Dwight

I dip dye, . . . 9 x 14 x 2 cake pan, . . . one for browns, . . . one for black ONLY. I have very few customers who want stitching different from the belt. I make sure they know that if they get white stitching, . . . it WILL get dirty and won't look as good. When they insist, . . . dying and stitching get reversed in the order. May God bless, Dwight

Sorry guys, . . . should have explained. When I dye the belt, . . . all that is left to do is finish it and deliver it. I found out early on that sometimes the inner liner would like to buckle a bit if I tried to curve it after it fully dried. While it is still wet with dye, . . . wearing latex gloves, . . . and being very methodical and careful, . . . I bend the belt between my hands. That makes something like a 8 inch or so diameter curve in it, . . . end to end, . . . as I bend it, . . . then allow it to staighten out a bit. Laid out flat on a table covered by newspaper, . . . when it is done, . . . it will generally lay in a big circle with the ends even or maybe overlapping a bit. I always lay my belts down on their bottom edge on newspaper for the first hour or so after dyeing them. I'm going to someday make a "curver" to do this with less wear and tear on 68 year old hands, . . . but for now it makes the belts a better product, . . . less wrinkles in the liner, . . . and yes, . . . it also works for dog collars. Had to make a couple last year, . . . worked great. May God bless, Dwight

Google Ohio Travel Bag, . . . then Etsy. You may find something in either place, . . . but you will have to search. May God bless, Dwight

If you have a Hobby Lobby near by, . . . go there, . . . and ask where the "sewing" things are. When you get there, . . . you are looking for the wall with the scissors, needles, thimbles, etc. and you will find two tools there, . . . both with blue handles, . . . and they are snap setting tools. One is basically for line 24 size and the other one will do it all, . . . they look like funny shaped pliers. Either tool is about 25 bucks, . . . I have ruined maybe 6 snaps with that tool, . . . in about 8 years of using it. One tool is their sku: 304733 and they call it their gripper plier kit, . . . it is the "do em all" tool, . . . and looks almost identical to the other one. I usually find them hanging together or very close proximity of each other. You may have to skive the back of the leather, . . . I've done that before, . . . but this tool is so much better than any other tool I've seen or used. It really works. May God bless, Dwight

My gun belts made to carry a full size 1911, . . . 2 mags, . . . and anything else that comes around are made of two 7/8 oz layers that I try to cut side by side from the same hide. I never have to worry about skiving the ends down so the fat one matches the skinny one, . . . they take dye the exact same, . . . and they wear like iron. They're garden variety vegetable tan leather. They're contact cemented together, . . . edges sanded, . . . beveled, . . . gouged, . . . stitched, . . . dyed, . . . curved, . . . then finished and edges all dressed up real nice. No one has contacted me yet saying he wore it out. Some have said it got smaller, . . . or seemed to anyway, . . . but they just don't wear out in one life time. May God bless, Dwight

My first suggestion would be to get a Tippmann Boss, . . . I have one, . . . it sews a lock stitch, . . . not the same as two needles and the saddle stitch. On the other hand, . . . if money is tight, . . . a stitch wheel and a $49.99 drill press from Harbor freight will do you a real good job. Do not turn it on, . . . just chuck up the needle, . . . lay your work on a board with a hole in it, . . . and use the strength of the press as well as the fact that the needle holes will be perfectly perpindicular. If you want to get real sassy about it, . . . don't put the hole in the board and use a hard wood like oak. That way only the tip will go through, . . . you can then turn it over, . . . re punch the other way, . . . and it will be darn near impossible to tell one side from the other after you saddle stitch it. May God bless, Dwight

Works for me, . . . it's just easier sometimes for me to do the backup routine, . . . rather than fight with a 54 inch long, 3 inch wide belt or a flap over holster for a 44 hog leg. My stitches look the same either way, . . . doubled. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, guys, . . . now to put that info into a pair of spurs with a custom strap that I can sell him,........... May God bless, Dwight

In the old Westerns of days past, the cowboy strolls into the dusty bar, . . . but you hear him six or eight steps before he pushes open the double swinging saloon doors. I know this is almost off topic, . . . but at least one of my spur strap customers has asked this question, . . . and I have no clue as to what to tell them. Anybody out there got a real good handle on how this is done? Speaking mostly to the real cowboys, . . . but if all you got is the hat and spurs, . . . I'd like to hear from you too. Thanks,........ Mahy God bless, Dwight

That is an occurrance that someday will come to all of us. You've heard the best two ideas I know. I have in the past also taken apart pieces that have dried and been used, . . . etc, . . . by putting on my cheater glasses so I could see REAL good, . . . and using a very sharp razor knife to very, very slowly and deliberately cut the layers apart. This I've had to do whenever it has also been sewn. It's work, . . . but it can be done, . . . and it is 99% of the time worth it in the end. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks St8Line, . . . it took me a while to find it, . . . I kept missing the part about siging up, . . . Again, I'd appreciate the PDF, . . . got 3 pairs to make by the end of June. Two pair are gifts for a couple of good friends, . . . we ride together in the July 4th parade, . . . May God bless, Dwight

What I usually do, . . . use my 6 stitches per inch wheel, . . . lay out about 6 stitches at one end of the line. Make 4 or 5 of those stitches. Your direction will be away from the center of that line. Turn the leather around, . . . and re-stitch those you just did, . . . going in the opposite direction. When you get to the end, . . . simply back stitch the same number of stitches you did to start. NOTE: after you do the first 4 or 5, . . . cut off the ends of the thread where you started. If that extra length "gets involved" with your new stitches, . . . OHHHHH, is it ugly and hard to manage. May God bless, Dwight

Steve, . . . being this is the first one, . . . consider it a training exercise: instead of cutting a whole new piece, . . . simply lengthen it. If I lengthen a strap for some reason, . . . this is the usual method I use, . . . lacing it together. You can also later adjust the length if necessary. May God bless, Dwight

Chiefjason, . . . I too have some pull the dot snaps, . . . I think I got them from Sail Rite, . . . but I only ordered the inner male and female parts. I use the Tandy posts. I just checked and they measure right at .334 to .337 in length. Two pieces of 9 oz leather is only .281, . . . so there should be plenty of length there. I have "cheated" a time or two on the male post if it seems to be close: I go to the back side and lightly skive off a few thousandths, . . . sometimes makes all the difference in the world. May God bless, Dwight

7 oz, . . . through the front plate of the holster and through the IWB strap, . . . put em on with a $10 rivet tool I bought at Walmart. I don't have anything against using t nuts other than I just simply chose not to use them. My reasoning is simple, . . . I lose things. If there is a nut or a bolt anywhere on my *********** that can come off and get lost, . . . it will. If you drive by a yard, . . . see the lawn mower sitting idle, . . . and the old grey haired guy walking around the yard like he is looking for something, . . . that may be me, . . . looking for parts off my mower, . . . it just happens When I put a snap on my IWB strap, . . . it isn't coming off until someone takes a pair of side cutters and cuts it off. That was the business model I chose back in '04 or so, . . . and it has been working for me ever since. May God bless, Dwight

Uhhh, . . . no, . . . now that you ask. This is my stock and trade holster, . . . that's how I do it. May God bless, Dwight

I use snaps, . . . sandwiched, . . . as said before, . . . if you do it right the first time and use quality products, . . . your trouble should be minimum. I only use t nuts when putting furniture together. Leather gets snaps and rivets. May God bless, Dwight

Good news, Jake, . . . if you can't clean it off, . . . it will be very unlikely to transfer. Why worry about it? As a last resort, . . . can you turn the bag inside out? May God bless, Dwight

I occasionally make roughout holsters, . . . and I just give them a coat of Resolene just like the regular ones. They are a bit abrasive at first, . . . but they are also protected, . . . which is more important to me for my customer and his long term relationship with the product I produced. May God bless, Dwight

Making a gunbelt to carry a full size 1911, . . . Colt or Smith .357 or some similar firearm, . . . will only be successful if it is at least 12 to 14 oz thick. Making a 7 oz with a 3 oz liner will most likely result in an unhappy customer in about 4 months when the belt starts rolling over at the top and developing a curl in the back that would make Robin Hood's bow envious. The best ones I have found come out right at .210 or shortly thereabouts thick. The outside piece is cut roughly 10 inches longer than the liner, . . . folded over to accept the buckle, . . . and chicago screwed into position. Both layers are contact cemented together, . . . edges sanded, . . . beveled, . . . stitch gouged on both sides, . . . and stitched the full length and around the end of the tongue. I do not skive anything as I try my best to use two pieces of leather from the same hide, . . . side by side if it can be worked out. When you dye the belt, . . . bend the buckle end over while it is still wet, . . . and form that end. Also while it is still wet, . . . do a rough "bending" of the belt to begin to develop the curve it will need to go around it's owner. I do it all with a dip dye process and latex gloves. Trim the outside piece to perfectly match the glued together inside piece location. I actually use a home made punch on both pieces, . . . which forces them to match. Stitch, dye, and finish, . . . you'll have a belt you or your customer will be proud to wear and use for years to come. May God bless, Dwight

You might want to re-think your post, Glendon, . . . I've seen a lot of big cows, . . . but never one that a 10 foot long side could come from. May God bless, Dwight

I use the dip dye process for my holsters, knife sheaths, belts, mag carriers, phone holders, billfolds, etc. I use 2 each, 9 inch by 14 inch by 2 inch deep, . . . cake pans. One is for browns, . . . the other is for black. I pour basically a quart of dye into the pan, . . . and roll it all around down in the pan until I know it has all been covered. Probably no part of the item stays in the pan for more than 5 or 6 seconds. Belt are the easiest, . . . I just start the buckle end through and snake it along in the pan until it is all dyed. One caution, . . . if you are doing big pieces, . . . don't hang them right away. I did a batch of belts a couple of years ago, . . . not thinking, I just pulled them out of the dye, . . . up on the hangers. WRONG !!!!! The blacks and dark browns weren't that much affected, . . . but there were 2 or 3 shades of difference in color in the lighter browns. The dye gravitated to the "down" end, . . . making that end much darker than the other end. I was able to salvage them, . . . but now I just lay them on edge for the first hour of drying time. May God bless, Dwight

Actually, . . . Elmers white glue will do what you want. Or, Weldwood yellow wood glue, . . . put it on the leather with a small paint brush, . . . put the belt down on the canvas, . . . you should be good to go. I would find a piece of stiff foam rubber if I could, . . . and lay it over the glued belts, . . . leave it for 10 to 14 hours, . . . remove it and the belts & canvas should be one piece. Depending on the thickness of the belts, . . . you will about 80% chance, . . . be out of luck on the sewing machine, . . . unless you want to spend some serious money. One think you can try, . . . if you have a large JoAnn's store near by, . . . the big ones have people demo'ing the machines. You might take a sample in there, . . . tell them what you need. I actually have an old singer, . . . and I use carpet thread in it, . . . I can sew most garment leather with it, . . . May God bless, Dwight

You heard right, . . . belly leather is good for buying, . . . practicing, . . . and pitching, . . . and not much else (IMHO). Back and side leather is good for belts, purses, bags, etc, . . . just remember that the closer you get to the belly, . . . the less quality it is. Rump and shoulder leather make good belts, holsters, etc . . . . stuff that needs to be formed, and keep it's shape. I pretty much use only double shoulders in my holster / sheath / belt work. May God bless, Dwight

If you first make a wooden mold, . . . you can literally press out the fronts in 5/6 leather, . . . let them fully dry, . . . trim them so you have enough to sew them, . . . contact cement them to the back, . . . and VOILA, . . . you have it. I did not "give up" on making a mold that does two of them out of one piece of leather, . . . but after enough of the failures, . . . I said to heck with it, . . . now I just make the singles, . . . and if anyone wants 2 or 3 or whatever, . . . I can just gang them up on the back piece, side by side. Mine are done quick and dirty, . . . sew center seam, . . . bottom seam, . . . left & right edges, . . . soak, . . . hammer the wooden fake mags into the wet leather, . . . let dry, . . . remove the wooden fake mags, . . . stain and finish. They are not as pretty as the molded ones, . . . but they work well, . . . and so far, only one customer had a problem, . . . we tried snapping the back on, . . . it kept catching on things and unsnapping, . . . not good. May God bless, Dwight