Brooks125

I imagine they realize you are buying a new item that might cost more than your car. Good customer service people are mindful of that and respond accordingly. I know I was excited when I got my Cowboy and a lot of others on here will relate. Congratulations, and let us know where to send the shower gifts!

Chuck at Weaver gives a great explanation. "leather dyes" are a powder based colorant, "pro dyes" are an oil based colorant. He even explains the similarity in color results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zokhe6oxhjc

Do you ever want to talk a customer out of their custom order/idea. At the last gun show, I got a few doozies. One fellow asked for a 3" wide belt ... 3" wide. He wanted to wear it over his hunting gear. I measured him on my sizing belt, I asked him a second and third time, "Three Inches??!!" Yep. "You realize that's essentially a weight lifting belt." Yep. "You realize that's wider than any duty belt." Yep. I had to get the buckle from Weaver, and I'm sure it's intended for use as a Draft Horse tack. I applied a reasonable upcharge and just finished the belt .... I'll keep you posted. Another guy, who just took delivery on IWBs for a Charter Arms Bulldog 44 and a Ruger Security Six promptly ordered a crossdraw IWB for a full size 1911. You may not think that's odd, but this fellow stands about 5'2". I wondered to my table mates if he ever sits down. Of all the orders I had last month, NOT ONE did I have a pattern for. Two required using a live firearm (fortunately, the same Glock 40 (yes, an IWB as well!)) and I'm now, apparently in the bodybuilding industry. Is it just me, or is this par for the "Custom" course?

49, but like most guys ... still 23 in my head!

So I ran the machine with no thread, perfect with no click at all at any speed. I ran it empty with an empty bobbin, no click. I threaded i and it was much quieter, with only an occasional click when the pick up arm was in the top position, but it's hard to tell where the exact click is, but still much better. Maybe I just needed to post the question and that seemed to fix it ... kinda like feeling better once you get in the Dr's waiting room. Maybe I'm getting old and hearing things.

MCD, making the patterns is truly part art/part science. I have, literally, hundreds of "sketch" holsters. I keep them all for reference should I need them. I use scrap bundles that I get from a local muzzle loader/rustic shop. A lot of latigo scraps and laminated leather. Early on, I bet I tossed 4-5 sketch holsters to finish one, but it comes along ... and it's STILL coming along. Find a source for chap, nasty, I-plan-on-throwing-it-away leather and start with your trial by error process. The pictures you have posted above took a lot of tie, but man it's worth it when you get there ... eventually.

Yeah. With no top strap, no slots, etc. it always seems hard to come up with a great solution for attaching it to the belt. I get the same thing on these and I've come up with pretty much the same solution. Also, great job on the grip presentation and having the gun accessible. You'd be amazed at how many people miss that (or how many holsters I've thrown away because of that.) Very Sharp!

That's a great classic looking holster. Yeah, very Cav-like. The loops are always a sticking point on plain-front holsters, mostly in the aesthetics. If that fits snug on the belt, I'd say very well done.

I have a CB3200. When the needle is cycling around the top, and only at slower speeds, I get a distinct "click". I keep it oiled (I sometimes get oil on the leather) but it still clacks on slow speeds. Am I missing something or is this normal? It's done this since I've had it.

I always thought it was the year prohibition ended, also!

Thanks guys. That seemed to work. (I knew someone could help!)

Is there a magic trick to remove ball point ink lines from leather? I put a lot of work into this holster ... am running low on my leather until the weekend ... and scribed a stitch line on the back of a holster. I rally don't want to start over, but I'm guessing ..............................................

That's 8-9oz HO "holster" leather. I can get 24-27 sq. feet of very good sides. I think it's $10.20/ft. Given that I can sort it, makes it even better. I figure about 25-30 holsters from that, but I never just do holsters on it, and they're never the smaller simpler holsters, but that gives you an idea. It is about twice the import double shoulders I could get at Tandy, but I might go through a whole stack and not find a piece I wanted, and forget about a well-split back side most of the time.

I started out at Tandy, like so many. I got everything there, including leather. I liked that I could sort through the double shoulders and USUALLY find a decent piece, but not always in a stack of about 30. I now go to Weaver. Key words being "GO TO". Mt Hope is about a 45 minute drive (about the same as my closest Tandy) and I can sort through Hermann Oaks, for about $250-300/side. Much better quality, MUCH better yield. I still go to Tandy for some cement, suede (I do use their pigskin suede for lining) or an odd tool, but not much else. Tandy is ALL import leather, which usually translates to poor quality, in the long run.

My oldest son and I just went through and inventoried my holster patterns. 72 of them! As I was putting them in an easy to find format, it occurred to me that I have a couple weeks worth of work in to just making the patterns. It scared me a little to think of what it would mean if those manila folders ever got damaged or destroyed. They are made of manila folders and stored in the same. Do any of you have a backup for your patterns, and if so, how? Some are too large to scan on my home printer and I don't know if copying them would throw the scale off. Any suggestions?

Oh yeah, I wouldn't put a working gun in a press. In fact, I've got a few jobs because another holster maker wouldn't use a press and didn't use a vacuum. I leave the texture on the back, I actually kind of like it.

Right now I'm using a vacuum sealer to do the rough molding. It works OK but makes for a lot of cleanup from the wrinkles it puts in. I'm wanting to move up to a shop press and high-density rubber soon. I recently have been able to use HO leather, exclusively. Weaver Leather is about a 45 minute drive, and I can go there and hand select my sides, which is really nice. I was using Tandy imports prior to that, but now that I'm working for strangers, more and more, the better leather is a must. Thanks, by the way.

Not to brag, because it is about 40% sheer luck, but when a customer asked for a closed end on a 1911, I was a little daunted. I'm glad to say it only took two sketch holsters to get this just right.

Sioux, I think they have rules about posting porn on this site....

When I bought my 3200 in 2015, I talked to Cowboy Bob on the phone and asked if he had a USED leather sewing machine. He immediately said "no". I thought it was odd that he could, off the top of his head, say he didn't, when they stock thousands of machines. He told me he gets 3-4 calls a week for just such a critter, and used machines often compare in price to new machines (which they do!). He suggested and I went with a new machine. He's great to deal with and threw in a couple pounds of thread as well. He is a wealth of knowledge, which is probably why he's the guy to talk to if you are west of the MIssissippi.

I got a lot of orders for chocolate finish at the last show. It kind of gets you in a groove (or a rut, I'm not sure). Apparently, I'm BIG on pics ...

Two years in and I'm still adding. Stuff ... not space. Working area is about 6'x8', if i'm lucky. By the way, that's not clutter, that's everything in a constant state of flux!