austinious

I just got my machine and haven't made anything other than scrap yet. I wet form a larger than needed piece first, and then trim to size and then sew. This will mean that some parts of holsters will have to be hand stitched, but I'm wondering if the process of stitching and then wet forming loosens some holes and not others.

I did get the 207 to work. Had to tighten the bobbin by a qtr turn and mess with the upper tension. You might not be able to tell in the picture, but the 207 feels flatter against the calfskin. BTW 8oz with a calfskin piece, #23 LR Needle. Definitely food for thought....Thanks @CowboyBob

I remember now. Unloading and setup got me turned around. I'm trying a bunch of things today, one of them is 8 oz with calf skin lining, lighter thread on the bobbin might help. Thanks!

I felt like this was the way to go. I tried it and realized that I would have to really mess around with the tension over the entire machine rather than just the top thread. I like saddle stitching by hand, so I got LR points in 23, and 25 to start with. I also got a bunch of 138, 207, and 277. From the messing around I've done, 207 Seems to be my go to for most of the thicknesses I use. I have to go back and look over all the previous posts this week.

Just picked up my CB4500 from Toledo Industrial yesterday, Bob is great and super helpful. He mentioned something to me about heavier thread and thinner leather. Using 277 on top and 207 on the bobbin. Just curious if anyone does this with the cowboy and if yinze have any tips for a beginner as I start experimenting with my scrap bucket.

I have an old shopsmith, so changing wheels is easy. I shared because everytime I get a new punch, especially from CS Osbourne, it's dull. The last end punch I got took a couple hours with various stones to get into shape. With this and some 3M micro paper on dowels, maybe 30 min. Maybe you don't buy punches all the time, but when you do, time is money...and this system, or a felt wheel or micro papers are way cheaper and faster than stones, especially on odd shapes. I'd rather save my stones for chisels.

Thanks, I thought this might be the case. I have searched for CAD files of guns since I have a 3D printer.

Razor Sharp System I'm sure you can find it a little cheaper, but this is great for renewing a shaped edge and giving it a mirror hone. Took me 5 min to take a custom punch from raw shape to mirror bright and razor sharp.

The last comments I can find are from 2009, and a quick search gets me a few companies, Holster Smith.com, etc. Does anyone have a favorite budget gun blank to recommend? Has anyone used Cook's Gun Molds? How is the fit? Thanks

Thanks!

even easier.... Thanks! I'm putting together a list of questions when I talk to the Faire managers.

I was thinking of holsters for various trade folks, now I need to figure out a "pack" for them as well! These are all amazing!

@toxo Footfall, great name for the concept. A lot of what you write is very important and not what I've given much thought to (color of background). Lights will depend on the venue, but I'm betting LED lanterns dressed up as oil lamps would work...We are starting small and local first and know the two shows we want to do. But absolutely, early bird gets the worm...Thank You. BTW, found a very comprehensive list of all the faires in the US. Thanks for the suggestion. @JayEhl My wife will be "front", I'll mostly do demos. We are starting small, because of my autism, sometimes social interactions are problematic. Another reason to start small and see how it goes. Luckily she is very outgoing and likes to do the "patter", MiLord and Lady and the like. Great point, be up there be visible, be friendly. I can do that, I just might need a few breaks and liquid courage.

Very informative great stuff @fredk

It's funny, this was my process for making a western holster for a friend...I think #1, with some #2, and a tiny bit of #3 would be far more satisfying. During my research on western holster, it was really interesting to see that early holsters slide into a slot in the back to form the belt loop and the weight of the gun held it together. Later versions went to stitching, and that loop gradually became more and more ornamental. @chuck123wapati probably knows what its called, I have no earthly idea.