Dwight

If you are using regular veg tan leather, . . . you can use an orbital sander on the flesh side, . . . and you can smooth it down very nicely, . . . if you take your time and you are careful. Try it on a piece of scrap first. Or you can cut the pigskin lining so it just comes up to the stitches, . . . into the seam, . . . but is not stitched. Again, a process that requires planning, and careful execution, . . . but yields good results. Contact cement will hold the liner in place probably far longer than the person will keep the bag. Just a personal thing, . . . I don't like to line purses and bags, . . . my wife has one I purchased for her some 40 + years ago, . . . it still is beautiful inside as well as out, . . . made out of about 12 oz leather, . . . oiled finish, . . . and had it had a thin lining, . . . it would have long ago been cut up by keys, pens, and other stuff put in the purse. May God bless, Dwight

If you had a drawing, picture, or something of that nature, . . . it would help us all help you. May God bless, Dwight

The first word, you of course anticipated, . . . that is simply: practice. Practice makes perfect, . . . always has, . . . always will. But to add to that, . . . try using a modeling spoon, . . . a butter knife, . . . the edge of a screwdriver, . . . after the stamping is done, . . . crushing down the fibers of the leather, . . . another tool can be dragged along the line, . . . smoothing out the minor inconsistencies. At least that is what I do, . . . and it gives me very satisfactory results. May God bless, Dwight

Punched holes will always look nicer, . . . because the leather is all removed, there is a taper to the hole, and it is a clean cut. Drilling with a drill press will give you a clean hole in wood and metal, . . . but not in leather, . . . unless you use a leather punch. You can also sharpen the end of metal tubing, . . . us it in the drill press, . . . it will give you a pretty nice hole. A drill bit will always make raggedy holes. May God bless, Dwight

A little practice will go a long way, . . . Use a tongue depressor type stick (popsickle sticks work good too), . . . put the glue on it, . . . and spread it from end to end in one swipe if you can. OR, . . . go to a hardware store and buy some plumbers acid brushes. They're cheap, . . . metal handles, . . . natural bristles, . . . they work good too. I do avoid thin material if I can, . . . and prefer wool or cotton or linen, . . . man made fibers are a pain for the most part. Cotton is the most preferred. May God bless, Dwight

Half inch Arrow staples work real well. Haven't lost a belt yet with them. May God bless, Dwight

My main comment would be the belt. I see only 4 holes. I really don't know too many guys who could wear that belt out, . . . as there is not enough room to expand or contract (depending upon the local doughnut supply among other things). Seriously, . . . I do 7 holes for all my customers, . . . measuring the belt length for the center hole. That way they have plenty of room to "move" as needed. That is especially necessary if you produce IWB holsters to go with the belts. Other than that, I also don't see too many others making the tongue of the belt so long, . . . but with the extra keeper, . . . it should work. You definitely are on your way, . . . keep up the good work. May God bless, Dwight

Ryan has the most important part of it. I've used both Weldwood Contact cement and Elmer's white glue, . . . and the results with each were satisfactory. You also want to use it sparingly, . . . enough to do the job, . . . but not too much. May God bless, Dwight

Hey, Folks, . . . got an order for several military type slings (double row of holes all the way from end to end). I need a supplier for the frogs and rectangles to make em with, . . . anybody got a good source? I found em on Ohio Travel Bag, . . . but no prices, . . . and if I can find em, . . . I'll order them this weekend if the price is any where near good. Oh, yeah, . . . no steel or aluminum, . . . gotta be brass. Thanks, may God bless, Dwight

This is how I do it. May God bless, Dwight

I need to watch this so I can get some ideas............ May God bless, Dwight

I don't have a lot of experience, . . . but what I have done seems to be working out. Here's an example of acrylic paint on veg tan, dyed with Feibings British tan, . . . then a coat of resolene, with the paint applied last. It was also carved and a little stamping done, which is not really apparent in this picture. May God bless, Dwgiht

I have not done a lot with pigskin, and haven't done anything for a couple of years. BUT, . . . like the old thread said, . . . it works. The key is first getting the contact cement DRY, . . . if you can touch it and feel any sticky or liquidity to it, . . . it is not dry yet. I have a heat gun I use when I'm in a hurry, . . . that will work too. I also think it works better because of the heat, . . . but I don't have anything but my own experience to bolster that. AFTER it is dry, . . . put em together, . . . put a pillowcase or something similar to that type of material on it, . . . roll it with a rolling pin, . . . and let it set for 6 to 10 hours, . . . by then you will have 99% or so of the bond you are ever going to get. If you did it correct, . . . the only way it will come apart is where the leather separates internally. The glue will not give way, . . . or at least that has been my experience with contact cement for the last 50 or so years. Chief and Katsass both make holsters that way, . . . I make a few that way, . . . made one some time back, . . . laughingly call it my spare round. That thing got so hard after molding that it could easily be used as a weapon, itself. It's my "out on the property" holster, . . . no worries about it ever getting hurt. May God bless, Dwight

I personally have always thought that while that design may have it's uses, . . . lovers, . . . etc, . . . I'd never be one. To me, . . . it looks like something that Mickey Mattel would make for his Moon Warrior Phaser pistol. May God bless, Dwight

I have two cheaters, . . . a template, . . . I made it myself. AND, . . . the punch has a line scribed in its top (where the mallet hits it) and all I have to do is orient the line parallel to the belt, . . . comes out OK every time. BUT, . . . I've also punched a bunch of leather with it, . . . lots of practice, . . . that too will help. And, yes, . . . go with the oval punch. Personally, I think it looks far more professional and "correct" than a funky old round hole, . . . but that is just one opinion among many. May God bless, Dwight

I'm afraid I'd have to walk around the outside of my house 5 or 6 times in a foot of snow to cool off after getting that shipped to me. There is no excuse or reason for that. Personally, . . . I wouldn't mess with the store, . . . I'd go straight to the top of the Tandy food chain, . . . pull on the big dog's collar. They should send you the proper item, . . . and refund your money as a way of saying they are sorry. May God bless, Dwight

Malabar, . . . Just for kicks, . . . I checked Ebay, . . . this is like the one I had: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bianchi-FastDraw-Left-hand-Black-Leather-Steel-lined-Holster-Cowboy-Western-SASS-/251520540033?pt=US_Holsters&hash=item3a8fcadd81 As you can see, . . . lots of steel molding must be done before the leather goes on it. I don't remember the guys name, . . . but he is the one who always beats Marshall Dillon to the draw on Gunsmoke, . . . he is the "grandfather" of the steel lined fast draw holster. May God bless, Dwight

One clamshell, . . . as requested. This is actually not the holster I made, . . . but is very similar to it. The one piece of metal is under the top piece of leather on the left edge of the front, . . . and a corresponding piece on the back side. Notice the metal screw, . . . it goes through both pieces as a tension adjuster. This one is for a 6 shooter, . . . the one I made was for a 5 rounder. May God bless, Dwight

Not really sure where you got your info, . . . the only ones I've seen and used since the late 60's had a thin piece of sheet metal sandwiched between two layers of leather, . . . and the purpose was to keep the holster shaped perfectly so the handgun simply laid in it, . . . virtually zero resistance to pulling it out. In order to have a leg guard for a full house .45 LC, . . . you would be talking about a 1/2 inch piece of plate steel, . . . and it could only be used to deflect into a different direction, . . . certainly not stop it. Add a 3 inch by 12 inch by 1/2 inch slab of steel to the back side of that holster, . . . it weighs 5 pounds. But, . . . back to the original question, . . . the metal has to be litterally hammered into it's final shape using a metal "dummy", . . . to get the cylinder and top strap shape, . . . cover it with leather, . . . cement the edges, . . . bend and fold along the barrel line, . . . shaping it around the "dummy", . . . glue and sew the edges together with appropriate welts, . . . Or, . . . I suppose if a person was a really good tinsmith, . . . cutting, soldering, folding, bending, . . . could produce a decent liner. Lots of work there though. The last one I had was for a Ruger SA .357 Mag, . . . with a 6 inch barrel. It was a good holster, . . . but I also have heard of guys being thrown from a horse or just falling, . . . if the pistol pops out, . . . the holster can collapse, . . . and it becomes a real job to get the thing re-shaped. Good luck, . . . anyone comes to me wanting one, . . . either gets talked out of it, . . . or they find another supplier, . . . they are too much aggravation for me. May God bless, Dwgiht

I like em all, . . . good work. May God bless, Dwight

Hey, . . . RC, . . . looks nice to me. But also, . . . if I'm carrying a SA revolver, . . . cartridge loops on the belt are more important than the buckle, . . . but then again, . . . thassss jus me. I also always sew in a one piece keeper for my belt, . . . looks like you riveted yours together. Ah, . . . different strokes for different folks. On the firing line, . . . you'll be noticed, . . . it'll stand out. May God bless, Dwight

If you are having a time getting a straight line with a rotary cutter, . . . might I suggest it is not the cutter, . . . but the operator. Take your time, . . . lay the cutting edge (not the protected edge) against a good straight edge, . . . I cut up to 70 inches that way, . . . no problems, . . . and I'm a shaky old nearsighted geezer. It also helps if the straight edge is rubber or cork backed, . . . keeps it from slipping. May God bless, Dwight

I've done this both ways, . . . see drawing below. May God bless, Dwight

In two words, . . . "you're not". The shiny finish is the hair side of the animal skin, . . . devoid of hair of course, . . . and is just like your skin, . . . your forehead when you look in the mirror. The tanning processes developed down through the years have worked to emphasize and bring out the natural luster of the leather, . . . and quite frankly, the effect you are asking for would have to destroy or seriously alter the top layer of the leather, . . . seriously weakening and changing the material. If you do not want shine, . . . use suede leather. May God bless, Dwight

I have a 50 foot front porch, . . . and occasionally have a special dye job needing special color on the thread. I tie a piece the length of the porch (or as needed), . . . using latex gloves, . . . I saturate a paper towel with the appropriate dye, . . . and simply walk down the thread, . . . squeezing the thread inside the saturated paper towel. I usually also go back the other way, . . . giving it a second coat. A few hours later, . . . it's dry, . . . and I've never had any serious problems with that thread, . . . but I don't use linen, . . . so I cannot speak for the material. But I would think it would be worth a try. And besides that, . . . vinegaroon works mainly because of a chemical reaction between it and the leather, . . . one which probably does not occur with the linen. May God bless, Dwight