Dwight

Potato, . . . potahto, . . . potatoe, . . .

It's a long crazy story how I ended up with mine, . . . but it was brand new, . . . still in the box. And, . . . yes, . . . there is a learning curve with it, . . . but it was not really hard for me, . . . I've been messing with mechanical junk for 50+ years, . . . learned how to use a treadle Singer when I was probably all of 8or 10 at the oldest. The pros for the Boss: A relatively simple machine, . . . if it breaks, you can take it apart and put in the parts yourself Hand operated, no power needed The factory is in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, . . . their "fixit" people, mainly Ben, are wonderful to work with Needs only to be solidly anchored, . . . mine is with a "C" clamp on my bench's end The cons for the Boss: It does not make a "pretty" backside stitch It is sometimes difficult to get started: lifting the foot, holding the strings, placing the piece to be sewn, getting started in "THE" right place. Doing a 55 inch belt takes a cup of coffee, one doughtnut, and a lot of patience so you don't have a "do over" to contend with It can try your patience As for thread, . . . I buy 346 thread at Tandy's, . . . it has some kind of lube on it, . . . works really well, . . . but I do sometimes have to clean a goober or gob of the stuff off my needle'e eye. I've tried 207, 277, and 406, . . . none of which works as well for me as the 346 from Tandy's. You will want to build a table that lays to the left of the machine, . . . and a surface directly behind it for the parts & pieces to rest on while stitching. You won't always use it in that configuration, . . . but for most of what I do, . . . it works the best. May God bless, Dwight

For a panel like that, . . . 6/7 ounce should be plenty, . . . and if you skive the edges of the back side, . . . cement it down real good, . . . then sew it near the edge, . . . it will look really nice and be less prone to damage. Now you've got me thinking about one for my rifle, . . . but I'll have to build in a cheek piece, . . . ahhh, . . . life is fun and full of suggestions / ideas / projects. Don't forget to share pictures with us when it's done. May God bless, Dwight

I'll tell you up front, . . . the hardest part is the zipper. Lay your weapon down on a yellow manila folder, . . . so the whole thing is laying on one half of it, . . . fold the other half over it, . . . push down with your fingers to find where you can make the folder pieces meet, . . . mark and cut that, . . . straighten up the lines so it looks more like a big blunt ended teardrop, . . . cut that line, . . . you have your pattern. Then all you gotta do is sew the zipper on. Take your time, . . . it'll work out. I only do those for special people. May God bless, Dwight

I'm pretty much a "cut the other one big, . . . you can always trim it" type of guy. Holsters, belts, sheaths, . . . whatever. If gluing is involved, . . . there is always the risk of bad position ruining a project, . . . sanding or cutting off a bit of extra leather is a whole bunch easier and cheaper than trying to "cut to fit", . . . in my opinion. May God bless, Dwight

Looks good Mike, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Jason, . . . now I'm no expert, . . . but after about 40 years of using a product, . . . you kinda get a feel for how to use it. Let it dry, . . . completeley, . . . thoroughly, . . . 100%, . . . dry ! Yes, . . . you can use a heat gun on it, . . . that will quicken the process. Do not slop it on like making a peanut butter sandwich, . . . you want a thin, but even coat every where. Part of the key to that is to use a bristle brush, . . . and go back and forth over it so you are evening out puddles you made. OR, . . . try the gel formula. The only time I have ever had it not hold to the point of tearing the leather, . . . is when I've glued the hair side. That has to be scratched up, . . . I use a wire brush, . . . and don't be gentle with it, . . . you'll never see it again once it's glued, . . . so scuff that surface really good. Next step is to make sure the bond is made, . . . pressure is the key, . . . your hands, thumbs, rolling pin, piece of marble on top of it, . . . something to force the two pieces together. And if you can, . . . leave it for a while before you mess with it. NOW, . . . I don't do that, . . . I stick it together, . . . sand & burnish, . . . and sew, . . . then allow it to finish the bonding process after I have sewn it. My initial contact bond is always strong enough to hold it while I'm sewing it, . . . but then again that is my process. Like it was said earlier, . . . if you can pull it apart after it was bonded, . . . YOU did something out of kilter, . . . it ain't the glue's fault. As a test, . . . I once made a little holster for a .380 Bersa Thunder, . . . carried it for I don't know how long, . . .not one stitch in the thing, . . . only Weldwood, . . . got rid of the gun, and gave the holster to a friend. Far as I know, . . . it's still useable. May God bless, Dwight

You could try this, . . . inexpensive, . . . quick, . . . unobrusive. May God bless, Dwight

Go to a welding supply shop and tell them you want a piece of soap stone and a holder for it. You'll be out about 3 bucks. Mark your line just to one side or the other to your sewing line, . . . to the shoe edge if you are using a machine. It makes a nice grey mark on almost any leather, . . . buffs right off, . . . but won't blow off, . . . and doesn't scuff the leather. Works on most material too. May God bless, Dwight

I'm with Red Cent, . . . not enough information to understand exactly what is wanted or needed. Can you do a picture or a drawing??? May God bless, Dwight

That is what is known as a Monte Carlo comb, . . . as often as not just an added decoration to add a bit of price to the product, . . . but can aid in aligning the eye to the scope. Having said that, . . . I would most likely opt for a 3 oz piece, . . . see enclosed drawing. May God bless, Dwight

If you take the time to field dress and skin the catch, . . . plastic freezer bags will keep them till you can get home, . . . and not allow blood to get all over the inside of your hunting bag. Blood, . . . even dried, . . . can have a terrible odor, . . . bad for you and for your hunting................ All my old hunting jackets had a plastic inner liner that could be wiped clean with a wash rag, . . . and that worked great for me for years. Don't hunt small game these days. May God bless, Dwight

The one and only I have ever seen had a post instead of a snap. They are available at Tandy's. May God bless, Dwight

In one word, . . . no ! May God bless, Dwight

I would be tempted to do it this way, . . . folding the leather over the end, . . . coming back and punching and lacing it after going through a slot. May God bless, Dwight

I sincerely hate to be a harsh critic, . . . but if I see what I think I see, . . . that simply will not work. First, . . . it looks as though the loops are attached only at the bottom by the snaps, . . . which will allow it to roll out away from your body if it is worn on the right hand side of the body. It would dump the gun out on the pavement. Worn on the left side, . . . the loops would be on the outside, . . . with the holster between the belt and the britches, . . . and I'm guessing that it more than likely would squirt up and out of the holster. I say that because I have owned a Bersa for a number of years, . . . and it is not an easy weapon for which to make holsters. Second, . . . the snaps are on the bottom, . . . any serious resistance to the weapon coming clear, . . . the snaps could undo, . . . allowing you to present both a gun and a holster to your attacker. I hope what I am seeing is wrong, . . . but from the angles presented in the pictures, . . . it looks frankly like a wasted exercise. May God bless, Dwight

As a suggestion, . . . taking nothing away from time tested answers, . . . I would prefer a 50/50 blend of beeswax and neetsfoot oil. I have used it on a number of applications (it is also an "old timey" finish) and it has provided all the things the OP asked for. May God bless, Dwight

You did not say how big the squares are. If they are 4 inches or less, a strap cutter will give you 2 perfectly cut sides, making your only task, . . . cutting the ends. My table has a 36 x 60 mat in one inch squares, . . . and it and a long ruler works for me. May God bless, Dwight

I don't do a lot of saddle or other hand stitching, . . . but when I do, . . . I cut off a 6 foot piece, . . . and go from there. It's fairly easy to hide a splice, . . . I only have to deal with 36 inches of thread on each side, . . . and if I do cut off a longer piece, . . . I usually wind up dragging it through something that will discolor it or get it dirty. And, . . . if there is any left over, . . . they go up in my thread cache, . . . pulled down later to hang pictures, . . . sew a short piece, . . . wrap a package, . . . or whatever, . . . it becomes my substitute for mom's ball of twine. May God bless, Dwight

Take the offending stamps to your local NAPA store, . . . they have rubber hose that will do the trick really well. I have several with it on them, . . . the ones I use the most, . . . and at a buck or so a foot, . . . it's about a quarter for each one done. Be sure to get hose that fits tight, though, . . . if it fits loose, . . . you'll hammer the tool down through it, . . . Different colors can "color code" them, . . . making the one you are looking for easier to spot, . . . especially background stamps, . . . basket weave, . . . etc. May God bless, Dwight

Go to the salvation army or goodwill, . . . buy one of theirs that has a hole in it for 59 cents, . . . carefully cut it apart, . . . it is a perfect pattern. May God bless, Dwight

If I may, . . . let me help you on this question. There are a lot of people who start out in leatherwork, . . . spend some good hard earned money, . . . and then leave for a myriad of reasons, . . . and this is no different in any other hobby. But in leatherwork, you can wind up with some money spent that is very hard to recoup. Let me suggest that "this time" you go to say a Tandy store if there is one near you, . . . buy kits for the billfolds, belts, and bags you want to do. Those kits can be turned into some very beautiful gifts in a fairly short time, . . . some of the work is already done for you, . . . and with the enclosed instructions, . . . you will not be saddled with haveing to peruse the forum to find out "how do I do THIS"??? Belts come pre-embossed if you like, . . . or just blanks. Saves several steps, . . . and can save you a belt blank if you make a serious mistake in finishing or punching it out. The same goes for bags and wallets. Buy only the tools needed to complete the kits, . . . and if you have something at home that you can substitute for now, . . . use it. I had a little mallet that I used for the first several years before I finally ponied up real cash for one. I still use my drywall knife to cut 90% of my leather pieces. Only if it has to be "exact" and has some serious straight lines, . . . will I waste my time with a round knife or a rotary cutter, . . . they aren't worth a dime on intricate pieces. And don't be too concerned about the quality of tools today, . . . a year from now if you are still with us, . . . yeah. Now, . . . seriously, it is not a good financial bet, simply because you do not know the direction you are going, and the tools you will need. You can also buy the kits and the tools "on line" as well as the dyes, finishes, etc you will need. That will also allow you more time to devote to actually doing the work, . . . which for me, always gives me a better and more beautiful finished product. Good luck. May God bless, Dwight

Thank you, . . . thank you, . . . I thought maybe that may be the deal, . . . but sometimes the obvious is not the right answer. When I made Tony's earlier this year, . . . I messed up the first one (punched a hole in the wrong place), . . . so I have a piece of leather hanging and waiting for me to decide to make mine, . . . and I just may do some tooling on it, . . . but it surely won't be as intricate as yours. Maybe a rose up at the top,.............. May God bless, Dwight

Brushpopper, . . . I don't use a scabbard like this, . . . so I have to ask the question: how do you secure the scabbard to the very left if you want to use it with your horse? The other two I figured out as there are loops for leather straps. But the one on the left is plain, . . . just need some guidance. And before I forget, . . . yes, . . . they are beautiful. The tooling patterns are definitely unique. Thanks, may God bless, Dwight

shug said: "I fancy making a western style gun slip for a 1/2 scale static Winchester I am making and would like pictures etc on how they were constructed,leather type and weight etc........" Well, . . . in the US, . . . a slip is either a receipt from some retailer, . . . or that silky thing your wife wears under her dress........... But I'm guessing you wanted information on a "rifle scabbard", . . . and while I don't have a lot, . . . I'll share this one with you that I made for a friend some time back. It is made of 2.5 / 3mm leather, . . . and has a very short sheep wool / skin lining. The wool itself was about 6 or 7 mm long. I would not normally put fringe on the bottom, . . . but the customer is always right, . . . so he got fringe on it. There is a sewn plug in the barrel end, . . . that is the only way I do these, . . . some will just sew it shut, . . . but that pinches the front sight and barrel, . . . and can cause abrasion which could cause "stuff" to get in the end of your rifle barrel, . . . which is not at all a safe thing. The actual scabbard itself is one piece of leather, . . . sewn together at the bottom. The lining is first contact cemented to the outside, . . . then sewn at the open end before the bottom was sewn together. The whole thing was finished in Resolene to help protect it from sweat and abrasion if it were ever actually to see use on a horse. Personally I think it will become a wall hanger, . . . but that is up to my friend. Most rifle scabbards will only show the last 30 or so cm on the stock, . . . protecting all of the metal parts from sweat of the horse and rider. On a lever action, I would cover the whole lever, . . . making even less of the stock show. Hope this helps, may God bless, Dwight