Dwight

An 8 or 9 cm flashlight is over 3 inches in diameter. You will want at least 5 oz leather, . . . maybe as thick as 7/8 for a good rugged flashlight holder. Make it like the little drawing. May God bless, Dwight

FWIW, . . . I am one who also will not make that style holster. When I am asked, . . . I just tell em fall down once, . . . land on that pistol, . . . for the rest of your life you will be wondering how to carry your pistol on your wheel chair. I have fallen on my back at 69 years of age at least 50 times more than I have been in gun fights. Consider rather, . . . a deep cover IWB, . . . with a severe cant of about 35 or so degrees. I can personally attest that it is comfortable, . . . easy to draw, . . . and generally secure. Since you already are competent at making a pancake, . . . simply add straps to the ears, . . . put the whole thing insice your pants, . . . pull the straps up over the top and down around your belt, . . . voila, . . . "Snapcake". Oh, . . . BTW, . . . you need to take Santa out for dinner, . . . that is one NICE looking pistol. If it shoots in your hands as good as it looks in the box, . . . you're in tall cotton. May God bless, Dwight

Picture 6 also showed that I made an exective level 7 decision as to how much to bevel off the corners of the cross. Look at the pencil point, . . . that is where my eyeball said "this would look good right here" so I marked it there. Picture 7 then shows that piece cut off, . . . Picture 7 and 8 both show my technologically improved rounding corner device (a washer) which I used to trace the "roundness" I wanted for the corners. NOTE: When I cut off that first corner, . . . I saved that piece, . . . it is then used as the pattern to cut the other 4 corners of the wider pieces. I then checked and found it would also work esthetically for the other two flaps, . . . so that first piece cut off, . . . is used for all the corners cut, . . . using also the washer to round the corners. Picture 9 shows cutting the corners on the two end flaps Picture 10 shows how the whole pattern looks when it is cut out. Picture 11 is the pattern cut and folded around my Ipad with the top up. Picture 12 is the pattern cut and folded with the top taped down, simulating it being closed and ready for carry. You will find that you need to take your time making this, . . . do not get in a hurry, . . . and you will enjoy the process. I would make my pattern, . . . take it to the leather store of your choice, . . . and have them help you pick out your piece of leather. Personally, . . . I have had good luck with the shoulder leather I get from Tandy, . . . but then again, . . . I don't order it, . . . I personally go in, . . . pick it out, . . . looking at the front, back, and gauging the thickness with a dial caliper. Yes, . . . I'm picky in choosing my leather, . . . but it makes a better product that way. Welcome to the wonderful world of leathercrafting. May God bless, Dwight

On another website, . . . I found the dimensions of a Kindle as: "The size of the reading device is 7.5 inches by 5.3 inches by 0.7 inches". The case you are wanting to make is very simple in it's design, . . . a basic cross that has some shaved corners. If their dimensions are correct for your tablet, . . . the piece of leather you will need will be about 14 or 15 inches wide and about 19 inches long. One of the first rules of leatherworking I use, . . . Always cut leather from a pattern ! And the underline is "Always". So, . . . lets make a pattern: I use manila file folders, . . . get em on sale at the local office stores, . . . even got a box once which had blue, pink, yellow, green, grey, . . . that was a fun time In picture 1, we have laid the tablet down and made sure we have enough file folder to go all 4 directions. I did this by taping an extra piece on the right hand side. Picture 2 shows it outlined. Picture 3 shows the outline, with my Ipad junior that I used for the pattern making. Picture 4 shows a leather working technique, never cut a square inside corner if you can get away with it, . . . punch a round hole and cut away from the sides of that hole. This hole is about 1/2 inch in diameter. Picture 5 shows the whole thing cut out and ready to check the fit. Picture 6 shows the pattern folded and fitting around the tablet. (Go to next post, . . . not enough room to finish here)

Excellent, . . . as usual, . . . but what else would we expect?? Happy New Year, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Plus in addition to the "things that went wrong", . . . now he has to start getting ready for: Year end inventory so he can pay his personal property tax Assimilate all the sales for the last sales tax reporting period (mine is twice a year) File and pay his unemployment compensation Determine which Obamacare he will support this year, unless he gets a deferrment, or a pass, or is dropped until 2015 File his federal income tax File his state income tax File his worker's comp paperwork I probably forgot a few, . . . but then again, . . . that's what lawyers and 'countants are for. Good luck, . . . may God bless, Dwight PS: I'm sorta glad I'm still working on rebuilding my shop, . . . might be able to stretch that out to 2014

And the total, . . . shipped to my door price is:__________?? May God bless, Dwight

My sheath is only sewn, . . . no rivets. If I drop it straight down on the edge, . . . it will cut the threads, . . . but won't mess up the edge with the rivets. I don't use it much, . . . and absolutely hate sharpening the thing, . . . so I take care of it as best I know how. May God bless, Dwight

I saw one tool I would get if I were you, . . . it is called a plastic bone folder. It sells for about 6 bucks. It will allow you to burnish the edges of your project, . . . and there looks like a lot of edge work on that particular type folder. Some folks don't do anything but edge their leather projects, . . . I burnish mine also, giving them a smooth appearance, and making them smooth to the touch, which in the long run will make them much less apt to fray, get rough, and look like a hobo's grub sack. That tool is real easy to use also, . . . after you have edged and sanded the project, . . . lay it flesh side down on your work surface, . . . select the right trough for the leather to ride in, . . . dampen the leather edge with water, . . . rub the tool back and forth, . . . it slicks the edge right nicely. The tool looks (a side view) like the drawing, and it does a really nice job on 8 oz or lighter veggie tanned leather. May God bless, Dwight

My discipline apparently doesn't exist. I finally get my scrap drawer so full that I have to take an hour out and sort and pitch. So that is kinda my program, . . . fill up, . . . sort, . . . pitch, . . . repeat as necessary. May God bless, Dwight

Actually, . . . not thinking about a push pin, . . . but rather the pins that a seamstress uses to hold stuff together. Mom called em "stick pins" when I was growing up, . . . she got all she ever needed from the packages which our shirts came in. With Pop and 4 boys, . . . she bought enough shirts to have a small mountain of pins. They easily slide into the edge of 3/4 oz leather . . . lay the leather down on a flat surface, . . . put a putty knife on it flat side down, . . . insert your pin with the string already attached, . . . voila. OR, . . . rabbit wire will work, . . . just make sure that the side not seen by the consumer is always placed down as there will be lines. I actually dry a lot of my stuff on newspaper. May God bless, Dwight

My first inclination would be to oil the blank hide before anything else is done. You'ld just have to experiment with the oil/wax combo, . . . my guess is it wouldn't work as it is probably too thick, . . . but someone more knowledgeable than myself may say differently. May God bless, Dwight

I would start with a sanding block, . . . and sand both edges, . . . until they all looked the same from end to end. I would then re-dye the edges, . . . VERY CAREFULLY, . . . with a folded up piece of a paper towel being held in the jaws of a clothes pin. I might even be tempted to dye the edges black, . . . it would depend on how uniformly straight the sanding job turned out. The sanding will remove the soap/wax etc from the original burnishing attempt. May God bless, Dwight

I do very little "coloring" of leather projects, . . . but of the few I do, . . . the acrylic paints Tandy sells were recommended highly. I'm told they are basically the same type product as Resolene, . . . but are pigmented to give color, . . . and don't need anything over top of them after they dry. Realizing your firefighter environment is not "genteel" to your equipment, . . . I'd say "Good Luck", . . . but that is the way I would start. Take a look on my website, . . . on the Product Example page, . . . lower right hand corner, . . . an IWB holster done with those paints. May God bless, Dwight

RiverCity gave you the best answer, . . . But you can burnish your edges first, . . . if you only use water. No soap, . . no wax, . . . just water and a burnisher. I usually do that, . . . especially with belts, . . . as they will then "re-burnish" really nicely after they dye dries. What actually happens is that the soap or wax used in the burnishing or slicking process will clog the pores and not allow the dye to penetrate. If you only use water, . . . it will penetrate well. Two cautions: don't dye until well after the edges have dried, . . . DRY, . . . and don't re-burnish until the dye has dried, . . . DRY May God bless, Dwight

This works like a champ. May God bless, Dwight

You need to add a bunch of details, my friend. Are you putting oil on a Roman shield to be used in the arena, . . . a billfold, . . . a cattle whip? Are you trying to use candle wax, . . . Johnson's paste, . . . ??? No, . . . dipping is not out of the question, . . . I personally dip all my dog leashes, . . . for oil and for dye. May God bless, Dwight

Let me suggest that if you have a Tandy store local, . . . go there and ask if they have any classes available. We could write all day, . . . and they can show you in 30 minutes, . . . twice what you would absorb here. May God bless, Dwight

Rather than for me to re-write it, . . . read what Chief31794 said again, . . . it's all right on my experience as well. I still have a bottle of USMC, . . . but will only use it when it is specifically asked for. And, . . . yes, . . . dip dyeing has for me been THE preferred manner of dying. Browns I cut 50/50, . . . blacks I don't cut at all. May God bless, Dwight

My first inclination would be to adapt a single point sling like some of our young men are using in the sandbox on their M4's or M14's. That would take care of you during the stalk. For across the back, . . . I'm partial to shoulder straps, . . . kinda like pack straps, . . . as your crossbow is like my muzzle loader, . . . wants to slide off the shoulder and down under, . . . With a little ingenuity, . . . you could probably combine the two straps / sets, . . . into one "rig". May God bless, Dwight

The kinda sorta simple way is to simply lay the cell phone down on the back piece, . . . lay a piece of heavy paper on it, . . . form the paper down around the cell phone the way you want the leather to fit, . . . mark the paper, . . . cut the paper, . . . and you then have THE pattern for your cell phone case. You may goof up on trying to transfer measurements, . . . we all have, . . . but if you outline a pattern, . . . cut that, . . . it should fit. The arch rule, . . . rule numero uno, . . . never cut a piece of leather without first having a pattern. Make the pattern first. I buy legal size manila file folders from the office supply store expressly for this purpose, . . . it is my pattern material, . . . and it works great. A master holster maker, John Bianchi, taught me that trick, . . . using manila file folders, . . . a razor knife, . . . and 1 inch wide masking tape. If you cut a pattern and you cut it too small, . . . tape the piece back on with the masking tape, . . . re-cut it, . . . and go on with life. You will probably not like your first cell phone case, . . . you will be in great company, . . . many of us did the same thing with our first project. Keep it though, . . . it will be a constant reminder to try and do better. May God bless, Dwight

That's a good looking holster, . . . the smile says it all. May God bless, Dwight

I literally take a dial caliper with me when I go buying leather. An 8 oz starts at .125 thickness, . . . and a 9 oz could go as high as .155 and not be technically a 10. Putting two pieces of that together will make one heavy belt. I generally shoot for the belt to finish at .200 +, . . . and no greater than .240. I've worn a .250 for a number of years, . . . which also is very rigid and unforgiving at times. I buy my leather accordingly, . . . using my caliper to tell me what it is, . . . regardless of which stack it is in, . . . or what stamp is on it. Sometimes they inadvertently have a fat or skinny one in the stack, . . . it can mess up your whole day if you buy it without noticing it. May God bless, Dwight

If you google Thad Rybka you'll find he's another custom holster maker, and he's from Alabama, I believe. I heard something about his naming that particular design the Rhodesian, . . . because the first one like it went to Rhodesia, . . . may have just been a rumor. Anyway, . . . I've seen several pictures of his work, . . . it is surely top shelf stuff, . . . I like the design because it removes anything at the rear that could possibly interfere with the draw. I dislike it because in its OWB configuration, . . . it does not seem like it would tuck in close to the body, . . . but that is one of those situations where you can have one or the other, . . . but not both. It is also duck soup simple to make one, . . . practically regardless of if it is a .25 colt auto, . . . or a 45-70 wheel gun. The one I made for me serves me well in it's intended form. But from looking at some of the pictures, . . . he tends to use thicker leather than I did on mine, . . . and I'm not sure if he makes an IWB in that style. All I've seen were OWB with a loop for the belt coming directly off the top of the holster, . . . bending down, . . . and sewn in place. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Winterbear, . . . now to distill all the examples into one or two products, . . . I think I need a nap. May God bless, Dwight