Dwight

If that is the first one you ever made, . . . well, . . . "Good Job" should be said. Not meaning to sound too awful critical though, . . . if you have an extra bit of leather laying around, . . . try one more. If you do, . . . make two changed: 1) tape a 3/16" dowel rod to the top of your revolver during the molding process, . . . it makes a sight channel so your front sight doesen't dig up the inside of your hoslter, . . . and 2) starting at the back side of your trigger guard, . . . take the line of the front of the holster up to the center of the hammer. When you have the holster all molded, . . . draw the gun out, . . . take your thumb, . . . and roll ever so slightly the outside edge of the holster outward. Don't make it look like a funnel, . . . just a very slight outward turn of the whole top rim, . . . you will be amazed at the rigidity and strength it will add to the front of your holster. But it for sure is a good job, . . . I don't show folks my first one, . . . even though I still have it, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Stef, . . . I used to work in a refinish paint factory, . . . and what you are asking is what we used to call "tinting", . . . changing the color. First, . . . go slow, . . . anything you do will have FAR reaching effects on whatever your finished product is. Secondly, . . . I use Feibings saddle tan, oil dye, . . . and have found that the finishing process usually tones down the "orange" you are talking about. Fact is, I have a gun belt, holster, and mag carrier awaiting finishing even right now. Third, . . . one of the real problems in "tinting" dye, . . . is being consistent. If you happen to hit on a beautiful shade today, . . . will you be able to duplicate it some day in the future. The probable answer is "NO", . . . unless you are fastidious about your amounts and documentation. You may be better off to put it aside and go buy another color of dye. At least then you will be able to duplicate it some day in the future. Last, . . . leather is a funny medium in which to work. Most of what I said above can be thrown out the window by a certain piece of leather. I have made different items out of the exact same hide, . . . dyed them in the same pan, . . . dried them on the same drying line, . . . and they come out a shade or two darker or lighter, . . . just depending on how the old cow wanted to take the dye that day. But, . . . welcome, . . . experiment, . . . have fun. Leatherworking has it's ups and downs, . . . but it is still a fun experience. May God bless, Dwight

Personally, I would opt to take a half dozen of your old needles, . . . take them to a local machine shop, . . . and have them sanded or ground down to similar specs as the awl you want to use. You then should only have to remove the bobbin, . . . and you would be in the money. I often have to punch holes with my Tippmann Boss and hand stitch the area because my throat clearance is very limited. It works well for that. The Boss is of course hand operated, also, which makes it really nice when I want to space those stitches a certain way. May God bless, Dwight

I don't trust myself and my abilities on something that technical. I try to devise some kind of a helper. If I was even doing only one of these, . . . but knew it was for a special purpose, . . . I'd make a sanding jig like in the drawing. It will make the bevel completely the same all the way around. The key to it, though, is the round disk you must make and put on the dowel rod. Put the plate on the rod, . . . clamp the jig up close to the sanding disc so you sand the edge of the disc at a 90 degree angle, . . . use the sander to make your disc perfectly round, and as near the diameter of the leather as you can get it. Then rubber cement your leather to the sanding disc, . . . turn the jig so it is at a 45 degree angle, . . . clamp it firmly but not rigid in the lower left corner, . . . turn on your sander, . . . swivel the disc over to touching the sandpaper, . . . rotate your disc, . . . voioa, . . . perfectly sanded bottom. May God bless, Dwight

For a "no bigger than that" project, . . . I'd just paint the letters. I would find a better way if I were making 10 of them a day, . . . but for one, . . . painting is the only way for me. May God bless, Dwight

For knife sheaths and other small projects, . . . an easy way is to first cut your pattern about 1/8 inch too big. Glue the edges together, . . . then very carefully cut off the excess, . . . it results in a beautiful edge. The other way, . . . and the most done, . . . is to sand it like the bluesman mentioned. I use both a 12 inch round flat plate sander, . . . and a 1 inch wide belt sander. The belt sander is about $50 at Harbor Freight, . . . and is totally well worth the money. You will use it for so many more things than just sheath edges, . . . and it WILL do you a great job there. Just one word of caution, . . . play with it with some scraps before you put a project on it. Sanders are aggressive on leather. Second word, . . . one contributor on here, Lobo, always wets his edges before he sands them. It keeps the dust down, and that IS a good idea. May God bless, Dwight

I don't have the reference, . . . but there was a piece about leather armor being used by the Romans, and I think the emphasis was more on a "dress armor" that would provide a level of protection well above none at all, . . . it was very well decorated, . . . kinda like the old "Sunday go to meetin' suit" idea. Supposedly the person who would wear it was the model, . . . they would put on a long sleeve, tight fitting shirt type garment, . . . then the leather would be litterally boiled in wax, . . . pulled out, . . . and form fitted to the person, . . . as they lay on a table. Once it cooled, . . . it would be trimmed, decorated, and worn. Again, . . . hearsay, . . . but it makes sense to me. I tested a piece once, . . . some 14/15 oz veg tan, . . . immersed in liquid parrafin, . . . I didn't have a knife I could have stuck through it if it were armor on someone I wanted to hurt. I also have a set I made for a Centurion costume, . . . it's about 10oz, . . . only hot water hardened, . . . but it is very rigid. May God bless, Dwight

I use the common, garden variety of steel staples, used in the construction trade. I put three in each keeper, . . . from the outside, . . . and using a pair of needlenosed pliers, . . . turn them down into the leather. I've never had a problem, . . . and once they are encapsulated within the leather finish, . . . they won't rust, . . . and I can do a keeper with staples in less time than I can find a needle and get it threaded. Also, . . . it is one of those things that I do when I find myself out of other "things to do". Make keepers for belts, . . . make suicide straps for holsters, . . . make belt straps for holsters, . . . etc. Doing those things keeps me from the television and re-runs of Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, and Bonanza, . . . not that they are bad, . . . but I don't want to watch all the re-runs at one time. May God bless, Dwight belt keeper.bmp

Most of my work is sewn by a Tippmann Boss, . . . or I would probably be doing concrete work, or roofing, . . . That said, . . . every now and then, . . . a project comes up that "needs" to be hand sewn. I have two options: 1) take the thread out of the Boss, . . . make the holes, . . . and stitch the rascal, . . . OR, . . . like Mike said above, . . . use a drill press. When I use a press (in the states we get Chinese cheapies for $50 or so), . . . it is never even plugged in. I mount my regular sewing needle in the chuck, . . . punch the hole. I also make sure my needle is oriented correctly at all times. If I can see the eye, . . . it's wrong, . . . and I re-orient it so I cannot. The drill press is not as fast as the Boss, . . . but it is really good for small stuff, . . . and you can have as much control over where everything is done as you could possibly want. You can creatively also use the drill press as a sewing machine if you punch through, . . . pull up a little bit to produce a loop in the thread under the leather, . . . use a second needle, . . . throw it through the loop (thread attached of course), . . . and pull it all tight. May God bless, Dwight

I guess I just did not take the question as subtle verses obtuse, . . . but rather to mark or not to mark, visibly. My mark is three crosses on a hill, . . . it speaks volumes about me, about my life, about how I try to do my work, and hopefully, . . . my name with it, allows folks to associate me with the crosses and the work with me. The only time I don't mark a piece is when I am asked not to (very rare) or if I forget, . . . which is all too often. I think it has something to do with being 68 or so. Anyway, . . . that is my line of reasoning, . . . FWIW, . . . and I don't mean to begrudge anyone else their line, . . . after all, . . . it is their product. May God less, Dwight

I have two sets of jeans, . . . good and patched. Patched are leather working jeans, . . . flannel shirts are in the same categories. Insulated bibs are absolutely necessary, sometimes I have to do some leatherwork in the cold, . . . and they ARE great. Piece of advice: don't get full body coveralls, . . . get bibs. They allow you to dress lighter on your upper body, . . . or heavier than the bibs, . . . which in my case I have to do for my feet and legs. Sometimes I'm in bibs keeping the lower body warm, . . . and a long sleeved tee on the upper half, . . . even sometimes the sleevs pulled up. Bibs offer better versatility, . . . and one of the best pairs I have, . . . they are ski bibs, . . . $10 at a yard sale, . . . keep this old coot toasty. May God bless, Dwight

Ford puts their logo dead center of the front of the grill, . . . so does GM, Chrysler, and Desoto used to. As a product maker, I see no reason to do anything less. If a customer asks me not to, . . . that is one thing, . . . but I am proud of my work, . . . and I believe I have earned the right to "mark" my products. Someone who has a problem with that, . . . wants a bland product, . . . they can tell me or shop elsewhere, . . . either way is not a real problem to me, . . . but to be critical of my personal work because I signed my work with my mark, . . . I would take that as an insult, . . . and would very likely keep the product and send them to someone else. May God bless, Dwight

There is also a basic pattern in Stohlman's "How to make holsters" book, . . . page 31. You make that shoulder rig part, . . . add a clamshell or straight draw holster to it, . . . voila, . . . shoulder rig. I made one from the pattern, . . . not particularly my cup of tea, . . . but it did work well. For a Beretta 92, . . . I think it would work well. Mine was for a 1911, . . . I used a clamshell, . . . brought a snap around in front on two tabs, . . . pulling the weapon from the holster would break the snap. May God bless, Dwight

Besides esthetics, . . . stitch grooving serves two other purposes: 1) it protects you from the stitches where your skin could rub against the raised stitches and chafe your skin, . . . and 2) it protects the stitches against undue wear from you. Long and short, . . . grooving is sort of like a muffler on a car, . . . don't really need it, it'll work without it, . . . but it is so much better with it. May God bless, Dwight

From what I could see, . . . ya done good ! I don't use gum trag because I got sloppy with it once, . . . ruined a project, . . . what it does is it permanently and totally seals the leather. Dye WILL NOT penetrate where the gum trag is. I use a 50/50 mix of resolene, . . . put on with a cheap pig hair brush, . . . love the final product. Most all of my belts are double layer for CCW. If you do a meticulous job of burnishing the edges before you dye, . . . then touch it up after you dye, . . . you'll love the edges once you put on the resolene, . . . or at least I do. Oh, . . . and thanks for the memories of the double ring belt, . . . brought back a bunch of 70's memories May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Beaverslayer, . . . I use a different avatar on some rifle forums, . . . Vietnam affected, . . . I wanted to do one on my leather jacket, my vest, and the spare tire cover for my Jeep. This will give me something to look at. May God bless, Dwight

Beaverslayer, . . . any possibility of finding out what kind of paint your friend uses? I have a leather vest I have wanted to do myself, . . . but I haven't found the right kind of paint. May God bless, Dwight

That is some good looking work. May God bless, Dwight

He nailed it, . . . that's how you do it. I only do one thing more, . . . which is add a little more tension to both the top and THEN the bottom, . . . as I much prefer my stitches pulled very tight, . . . but that is just "Dwight's" way, . . . not everyone's. And, yes Chavez, . . . I do stitch groove for my Boss, . . . and as much as I can (depending on the product I'm sewing), . . . I groove both sides. On belts especially, . . . I think they look much better than if they weren't grooved. There are a few products I do that I won't use a stitch groover on, . . . I wet the leather and make an impressed groove with the dull end of a pair of dividers, . . . but mostly I just use the old groover. I actually almost have to, . . . as it is the "line" I'm looking for as I am sewing the item. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Beaverslayer, . . . I've done a couple of bags, . . . but not with the pigskin on the inside, . . . GREAT idea in my book. Yep, . . . you can teach an old pup new tricks, . . . woof! woof! May God bless, Dwight

I have made similar holsters to what Lobo mentioned, . . . they are a pain, . . . and I really don't like doing them. But, . . . having said that, . . . if I were in Lobo's position, . . . I'd probably pass myself. And, . . . that is part of the fun we have in this hobby/business. Some we do, . . . some we do without. May God bless, Dwight

I have always had good luck with Resolene, . . . but as particle said, . . . first thing is you have to cut it with water, . . . and do a full 50/50. I use a cheap, 1 inch, bristle hair brush, . . . about 50 cents at Harbor Frieight, . . . and I put enough product on to work up what looks like a light lather, . . . sorta like soap bubbles. Once I get my good lather, . . . I just keep brushing, . . . left, right up, down, cross ways, . . . until the bubbles brush out. It produces more of a satin finish my way, . . . but it is a pretty finish, . . . and a durable finish, . . . and if I am not in a hurry, . . . there are not streaks. May God bless, Dwight

Some time back, a friend asked me to sew up a tear in the wool padding on his saddle. Needless to say, . . . the leather was rotted, . . . very badly needed to be replaced. He asked me if I would do it for him, . . . and though I had never done one, . . . I told him I would try. Just wanted to say thank you to all of you guys and gals who have contibuted to the knowledge base on this forum, . . . I was able to get the project done, . . . it's waiting on pickup right now, . . . wouldn't have attempted it without the information I got on here. Again, . . . thanks for sharing. May God bless, Dwight

Just a couple of quick answers, . . . dip dyeing for me is very simple. I use two dyes (black and cowboy tan) at their 100% full strength. Another one I cut 50/50 with Feibings thinner, . . . because it produces a special color I like. I use a 9 inch by 13 inch by 2 inch deep pan to dye in, . . . pouring in the dye, . . . the submerging the leather. I have two of them, . . . one for browns and one for black. I use Feibings Oil Dye, . . . black and cowboy tan, . . . and another one that is a spirit dye. I have tried air brushing, . . . have not become comfortable with it yet, . . . and really do not like the idea that they dye is only on the very upper layer of the product. Anyway, . . . as electrathon said earlier, . . . it is quick, . . . uniform, . . . and predictably good. May God bless, Dwight

Provided of course, the sewing and clearances are in the right places, you should be able to make some molding changes: but only if you are correct and there is no real finish on it. If it is actually finished and sealed, . . . you may not make out so well. If you do try it (it's only pocket change if it doesn't work........) make sure you come back with a good acrylic finish, like Resolene (50/50 mix with water) and you may even want to give it a couple of coats. That should harden it up quite a bit. Also, when you try this, . . . make sure the water is at least 110 degrees, but not over 130. If you have a floor register or other means of drying it over low heat (absolutely not over 130 degrees), . . . that will tend to harden it a bit too. May God bless, Dwight