Dwight

That's several layers above my skill level, . . . really a work of art. May God bless, Dwight

Generally, . . . form it and quit. Open the bag, . . . ease out the mold, . . . hang up to dry. Sometimes (today was one) I had to leave it in for about 60 seconds straight, . . . as the holster is made of multiple layers of leather (not the one in the pics). It usually forms up on about 10 to 15 seconds, . . . My buddy uses this same process for wood forming, . . . has a vac guage/switch/thingamabob that turns his pump on and off, . . . and i thought of getting one, . . . just so far, . . . haven't needed much more than a really good full 1 minute. May God bless, Dwight

I've been asked a few times how I do the vac forming. Here is the process: pretty simple one too. Harbor freight vac pump. 2/3 of a yard of .015 thick clear vinyl, from JoAnn fabric: (it's about 45 inches long) contact cement a 2 inch strip down each long edge, . . . when you fold it over in the center, . . . the cement makes it turn into about a 24 by 24 bag, . . . plenty big enough for holsters. Bag fitting from http://www.veneersup...m-Assembly.html 2 feet of rubber hose couple pieces of pvc or two slats and a clamp to hold the bag closed Put it all together, . . . have fun. May God bless, Dwight

Look up some posts by Lobo, . . . then refine your search to oiling, . . . He's the man to answer that for you, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Another thing you might try, . . . sleeve it with "ideally" a piece of thin sheet metal and some radiator clamps. My wife had a project that needed covered, . . . and it was not until I sleeved it in the thin aluminum that I was able to get mine done, . . . which was lacing it from top to bottom. If thin sheet metal is unavailable to you, . . . perhaps plastic or even cardboard, . . . just be sure to wrap it so that seam on the sleeve is on the opposite side of the cylinder than the leather seam, . . . and be sure to follow River City's idea, . . . otherwise the inside edges will not allow it to come together. May God bless, Dwight

The only difference between cyberthrasher's method and mine, . . . I use a 50 cent bristle hair brush, . . . but I get pretty much the same results. May God bless, Dwight

Resolene is a "final" finish, . . . as in "last thing done". It is not fully "water proof" but it sashays right up close to it. You can (and I do sometimes) apply wax to a product that has been Resolene finished, . . . but it is the same as putting wax on my Ford pickup truck. It makes it shine a bit, . . . but that is all. If you have to oil it, . . . do it before your apply the Resolene, . . . and remember to add oil very sparingly. Leather does not naturally have a lot of oil in it, . . . and like the old saying used to go "a little dab will do ya". May God bless, Dwight

Unless you "really" got heavy on the wax, . . . black should work anyway, . . . at least that has been my experience. If you have light areas, . . . a light sanding with fine sandpaper stapled to a board is what I would use, . . . I have to admit, when I saw the title, I had to come over here and take a look, . . . I had visions of this great big hunk cut out of a full side of leather. Good job, . . . although I personally see no practicality to it, . . . but so much of the leather trade is just that, . . . things people want, . . . not necessary to their lives, . . . but "feel good" items. May God bless, Dwight

We (maybe I should say "I" ) eat a lot of peanut butter at my house. I keep every one of those MT peanut butter jars. Two of them are in my leather finishing area, . . . both marked with lines on the outside by black permanent markers. The lines tell me how full or not full it is, . . . and when it I need to add more to it, . . . they help me make sure I don't significantly change the ratio. One is for black projects being finished in Resolene, . . . the other is for tan or brown projects. I found (the hard way) that black dye will leach off into the resolene as you use your applicator, . . . so I keep them separate. I've used it that way for at least the last 5 years, . . . none has ever "gone bad" that I know of. May God bless, Dwight

Go onto the Tippmann website, . . . leave an email there with the picture, . . . tell them you need Ben to look at it. The guy is a wizard with these machines. I've personally taken mine to him twice, . . . in and out in an hour both times, . . . once at $0.00, . . . May God bless, Dwight

While I have never made collars for humans, . . . I could probably think of some who need them, . . . But I do make dog collars: I line them with veggie tan leather, . . . hair side out, . . . contact cemented together, . . . stitched along the edges. Edges are easy, . . . first, get a strap cutter, . . . cut both pieces (outer and liner) with the same strap cutter, . . . at the same time. Do whatever is needed for the ends, . . . buckles, rings, punchings, etc, . . . contact cement the flesh sides of both, . . . when it dries, . . . stick em together. If you are very careful at putting them together, . . . only a small touch up will be needed on a flat sander, . . . edges will be super. If your products are not expected to get a lot of abuse, . . . or a lot of sweat, . . . you may be able to get away with cement only, . . . or glue only. If they are going to be "used" you'll want to stitch them. Hope this helps, may God bless, Dwight

I use a 50/50 by weight: virgin beeswax and neatsfoot oil for some of the rigs I make, . . . especially if the owner enjoys "period correct" stuff. That (at least I was told so many moons ago) is an ooooold recipe for a leather finish / conditioner, . . . and whether my info is correct as to age or not, . . . I do know it is a wonderful product. If you fudge just a bit on the oil, . . . a bit too much, . . . it can have a consistency similar to wax shoe polish, . . . and works in really nice. Give it a while to set up a bit, . . . hand polish, . . . works great. I do mine in a glass jar warmed in a thrift store crock pot. Try it, . . . you might like it. May God bless, Dwight

Well, Penny, . . . I'm just a lazy old coot, . . . and while there are a bunch of ways of doing belts, . . . the main ones I do are 2 layer, . . . usually run around .220 thick when they're finished, . . . and they are built so an old geezer like me can put a full size 1911, . . . 2 magazines, . . . key chain, . . . cell phone, . . . on it and it not sag. I cut my blanks, . . . do both ends, . . . cement them together, . . . dress the edges, . . . punch the holes in the tongue end, . . . and run em through the dye pan. I use a 9 x 14 cake pan, . . . pour about a half quart in there, . . . run it through like a snake, . . . about 3 to 5 seconds is all it gets. I also cut my Feibings oil dye about 20%, . . . it seems to penetrate better that way. Let it dry 24 hours, . . . don't mess with it, . . . leave it alone, . . . Get an old wash cloth you never want to wash your face with again, . . . and start polishing on that belt, . . . laying flat on a counter, . . . use some elbow grease, . . . rub it hard. When the pigment is not coming off any more (use a white paper towel to check), . . . quit rubbing. I then come back and burnish the edges, . . . and apply the final coat, . . . finish coat, . . . 50% Resolene, . . . 50% water. That belt will not bleed color, . . . will stay color fast for as long as it is a belt. If you buy your dye by the quarts, . . . and cut it a bit like I do, . . . it is not "that" expensive. Though I have never guaged it specifically, . . . I'd say I'd get probably 20 belts out of a quart. May God bless, Dwight

My process either uses a known and proven pattern where the pieces are cut, glued, edged, and sewn before any molding, . . . OR, . . . the pieces are cut a bit big, . . . part of it is cemented (maybe sewn, it depends) and then the holster is molded to the gun. The second process is by far the most common that I do. After molding, . . . it has to dry, . . . and for me that is 24 hours, . . . no short cuts there. I then re-insert the gun, . . . close up the holster with one hand, . . . and mark the edges for cutting. After cutting them, . . . I contact cement the edges together and then comes the dressing process. It starts with a 1 inch wide belt sander, . . . which makes all the leather layers even with the others. That also gives the outside edge it's final "shape" of the silhouette of the holster. After sanding, I edge the whole thing, . . . inside, . . . outside, . . . left, . . . right, . . . top, . . . bottom. Take your time here !!!! Get it right. Sometimes this is where I do a first burnishing of the edges, . . . dremel tool and water only, . . . then when I start with my stitch gouger, . . . it slides along the edge very easliy and I don't have to tug on it. After sewing, . . . dying, . . . and drying, . . . I'll sometimes come back for a second burnish before the finish, . . . other times after the finish, . . . depends on the finish product I am using, . . . Very seriously, . . . not dressing up, cleaning up, burnishing, and making the edges look good, . . . to me looks like a brand new car that just came off the line with no chrome, no trim, and a flat paint job. May God bless, Dwight

Brian, . . . one thing which will help you out immenseley, . . . glue your pieces together before you try to sew them. You can use Weldwood contact cement (my preferred product), Tandy's contact cement, Elmer's wood glue, or a host of other products: just figure out which one you want to use. You can then dress your edges, . . . which gives you a good starting point for your stitch gouge to roll against, . . . and will make your product look SOOOOO much better. Once you have done that, . . . Electrathon has a good idea, . . . personally I hate hand sewing, . . . use a machine any time I can, . . . but when forced to do so, . . . I do my stitch gouge line, . . . run my stitch wheel, . . . get out the awl, . . . whet her up real sharp (my awl is a pointy headed little blonde female awl), . . . and go at it. Now, . . . if you are real persnickity about how it looks, . . . put a plastic cutting board under your project, . . . that will let the awl just peek through the bottom layer. You can then run the awl back through the other way, . . . and the back side will look "very pretty" also. I only do that on projects that have to be "so so" and it is not that often. But that is one way to do it. Good luck, . . . and remember, . . . practice makes perfect. You have completed a project, . . . that means you have scrap laying around. Sew that scrap together, . . . giving you practice. May God bless, Dwight

Jake, . . . go to www.my1stop.com, . . . 800-691-7867, . . . Rita Schroeder was my initial contact person. Let me know if you are interested in getting some of them, . . . I'm going to put them in smaller quantities and sell some of them off on Ebay, . . . May God bless, Dwight

If you do the youtube thing, . . . you'll see at least two different rigs. I know in one (with Kirk Douglas) he wears a simple buscadero black rig with about a 4 inch drop on the holster. It also had what looked like a box of bullets on the belt, . . . and an off center clipped buckle. If you're planning on making one, . . . should be fairly simple. I don't recall any of his movies where the rig was outlandish, . . . but then I'm not an expert on that issue. May God bless, Dwight

No problem, Particle, . . . the first image is the "whole thing" as it comes off the printer. As I said, . . . only have to enter the info in one place, . . . it is situated to automatically populate the other places. I drew lines around the label area so you could ID it in this image. The second image is the label peeled & stuck on the box. The third image is the packing list severed from the original, . . . ready to be inserted. This is my "2013 easy paper flow" solution. The form was the only hiccup, . . . I wanted a 4 x 4 label, . . . in a corner, . . . and the only reasonable buy for these was by 1000, . . . but I'll be set for a while in the "form" department. May God bless, Dwight

I have also done a number of shows. If you are a veteran, . . . have something displaying that you are. Make sure your customers know that they are buying YOUR American Made product. Know what you can make well, . . . make that and take it. I know you may get all kinds of answers for what to make, . . . what not to make, . . . we did a survey of over 1500 people some time back, . . . all told there was something near 1800 weapons mentioned. Of the first 200: this is a quick run down we saw in the survey, . . . it doesn't add up to 200 because I didn't list every one, . . . just the most prolific. 1911's of all flavors = 70 Snub nose .38 / .357 either 5 or 6 shot = 31 Glocks of all flavors = 28 Keltecs = 15 Beretta 92 = 10 Sigs = 15 HK = 12 Surprizingly there was one Ruger Vaquero .45 and 2 Baby Eagles and 16 other makes/models were mentioned, some multiple times. My most prolific models mirror this list, mostly, . . . being 1911's and the plastic wonder 9's. I also take an assortment of belts and mag carriers. That makes for the opportunity for a "package deal" of matching holster, belt, and mag carrier. I very seldom sell only a belt, . . . almost always it is "together". The belts I sell are plain Jane, double layer, 1 1/2, and my customers love them. EDITED: Also, . . . take a comfortable chair, . . . wear comfortable shoes, . . . and be prepared to be exhausted by the end of the day. I pack all my stuff in clear Walmart plastic boxes with locking lids, . . . go in with a 2 wheeled cart, . . . everything is priced / labeled / ready to sell as I pull it out. Get there early enough to get set up, . . . get a cup of coffee, . . . and be FULLY ready to sell at the opening bell. STAY until you see that it is only you and the other vendors, . . . bargain hunters like to hang around until the last minute, . . . and they usually have money burning holes in their pockets. May God bless, Dwight

For the most part, my shipping goes out in the USPS boxes "IF it fits, . . . it ships". A long time ago, I took a look at all the different parameters involved, . . . and for both me and my customer, . . . it is by far the cheapest. Part of that is that I build the shipping price into the product, . . . my customers all know that if they buy my product, . . . the price they see, . . . is the price they pay. I also have just instituted a new wrinkle in my paper flow, . . . when the order comes in, . . . it is entered into the computer once, . . . one sheet of 8 1/2 by 11 paper comes out of the printer. On that integrated form sheet is my production ticket, . . . packing list, . . . and mailing label. I only type in the name, address, and the order items, . . . Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Access does the rest of the work for me. When my product is ready, . . . I cut the bottom of the paper, . . . pack the product, . . . peel the label and put it on the box, . . . insert the packing list, . . . mail it. Done. May God bless, Dwight

Bob, . . . it isn't that hard to do, . . . chest armor. The "hard" part is the mold. I made mine literally out of 2 x 8's wrapped in old towels and a Tee Shirt. I used the towels to build up the chest muscles, back muscles, etc, . . . while looking at the Tee Shirt to see that the "body" looked authentic. I happened into Tandy's the right day, . . . they had some 12/13 oz pre dyed stuff that was on a "clearance" table, . . . that is what I made mine out of. Soaked it in the bath tub of hot water (as hot as my hands could stand it), . . . molded it on my "body" mold, . . . laid it on a round roll of chicken wire hanging over a floor register to dry out. Once you get the front and back pieces made, . . . the rest is just ornamentation, . . . you can go Roman, Greek, Mythic, or whatever flavor you want. If you want to make really hard armor, . . . you submerge the leather in liquified parrafin or beeswax, . . . I've only done small pieces, . . . gets really hard, . . . Anyway, . . . go for it, . . . it's fun having your own "alter" ego. May God bless, Dwight

Thank you, . . . Imapeopleperson, . . . I just happen to be getting ready to begin a scabbard, . . . and this certainly looks as though it will help. May God bless, Dwight

My first "venture" into selling holsters and such was at a gun show. It will cost you something near $100 in some venues, . . . $25 in others, . . . and you may not sell a thing. That's cool though, . . . because you are there the first time to listen, . . . observe, . . . and learn. Your customers will for the most part be civil, . . . but some will be brutal, . . . they are the ones you learn from. You will find out if your product is sellable in your area. My area of the world does not have a market for BBQ holsters, . . . or fancy schmancy rigs. Plain, utilitarian, personal (sometimes), and cost effective (notice I DID NOT say cheap). It took a couple of shows to learn that, . . . and the money was well spent. If you want a web site, . . . GoDaddy is the one I use, . . . it's a bit clunky, . . . sometimes aggravating in the navigation, etc. but it meets my needs at least for the time being. May God bless, Dwight

One of my "alter egos" is the Centurion of Capernaum. He needed a shield, . . . this is it. It is 1/4 inch luan plywood shaped by water and dried. Covered with 3/4 vegetable tanned leather. Painted with water base house paint from Lowes, . . . ask for their little sample containers, . . . I think they were $1.50 or so. It's the only one I have, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Camoman, . . . try this link http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/2111-02.aspx That should be pretty close to the actual color, . . . as it is a DARK brown. One thing you need to look at, . . . what kind of finish was on it originally. If it is an acrylic, like Resolene, . . . the dye won't penetrate as well until you get it off. There is another thread around here somewhere in this forum or the "How do I do that" forum just exactly on removing Resolene. You "may" have to do that first. You could try a small part of the holster with just the dye, . . . see what happens, . . . if it doesn't take to suit you, . . . you will have to get the finish off. Good luck. May God bless, Dwight