigid holsters)? The book cleared up a few mis-conceptions I had about the Mexican Loop holster, and I had a bit of a chuckle at some of the old posed photos.

Just you wait, sometime in the future someone will dig this thread up and ask you for the tension figures .

Youtube, of course, where else? Rocky, you should have weighed the hammers standing upright on the scales, that way gravity can act in line with the handle.

Chris, the only way to get good, controllable slow speed on an industrial machine is to fit a servo motor! I spent much time messing around with speed reducers, pulley sizes etc. on my first machine (51W59) trying to tame the clutch motor. When I finally bit the bullet and bought a servo I didn't hesitate with my other machines and just bought servos straight away. I also mess around with pulley reducers with the servo as it does help as well, but the servo is the only way to go (imo). The 331K4 I have is basically a straight stitch garment machine, the only reason I have it is that it was free, just needed a bit of work to get it going.

Ideally it needs to be 3D scanned to create the file, unfortunately that puts it beyond almost every hobbyist and I doubt if any company that has the equipment is likely to be bothered doing it.

That's ok, it was an idea I had already considered before, as the basic concept is quite sound. We here in Oz haven't gone to the extreme that the UK did in banning handguns - yet. It was considered but fortunately only resulted in severe restrictions on ownership. Of course, banning handguns immediately stopped criminals from using them too, didn't it? No need to reply, I think we all know the answer to that one! Due to the aforementioned restrictions 3D printing would be an ideal way for me to get suitable patterns for molding, unfortunately getting the 3D files is proving to be an almost insurmountable obstacle.

Chris, it may be cheaper where you are, but not where I live. I've dabbled in molding and casting for small models, using various molding silicons (including high temp for casting lead) and casting resins and I can assure you that in the quantities needed to cast for a revolver it's going to be expensive for me to do. Time is not the issue, but I doubt if I could recover my costs. It would certainly be quicker than 3D printing, however!

Gotta love youtube! Excellent video, short and to the point. Josh, I seem to be spending a lot of time thanking you lately .

Chris, biggest problem with that is you still need the original to make the mold. Making a gun-size mold and then casting with a suitable material won't be cheap either. A hobby 3D printer should be able to print a suitable gun in separate pieces and then glue and pin them together. In my (limited) experience the standard PLA material should work as it is surprisingly tough. The main issue, as Lobo pointed out, is getting the 3D files from somewhere. And they need to be fairly accurate.

Thanks mate, now it makes sense. Something else for me to make.

Josh, another quick question if you don't mine? In another post you mentioned when doing a serpentine stamping you cut first with a swivel knife and then use the knife to bevel the cut edge to act as a stamping guide - is that curved blade in the knife the bevel blade you were talking about?

I'm half-way through, fascinating stuff and exquisite photos!

Looks good to me. The good thing about making boolit loops is that there's no right or wrong way, it's whatever works for you.I made up some dummy rounds (filled the primer pockets with silicone just in case Mr. Plod sees them and has a coronary!) that I keep in the loops while drying in case of shrinkage.

As Gregg has mentioned, if the machine is being used at high speed then a balance wheel is just that, designed to ensure that nothing is out of balance while spinning. If you're using a servo and running at low speeds then balance is pretty much a non-issue, so any handwheel or pulley that will fit should be fine.

I was being a bit facetious, but you're quite right, of course, it would certainly help someone who is struggling to understand these beasties and is having problems. Could be worth a try, but it will rely on someone having one of these testers so they can provide the base-line figures - looks like it's going to be you .

Something fishy about that idea . They might not be sensitive enough, but could be worth a try I suppose. I tend to rely on calibrated fingers and how the thread feels - very scientific approach .

If you're comfortable with using a clutch on the old Singer then if this one runs better I'd stick it in the Singer. I doubt if there's a huge market for clutch motors (there isn't here) but I suppose you might get a couple of $$ for it? Probably can't ask much. I have 3 "spare" clutch motors at the moment (I've already given one away and junked another very old one!). One of the spares is a very old Singer, but it just looks real nice so I kept it .

The other main style is the traditional one where the holster forms a loop over the belt extending down as the rear skirt. This allows the holster to be positioned anywhere along the belt. I've noticed that more recent Hollywood westerns are using this more authentic style of holster, although it was used in the Sergio Leone Spaghetti westerns and John Wayne tended to use this type too. The study of holsters, their design and their use is quite a fascinating area.

Looks pretty fancy. The Buscadero is basically a Hollywood invention, if you bought it used and it fits you then I reckon you were lucky. One of the problems with a Buscadero rig is it's non-adjustable regarding positioning of the holsters. A member in my club said he's read that it might take three sets of holsters before you find out what works for you . It's also a bit tricky making a cross-draw Buscadero rig .

I hear what you're saying Don, but due to the design of this machine there is no "fine-tuning", it either pushes on the release lever at the back of the tension assembly or it doesn't. If you move the assembly out then it doesn't work. No matter, now that I understand how it works it's not an issue. Jimi, before I readjusted mine I was putting just under 3/8" veg under the feet and it punched through without too much trouble (servo, 45mm pulley and large pulley on head). I don't think I'll make a habit of that but it's a pretty solid bit of engineering in these things. I tend to use my Seiko for thicker stuff.

I think I've finally got this thing sussed out (it doesn't help that there's virtually no information on these old ones). I'll post it here so anyone searching on Pfaff 335 will find it. After a lot of adjusting and re-adjusting I've found that when it's set to operate correctly, i.e. the tension discs release when the lifting lever is operated, there is 1/4" (6mm) clearance under the feet. Any thicker leather and the outer presser foot will go higher and start releasing the tension discs! If the release pin is removed and the curved slotted arm on the back is adjusted then you can fit 5/16" (8mm) under the feet. If you leave the pin in it will release tension during a stitch cycle. If the release pin is removed, the slotted arm adjusted and the arm (next to the yellow arrow in my pic) re-adjusted on the outer presser foot shaft, as mine was, then you can just squeeze 3/8" (10mm) under the feet. For the second and third options you will need a manual tension release like mine has. It looks like mine was deliberately set up for maximum clearance under the feet, but I decided to compromise and set mine to 5/16" as at 3/8" the needle bar is almost hitting the leather during stitching.