Dwight

Our prayers and best wishes go out to you TexasLady, . . . had a cousin who was paralyzed from the waist down in a coal mine, . . . he bought an engraver and spent the rest of his life hunched over that thing, . . . making a living for him, his wife, his daughter, and his 15 pound alley cat. I said all that for encouragement, . . . if you have the will, . . . the Lord will supply the way. My first thought would be possibly dog leashes, harnesses, and collars. They are fairly straight forward, . . . inventory would be somewhat stable, . . . not a lot of up and down, . . . they can be personalized to no end, . . . and I would think there would be a market for them at local dog shows, etc. Just a thought, . . . wishing you the very best, . . . may God bless, Dwight

Philip, . . . if I can, allow me to make a suggestion: print off a 40% or 50% off coupon for JoAnn fabric, . . . they have vinyl there for $18 bucks a yard that is I believe 54 inches wide. You can do a monstrous number of workups with a couple yards of that stuff, . . . it just about mimics 3 oz veggie tan, . . . can be glued, sewn, stitched, laced. I use it for my chaps mockups, . . . had one lady actually ask if I could make hers out of the stuff, . . . but I declined. It works for all sorts of stuff, . . . best thing is it makes wonderful patterns too. But in answer to your last question, . . . no, when I make a bag, . . . front and back are the same size. May God bless, Dwight

And I agree, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Make sure you share your horror stories with us on the Cobra Class 18 after you get it and use it for a couple of months. Unless you are Cinderella's fairy god mother, . . . you do not have the ability to anticipate every possible situation that will come up in sewing. I've been running thread on this and that machine now for right at 60 years, . . . and it is THE exceptional piece that I sit down to and there is simply NOTHING in the entire piece that is less than perfect. Machines are made by imperfect men and women, . . . and to expect ANY of them to be perfect, . . . well, . . . your coach becomes a pumpkin at midnight tonight. I bought my Boss to be free of electricity where I planned on using it. It did the job, . . . and is still doing the job, . . . but like any other machine, there is a learning curve, . . . (hint, hint), . . . read and follow directions. As for the "horror" stories, . . . far as I am concerned, . . . overanxious people wanting the machine to make up for their own inadequacies. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Constabulary, . . . you make it look easy. But sometimes there are very few more frustrating things than a machine that "should" do this, . . . but only does "that". Thread tensions on sewing machines sometimes are hectic to fix. May God bless, Dwight

You will find sometimes using the search feature will get you some really good results. Try this one: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=62613&hl=punch#entry405093 May God bless, Dwight

Now you know that wasn't fair,............... .............taking advantage of us just because we like steak, chocolate, spaghetti, chocolate, doughnuts, chocolate, and did I mention chocolate? May God bless, Dwight

Bushpilotmexico wrote: C. SHRINKAGE FACTOR: Any material will shrink (proportional to it's thickness) as it bends; belts are no exception. I estimate 3/4" to an 1-1/2" up to a 58" waist, assuming a 12/14 oz (.20") total belt thickness. Remember to add it on! Quite honestly, I don't know of anyone else who does this, . . . my "training" came from John Bianchi's videos, . . . and it was never mentioned by THE pro, . . . so I don't really think it is important. 1. You say I should measure from the hole it was latched in to the edge of the buckle. I assume you mean the front edge or is from where the buckle prong swivels on the buckle? It does not matter which way you measure it (I use the front edge myself) just so you always do it the same way. 2. 2-1/2" or 3 inches from front pocket around to the other front pocket....what is the front pocket? What I meant is the wide part of the belt will go from the left front pocket to the right front pocket, around the backside. Only the tongue and buckle area will be smaller. I made you up a little diagram showing how I make the tapered belts, . . . it is really easy, . . . just remember to measure twice before you cut once, . . . Do you line your cowboy belts? Chris Andre does and this may be why he adds the additional measurement for "shrinkage factor". I line all my cowboy belts unless the buyer specifically says he does not want it lined. I contact cement two pieces of leather together looking for something in the .180 to .220 overall thickness, . . . thinner for the shorter ones, . . . thicker for the longer ones. After cementing them together, . . . I roll them with a rolling pin and leave them flat for about a day, . . . then I treat it as though it was just one piece of leather. And again, . . . I don't know why, where, or how he came up with the shrinkage, . . . maybe email him and get an answer. It has NEVER been a problem for me. May God bless, Dwight

I don't know what you are referring to when you say "shrinkage", . . . I've never had a belt shrink yet, . . . unless it is literally soaked like overnight and laid out in the noonday sun (or put in a microwave, . . . but that is another story), . . . leather won't shrink enough in a cowboy rig to cause you any grief. The one thing you really need to do though, . . . take off the belt you are wearing right now, . . . measure from the hole it was latched in, . . . to the edge of the buckle. Let's say you measured it and you got 42 inches. Make your cowboy rig 46 inches from the edge of the buckle to the center of 5 or 7 holes. Some guys use 5, I give my customers 7 holes. That added 4 inches seems like a lot, . . . but that is John Bianchi's formula, . . . I've used it for over 10 years, . . . it has never failed me, . . . works every time. For your first belt, . . . let me suggest you do a simple one, . . . 2 1/2 or 3 inches from front pocket around to the other front pocket, . . . and taper the buckle end, and tongue end, just long enough to do the work for the 1 1/2 inch buckle. If you remember Clint Eastwood's rig in the spaghetti westerns, . . . it would be shaped like that. May God bless, Dwight

That's what they make band saws, . . . sanders, . . . drills, . . . and hillbilly ingenuity for, . . . I needed a flashlight on the end of a Glock 19, . . . couldn't get that piece of wood to show any light, . . . but the real one fits the shoulder holster like it was made for it. Come to think of it, . . . it was . May God bless, Dwight

Good looking holster there jdmracer12, . . . I'll never show my first one on here, . . . I had no idea what I was doing at the time, . . . didn't have any source of help, . . . just glued and stitched the thing together, . . . laugh about it now, . . . but still don't show it. Yours is really fine, . . . and if I didn't put on my specs, . . . I'd not see any scribe marks. And FYI, . . . a little judicious scribe mark here, . . . connected to another one there, . . . can be camoflaged to look as though it is the design you intended, . . . uhhhh, . . . that has happened in the past May God bless, Dwight

OK, . . . if you are dyed in the wool destined to do this, . . . forget the rawhide. Go get some 20 / 22 / 24 gauge sheet aluminum, with the brushed finish, . . . no shiny stuff, . . . get a good sharp set of left & right cutting metal shears, . . . and an old tee shirts you never want to see again. If you have ever done a pattern on manila folders, . . . do one for this project, . . . if not, . . . youtube search, . . . there are a couple that will show you how to come up with a usable pattern. The metal should be the same shape in the back as you make for the front. The metal, . . . after it is cut out, . . . needs to be formed to the weapon, . . . wrap the weapon in the tee shirt and hold in place with some masking tape, . . . put a dowel rod on top of the barrel to make a sight channel. DO NOT TRY TO FORM THE METAL VERY CLOSELY TO THE WEAPON, . . . just follow general countours, . . . Next, . . . cut out the "outside of the holster", . . . 5/6 or 6/7 veggie tan for this, . . . this is the piece that will show hair side against your leg, . . . and on the front / outside of the holster. Make it big enough so you have a good 3/8 to 1/2 inch of sewing room all around your aluminum piece, . . . plus the piece to loop over and make the belt loop out of. Next, . . . cut out a 3/4 or 4/5 liner, . . . leaving enough on the edges to be able to sew it. The liner will be the exact same shape as the outside of the holster, . . . and cut it out using the other leather piece as the pattern. When done, . . . you can lay the two on top of each other, . . . and they will be an exact fit. Make sure your metal is shaped as you want it for the holster, . . . apply contact cement to the outside of it, . . . and the inside of the outside piece of leather, . . . bond the two together. Let is set for about 12 to 18 hours. Gently pry the metal/leather piece apart, . . . enough to coat the entire inside with contact cement, . . . coat the inside of the liner, . . . bond them together. Let is set for about 12 to 18 hours. Sand the edges smooth all around the holster. Sew the top and bottom of the holster together, . . . as well as the pieces making the belt loop. Bevel and burnish these edges as well. Next make a filler piece, . . . a gusset that goes between the front and back of the holster, . . . at the seam edge. It should be about 1/2 inch wide, . . . and go from the top to the bottom of the holster, . . . it should be specifically cut to the exact shape of the holster, . . . not just a 1/2 inch wide strip you found laying around. It should be of good solid 8/9 oz leather, . . . Contact cement that all in place, . . . which will then close up the holster. Sand the edge smooth, . . . bevel, . . . and burnish. Punch and stitch the leather edge of the holster. Once you have this all done, . . . the holster should be ready for final "forming". Wet the holster real good (don't soak it overnight, . . . just a good quick 10 second dunk will do), . . . and with the weapon in a plastic bag, . . . use your thumbs, knuckles, fingers, . . . to form the final shape you want. Just realize that you are not going to get a really tight fitting form, . . . just a general shape. Hang it up to dry, . . . in a cabinet at 130 degrees or slightly under, if you have it available, . . . and leave it. Let it dry, . . . completely, . . . thoroughly, . . . fully. Then stain and finish to your hearts content. I'll caution you before you start, . . . the first one will not turn out right, . . . they never do. It will be a learning experience, . . . it will not be wasted leather and effort, . . . but rather a "hands on" schooling expedition. You will do something wrong that will make the holster not be "what you wanted". It may be useful (mine almost always are), . . . but just not exactly how you originally wanted it to turn out. Just remember it really is as the old saying goes "We make the first one for practice, all the rest are production." Good luck, . . . may God bless, Dwight

Let me go back to my original post, . . . I contact cemented the rawhide to the suede, . . . it did not shrink, . . . the pieces are still together. And I might add that they are by this time as near as can become, . . . one piece. No floaters. AND, . . . If the boiling process does such a wonderful job, . . . why bother with the rawhide???? May God bless, Dwight

My one and only rawhide project was a knife sheath, . . . for a special, . . . home made knife for a young man who wanted a Native American look. The photo is that sheath, . . . I took a piece of rawhide, . . . wet it, . . . formed the "general" shape of what i was wanting by wetting and bending it. A few days later when I was certain it had dried, . . . I contact cemented it to the suede that makes the sheath. Haven't heard any complaints, . . . and that was several years ago. May God bless, Dwight

When I looked up Remora holsters, . . . it looks like all their holsters are plastic / nylon, . . . not leather. But even if it were, . . . I think the important thing is to ask why you want what you want? Holsters have built in retention so they will hold the weapon, . . . not let it slide loose and go bouncing down the sidewalk or the grocery store aisle. Honestly, . . . I don't think you really want or need to do that, . . . it is an accident looking for a place to happen. May God bless, Dwight

Electrathon probably hit the glue on the head here, . . . I just always wait until it is dry, . . . part of my process, . . . and yes, trying to sew through cloth or leather or some combination, . . . with wet glue, . . . might have some problems. May God bless, Dwight

Any one of my 5 sewing machines will balk if it comes into contact with a piece of metal, . . . and I'll balk if it comes into contact with my finger, . . . but glue???? Not in the 50 years I've been sewing. But then again, . . . I use Weldwood carpenters glue, . . . Elmer's white glue, . . . and Weldwood contact cement, . . . nothing else. May God bless, Dwight

Private Message Sent May God bless, Dwight

Very simply, . . . black USMC ruboff is created by lack of serious buffing. I can buff off a belt, . . . and a pancake holster, . . . wear em all day, . . . zero rub off, . . . but only because I am serious about buffing. Also, . . . dilute the USMC dye 50/50 with Feibings thinner. It will still dye as dark, . . . but will only have about 1/3 of the surface pigment to buff off. And give up the dauber dyeing, . . . dip dye it, . . . use a 9 x 13 cake pan. My favorite USMC finish is made of 50/50 (by weight), . . . virgin bees wax and neatsfoot oil, . . . heated and stirred, . . . then allowed to solidify. I use cupcake wrappers in a cupcake pan, . . . the product goes on like paste shoe polish, . . . use a low setting heat gun or hair dryer to melt it into the leather, . . . let it dry overnight, . . . buff the next day. It will take at least a couple of coats, . . . but I love the finish, . . . it is an "old fashioned" finish that can be turned almost as glossy as you are willing to work it up to. May God bless, Dwight

I'd joke with you Josh because you made it wrong handed (as opposed to right handed) but that would be the only thing I found that would make me not want it. Looks really good, . . . but then again, . . . 1911's and saddle tan are a couple of my favorites anyway. You certainly have much more patience than I do, . . . that tooling is about 3 times my attention span, . . . and it looks really good to me. May God bless, Dwight

Hey, Jim, . . . nobody else may be interested, . . . but I am. If you have the time, I'd love to see how that one is put together, . . . fact is, . . . I've even got a hide in mind that should work pretty good for it. Thanks, may God bless, Dwight

In answer to your final question, . . . look at this: The picture of the holster is a fairly close copy of the Duke's rig, . . . and is typical of what I produce, . . . just FYI. May God bless, Dwight

Take a look here, . . . scroll down to tinker tailor's post, . . . I make all of my own bag punches similar to this, . . . but I can do one in all of 15 minutes, . . . and eat a cinnamon roll at the same time. May God bless, Dwight http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=62446&hl=%26quot%3Bbag+punch%26quot%3B#entry403971

Welcome, . . . from next door, . . . Ohio. May God bless, Dwight

I have one machine that does 95% of everything I want. Haven't trained it to fry a bologna sandwich yet, though. Seriously, . . . I use a Tippmann Boss, . . . and someone will be getting a sweet machine when I wake up dead some morning, . . . because my wife won't mess with it, . . . and I doubt my son will. I've done chaps, chinks, sheaths, holsters, belts, suspenders, pouches, wallets, . . . . and that's just the leather stuff. But, . . . I digress. All of my gunbelts, . . . generally hit in a combined two layer thickness of something between .160 and .220, . . . and most of that depends on the length. Longer belts start out thicker, . . . shorter ones tend to be thinner. But that's the way I do it, . . . YMMV. My old beat up CCW belt I've got on right now is closer to .250, . . . but I surely would not want it any thicker. Personal preference is the reason. May God bless, Dwight