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

Thanks, Jeremy, . . . yeah, . . . I think it was the Will Ghormley pack I bought showed how to do that. The best thing, . . . the loops don't move, . . . and you don't ever have to worry about stitches breaking. I can also do that belt (the loop part) in just less than a half hour. My sewing on that would be much longer as I only have a Tippmann Boss. It's great for belts, . . . holsters, . . . etc. but a real pain for things like cartridge loops. The holster is double 6/7, . . . the belt is double 7/8, . . . and the loops are 6/7. British tan / Resolene 50/50 water mix for finish. May God bless, Dwight

Customer just picked these up this morning. Both belts are for a person with an over 50 inch waist. But they were fun to do. I hope he enjoys them for many years. May God bless, Dwight

A friend gave me a small bottle of Leather Balm with Atom Wax (Feibings product). I tried it out on a small piece of scrap leather, . . . and I kinda like that finish. Questions: What is it best used for? How is it best applied to say a belt, . . . a holster, . . . a wallet? How does it hold up under long term use (maybe light abuse)? Thanks, . . . may God bless, Dwight

You will have to have a friend to help you, . . . a strong friend, . . . and it is WORK. Lay them out flat, . . . face down, . . . on a flooring surface, . . . and put on knee pads, . . . you are going to be down there for a good couple of hours. You need ideally, . . . steel rods about 20 mm in diameter, . . . very little over that, . . . wood will work, . . . but it is just harder to manage. Start at the bottom, . . . and litterally "roll" the chaps over the steel or wood rod. Don't get in a hurry, . . . make sure the roll is tight from end to end, like the little drawing. You'll have to do the length of both, the width of both, then you wil probably have to turn them over so they are face up and do it all again. They will be appreciably more flexible if you do this, . . . but I won't try to soften it up, . . . it is work, and your hands and thumbs will be very tired once you get done. May God bless, Dwight

Of the three I have and use, . . . one is 8 oz vegetable tanned, . . . the other two (both 40 years + old) are oil tanned or "latigo" type leather, also 8 oz. Using my calipers, . . . two were .130 inches and the other was .120 inches thick. None "stretch", . . . in fact, I would call it a stretch to say that they DID stretch. If you have access to a good smith, . . . he can make the hardware for you from solid brass, . . . probably a bit more espensive, . . . but not that hard to make. Use the Tandy ones for a pattern. May God bless, Dwight

There is one alternative not mentioned yet: take pure bees wax and the better grade of neatsfoot oil, . . . weigh them so you have equal parts 1 to 1, . . . put them in a jar. Put the jar in a crock pot with water in it, . . . turn it on high, . . . leave it until you have mixture where all the beeswax has melted. Pour into muffin papers in a muffin pan to make little cakes of the stuff. First, . . . just grab the edge and rub it on, . . . front/back/edges, . . . all over. Go over it with a heat gun, . . . watch the wax melt and move away with the heat. Polish with a soft cloth. Add a second coat, . . . heat, . . . polish. Sometimes a third coat. I often just smear my fingers in it, . . . and rub it on, . . . or you can use a piece of cloth, . . . like using old fashioned Kiwi shoe polish. 1: it is relatively inexpensive, . . . 2: it is easily made, . . . 3: it is easy to use, . . . 4: it makes a really good looking satin type finish, . . . 5: it is water repellant, . . . 6: it is easily "repaired" if it gets scratched up some. It does darken the leather a bit, . . . but not as much as atom wax or resolene. May God bless, Dwight

I've only made one, . . . had a ball with it too, . . . and if I had your customer, . . . I'd make him/her one like this one. Add to it a shoulder strap that goes up and over the shoulder, . . . down and around the chest and comes to the other end of the holster in the back. If you do this, . . . you make a left hand holster for a right handed person (opposite of the one I have in the picture), . . . so he can pull it out and it will be properly oriented for use. You make that strap so that it has a slot in it like a buscadero loop on a western holster. You will also have to make a template for the shoulder strap, . . . for it to be comfortable, . . . there will have to be a serious crook in it up at the shoulder end, . . . a straight 3 inch or 2 inch strap will dig into the shoulder really hard. Good luck. May God bless, Dwight

Usually, . . . make pattern, cut leather, and generally "create" the holster all in the same day, . . . finish up with wet molding. No less than 24 hours later, . . . burnish edges, . . . do some nit picking adjustments, . . . finish up with dyeing the product. No less than 24 hours later, . . . re-burnish as needed, . . . nit pick as needed, . . . apply first coat of final finish. Depending on final finish, . . . re-coat if necessary, . . . something between 12 and 24 hours. Final inspection, nit picking, . . . package it up, . . . out the door. May God bless, Dwight

Years ago, I set my stitch guide at about 3/16 for holsters, . . . use it for belts, purses, holsters, sheaths, guitar straps, and other associated "stuff". That's what I used for my Ipad Jr shoulder holster. May God bless, Dwight

Look up McMaster-Carr on your search enging. Enquire in their catalog for "gum rubber sheets". The hardness you want is durometer 40. It is what most folks use for their holster presses. I tried to copy/paste the link, . . . wouldn't work, . . . but the first line on the left on the first page was where your choices begin. Call them up, . . . most of the time they are really good people to deal with, . . . they may even send you a small sample, . . . but even if they don't, . . . between the product and shipping, you will only be out $20 or so. May God bless, Dwight

It all looks good from my end, . . . May God bless, Dwight

My two layer gun belts are my exception to the rule cyberthrasher mentioned. Wallets, guitar straps, "most" holsters, mag carriers, knive sheaths, . . . yessir, . . . he's got it on the money. Double layer gun belts get the stamping treatment last, . . . and it is simple laziness on my part. I sometimes screw up an otherwise good belt, . . . and if I took the time to stamp it, decorate it, dye it, paint it, . . . woo-hoo, . . . would I be mad. Sooooooo, . . . haveing been there, done that, . . . stamping is last. Stamping can sometimes also change the overall shape of the piece of leather you originally had cut out, . . . I never experience that on this kind of belt. But, . . . it's no biggee either way, . . . do what you are comfortable with. That's one of the things I really like about leather work, . . . you can kinda make up your own rules as you go, . . . no pun intended, . . . but concrete work for example is kinda set in stone if you know what I mean. My process is: cut blanks, form ends for buckle and tongue ends as needed Check for decorative stitching, . . . it would be done here as it only is done to the outside piece, . . . also this is where the buckle end and tongue would be sewn on for a ranger type belt. Next, glue blanks together, sand and edge the edges of the belt, stitch gouge both sides do a first burnish on the edges. DON"T dye the edges yet. If it is a white stitch belt, . . . do not stitch here. If it is NOT a white stitch belt, . . . sew that rascal up right here. Stamp & tool to your hear's content, . . . antique, paint, dye, do all that decorative "stuff" to it. Do a final, . . . really good edge burnish here, . . . then apply the first coat of the final finish. If you haven't done so, . . . sew it up here. Apply final finish coat, . . . smile, . . . you are finished. May God bless, Dwight May God bless, Dwight

Not meaning to sound critical, . . . but about 55 or so years ago, . . . a similar question came up in one of our Boy Scout meetings. Scoutmaster Beach (Ellsworth Lynn Beach to be exact) said we should never rivet an axe sheath. The reason was simple, . . . one day, . . . regardless of how careful you are, . . . the axe will be dropped or swung with the sheath on it, . . . if it is sewn or laced, the axe head will cut through, . . . the sheath will need repaired, . . . and the axe will be undamaged. Rivet it, . . . when the same happens, . . . you will spend some time filing or honing out the nick(s) the rivet(s) will put in the blade of the axe. Made sense 55 years ago, . . . and I still do it that way. May God bless, Dwight

I'm right handed, Chef, . . . carry at about 3:30 strong side, IWB, 1911 (just like my avatar). My spare is on the left side, . . . it actually straddles the rear belt loop, . . . the mag is tilted a bit forward, . . . the bullets point behind me in the magazine. Others prefer carrying so that the bullets face forward. I was taught my way as being better for most people as it used the natural position of the hand. To use my method, . . . you reach the off hand back, . . . palm toward the body, . . . locate mag pouch, . . . slide the hand upwards around the mag, . . . usually the ring finger will catch on the magazine lip, . . . you know you are in position, . . . grasp and pull straight up, . . . the strong hand has shifted slightly on the weapon, . . . push the mag release and the mag falls out, . . . pull up the weak hand and insert the new mag, . . . you are back in business. If you use the "bullets pointing forward" method, . . . you have to use a non-normal, non natural position for the reloading hand, . . . which is palm facing out from the body, . . . your wrist is contorted almost 90 degrees, . . . and because it is awkward for many people, . . . they tend to drop the mag. That can have some tough consequences in a fire fight. There really is no "authorized" way, . . . only preferred, . . . and that is determined by the shooter. May God bless, Dwight

LarMoe, . . . FYI, . . . try Law Enforcement Targets (google em) in Minnesota, . . . you could get one there for right at 40 bucks. I don't have one, . . . but if I did, . . . your round trip shipping would be right at 25 bucks, . . . for 15 more, . . . you have it now, can take your time, . . . and can use it later for other ones. One of the few things I like about Glock, . . . you can use one mold for several different models, . . . so you'll have several different ones with this starter. May God bless, Dwight

I'll just jump in here for a moment to bump this back up, . . . as I have been using Resolene for 5 or 6 years, . . . never have found a way I really like to remove it. That's good and bad, . . . bad for us, . . . but good for the customer. If we can't get it off, . . . they shouldn't be able to eaither. Anyway, . . . I'm interested, . . . hope someone chimes in with a good answer, . . . if one exists. May God bless, Dwight

You may use a different tool than mine, . . . but I use the two piece rivet and washer, . . . and the tool looks sorta like a hunk of scrap steel about 3 inches long, 1 inch wide, and about 3/8 inch thick. It has a hole in the bottom that allows me to place it on the copper rivet and very satisfactorily, but slowly, pound down the copper washer until it makes contact with the top piece of leather. I then cut off my copper rivet about 3/32 above the washer with a pair of side cutters. I very carefully peen with about a 6 oz ball peen until I have the rivet more or less mushroomed, . . . then I pick up my tool again, . . . it has a small rounded indentation in the bottom, . . . I use this to turn the top end of my copper rivet into a perfectly round, domed, mushroom head. An old saddler showed me to use it that way, . . . and my posts never buckle or twist or bend, . . . UNLESS I am going through a really thick layer and I hammer on it too hard. The ball peen is only used to mushroom the very top of the rivet. May God bless, Dwight

Your work looks good from what I could see, . . . but I guess I am confused, . . . what do you mean when you say it is "running"? In the pictures, I see dark streaks on the brown and the red belts, . . . and I would guess they may have come from the resolene, . . . if you did the black belt first. One thing you have to do with any dye, . . . buff the dried object like crazy. I use an old wash cloth or piece of an old bath towel, . . . they work really well for that. Also, . . . keep one small container of resolene for black, . . . don't use it on any other color. You also need to make sure you water resolene down, I have never been successful with using it full strength. I use it at 50% strength, . . . 1/2 water & 1/2 resolene. Other than that, . . . resolene dries clear, although it darkens whatever dye you had on the item. May God bless, Dwight