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Everything posted by Dwight
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My vote goes to papaw, . . . 9/10 is for cannon covers, . . . not Bible covers. My covers go inside the Bible only half way of the page, . . . it allows papers to be placed between it and the cover, . . . and it is a subtle reminder not to put too much in there, . . . as many would do with a full fledged "pocket" inside the cover. Most covers I have seen that have a full fledged pocket, . . . have it on the back, . . . it takes up the lower half of the back. This little drawing is kid of crude, . . . but you get the idea of how to make one, . . . quick. May God bless, Dwight
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Iphone Case - What To Do About The Bottom Corners?
Dwight replied to FlHobbyist's topic in How Do I Do That?
For I phones, this is the only type case I make, . . . open top, . . . bottom has stacked & glued leather to make a solid bottom about 5/8 inch tall and as thick as the phone+1/16 of an inch. This one obviously is for a cell phone, . . . but it is all the same in the construction, . . . and is a really neat little case. May God bless, Dwight -
First off, . . . for dip dyeing, . . . go someplace like Goodwill or Salvation Army, . . . buy several (at least 3) 9 x 14 (or so) oblong cake pans, . . . about 2 inches deep. I use something between a pint and 3 cups when I am dyeing a project, . . . belt or holster. Pour it in the pan, . . . and roll your object around in it if it is a holster, . . . belts I just snake through, . . . trying to allow about a 3 second amount of time that it is immersed. I then hold it level in my hands on one edge and watch it in the light to see that all the dye has soaked in, . . . belts get laid on a piece of cardboard on the BOTTOM edge, . . . just like it would be worn. If you hang the dumb thing up by one end, . . . the dye will migrate and you will have a "dark to light" colored belt, . . . and you will not be happy. i have a poly deep sink in my "backroom" over which I do my dyeing, . . . and it looks it. Various and sundry shades of black, brown, blue, red, and many others. I have a large thick piece of cardboard that spans the sink, . . . the pan sits on it, . . . dyeing done, . . . excess gets poured back into the bottle via a funnel, . . . pan gets rinsed out with hot water, . . . everything then goes back up on the shelf. Now if you really want to learn how to be careful doing this, . . . wear a real nice pair of $100 tennis shoes, . . . and your favorite light colored Tee shirt. Somewhere in the first few times you do this, . . . you will become fairly proficient, . . . or you will wear spotted clothing and spotted tennis shoes. I change shoes and put on a blue Navy work jacket as well as rubber gloves when i do this, . . . most of the time. Since that room is off limits to everyone but my wife and myself, . . . she allows the sink to be "as is". But then again, . . . it is the home equivalent of the factory "slop sink". As far as the question about dipping resolene, . . . my results when I have tried it were not satisfactory to me. It does put on a coat, . . . but it is too thin, . . . and will leave little runny patches, . . . looks ugly. I prefer to brush it on with a Harbor Freight, 1 inch, el cheapo bristle brush. On the other hand though, . . . several on here and other sites will own up to dipping in a bucket of Mop and Glo. I believe the mix is 50/50, . . . but do a search on here for Mop and Glo, . . . you'll probably find it. Or, . . . send a PM to Katsass, . . . I know he does that. May God bless, Dwight
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We use different pans, . . . but the same process, . . . and yes, it does work. May God bless, Dwight
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Uhh, . . . no, . . . that is the one I use to apply contact cement or glue. The bristle brush I use has a wooden handle, . . . is about 1 inch wide, . . . and the bristles are kinda yellowish / tan, . . . I buy em by the box I was able to find it, . . . it is this one, . . . http://www.harborfreight.com/1-inch-chip-brush-39627.html And I am fairly "picky" about how my belts look when they leave my shop. I have pulled out stitches for half a belt (42 inch belt at 5 stitches per inch is a bunch of stitches) because one was dropped and I didn't see it, . . . or I ran out of thread in my bobbin, . . . I also dip dye my belts, . . . because mine aren't intended for the rose garden, . . . they are intended for the sheepdog guarding the rose garden, . . . carrying a full size 1911, two full mags, maybe a set of handcuffs, cell phone, and flashlight. I want that belt to carry all of that, . . . keep his/her britches from falling down, . . . not scratch up and look like it came off Omaha beach, . . . and last longer than I will at almost 70. I tried the dauber, . . . brush, . . . etc, . . . finally figured the best I could do for my customer was to dip dye them, . . . make it deep, . . . make it uniform, . . . and make it so if they order one for a buddy in 5 years, . . . it will be equal to the one they got back when. My belts are stiff, . . . hard, . . . practical, . . . and i think they look pretty good too, . . . Feibings oil dye & Resolene are the products I use on the vast majority of my belts. May God bless, Dwight
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Paddle holsters are easy on, . . . easy off, . . . and you just got about all the good things I know to say about them. They bulge out, . . . they sway back and forth, . . . it's hard to get one to ride "comfortably" (I've owned 2 of them, . . . still have one). I like the snap holster if the snaps have a belt ridge just above the rivet hole, . . . but I don't like a straight snap. The straps that wrap completely around the belt is IMHO, . . . the most secure of the three, . . . rides more comfortably, . . . and does not "bulge" out as do the others. YMMV May God bless, Dwight
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In a one word answer: yes, . . . you are doing something wrong if using resolene and you are still getting dye bleeding onto your clothing. I have been making belts for over 5 years now, . . . only one ever bled, . . . it did not get Resolene, . . . the ones that did not bleed, . . . got Resolene. I use a 1 inch bristle brush (Harbor Freight, . . . about 50 cents each), . . . I use Resolene at 50/50 strength with plain old tap water. I put a coat on the back, . . . brushing on product until I get a good lather, . . . brush out the bubbles, . . . left / right / up / down / left oblique / right oblique / repeat and continue until all bubbles are gone. Turn it over and put a coat on the front, . . . same process. Turn it back over again, . . . another coat, . . . once more, . . . do the front. You wind up with two coats on each side. Hang by the buckle end, . . . handling by the edges as you hang it, . . . touch up those areas you touched. Leave it for 24 hours, . . . it should NEVER allow dye to leach out again. You will also need to form the buckle end, . . . doing the "fold over" while the belt is wet, . . . I do it usually after doing the back the first time. A long time ago, . . . I lost track of how many belts I've done, . . . narrow, . . . wide, . . . natural, . . . browns, . . . blacks, . . . black cherry, . . . etc., . . . no bleeding with this process. May God bless, Dwight
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Well, . . . I don't use much chrome tanned leather at all, . . . mostly just veggie and suede, . . . little pigskin now and then. But what little I have done, . . . it worked just like it was veggie tan. But then again, . . . I don't worry about where I put the glue, . . . because where I put it, . . . will be covered by another piece with Weldwood on it also. The glue surface will never be seen if I do it right. Now I did mess up a piece some time ago, . . . glue went outside the line, . . . dye would not take in that area, . . . and the top of the leather looked funky, . . . but that is the worst. The worst part of using it, . . . ya gotta scratch up the hair side of veggie tan with a wire brush a bit if you want a "real" hold. If I'm sewing it, . . . most of the time, I don't bother. May God bless, Dwight
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I'm going to have to go back and reiterate that you will not find anything that does a BETTER job than a contact cement like Weldwood. Yeah, . . . if you poured a pint of it in a plastic bag, . . . and tied the bag over your head, . . . you probably should use a respirator. I've used it as a carpenter, . . . furniture maker, . . . leatherworker, . . . for some 50 years now, . . . no, i don't have a third hand growing from my head, . . . nor do I have 3 legs. I use simple common sense things like not using it while sitting over an electric heater, . . . not using it in the furnace room, . . . and certainly not smoking (haven't done that since '85 or so) while using it. Thinning it a tad with Acetone will make a light and easy to use product, . . . strong, . . . and if properly applied, . . . the leather will rip before it will let go. For the last 6 or so years, . . . I have almost every time, . . . used an electric heat gun (glows red at the hot end) to hasten the drying process, . . . and I turn it on high. No problems. Use a little common sense with it, . . . you will not find anything out there that is better. May God bless, Dwight
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My "go to" material for mock ups comes from Joann Fabric shop. Get their 40 or 50% off one item coupon, . . . go buy a yard of their really heavy, fabric backed vinyl, . . . it mimics leather in many ways, . . . sloppy wet is just one of them. New chap ideas, . . . radical holster ideas, . . . etc, . . . all get the vinyl before the cowhide. May God bless, Dwight
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A Clear Plastic Pouch On A Leather Vest To Display Patches?
Dwight replied to Ebchamorro's topic in How Do I Do That?
And cast my vote for the velcro, . . . that would be my solution. Sew the velcro to the leather jacket with upholstery thread from Joann's Fabric, . . . use a short basting stitch, . . . most leather jackets can be done with a simple needle and thimble. When you get it all done, . . . it will look professional to all but those who know the difference, . . . which is some 1 % of the population. May God bless, Dwight -
I've been using Weldwood for some 40 years or so, . . . haven't developed a third eye, . . . no extra ears, . . . still got only 8 fingers and two thumbs. Seriously, . . . it does have an odor, . . . and there is a flammable warning on it, . . . but figure a way past the odor, . . . and you have THE strongest of the glues. Some will equal it, . . . none will surpass it. It can be thinned a tad with acetone, . . . works better on really small stuff, . . . and they make a gel that is also neat for putting just that little amount EXACTLY where you want it. You're only out 7 bucks if you don't like it. May God bless, Dwight
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Personally, . . . I got tired of trying to make the ends right with a mechanical device. I use a punch to knock out the general pattern, . . . and basically where I want it. THEN, . . . it goes to my 1 inch wide belt sander (NOT the orbital), . . . and I make really beautiful belt ends there, . . . or at least they look good to me. Mike has the process down correct, . . . mark, . . . center, . . . whack, . . . but I still like to do that "final" on the sander. May God bless, Dwight
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A small pair of needle nosed pliers with large rubber shock handles, . . . makes short work of a needle that wants to be difficult going through the hole. Also useful for many other things too. You may also want to pick up a snap setter, . . . I believe this is the one I use, . . . http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/5/8-heavy-duty-fastener-plier-kit-733006/, . . . on sale, half price until the 19th. I have never seen a tool that does a better job of setting snaps than this one. I did hear one guy complain about it, . . . he bent the handles, . . . it is not made for a ham-handed knuckle head. May God bless, Dwight
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Arbor Press One Ton
Dwight replied to Red Cent's topic in Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes
I do all of my letter stamping with my 1/2 ton, . . . I use it to impress my stamp, . . . I crack walnuts, . . . I'm still "designing" my way to doing snaps with it. Have not "quite" gotten it where I want it, . . . will post when I do. Be creative, . . . May God bless, Dwight -
Need Help With Stitch On Backside Of My Belts
Dwight replied to Mark Moss's topic in Leather Sewing Machines
I would certainly try the bed, . . . when I added one to my Tippmann Boss, . . . EVERYTHING started looking better on the back. There are times I cannot use it for a certain project, . . . but the 90% or so that I do use it on, . . . it looks SOOOOOOOOOOOO much better. Then I mounted my Boss so that after sewing, . . . it has a 60 inch table to go out and lay on, . . . it got even better May God bless, Dwight -
Chink Makers: Question About Cutting Fringe...
Dwight replied to thenrie's topic in Clothing, Jackets, Vests and Chaps
1. I didn't invent this thing, . . . someone else (I think on this website) gave me the idea, . . . but that is how I made my template. And get the BIG rotary cutter, I think it might be 60mm, . . . around 2 inches in diameter. I have a little one, . . . don't like it anywhere near as well as the big one. Also be careful, . . . they ARE sharp, . . . and will cut you bad, . . . quickly. 2. I start out with a downward slant, . . . probably something near 45 degrees, . . . as i hit the corner, . . . I add a few degrees to each cut, . . . and it works out. I did take out a wedge on at least one pair, . . . then tried just sliding around, . . . it seemed to work as well, . . . and is a lot quicker. I mean, . . . how many judges are going to walk up to a contestant with a pair of calipers and say "Let me measure the width of your fringe, . . . gotta be perfectly equal all the way around". 3. For now it is just eyeball, . . . gimme a couple years, . . . then we'll call it experience too. May God bless, Dwight -
As usual, . . . top shelf work. I would have knocked a couple of slots in the back just for the heck of it, . . . just in case someone someday wanted to attach it to a belt, . . . but it wasn't my call, . . . so you did well. May God bless, Dwight
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Sewing Vs Stitching--Which Do You Prefer And Why
Dwight replied to leathervan's topic in Sewing Leather
Tex, . . . I don't know what you got, . . . but that kind of therapy is devastating to an old coot like me. Don't get me wrong now, . . . there are times when I eyeball my 16 oz framing hammer while sitting behind a recalcitrant Tippmann Boss, . . . but I usually go get a cup of coffee, . . . chill a bit, . . . finish the project, . . . and thank the Good Lord for my sewing machine / stitcher. And I do enough belts, . . . I'd just quit them if I had to hand sew them, . . . or else the belt price would have to be like Mike's, . . . and seriously raised upward. May God bless, Dwight -
Applying Fiebing’S Usmc Black (Alcohol Based) Dye?
Dwight replied to Rocket6R's topic in How Do I Do That?
On the very few occasions I use USMC black, . . . I dip dye it, . . . and it eliminates the browns, . . . streakiness, . . . and the multiple coats. Other than it being a pain to buff out, . . . it is indeed BLACK, . . . and will give a good penetration for leather that has to hold up to some serious working. Again, . . . I don't like to use it, . . . but it does work, . . . kind of like a snow shovel, ya' know? May God bless, Dwight -
C'mon St8line, . . . hands are for hamburgers, . . . machines are for stitching I don't know what "pleather" is, . . . this actually was real leather, . . . just had a hard coat of some sort on it. I looked up "blue leather" some time back, . . . it's not processed correctly, . . . cheaper to make that way, . . . I'm thinking that was what it was as it hit all the description I had found. It wouldn't glue right, . . . it wouldn't sand right, . . . stitching was at best "OK", . . . and that coating was something else to cut It'll work for what I need it for, . . . but somebody will really have to have the next one. May God bless, Dwight
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Actually, it wasn't a problem at all to keep it clean. It is some kind of "manufactured" leather, . . . has a real hard finish on it, . . . back and center is blue, . . . all but the outside edge is really soft like belly leather, . . . I bought the piece to do some white slings for a Veteran group, . . . had some left over, . . . like I said, . . . probably first and last. May God bless, Dwight
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Chink Makers: Question About Cutting Fringe...
Dwight replied to thenrie's topic in Clothing, Jackets, Vests and Chaps
I took the advice of someone somewhere (maybe on here) and made myself two fringe cutting templates. They are clear plexiglass, . . . with lines spaced 1/4 inch apart on one, . . . 5/16 on the other one, . . . lines scratched into the surface. In the center of the piece (about 4 inches wide, . . . 9 inches long) is a cut with a hack saw. I roll a rotary cutter down the hack saw cut, . . . move it to the left to see the cut line covered by one of the scratched lines, . . . and just keep rolling down. I have lines going across it to indicate different lengths for the fringe. Using my system, . . . it's pretty hard not to make good looking fringe. And yes, . . . fringe cutting is THE last thing done. Otherwise, . . . I'd somehow sew some of it up somewhere, . . . somehow, . . . cause I know me. AND, . . . it lets me know that the work is almost done when I'm doing the fringe, . . . I can chill and enjoy the experience. May God bless, Dwight