dikman

The more I looked at it the more I felt the cactus didn't fit, I felt I should either make it much bigger, to make it dominant, or get rid of it - so it's gone! A small flower and assorted leaves have replaced it, I still need to work on the scrolls a bit. I went out to get some Chestnut dye, but they didn't have any (do they even make it?) so I got some Russet, the colour sample in the shop looked good, unfortunately it's extremely faded, as I found out when I tried it at home! I'm wondering if I cut it 50:50 whether that will lighten it a bit? Hmmm, does this pattern even work for a holster?

Yes, I can see that now that you've pointed it out. Or maybe I should get rid of it altogether and just put another, smaller, flower in there. Might look more balanced.

V2! I got rid of the rear cactus, added extra leaves and redid some scrolls. The one above the cactus needs a bit of work still. I've decided to add an additional outline border and by bevelling the outside/inside of the two lines it should give me a pronounced border. I've also decided to go ahead with carving the back, as stated it's not necessary but it will give me a lot of practice at carving and if I start there any minor mistakes won't show. My intention is to use a background shader in all areas except inside the cactus, I'll leave that plain. I still haven't worked out what colour it will be, I'm thinking chestnut but, of course, I don't have any of that dye.

Glad I asked, I was having trouble viewing it objectively. Time to rework it a bit, methinks. Chuck, you obviously noticed I was having trouble with curves () so yeah, looks like a set of French curves will be a good investment. JLS, that holster on the left is stunning! I can't get my head around how you drew the design!!!

Thanks fredk, food for thought. The reason I continued the pattern onto the back is that there's no skirt to hide the back so to me it would look odd if the back is blank. The border edge is placed to allow for the stitching but could be moved out a bit more, I guess. And you may be right about getting rid of the rear cactus, it does make it look a bit "busy" (or crowded?). My other alternative is to make a larger oval and cactus, do away with the rest of the carving and just stamp a border - but that seems a bit defeatist.

This is my first attempt (probably not my last) at the carving pattern for my holster. The shaded area is for the belt loop, a normal Slim Jim would sit too high on the belt for Single Action shooting so I've modified it to have a slight drop-loop for my needs. What I would like are some critical comments on what's wrong with my design before I hack up the leather! I have minimal artistic ability so am struggling with this. My intention is to have a simple incised line to contain the design and the two ovals will have a simple cactus in it (my Single Action name is Cactus Jack Slade, so it seemed fitting to have a cactus on it ).

I too am curious why one holster is single loop and the other is a double loop. Still very nice work.

While I'm not across prices in Canada $1100 seems way too much for what is an old machine with a clutch motor! As I said earlier it is designed for 8mm (5/16") under the feet, I re-adjusted mine to 3/8" but it caused other issues. As kgg said you are looking at a harness stitcher type of machine if you want to sew 3/4".

Most of the older 335's were set up as binders so the feed dog only moves back and forth, plus these machines also tend to have a slightly smaller capacity under the feet (8mm) and are happier with #69 thread. I did get mine to work with #138 but it took a bit of tweaking. Personally, I wouldn't advise it as a first machine unless it's dirt cheap and you know you'll be getting a better machine as well, in that case it would make a useful addition to your shop.

Nice classic designs, well done.

You are indeed a lucky man.

What a thoughtful wife! Can I borrow her for a while?

Fred mentioned Mop & Glo floor polish, many use it in the US as it's cheaper than Resolene. It's not available here in Oz, of course, but by studying the MSDS I found a similar local product at a large hardware chain which does the same job.

Thanks everyone, it looks like carving first is the way to go. At this stage I don't intend to do any border stamping, although that may change, my thinking is that "simpler is better", with just a grooved edge around the carving. My first issue is to try and master the principles of Sheridan-style patterns. I have the template made up for the holster size now I have to design a pattern to fit (I didn't like my first attempt, it just didn't look right). Going to be a slow job!

Yes, I've read the same thing about gluing the liner while curving the holster. I know from experience how much effort it takes to fold a lined holster, on the other hand gluing the liner first makes it easier to get a good bond as once it's tooled I can't use a hammer or roller to apply pressure to the two parts. Hence my quandary.

I'm about to start on a couple of holsters, they'll be a modified Slim Jim style for my cap and ball revolvers. I intent to carve them (should be interesting ) and am still learning how to draw the pattern. They'll be lined, heavier leather on the outside and my question is- should I carve the outer piece before gluing on the liner, or glue the liner and then carve? I can think of reasons to do it either way, but is one way better than the other?

Look good, the elk antler in particular. I have a soft spot for antler handles/scales, I reckon they always look "right".

As to the question "Why would I bother?", two answers - 1. because I can and 2. to get a bigger flat area, ball pein/claw hammers have smaller heads, as you know.

I started off that way, using my 201K to punch the holes for hand stitching, it gave me nice even spacing.

I've been toying with the idea of finding a (cheap) hammer and re-forging it to a wide/flat cobbler's hammer. I'm not sure how successful it would be, but it's an idea.

Impressive little tool. I have no need for one, fortunately, as between the currency conversion and shipping it would be expensive importing one to Australia.

Looks like it's been "finished" with a fairly coarse grit belt. You can make it better (with a bit of work) by working through several grades of abrasive paper, finishing with a fine grit used wet and then polishing it. If you know someone with a belt grinder and buffer then even better, won't take long.

That's a good idea, I might give it a try as a way to "recycle" magazines before throwing them out.

HDPE = high density polyethylene. Same thing plastic milk bottles are made of. I made a couple of mauls from chopped up milk bottles, melted down. I suppose if I was keen enough I could make a cutting board using the same process, but it would be a lot of work!