Dwight

The blemishes you see in your belt on the inside from burnishing, . . . are never seen in mine, . . . because I dunk dye the whole thing, . . . after it is fully created. The only thing to be done then is burnish the edges, . . . add finish coat(s), . . . buckle & hardware, . . . send to customer. But that's just my way of doing things. May God bless, Dwight

My belts are whatever combination I have at the moment because I do not own a splitter. I generally try for an 8 oz and a 6 oz together for a 14 oz or so belt, . . . just shy of 6mm. For holsters, . . . 7 oz to 9 oz or two 4 or 5 oz pieces sandwiched together for a lined holster. Knife sheaths start around 6 oz and go up, . . . depending on how big the knife is, . . . how it is carried. Guitar straps are generally 5 or 6 oz, . . . maybe 7 if I got to stamp it much. May God bless, Dwight

Dwight, Which Model of rings do you have, the Colt or the Springfield A-1? I had to go look, . . . it is the Colt, . . . but not with the "cocked & locked" attitude. When I'm doing a Commander, . . . I just use my own firearm, . . . as that is the size I carry. May God bless, Dwight

My Rings blue gun only found one that didn't fit, . . . it was an older 1911, Stainless, made by Springfield. The dust cover was bigger, thicker than any other I ever ran across. May God bless, Dwight

Very few things I do are stained first, . . . I dunk em all when they are assembled. Admittidely, . . . for my Centurion armor, . . . I used pre-dyed leather, . . . but would have dunked it after assembly if I had not used pre-dyed. I do not put any of the metal: buckles, chicago screws, conchos, etc. on the work, . . . but it is sewn, burnished, sanded, stamped, all that stuff then it is "dunked" and done. I have an air brush, . . . but no paint booth yet, . . . so I cannot really comment on that. May God bless, Dwight

Atom wax is just that, . . . a wax finish. Kiwi shoe polish is another wax finish, . . . so you have something to compare it to. Both give a fairly protective coat, . . . look really good when first done, . . . but will scuff and wear off in time. Resolene is an acrylic finish, . . . similar to the clear coat finish on your new car, . . . only not quite as sophisticated, . . . and not as hard. Resolene will lock out UV rays, most moisture, most sweat, most other liquids, . . . and will seal in the dye. I have never had a "rub off" problem with Resolene. Most people I have found who dislike it, . . . simply have never taken the time to learn how to apply it properly. There are many ways, . . . but if it is done in a sloppy manner, . . . not cut with water, . . . "messed with" too soon, . . . or a few other things, . . . you will not like the finish. Practice with it, . . . play with it, . . . learn to use it, . . . and you will like it. It is not THE "do all" or "finish all" product we would all like, . . . it is lousy for purses in my estimation, . . . but it does have many uses, . . . I use it exclusively for the belts and holsters I sell. May God bless, Dwight

Just agreeing with Ray. May God bless, Dwight

Pitch the super sheen, . . . go to Resolene, . . . mix it 50/50 with water, . . . play with it enough and you can use it for a mirror practically. It is a far superior finish in just about every way. May God bless, Dwight

My philosophy on life has always been pretty much the same that Bill Gates used as Microsoft CEO. When asked if he "could" do something, . . . he virtually always said "Yes", . . . then went back to his team and said, . . . "OK, . . . now HOW do we do it?" I've lived almost 70 years following what he put into those few words, . . . has always worked for me. May God bless, Dwight

If you wanted it to be certain never to move, . . . a series of drilled holes in each corner, . . . making an "L" shape, . . . say 1 inch long each way, . . . then saddle stitching through those holes, . . . that should hold it. Because of the price of my Ipad, . . . I simply made a leather case for it to slip into and out of, . . . rather than a book, . . . plus it was easier and quicker. May God bless, Dwight

It is a little pricey, . . . but at Office Depot you can get this: http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/617993/Apollo-Plain-Paper-Copier-Transparency-Film/ You can draw on it, . . . print on it with a computer printer, . . . and you will never make enough leather goods to wear out the plastic. It's good for tooling patterns and for actual "outline" patterns for holsters, purses, etc. May God bless, Dwight

Just one little note, . . . I had the same thought about a shoulder rig many years ago, . . . and built it, . . . veggie tan holster, . . . suede straps. It is the singularly most uncomfortable shoulder rig I've ever had on my body. I cannot tell you why, or how it works, . . . but the doggone thing just hangs and weighs like a sand bag. The same gun in my veggie tan rig is much more comfortable for me. Might just be my skinny body and frame, . . . but I've never made one since, . . . don't plan on it either. I have not tried milled veggie tan, . . . it can be bought plain, no dye on it, . . . and it is nice and soft, . . . but does not have the stretch that some suede has. May God bless, Dwight

Good lookin' work there Chief,............ And, . . . yessir, . . . l like the lacing too. Oh, Rohn, . . . if you learn how to do it, . . . don't do like I do, . . . learn it today, . . . forget it tomorrow. I have to go back and look at the diagrams every time I try to do any lacing almost. May God bless, Dwight

Actually, Joe, . . . turning it over was far easier than sewing it. I couldn't cement it because I didn't want the cement to show if I somehow missed where I needed to stitch it. So, . . . I'm holding the sides straight up, . . . turning the corner with my left hand, . . . pulling the Boss handle with my right hand, . . . balancing the rest of the bag on my left knee, . . . and all the while blinking and squinting, . . . hoping that what I'm seeing is what I'll get when it is all done. Half baked funny now, . . . sure wasn't then. Took it to my deep sink and soaked it wet, . . . fully the whole thing, . . . turned it inside out just like a dirty old cotton sock off my left foot. Had to play with the seam to get it straight, . . . but no biggee. That's why next time the bottom is the last thing going down. I've got some chrome brown leather left over from a pair of chaps, . . . probably gonna turn into a hand bag. May God bless, Dwight

I was almost hoping no one would ask that question. I bought Eco Flo "all in one" by mistake, . . . thinking I was getting just the water base dye. Well,............. once I started putting it on, . . . I knew something was wrong, but could not stop as it was trying to dry and puddle even as I was working it. I had to take the glaze off it to undo some of the puddle spots, . . . then I used a conditioner as I had used thinner to deglaze. Needing to get some oil back into it, . . . I finally resorted to my old tried and true 50/50 beeswax and neatsfoot oil, . . . the belt and the trim strip atop the bag were finished in Resolene, so they would match. All in all it was a true test for me of my skills in fixing mistakes, . . . finding work arounds, etc. But it has the single most important part, . . . it is soft, supple, and feels good to the touch. I really dislike picking up a leather purse or wallet, . . . and it feels like a piece of Kydex or vinyl in your hands. We're going to do Aussie wax on the next one May God bless, Dwight

You are certainly welcome, Monica, . . . and yeah, . . . when I first saw them, . . . I had a "what the heck is this?" moment when I saw the stitch lines on the outside of the bag. Looking inside and seeing the little cubbyholes to stash stuff was THE decision maker for me. I'm very much a "practical" enthusiast, . . . do very little in "decoration" type stuff, . . . but this bag had to have something to make it beyond just a bag. That was the reason why I did the stamping on it. I use that particular set of stamps almost as a signature, . . . with the "Sunburst" color I devised, . . . it reminds me of the Arizona sun coming up over the mountains to the East. And I left the straps extra long, . . . and will take my hand punch to allow her to adjust the length to her liking. Anyway, . . . thanks for the good words, . . . glad you liked it. May God bless, Dwight

Well, Monica, . . . up close and in person, . . . the purse did not turn out as well as I had wanted. I had trouble with several items, . . . mostly of my own making, sad to say, . . . but leather working is kind of like fishing, . . . at the end of the day, they are either keepers or you pitch em back, . . . I'll keep this one. Especially since it is the first one like this I've ever done. The body is basically 3/4 veggie tan, . . . whole thing is sewn on a Boss, . . . 346 thread, . . . Desert Tan water base dye for the body, . . . British tan for the belts. Inside dividers are of the same 3/4 veggie tan, . . . belt is 7/8 veggie tan. The next one of these I do, . . . the bottom will be sewn on last, . . . that was my BIG mistake, . . . and I thought about it for a long while before i took the plunge, . . . Anyway, . . . a good learning experience. Thanks all for the good words and the encouragement. May God bless, Dwight

Well, . . . they're done, . . . his belt and her purse. There were a couple of things that didn't turn out the way I wanted them on the whole two projects, . . . but with all the help i got from you all, . . . I'm happy with how they turned out, . . . they'll get wrapped and given as wedding gifts to a very special couple. I figure with any luck at all, . . . the purse and the belt will both long out live me. Thanks again for everyone's input, . . . special thanks to Bondo Bob, . . . I was struggling with the "idea" until I hit that website, . . . her future mother in law said she would love anything even remotely close to those, . . . thanks again. May God bless, Dwight

I cheat, . . . not being steady handed, . . . and probably over caffeinated, . . . I take the color I am going to paint the letters, . . . and go buy a very sharp pointed "Sharpie" of that color (or as close as I can get), . . . and use it to outline the inside of the letters. That gives me a much wider area to come up against with my brush full of paint, . . . and depending on what you are desiring for a finished product, . . . sharpies do a pretty fair job all on their own, . . . Yeah, . . . I'm lazy too, . . . but you know how it is said: Necessity is the mother of invention, but laziness fueled the imagination. May God bless, Dwight

One of my favorite finishes is a mix of bees wax and neatsfoot oil. It makes a cake like product that you can rub on,. . . kinda treat it like Kiwi shoe polish, Works like a champ in my book, . . . my cowboy rig is done in it, . . . as well as my daily use cell phone holder. May God bless, Dwight

1. I don't know if you carry or not, . . . I do, . . . have for years, . . . anything but a FLAT backed holster becomes a rubbing point for me and for others I know of. I carry a full size all steel 1911, . . . and used to carry a .45 cal XD double stack, . . . IWB, . . . never a problem with the flat back, . . . all others beget sore spots. You sew the front down, . . . wet the front leather, . . . lay the gun down on it, . . . mold the gun, . . . let it dry, . . . sew the back side. 2. See the enclosed picture for the stitching. If the weapon is not hard to fit into an already sewn holster, . . . it is too loose to begin with is a fairly good rule. Once you branch out to pancakes, . . . especially without thumb breaks or suicide straps, . . . they have to be close fitting, . . . well molded, . . . and sewing close is pretty much THE key to making that happen. Loose stitches or excess leather between gun and stitches will allow it to open up, . . . and again become a bag instead of a holster. 4. See previous post Anyway, . . . keep at it, . . . you're on the right track. May God bless, Dwight

I don't know how to explain how it does it, . . . experience taught me it does do it. #4 created a sharp valley, . . . which I have found become problem areas. All I was suggesting is that you get away from doing that. I tried to modify part of the picture so it explains it better, . . . I would have followed the track around the yellow insert. May God bless, Dwight

Several things come to mind, . . . but first, . . . as a beginner, . . . you are doing pretty good. 1. For IWB holsters, . . . it is FAR more comfortable for the wearer if the mag holder and holster have a flat back touching the wearer. Yours both have lumps of the mag and the handgun digging into the wearer. 2. Your stitch lines are in the wrong places around the weapon. Pull both in much closer, . . . and follow the outline. The rear stitches behind the trigger guard really won't help hold the weapon in place. You will get away with this one because it is an IWB, . . . but if this was worn as a pancake, . . . outside the belt, . . . the holster would open up in short order and become more of a bag on his belt than a form fitting holster. 3. On both of the reinforcement pieces, . . . lose the sharp points. I know it looks cool, . . . but leather and sharp points will always be at odds with each other. The point gets soft and raggedy in short order, . . . begins to look like a piece of a paint brush hanging off the corner. 4. On the mag holder, . . . there is a valley between the loop and the mag, . . . cut your leather in an upswept arc, . . . never a valley. That becomes a weak point in the item. 5. I also never put the nuts on the back side of the holster. People who sweat profusely (I am one that does) will very quickly find great big ugly rust spots on their inside garments, . . . rust spots that in many cases will not wash out. Two or three really nice shirts, . . . ruined by 50 cents worth of cheap metal, . . . can ruin the whole experience, . . . and give your holster business a bad name really quick. But, . . . your first project is a whole lot better than my first one, . . . keep trying, . . . keep learning. May God bless, Dwight

There is always a "first time" for everything, . . . but I've never had much trouble with contact cement in cementing leather together. When I do, I simply add another light coat to the side that is causing difficulty. BUT, . . . I only use the contact cement to hold it while I'm manipulating it, . . . cutting it, . . . sanding it, . . . etc. The stitches and/or rivets are what I rely on to hold it together. Try a couple of pieces of scrap, . . . that will answer your question. May God bless, Dwight

Mike, . . . I don't have a "pattern" but the ones I used to have were shaped like the enclosed. Not hard to make, . . . May God bless, Dwight