Dwight

Hey, . . . all in all, . . . good one for the first try. Your panels look really good, . . . and I still cannot do basket weave. May God bless, Dwight

I use a bag punch, . . . it's about 3/4 of an inch long, . . . after I punch out the one full length punch, . . . I add about another half, . . . so in all it is about an inch and 1/8 or an inch an a quarter, . . . I test it by folding it over, . . . straightening out the buckle, . . . lifting up the tongue. For me it needs to go straight up with no problem, . . . if not, . . . I whack it again until it does. But with my little template I made, . . . that isn't very often, . . . just maybe when there is a new style buckle, . . . but even then, not very often. May God bless, Dwight

Like all hobbies, . . . when we get to be ground temperature, . . . it won't affect us as much any more, . . . but until then, . . . ya just gotta give in and have at it. My wife thinks I have too many hobbies, . . . I'm still looking around to see if there is anything I am missing May God bless, Dwight

When I am making a pattern for chaps I've not done before, . . . I get my handy, dandy JoAnn Fabric coupon (presently either 40 or 50% off on one item, . . . one cut of material is one item) and I go back to the back where they have their heavy duty vinyl with the canvas back. It closely approximates about 2 oz leather in feel and function. It's now around 20 bucks a yard, . . . and depending on your husband's size, . . . you'll need 1 1/2 to 3 yards. I'm 6 ft 1 inch and 185, . . . I make my size patterns out of 1 1/2 yards. That turns out usually to be about $15. The coupons can be found on line, . . . and once you get signed up, . . . if you want, they'll put you on THE LIST and send em to you every now and then. If I was making woolies, . . . I'd start with Bob at klendasaddlery, . . . I got his patterns for both Arizona styles, . . . and I would think the #33 might be OK, . . . he has another one that he does not show a pattern for, it's a #6503, . . . call him up and talk to him, . . . he's a super guy. http://www.klendasaddlery.com/chaps.htm May God bless, Dwight

As rawr66 said above, . . . from the buckle at one end, . . . to the "most used hole" on the present belt they wear. And YOU measure it, . . . otherwise you will "re-do" about every other one or every third one. I had a "client" who wore 36 inch Wranglers, . . . and wanted a 36 inch belt. When I finally got his old belt to measure it, . . . turned out he really needed a 41. His Wranglers had slowly but surely stretched as his girth did, . . . so he never really paid attention I guess. Anyway, . . . measure it yourself, . . . personally. Also, I think it is a better deal for my customers to give them 7 holes, . . . but that is something you will have to work out for you and your customers. And, from the last hole at the very end of the belt, . . . add 3 1/2 inches to the tongue, . . . out to the end of the belt. May God bless, Dwight

i've done it both ways, . . . and it's kinda like twins, . . . they get old at the same rate, . . . get wrinkled and ugly about the same too. But then again, . . . I dip dye, . . . so my dye is a bit deeper penetration than some of the surface dye jobs I've seen. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks for the giggles, Lobo, . . . sometimes something is said that takes us back to our "voice of experience" lessons. Your last line above is a sure winner in that department. May God bless, Dwight

The last one I did like that, . . . I dip dyed the two outside layers in black before assembly, . . . made one purty, purty holster. My only "mistake" was the leather I used was just a tad on the heavy side, . . . actually wound up with a holster that could be used as a weapon, . . . it is so stiff and hard. But it shore is purty. And, . . . yes, . . . as mentioned earlier, . . . a good coat of neetsfoot oil will do good for both the holster and the gun inside it. I also do not put any finish on the insides of those holsters. May God bless, Dwight

Salvation Army, . . . Goodwill, . . . any place that sells used stuff, . . . sometimes see a football i there. May God bless, Dwight

Go ahead and use the eyelets, . . . just put a "tongue" under them, . . . like in a shoe. Make it big enough that the panel hides the stitches, . . . and you'll have to make it kind of "T" shaped, . . . with the trunk of the T going up under the panel, . . . then the top of the T being the actual tongue itself, . . . allowing the laces to rest against it. The other thing you might do, . . . Velcro, . . . it's wonderful stuff. May God bless, Dwight

Pretty much the same as wig190861, . . . except I have a punched out template made many moons ago from a manila folder. I lay it on the top of the belt, . . . pencil, pen, nail, punch, . . . use something to mark the front to back location of the holes. Then I lay it on the table, . . . belt point looking directly at me, . . . lay my hole punch back side on the mark I made, . . . adjust it left or right as my eyes tell me what is centered, . . . punch it. I learned a long time ago, . . . if I cannot see any error in the location, . . . nobody else will either. I just eyeball and punch. May God bless, 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