dikman

You did a great job on that holster, the finish looks very nice.

Pretty much the same as mine, the swivel base is great for adjusting work angles and putting my feet on it keeps it steady. Only difference is I made a lever toggle so I could tighten/release the jaws quickly.

Beeswax is used as a moisture repellant (and lube) for good reason - it works exceptionally well. It is almost impossible to remove completely once applied. Bullet casters use it for lubricating lead bullets, but if they decide they want to try something else after lubing then the only way is to re-melt the bullets as nothing else will stick to them one the wax has been applied. Casters have tried all sorts of solvents to remove the wax but these are not what you would want to apply to leather. Shoe polish should work, but permanency will be the issue as like shoes it will probably have to be constantly re-applied. Toxo's/Tom E's idea is probably the best, if you can find a dye that can withstand the 125* wax bath.

Unlikely to work. The modified plate/feed dog will let a big harness stitcher handle #138 thread, and thinner material, but I doubt if it will suit what the OP wants (plus it would be well outside his budget!). I believe it can go down to #69 thread but getting suitable needles may be an issue. The Singer 4411 is a domestic machine (described by some as a "heavy duty" machine, but this is only because it has a bit of metal framing inside). If you've got one then try it (and good luck) but if you have to buy one then don't waste your money.

https://sunvalleytrading.com.au/ Located in Qld, they ship all over the country. Great people to deal with.

Olde saying "necessity is the mother of invention". Vicious looking attack dog you've got there!

I think that tool is a lifter, used to give a more pronounced 3D effect under parts of the petals.

It's really the first place to start if you're new to industrial sewing machines. It's a complex subject, trying to work out which machine will best suit your needs. A general rule is that there is no "one-machine-will-do-everything". If you want to work with light materials a heavy duty machine won't work, except under specific circumstances, and a light-duty machine won't handle heavy stuff. That's why many on here have more than one machine. Read through that post, preferably several times, and it may help you with working out exactly what questions to ask.

What a beautiful old piece! A nice bit of history there.

I wondered that myself. I found his use of the skiving knife fascinating to watch.

Sounds to me as though you're lucky that ink didn't transfer. if it had I don't think you would have had very sharp lines! Thanks for the explanation of your laser process, when I used it for making PCB's heat transfer was used, an electric iron (as used for ironing clothes) was used to transfer the toner onto the board. Same basic idea as your process. Using an iron might work on leather too, as it won't be hot enough to burn the leather. And yes, the "traditional" way is to copy the pattern using tracing paper and then use a pencil, ball-point pen or stylus to imprint the pattern onto cased leather.

If you've got 30 minutes to spare watch this. A (young) Japanese chap making boots entirely by hand. His skills are remarkable!

Damn, Keith, that is so beautiful it hurts my eyes!!!! Makes my effort seems so........inadequate.

I made one years ago to use with a WD40-type bulk oil. I soldered a stem onto the can, so it was pretty solid and pumped it to around 30 psi, I think, mainly because I had no idea what pressure it would take. It worked, but tended to slowly lose pressure. I've still got the can but I don't use it for anything, I found it easier to re-use plastic trigger-pump bottles.

In my (limited) experience with holsters I've found that the wetting, for wet-molding, tends to harden the leather, and using dyes does like-wise. I believe Medieval leather armour was hardened by soaking in water? The fact that you've worked beeswax into the leather is going to make it difficult to do anything as beeswax helps to keep leather soft (and will be almost impossible to get out). Using carnauba wax, with a polishing buffing wheel, may be about the only thing you can do.

Simple is good. White lithium grease may work, just a light coating to minimise fling-off, the idea of motorcycle chain oil is good but I've got several different types that I've tried on my bike and all but one tend to throw off and make a mess. The one that works best on the bike is Motul brand, minimal fling.

Welcome to the forum. Have you read this -

That looks great! The leather has a texture to the colour, it should age well.

The last thing I'd be doing is trying to use inkjet inks on leather! It will probably act like dye and get into the leather. My experience with such ink is that it's not colourfast and it runs when wetted with anything. I'm curious about your laser printing process too. I dabbled with it for making printed circuit boards many years ago so would like to know how you did it.

Frankster, there are many youtube vids showing how to make holsters, including making the pattern. It's not that difficult, once you understand the basics. That's exactly what happened to me! I couldn't get the holsters I wanted (many in the US wouldn't ship to Oz ), so a few years and many $$ later........

Nice work. Regarding the money belt, there are many examples in Packing Iron. The buckle end of the belt is not usually sewn, to make it easier to get the money (including notes) in and out. The tongue of the belt is passed through the slot and then the buckle, this closes the open end of the belt.

That turned out very nice, and the very detailed explanation will doubtless prove useful to others. Box-stitching is tedious and can be nerve-wracking, as well as time-consuming. Unfortunately there is no easy way around it, but it's a satisfying feeling to be able to do.

I forgot the instructions. Ammo box instr..pdf

Here's something you might find interesting, the patterns for an 1841 Army ammo pouch. It's very similar to what your making. I made one but haven't got a photo of it (no carving or stamping, just plain as per the originals). Ammo box.pdf

Well, that's different! There's some very nice workmanship in there.