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particle

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Everything posted by particle

  1. For what it's worth, I only leave my gun & holster in the vacuum press for maybe 3-5 minutes total. Once I flip the switch, and the bulk of the air is evacuated from the bag, I start pressing in the detail with the round end of my stitch groover's handle. Then I progress to my bone folder to bone in the detail. Once that's done, I let the pump run for maybe another 20 seconds. Turn off the pump, open the bag, flip the gun, then do the same thing to the other side. Remove the gun & holster from the bag, then chase the lines with a bone folder to bring out the details, then remove the gun and put the holster in the oven for about 30-45 minutes at about 135 degrees, then hang in front of a fan to dry overnight. I take WAY too long with the forming process compared to some of the pros on here - but my gun goes in the holster and gets removed in about 20 minutes or less. Once removed (unless I need to form another holster immediately after the last one), I field strip the gun and bath it in CLP then wipe away the excess and put it back in the safe. Every now and then I'll detail strip the gun to remove the old CLP from the frame and internals of the slide and give it a thorough cleaning. Now, this is for a stainless 1911 that has a liberal coating of CLP already in place on the internals. It's also not a carry gun, so I'm not worried about the excess CLP build-up. I'll detail strip it and clean/lube it properly before I take it to the range again. For a blued or non-stainless gun, I'd apply the CLP first to the entire firearm, wipe off the excess on the exterior, then proceed as normal and clean it liberally once I'm done forming. I'd also probably be a little more rushed with the forming process to cut down the time it's in the damp holster.
  2. The majority of my orders over the last year are for 1911's, and most of those are for the 4.25" barrel, followed by 5", then 3", then 4" with a few 3.5" and one or two 3.9". I'm pulling this from memory, but the 4.25" by far is the most common I build for. Not sure which dummy that'd be - I just use my stainless Dan Wesson CBOB, though I probably need to buy a dummy for it...
  3. It's very difficult to get a good, tight fit when working with double layers of leather like that - especially when the double-layer covers so much of the gun. My pattern looks a lot like yours - you have to really work in the details around the single-layer area to get a good tight fit around the slide and make sure you push the pistol as closely towards the curved portion of the holster as possible. If you haven't "cooked" it in the oven after forming, or put your sealer coats on it, you might be able to wet it and work on it some more to bone in more detail around the gun.
  4. Don't mean to discourage you away from making them for the Kahr. They're a great little gun. I love mine - I've just never hung around much on forums that focus on Kahrs. Not sure my website even has anything notable that Google would pick up related to Kahr, except for maybe one mention of Kahr in my list of available dummy guns. I get more orders than I can handle right now for 1911's - if I started "advertising" on other boards, my queue would probably grow much longer than I'd really like to see. I sold a few early holsters on Ebay. I quickly found that I could much more easily sell the holsters on my website using a PayPal buy-now button with a quantity of 1 for the inventory setting. As soon as the holster sells, I log into my website and delete the modules containing the item listing and the paypal html button code. Build a website using something simple like Concrete5, or pay someone else to do it if you don't have time to mess with it (but Concrete5 is super simple to learn). Put a link to your site in your signature. Frequently post on several forums like this one, the Kahr boards (or whatever gun manufacturer-focused boards you want to specialize in), and see if Oklahoma has a concealed-carry message board - a lot of people prefer to shop locally to support the local guys. And of course, there are the major/national concealed carry boards too. Even if your site is only getting 30-60 unique viewers a month, you may find that's more than enough to keep you busy building and selling holsters than you ever imagined. Some people even use a simple blog like Blogspot. It's been a while since I used blogspot, but I think you can actually type up an email with your blog's email address in the "To" box and once you click "Send", it automatically adds a new post to your blog. Here's a great example from one of the members on this forum. http://monicakuehnle...r.blogspot.com/ Don't worry about competing with the holsters on Ebay. Your work is great - you shouldn't have any problem making and selling holsters from your own website at a price that will make it worth your time. I don't know what the're selling for right now, but put them on your (future) site and price them at $70 - "In Stock" - people will jump all over them if they don't have to wait 6+ weeks for one to be built. And thanks for the compliment on my holsters! Eric
  5. Make sure you know how to sharpen it properly, because a sharp knife will make life a LOT easier. A tip I picked up from another member of the forum is to press the tip into a ball of beeswax - this helps the knife slide through the leather much easier. I really don't think this should be necessary with a properly sharpened and well polished blade, but my stones aren't fine enough for a good polish, so the wax comes in handy from time to time in really firm leather. This video has been posted elsewhere on the forum, but here it is again.
  6. Hi BRL - sorry it took me so long to post a pic. Last night was my first chance to get back in the shop. Regarding the dye - some of the dye has transferred to the bag -I suppose it's from a couple attempts at forming too soon after dying. Not really sure, but it hasn't been a problem with subsequent holsters. I may think differently next time I do a natural holsters.... But just in case, I'll probably just turn the bag around and use the other side -or move over to the left to a clean portion of the bag. Anyway - here is a pic showing the "breather mesh" (paracord) inserted into the mag well of the pistol. It doesn't really need to be inserted like that, because you won't always have the opportunity -such as when you're using blue guns, magazines, etc. If you simply drape the cord over the grip and or magazine, I figure there is enough cracks and crevices to allow a small amount of air to pass and make its way to the cord. Once there, the air should continue pulling along the cord to the platen and out the pump. That being said, I'm not entirely confident the paracord is the best material to use, as once it gets compressed, I doubt much air flows freely. It's worked well so far, but something else may work better. It may be worth purchasing an actual strip of breather mesh and laying it under the platten, then placing the other end under the grip of the gun or base plate of a magazine, etc. I imagine that stuff is designed to continue allowing the free flow of air, even under full vacuum.
  7. Agreed - I carry a Kahr P9 daily and figured there were lots of others out there with that gun. In the year + that I've been making / selling holsters, I don't think I've gotten a single order for a Kahr holster. Several people interested in the K9, but not the P9 that I own. I don't hang out on any Kahr forums or anything like that, so that might have something to do with it -lack of marketing. Thinking about selling the P9 to fund an EMP 9mm, or something along that line. Best of luck to you - your holsters look great!
  8. Agreed - very nice! Very smooth and clean looking. On a side note, have you gotten much interest in holsters for the Kahr?
  9. I doubt Tucker is applying antique to his holsters, as it's a pain to apply given the workflow for building a holster AND keeping white thread. If I were to take a stab at matching the color, I'd probably try something along the lines of Burgundy (maybe diluted so you can work up to the desired shade), followed by a single brushed on coat of Neatsfoot oil applied only to the outside of the holster (and only applied right before you apply the final finish coats to seal the leather).
  10. LOL! How did you get the cracks in the leather? Very cool looking.
  11. I use a real bone folder, and also use the wooden handle from one of my bevelers - but generally just for the recess in the trigger guard. Sometimes I'll use one of the wooden clay modeling tools, but generally I use those for burnishing.
  12. If the holster was not built with enough curve when you initially formed it, he'll likely always have problems with it being too tight when worn. Plus, the extra flexing will likely break down the holster much more quickly than normal. Sadly, your best bet is probably to remake the holster for him... Make sure there is a clear line of sight from one belt slot, across the backside of the holster, and out the other slot. I'm no expert, but once I had to remake one for a customer for the same reason your customer is experiencing, I started making them all like this. This is a fairly old picture, but the only one I have that shows the curve very well. And here it is from the front.
  13. A little while ago, a couple people asked me to take photos of the table I use for vacuum forming. Sorry it took so long to post these - my 8-5 has kept me out of the shop for the last month so I haven't had much time to work on holsters lately. Here is the vacuum I bought from Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfre...pump-98076.html And here is the kit you'll need for vacuum forming: http://www.veneersup...-Press-Kit.html And the bag - they are now including the blue/white plastic pipe closure system when you purchase the bags: http://www.veneersup...-Bag-2-x-4.html I'm not sure if they are including ONE, or TWO pipe closures with a new bag purchase. I would, without a doubt, make sure you have TWO when it comes time to form your first holster. http://www.veneersup...ag-Closure.html I initially just used one clamp on the open end of the poly bag. I placed my clamps (like shown in the photo below) on one end, then wrapped the bag down under the edge of the table and clamped the other end. However, the poly bag is too slippery, and the clamps would quickly slip off. Thus, I started using the second bag closure on the other end, and my bag has stayed securely clamped to the table with no more slipping! As you can see, it's a basic plywood rectangle with a simple skirt. The whole thing probably took less than an hour to build -mostly because I was figuring it out as I went along. The top's narrow dimension should be the same dimension as the narrowest dimension of your vacuum bag. The longest dimension should be about 6" shorter than the longest dimension of the vacuum bag. So, a 2' x 4' vacuum bag would result in a table size of 2' x 3'-6" (for example). The skirt is 2" tall, so the table top floats off the bench 2" leaving room for clamping at the ends. The skirt is also inset about 2", which allows the clamps reach further inward, without hitting the skirt of the table. I simply glued the mating edges of the plywood and stapled it with a pneumatic stapler. Below, you can see the basic spring clamps I use to secure the vacuum bag to the table. I bought a big combo-bag from Lowes - the were pretty cheap and came with several sizes of clamps. I use the smallest of the included clamps to secure my hides to the bench to keep them from trying to roll up while I layout my patterns for cutting. They're small enough they don't get in the way, and weak enough they don't damage the leather. Here is the Harbor Freight pump, along with the veneersupplies.com kit already assembled and installed on the pump. You'll need to build one of these too - it helps to keep the bag from closing until the air is evacuated completely. I believe it's called a Platen. I made mine from MDF. I first cut it into a circle, then I drilled a hole in the middle, then used my band saw to cut intersecting kerfs across the top surface. Then, I cut vertical kerfs along the edge that intersect those on the top. To finish it off, I used my wood chisel to chamfer the kerfs and open up the reliefs so the air could flow more quickly/freely. Sand it all smooth. The paracord is used as a breether mesh. Read the following for more information if you care to: http://www.joewoodwo...eather-mesh.htm I put one end under the wood platen, then run the other end to the firearm or magazine - keep it away from the leather, as it will make an indention in your leather once the vacuum is turned on. This helps to ensure the air is pulled from the holster, even after the bag sucks up tight around the platen (which could prevent getting a very strong vacuum pull on the leather if the bag closes - the breether mesh prevents this and allows for maximum vacuum pull on the leather) Here you can see how the nose of the clamps extend past the skirt, thus the reason for the inset on all sides (or at least along the long edges). Lastly - I added a ledge along one edge in case I ever wanted to hang the table from a wall. Maybe not the best way to do it, but it at least gives something for your hook to grab onto without having to worry about perfect alignment when trying to hang it on the wall for storage. Hope this helps some of you that are trying to build your vacuum press station. Many thanks to Denster for his help when I initially bought/built my vacuum pump.
  14. Jeeze, my knife is REALLY dull!
  15. My workshop is nothing spectacular - simply a corner of the garage I get to call my own. But regarding patterns, I store mine in vertical hanging file folders in a clear plastic file box with a locking lid - something my wife picked up for me at Walmart. Once I draw a pattern, I scan it into the computer, save it as a .pdf so I can print it to scale on heavy card stock, then I also save a copy to .jpg and upload it to my personal online (password protected) photo archival site. That way, if my house burns down, at least I can go online and save the photos back to my computer and print new patterns.
  16. Awesome photos - I've always wanted to move to the mountains, and these photos sure aren't helping me pay my mortgage every month!!
  17. Thanks! Looking back at your site, your coloring is simply awesome. You've chosen great colors, and they have such a warm, rustic feel to them. Can I ask what type dyes you're using, and how you're applying them?
  18. I've really only focused on holsters, but would like to make leather boxes, bags, cases, etc, but just haven't gotten around to it.. Last year, my mom asked me to make a leather box for her to store her genealogy research paperwork in, but I've been to busy keeping up with holster orders to try anything else. I've posted a bunch of photos to the holster section of this forum, or you can check out my website in my signature.
  19. What are you looking for? Something like the following photo, or more along the lines of a leather MRT sling similar to the old M40 adjustable leather rifle slings?
  20. I've never dampened the leather before dying, but I have accidentally dyed too soon after water-burnishing the edges and the dye bled into the top/bottom too much (I was dying the edges....). I say don't case the leather prior to dying, but only because the instructions on the bottle don't say anything about needing to case the leather first, so I never thought to try it... Regarding diluting the dye - it really just depends on the color you're after. If you like the results you got last time, then great - don't dilute it. If you want more control of the intensity of the dye, then try airbrushing it.
  21. Very cool little detail! I was staring at that image trying to figure out how you did that.... then I scrolled down. Thanks for sharing!
  22. Wish I was at home working with leather instead of at work staring at a computer all day...

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  23. Looks pretty good! I would revisit your top banner graphic - the logo gets lost in the dark background. Perhaps use white instead of black on your Lehners Saddlery text and floral graphic. I would also scale down the "Details sorgen fur..." text to about 75% of its current size so it doesn't compete with your logo. Your Home and Contact Us menu bar just beneath the top banner graphic gets lost with the wood background on top of another wood background. I would make that nav bar black (and the related bar at the bottom of the page should be the same color), or perhaps a much darker version of the purple bands that you used on the top banner graphic. If you really wanted to stick with the wood background, I would suggest significantly darkening it - much like how your site's background image gets much darker towards the top of the page.
  24. I have the Stohlman book on belts that Tandy sells, but it doesn't go into the addition of a second layer. I know the basics of how one is made, and need to dig back into it very soon as nearly all of my customers are beginning to request them. Would be great to see a pictorial thread or even better, a video....
  25. You should be able to completely uninstall the software that you installed - you don't really need it. Also, check your "Startup" folder in your Start menu - make sure there is nothing Kodak related in there. Keep your camera disconnected from the computer, then reboot after you're sure you removed everything. I suggest you install something like TuneUp Utilities to help clean up your computer - it's free for 30 days, then you can uninstall it if you decide not to keep using it. I suggest you use the free Google Picasa to download and view/edit your photos, unless you have access to something more powerful like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, or some of the free options out there. But for the casual photo-taker, Picasa should be about all you'll ever need.
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