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Done - that was the fist thing I changed when I assembled the machine. It came on the middle hole, and I moved it to the furthest out. Along that line - I fabricated a longer 12" arm out of a bar of aluminum I had laying around. I put holes every inch, and bolted it to the existing lever on the motor. This helped with the variation quite a bit, but added too much weight and the springs couldn't overcome it so the machine wouldn't shut off I don't feel like adding new springs to compensate for the added weight just yet. I moved it to around 6" and that fixed the shut-off problem and gave me more control in speed than stock configuration, but I removed it until I could talk with Kevin today to see if I just got a bad motor.

I should have mentioned this, but forgot. When I filmed the video, I had the motor set at max speed - I was winding a bobbin. But, regardless of the maximum set speed, the lack of control in the foot pedal pressure makes the higher speeds useless. The whole point of the servo motor is to provide great control in speed when compared to a clutch motor. When you press the clutch motor's pedal down, once the clutch grabs, the machine takes off. It's very hard to control the speed. That's the same feeling I'm getting from this particular servo motor. I expected more control in the foot pedal. I should be able to use max speed on the motor if I want to, but also have access to the slower speeds by applying less pressure to the foot pedal. That's just not the case - maybe I expected too much?

Looks great to me! It's hard to tell, but do you bring the top of the holster above the top of the cylinder at all? If not, that's one area you could adjust on your pattern to help increase retention. The only problem with going above the cylinder is you have to go high enough to allow enough room to flare back out to create a funnel to clear the leading edge of the cylinder. Also, be careful you don't pinch it down too tight at the top of the cylinder or it'll obviously create too much retention. You can also increase the indention a bit more at the front edge of the trigger guard to help 'snap' it into the holster. One thing to keep in mind is the sharp edges on the front/back of the cylinder can abrade the thread over time on the inside at the reinforcement piece area where the cylinder drags across the stitch line. I don't enjoy doing revolver holsters at all - they're much more difficult than semi-autos. I think you did a fantastic job on yours!

So, I received my new Cobra Class 4 recently and have been playing around with it a bit. One thing that has me a bit annoyed is the lack of easy variation in the speed when you press the foot pedal. Yes, I'm well aware you can adjust the max speed on the motor. When I press the foot pedal, I expect it to utilize at least a fair portion of the travel of the foot pedal to vary the speed. Mine is so sensitive, all the speed is literally controlled in probably less than 1/8th of an inch of travel. Is this normal? It might as well be a clutch motor at this point! The actual lever on the motor has a nice range of movement. Sadly, most of that movement does absolutely nothing to affect the speed. And what's the point of the low-speed start mode? Why would you want the machine to start slowly, then surprise you by ripping away at full-speed and ruin your work? The only purpose I could see is if you just keep tapping on the pedal to continually make the machine crawl at low-speed until you are ready to go full-speed. Maybe I'm missing something? Here is a video I shot that shows what I'm talking about. Please ignore my wife's runner's feet. It was an impromptu filming. She just ran a half marathon and lost a couple toe nails... http://youtu.be/IsxufcVvKdc

I have a big (not an airbrush) compressor that is very loud. I've never used an actual tiny airbrush compressor, but have debated buying one. They are MUCH quieter than a typical shop compressor. You might check out this guy's video at aroudn 2:20. He talks about them a bit. http://youtu.be/eF3wcfa47yw

I used the small diamond awl from Tandy on 16-18oz leather for holsters. It was extremely dull when I bought it. I worked it over on my diamond stone, polished the edges and had no trouble. You have to support the leather with your opposite hand to keep the leather from flexing over as you push the awl into the leather, which makes the leather bind on the blade. It also helps if you keep a beeswax chunk handy and stab the awl blade in it every few stitches.

Looks fantastic, as always!! Thanks for sharing.

I did a bag out of 5-6oz Herman Oak. it was extremely stiff and it was very difficult to fold the gusset to sew around the corners (granted, I was trying to sew the entire thing on my Boss). Not trying to discourage you, but noting that you could possibly be wasting a lot of money in leather if you don't take the proper precautions, like skiving down the edges of the gusset and really have your pattern figured out. I wasn't able to use my bag, and wasted a ton of leather, dye, etc. It was a 17" laptop bag with a back pocket and 12 internal pockets. It didn't sit flat (bottom corners were uneven), and my pattern wasn't quite right (pocket stitches were exposed on the upper side of the back of the bag), and I missed a few steps as I assembled the bag so i had extra exterior decorative pieces I didn't get to attach because I got the assembly order wrong. Maybe 12 internal pockets was too much for my second bag... Peronally, I'd look for some thinner oil tan leather on sale to make your first bag from and save the thick/stiff veg tan for holsters and such. Are you okay with not being able to stand your bag up on its bottom? I carry a bag daily to work, and it drives me nuts not being able to stand my bag up on the table as I scrounge through it for my headphones, lunch bag, etc. I had great results with my first attempt (a little purse-sized bag) so I jumped in the deep end with my 17" laptop bag and nearly drowned. Now I just stick to the kiddy pool until I get up the nerves to try it again.

The specific awl I use is a Kobalt brand. It's not really a scratch awl - but is part of a pick set. You can see me using it here at 32:40. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfhdG9jjbAA Not long after I made that video I cut the shank much shorter and ground it to a point with a slight (very small) chisel on the end. It marks holes great, and also works great for slicing through the grain to rough up the surface for gluing. Specifically, I bought the "Kobalt 4-Piece Hook and Pick Set" from Lowes - item # 239658. The set is cheap enough you could make several specialty tips - one for marking, one for punching holes, etc. http://www.lowes.com...ollow&cId=PDIO1

They make short awls as well with a short handle and short shank...

Go to the big box home improvement store, buy yourself a scratch awl, then cut at least half the length of the awl off and grind/file the tip to whatever you prefer. That's what I did, and it works great! http://www.lowes.com/pd_11495-72068-9753-12C_0__?productId=3125273&Ntt=awl&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Dawl&facetInfo= http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100062306/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=awl&storeId=10051

I'm still new enough at this game that I'm open to suggestions. Another holster maker on this forum suggested I try the Angelus 600, so I did. I'm not really sure what the difference is between Resolene and Angelus 600 - I'd assume they are very similar, and I'm not sure what makes one any better/worse than the other. I like to get as many things as possible from the same supplier, provided the price is reasonable. If one supplier carries a particular acrylic finish, but not the other, I'd easily switch to what's on the shelf (so to speak), because I assume all the acrylic finishes are pretty much the same... All that being said - I was initially frustrated with the tacky plastic feeling of the Fiebings Resolene. I was applying it full strength with an airbrush. It wasn't until I started applying the Angelus 600 cut 50/50 that I got rid of most of the tacky feeling. Even with two coats, it didn't seem as tacky as the resolene. But, that may have something to do with being thinned down. If I end up with a tacky holster now, I just put a light coat of neutral shoe polish on it and call it good.

Unless you're specifically looking for exotics, you might give Tandy's Professional Waterstain - Red a try.

Doesn't Tandy have a Satin version as well? I personally have been happy with 50/50 Angelus 600 & water. I'm almost out, so will use up my Fiebing's Resolene but will still cut it 50/50 with water. Prior to that I was very happy with Tandy's Satin Sheen full-strength. If I were to use it again, I'd still cut it 50/50. I'll airbrush the finish (heavy coats so it soaks in well) if I'm in a hurry, but I usually brush it on liberally with a foam sponge brush so it soaks in really well.

I use a Badger 150 that I've had for maybe 15+ years. There is nothing special you have to do in order to spray leather dyes. You can spray anything as thin as (or thinner than) milk. Thicker than that and you have to dilute it according to the liquid's instructions on the product packaging - usually with whatever you use to clean up the liquid. You just spray the dye over the area you want - simple as that!

Yes. Start your stitch by stitching forward one stitch, raise the foot, scoot the piece backwards (move it backwards - don't rotate it), stitch forward two stitches, then raise the foot again to go back one stitch, then stitch forward the rest of the way. This gives you two lock stitches.

Can you tie the oil step in with another step that you do the same day? For example, I burnish and oil all on the same night since oiling goes rather quickly.

While it does not have reverse, yes, you can manually scoot the item back one stitch to do a lock stitch.

I'm no chemical engineer, but I was skeptical that you could airbrush accent coloring over top of Tandy's Professional Waterstains. I decided to pick up a bottle of Red Professional Waterstain to color my son's wallet kit he's been dying to build with me. I've been wanting to try it anyway, especially in combination with airbrushed accents. This is the base application of Tandy's Professional Waterstain. I rushed the process a bit and didn't give it a lot of time to dry, so the center area is a little darker than the edges in this photo. In the end, the colors evened out nicely and this stuff is super easy to apply! Here is the base coloring with nothing else applied to the leather. Here is the same piece with Fiebing's Pro Oil Dye - Black airbrushed around the edges. I also applied two coats of Fiebing's Leather Balm with Atom Wax. It darkened a bit, but it looks very similar to the swatch on the side of the bottle. The lighting in my shop isn't stellar for photography, but hopefully you get the idea.

Sorry fellas - I don't have any additional photos. The customer was in a rush to get it back because he needed his light for qualifications of some sort this week and I forgot to holster the dummy for more pics.

Since you're airbrushing the perimeter, you don't need to be super accurate with your cuts or the dye airbrushing. Airbrush it, glue it, then trim the edges flush as possible then sand them smooth. Bevel the edges, then sew it up! Put a good coat of oil on it, dye & burnish your edges, then seal it. That's pretty much what works for me on my holsters.

Thanks for the compliments fellas!

This is a new one for me - it's an Avenger style holster for the Glock 19 with a TLR-1 mounted on the rail. I've never made one of these before (aside from my initial mock-up), so I'd appreciate any input if you see something I could have done differently or better.

I agree with the wax from the thread idea. That was my first thought, but I assumed the wax would be removed by your cleaning method. That, and your stitching was so consistent it looked machine sewn! Have you given any thought to dying it prior to assembly? That's my typical workflow, and it allows me to use whatever color thread I want.

So you're saying you went back over those areas with a dauber and the dye still didn't take? What kind of sewing machine are you using? Is it possible you're scratching it up when curling it to pass through the machine? Does it look okay before you sew it?