Dwight

Eric, . . . You probably will not like the finished product, . . . as traditionally belt blanks generally run 8 oz. Doubling that makes a very stiff belt that is a full 1/4 inch thick. I'm wearing one right now, . . . but only because it carries my full size all steel 1911 for me. You want, for a woman, especially if it is going to be for 1 1/4 belt, . . . to be down in the .140 to .180 range for her doubled belt, . . . and a lot of ladies don't like it that thick. May God bless, Dwight

Renegade, . . . I don't have the same tools you have, . . . but I do have these (see pics) and they do a wonderful job for me. Obviously, . . . they are home made. I generally will sand all edges "flat smooth" with a belt sander I have, . . . or sometimes (not very often) I'll do the sanding with the little drum sander you get for a Dremel. It can get aggressive at times, . . . or if you sneeze, . . . it won't be pretty. After sanding, . . . I bevel using Tandy # 2 or # 4 bevelers (depending on effect desired, . . . thickness, . . . etc). I then dampen, . . . and the key word there is dampen, . . . not wet, . . . just damp. The best way to see what "just damp" is like, . . . make up a 4 inch piece of 8 or 9 oz leather, . . . two nice straight edges, . . . bevel them, . . . then lick them. Yeah, . . . human saliva ! Turn on your Dremel, . . . about 1500 to 1700 rpm's works best for me. There very often is a grain direction in your leather, . . . it will come out pretty if you go left to right, . . . not so pretty if you go right to left. Look for that. Press lightly, . . . like you are running your finger around the rim of a coffee cup looking for a crack. Your leather will turn darker brown as you get the fibers laid down, . . . and if you do it right, . . . when the piece dries, . . . the color will be very near the original hue, . . . not the darker burnished brown. I go on then to dying, . . . inspect my edges, . . . sometimes touch up the burnishing here, . . . then I put the final finish on it. Depending on what the item is, . . . I sometimes come back and do a "final" burnish / polish, . . . and at this place, . . . I'll lightly rub on some natural beeswax before burnishing. I have almost always gotten compliments on the edges using this process. May God bless, Dwight

Considering that hands were made for hamburgers, . . . machines made for stitching, . . . I don't do much of that "hand stitching" thing. But when I do, . . . I use the sewing tool with the little spool on it, . . . and the wooden handle. Aboard my Navy ship it was called a sail needle. Anyway, . . . never put the thread on the spool bobbin, . . . just cut off a hunk of string 3 times as long as needed for the stitching. Pull it through the first hole so that 1/2 of the length is on each side of the first hole, . . . Then I take the first 3 inches of the thread, . . . it is always the piece shoved through the new hole first, . . . it is the piece that gets ugly, groadie, grubby, dirty, what have you. I've never done a full belt this way, . . . but I've done big stitch jobs, . . . and my string is still pretty white when I get done. But then again, . . . I also only use the coated string sold at Tandy's, . . . that may be part of the difference. May God bless, Dwight

I bought my rafter square at Harbor Freight, . . . $1.99 maybe, . . . it is basically a 6 inch long x 6 inch wide triangular square. It has all kinds of neat degrees, angles, and other markings on it. It's main qualitys, though, . . . first it is "square", . . . and one of the sides has a lip off each way. I lay down a piece of leather I need squared, . . . use a straight edge to make the first straight line. I lay that straight line on the edge of my work desk, . . . run the square up to it on the outside, . . . and bump the square's lip against the edge of the work desk. The leather lays between the square and the work desk edge, . . . with all three of them lined up, . . . the lip the desk edge and the leather straight edge. Off to the right is the cutting edge. Take a look at this little drawing, . . . says it better than I can. AND IT WORKS !!!! May God bless, Dwight

Whatcha makin' glockanator? Pouch holster to me is a bag from Walmart that had my lightbulbs in it. They are especially useful for High Points. May God bless, Dwight

One of the "nice" features about an Avenger holster, . . . you can add reinforcement around the mouth, . . . which will very effectively strengthen your holster. I have a Rhodesian IWB I made some time back with no reinforcements at all from just barely 6 oz, . . . it stays open for re-holstering with no problem. I do, however, use Resolene as my finish, . . . I finish both the inside and outside of these type holsters, . . . which does help make them fairly stiff. When I first made this holster, . . . I vacuum formed it around my commander size 1911, . . . slipped it out, . . . let it dry, . . . and have been very satisfied with it. I would say your 4-5 should work if it is up in the thicker side, . . . say up around .075 thickness. May God bless, Dwight

I used a press for a couple of years, . . . heard about vacuum, . . . tried it, . . . sold the press, . . . end of story. My vacuum bag and pump just work wonders with leather that cannot be done on most presses, . . . including a full length impression of a rifle or shotgun for a custom leather gun bag. But, . . . to each his own, . . . and to the OP, . . . good looking press, . . . I did mine out of 2 x 4's and steel plates, . . . there's some pictures on this site, . . . just search for press or me, . . . you should be able to see it. May God bless, 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