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Brooks125

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Everything posted by Brooks125

  1. Brooks125
    I always thought it was the year prohibition ended, also!
  2. Brooks125
    Thanks guys. That seemed to work. (I knew someone could help!)
  3. Brooks125
    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 ..............................................
  4. Brooks125
    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.
  5. Brooks125
    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.
  6. Brooks125
    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?
  7. Brooks125
    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.
  8. Brooks125
    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.
  9. Brooks125
    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.
  10. Brooks125
    Sioux, I think they have rules about posting porn on this site....
  11. Brooks125
    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.
  12. Brooks125
    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 ...
  13. Brooks125
    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!
  14. Brooks125
    I'm sure this has been asked, I just can't find it. Is there a better way to seal live(NOT loaded) guns when wet-molding holsters? I use packing cling wrap, which works OK, but I end up spending more time cleaning, drying and oiling guns than I do working leather. The cling wrap does about a 90% job of it most times. I'm just wondering if there is a miracle method out there to keep live guns dry during wet molding. Also, I vacuum mold the holsters for the rough mold ... if that makes a difference. A shop press in in the near future! Thanks!
  15. Brooks125
    OK, I've thought about it and figure, with everyone here being pretty generous with advice, here goes. It took me about 6 tries using scrap holsters that I tossed, before putting dye on the finished piece. Daubers don't work, cotton rags don't work, rubber gloves don't work. The holster is finished in straight neatsfoot oil. Then I took a patch of suede and dipped a fingertip in a darker dye. WAIT FOR IT TO FLASH, and then I rubbed it on the high spots, behind the belt slot, etc. The low spots like the ejection port and boning lines were untouched, just like you want. It goes on just slow enough to look burnished, but fast enough to see what you're doing. I felt like I had split an atom at that point ... it was my Eureka moment. Thanks for asking!
  16. Brooks125
    Very Nice. The rough-out looks great!
  17. Brooks125
    Is there a method (which I'm sure there is) to NOT get Barge cement on your fingertips when lining up belt edges? I hope I'm not divulging my naivete', but this is getting old. It's to the point that I wait to get a batch of belt orders so I don't have to spend EVERY day picking at Barge boogers off my hands.
  18. Brooks125
    Is there a method (which I'm sure there is) to NOT get Barge cement on your fingertips when lining up belt edges? I hope I'm not divulging my naivete', but this is getting old. It's tot he point that I wait to get a batch of belt orders so I don't have to spend EVERY day picking at Barge boogers off my hands.
  19. Brooks125
    They were ordered with brass keepers. I could call but would rather find the keepers.
  20. Brooks125
    I just wrapped up a gun show and had two people ask me, independently, for 1.75" belts. I agreed, thinking the larger brass keepers would be easy to find ... somewhere. I was wrong. Any idea where I can get larger brass belt keepers/loops? I could force the belts into the 1.5" keepers, but don't really want to. Something under $2 each would be nice too!
  21. Brooks125
    Thanks, this may have been one of the most fun holsters to make. You're not the first to ask that question ... I'm sure just yet. Stay tuned.
  22. Brooks125
    At the last show, a customer asked me for a particular holster, but wanted it to look like he'd nearly worn it out. When I finish a holster, it's snug, but wearable, certainly from the gun-fit end, but very snug on the loops and slots. He came to pick up the holster, said how great it looked, and then proceeded to bend it in half in every direction, pull it out at the mouth and muzzle and twist it. Hey, he paid for it and can do whatever he wants, but I imagine it was kind of like watching your kid go through boot camp. The photo here shows a new, pristine holster with my "aged burnishing".
  23. Brooks125
    Thanks, everyone (I've been off for a while). I'm in the middle of my second show this weekend. I bring belts and about 8-10 holsters. The holsters stop them and I've made several sales, but the belts have been popular, I think as a "gateway". Yep, a lot of "I'll call". One did and bought 3 holsters, including the scrap holster I was going to throw in the sketch box (beats me...). The sales advice helps. Some I knew already, other suggestions help to reinforce the mindset. This show is VERY gun oriented, to the point the promoter threw out a couple guys shining shoes. I generally have paid for the table within the first hour or so. It seems like a long process, but it's getting me in front of people other than family and friends. Thanks again, I'll keep you posted.
  24. Brooks125
    Here's a few of my latest. The screws on the first have since been replaced with one-way snaps. First gun show in a couple months!
  25. Brooks125
    I am 2+ years into my holster and gun leather business/hobby. I seem to be running into the NFL stage (No Friends Left) and need to start selling to "strangers".. I will be setting up at my first gun show in a couple months. I plan on taking orders, mostly, but plan to have an assortment of holsters for example work. I will be offering holsters, mag pouches, belts and slings. Any ideas on how best to approach a show setting? What pitfalls should I be aware of? This is a pretty good show, overall, in that they don't allow non-gun/knife/military vendors in the show. It's a pretty knowledgeable and driven group that comes in. Thanks for the feedback!
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