Dwight

Generally, . . . I make the belt, holster, pouch, . . . whatever, . . . it is fully "manufactured" so to speak. I then dye the thing, . . . but I do a quick burnish on the edges first. Dye it and let it dry, . . . usually leaving it at least 24 hours before I mess with it again. Again, . . . burnish the edges, . . . using mostly a Dremel and the tools in the picture. I also have a similar rig on the end of a 1725 rpm motor, . . . used mostly for long pieces like belts, . . . works faster that way. I do a final check out after the item is finished, . . . and usually "touch up" the burnishing. I only use water and beeswax during the earlier processes, . . . will use whatever is used for the final finish, . . . finger applied, . . . for any final touch up burnishing, . . . Resolene, Bag Kote, whatever is used. I have never had a complaint on any of my edges. May God bless, Dwight

I don't often encounter that problem, . . . but have in the past. Being an old model maker / carpenter / woodworker, . . . I have successfully made an LCP, . . . a Smith model 29, . . . a Glock 35, . . . and a little Keltec. You need basically a side view, . . . top view, . . . and butt view, . . . a pair of calipers, . . . a good printer, . . . a calculator, . . . and a little luck. You will have to "mine the internet" in some cases, . . . but there are sites that will give you the length, width, weight, thickness, etc of just about any weapon out there. Look long enough, and you will usually find one with a cartridge or other item in the picture where you can get a hard cold dimension, . . . and all other measurements are just multiples of that one. It is your base, . . . May God bless, Dwight

I had a similar experience a couple of years ago. Turn your machine around, take off the back. Up top is a steel round rod, . . . with a collar on it. That collar has to be 5/8 of an inch from the left side, . . . no more, . . . no less. Somehow, mine had slipped, . . . it was about 3 inches to the right of correct position, . . . would not sew. Ben and I talked on the phone, . . . finally wound up driving it up there, . . . he took the back off, . . . "Here's the problem" May God bless, Dwight

First thing, . . . take out the bobbin, . . . pull the thread out of the machine. Now, . . . does it function smoothly with a doubled piece of 7 oz leather running through it? With your stitch adjustment set for the longest stitch, . . . you should be able to measure something like 4 1/2 stitches per inch. Four is good, . . . 5 is good too. That means that the mechanical needle movement, leather movement, shuttle & bobbin movement are doing what they should do if the stroking is smooth and "catch free". If it isn't, . . . then you have a mechanical problem. I had one once where a collar slipped, . . . gave me some SERIOUS fits. If that is all good, . . . put your bobbin back in, . . . re-thread your machine. I usually use one size bigger needle than needed, . . . just so my thread flows very smoothly through the system. Placing the needle correctly takes some getting used to. I usually use a stick pin that will not go through the hole, . . . and line it up at a 90 degree angle to the travel of the leather, . . . then tighten down my needle clamp. The needle needs to be all the way to the top in it's slot. Make sure the full length groove on the needle is to the left. Won't work the other way. As mentioned earlier, . . . you want some drag, . . . but not much on the bobbin, . . . it just cannot free float, . . . I usually loosen both top adjusters for free float then give both one full turn to start out. Take a typical piece of your work (mine is usually something like two pieces of 7 oz veggie tan) and start sewing, . . . sew 10 stitches, . . . stop and cut the threads. Look to see where your threads come together. If they are squarely in the center between the layers of leather, . . . then you only have to make sure they are tight enough to hold correctly, . . . or are pulled down into your thread gouge. Personally, . . . I like my threads tight, . . . not everyone does, . . . I also like using 400+ thread, . . . I like the bold look, . . . big stitches. Work with it, . . . it'll get there. Do 10 stitches, . . . check it, . . . adjust as needed. Do 10 more, . . . check it adjust as needed. Keep at it until you get what you want. Also, . . . never put sewing machine oil on your machine. That is for Singers, . . . not for a Boss. May God bless, Dwight

Vinyl bag made from JoAnn fabric clear vinyl. ($20) Vac pump from Harbor Freight. ($110) Hose fitting from on line vac supplier. ($15) Misc fittings from local hardware store + hose. ($25) Like electrathon said, put something flat behind it, I use a white cutting board sold at Wal Mart for about $10. With this rig, . . . I don't usually have to help it much, . . . push the "ON" button, . . . 5 seconds later turn it "OFF". Repeat once or twice if the mold is not enough detail the first time. Only one I had much trouble with was a WW2 / over the shoulder / chest carry rig / suede lined / for a Glock 35. I had to leave it in for about 10 seconds. May God bless, Dwight

You did not say how or if you finished the belt, . . . if it doesn't have a serious final finish, . . . a dip in neetsfoot oil will probably solve all your problems. Take an 8 x 11 baking pan, . . . pour about an inch of oil in it, . . . snake the belt through the oil, . . . hang it up to dry. Don't linger in the oil, . . . a couple of seconds is all it needs. About 48 to 72 hours later, . . . you should have one nice silent belt. Rub it inside and outside, semi vigorously with an old terrycloth towel, . . . and you should be good to go. May God bless, Dwight

Try Ryan's suggestion, . . . and while you are at it, . . . lighten up on the pressure. It doesn't take a lot of pressure to mold a holster. Also, . . . what thickness do you have on top? You should have two layers, . . . each 1" thick, . . . at least that is what worked for me. May God bless, Dwight

The best favor you can do for your gun loving friend is do a canvas in, canvas out gun bag, . . . if you want to stiffen it, . . . sew a layer of quilt batting in between. OR, . . . if you want it really stiff, . . . go to Tandy's and ask for their "bag stiffener", which is used for that very purpose on hand bags. Get your zipper there too. You can buy just the exact length you need, . . . plus the slide piece, . . . much cheaper usually than buying a complete zipper some where else. Flannel is a NO-NO for me and my guns. Any oil on the outside of the gun will instantly transfer to the flannel, . . . can make an oily stain all the way through if there is enough oil, plus that oil stain inside will attract dust, grit, sand, dirt, dead bugs, and assorted other trash you do not want associated with a gun. Canvas makes a good liner, denim (think blue jeans) material is good, and JoAnn's sells some really nice vinlys that would make good interiors for a gun bag. Whatever you use, . . . make sure it is a lint free type material also. May God bless, Dwight

The one thing that never changes in this world is that "change is inevitable". My great grandfather lost his life's savings, everything: chose the wrong side in the civil war. His son in law passed on after he did a major vocational shift. Cars killed his "blacksmith" trade, so he became a farmer, but not knowing anything about them new fangled machines, he relied on horse and mule power until he died. My father was drafted for WW2 and released, his reading and writing skills were not sufficient for their needs, but were enough to get him by for 64 years. Uhhh, . . . change is here, . . . just make believe it is the front porch swing, . . . flow with it, . . . don't like going backward, . . . it'll go the other way in a few seconds, . . . you can be happy then. May God bless, Dwight

Hunter, . . . you didn't say what you were using for the final finish, and that makes a lot of difference. Secondly, . . . if you are making belts, . . . you don't want to soften them up very much, . . . otherwise the aren't worth their weight in dead cats. I use Resolene for most final belt finishes, . . . then I start by bending them around the rounded front edge of my counter space, I then bend them in a horseshoe shape, . . . about 2 inches across, . . . and work the center of the horseshoe from one end of the belt to the other. It makes the belt pliable, . . . but not soft. Flexible and not stiff is what you want, . . . soft is for buckskin jackets, not belts. May God bless, Dwight

Murphy, . . . I am not expert on beading by a long shot, . . . but sometime back I did a piece you can see on my website, at the end of the long rifle gun bag, it is the globe, eagle and anchor of the USMC. I bought my beads at a "bead emporium" and the lady who sold them to me was very helpful in making sure I got the right stuff, . . . spending a lot of time explaining what I would have to do. Her one piece of advice I didn't expect was that anytime you can use it, . . . the best beading "string" is dental floss. Enter each bead left and right, . . . and of course put them in a loom. For what you are doing, . . . I'd skive out a pit to put the beads in, . . . the back being very thin when I got done, . . . lace the loom and beads to the belt through the pit, . . . then put a liner inside the belt to give it the strength. That way all your knots and strings would be hidden, . . . and of course cemented to the other piece of leather, . . . should never be a problem losing beads or anything like that. Best wishes, may God bless, Dwight

A couple years back, . . . I was teaching a holster making class at Tandy's, . . . and a young man in a wheel chair had your exact problem. If I remember correctly, . . . he and I designed a cross draw rig with a thumb break, . . . that "kinda" looked like the Andrews "Carjacker" holster. It had something more like a 60 degree cant, . . . but Jimmy could grab it in a heartbeat, . . . that is what counts most, I think, when we're talking CCW. May God bless, Dwight

Several decades ago, . . . I was doing some electrical work with a friend. His "formula" was simple, . . . figure out your material cost, . . . give that $$ figure a "times 3", . . . and you have a good starting point on the charge. Leather work, I have found is very similar, . . . at least for me. Another thing I personally appreciate, . . . therefore I pass on to my customers, . . . "Free Delivery". I build the shipping and insurance costs into my product. True, the guy up the street where I drop it off on my way to church, . . . he pays a bit more, . . . and the guy in Southern Cally gets a bit of a break, . . . but it washes in the long run as far as I am concerned. The main thing though, . . . you absolutely, positively, without a doubt need to know for sure how much it is costing you, . . . then you can work on how to price it to your customers. Get that down first. May God bless, Dwight

It was an absolute, . . . super duper, . . . pleasure to find this new playground. I don't know how you done it, . . . but it loads about 3 times as fast as it used to load, . . . the fonts seem crisper, . . . and if you decide to mess with the blue, . . . for cryin' out loud, . . . don't go pink,.................. I may be an old geezer, . . . but I like technology, . . . especially when it helps me, . . . and this is good stuff. May God bless, Dwight

Yeah, Jeff, . . . the math formula that works best is very simple: 1. Make the back 2. Make a front that is atttached to the back along the sight channel area 3. Soak the whole thing in water 4. Mold the holster to the gun, keeping the back on the table to keep it flat 5. Let the holster dry. 6. Insert the firearm and mark the edge of the front, cut and bevel. 7. Mark the stitch lines on the front 8. Flatten out the front so you can draw around it and get a good pattern 9. Cement, stitch, edge, burnish, dye, finish, and sell your holster. See, . . . only 9 mathmatical steps, . . . and while some may think this is a goofy way, . . . it works, . . . works well. May God bless, Dwight

SooperJake, . . . Sylvia told you about it for sure. I saw a friend's unit he uses for laminating doors, windows, door frames, . . . his was a bit thicker, . . . tried to use it on holsters, . . . seemed not to work to suit me. The first holster I made with this was for a full size 1911, . . . slid the gun out, . . . let it dry, . . . had to jam the gun to get it into the dried holster, . . . thought for a minute I would have to cut it off the gun. My bag is about 24 inches square, . . . I use a vacuum pump from Harbor Freight, . . . does everything I need. May God bless, Dwight

My bags are 15 mil purchased 45 inches wide from JoAnn Fabric. I fold over one end, . . . apply contact cement about 2 inches wide down each side, . . . and press together giving me a bag. I add my hose bib connection. The open end is sealed around a wooden dowel, . . . and I never need to cut off anything. May God bless, Dwight

I took a phillips screwdriver, . . . A piece of 5/8" stainless steel round stock about 1 1/2 inches long, . . . Rounded and polished each end of the s/s piece, . . . Drilled a hole in the center of the round stock on the side (don't go all the way through), . . . Set the screwdriver in the hole and welded it in place with a couple of good heavy tack welds. It closes up the stitches super quick on a holster, belt, mag carrier, billfold, . . . whatever. May God bless, Dwight

You can also use an adjustable V gouge. Set it just a bit deeper than the thickness of your leather, . . . put a scrap piece of leather underneath it, . . . run against a straight edge, . . . if it is sharp, it will give you the edge you want. Personally, when making some boxes, I like to use the gouge and not quite go all the way through, . . . Coat the gouge with contact cement, . . . when it dries, just fold it over, . . . It makes a really nice looking box in my opinion. May God bless.

You can look on this post, . . . and see every stitch I put in my belt loops. Look at the enclosed pictures, . . . these are my 3D note pads I refer to when I am making a cartridge belt. At 67+, . . . somethimes the memory ain't worth a dime, . . . so I have cheaters. These are mine. This is how I do it. Yep, . . . the little ones are for .22's and the big ones are for .44 or .45. May God bless, Dwight

As far as the bullets go, . . . I usually pull them all out after I have riveted down both ends. By that time, . . . the sizing, forming, etc. has all been done, . . . and most of the stretching/shrinking has also taken place. I come back after dyeing & finishing and re-insert the bullets to make sure nothing has changed. Invariably, one loop will have tried to shrink on me, . . . but that is usually the worst. As far as advantage, . . . just a personal note, . . . I wouldn't give anyone two whoops for a sewn cartridge belt. I've owned em in the past, . . . doubt that one will ever grace my place again. I also refuse to make them for my customers. When they see my personal black rig, . . . that is usually enough, . . . And, . . . I can usually do a 24 loop section of a belt in just about 45 minutes, . . . that is from a blank belt back and piece of loop strap, . . . to a cartridge belt, punched, looped, and riveted, . . . drying so it can be finished up. May God bless, Dwight

I use 4 oz or so veg tan in my bullet loops, . . . do not sew them, . . . loop out and back through the same hole. Rivets hold the ends, . . . and it is always contact cememted to the liner. Always do em wet, . . . use actual bullet for sizing, shaping, etc. I use a 7/8 in wide strap pulling through a 3/4 in strap punch hole, . . . have never had any problems with it. Sometimes the first few loops are a bit tough, . . . but after it dries, . . . gets dyed, finished, etc.. . . they always look good to me, . . . customers are happy. Works for me. May God bless, Dwight

I bought my Boss back about 6 or 8 years ago, . . . NIB, . . . have not looked back. My hands are for hamburgers, . . . machines are for stitching leather. I guess I figure that anything I make at age 67 will long outlast me, . . . no matter which way I do it, . . . And if there is a company that stands behind their machines better than Tippmann, . . . it must be Zippo. May God bless, Dwight

I actually make two different ones, . . . vertical and horizontal. I couldn't find a vertical pic, . . . but this is the horizontal one. inside the box are stacked, glued pieces of scrap leather that fill in opening under the barrel so that once it is dropped in, . . . it never re-orients itself in a different direction. The verticle one also had a small cut out for the trigger guard, . . . allowing a cleaner grip on the weapon. I never got to where I could present from this as well as my 1911 IWB, . . . but it was still pretty quick. May God bless, Dwight

I have a customer for whom I produce a square, molded, leather box with a snap on the bottom flap, . . . holds an LCP perfectly muzzle down, . . . just like a holster, . . . I think that personally I would have issues with it snagging, . . . but it is so common looking, . . . doubt if anyone would ever be made with it, . . . Have never had one returned by an unhappy customer. May God bless, Dwight