Dwight

Sixer, . . . If I'm doing that holster (I don't, . . . don't like the design, . . . personal flaw, I know), . . . first you cut out 5 pieces: back, front, left loop, right loop, and front vanity piece. Cut the straps purposely at least one inch too long. Sew the vanity piece on. Wet the front, . . . lay it on the gun, . . . laying on the back, . . . mold the front, . . . let it dry. Cut the front to match the back, . . . back to match the front, . . . whichever works for you. Punch holes for the snaps in the FRONT piece of leather only, . . . then punch the left/right straps. Mount the male piece of snap to the strap and the front piece, . . . hammer/peen in place. Glue, . . . sand the edges, . . . stitch gouge, . . . sew, . . . dye, . . . burnish, . . . final finish, Put the thing on, . . . pull straps over and under the belt, . . . with the inside of the strap very lightly moistened, . . . squeeze it together, . . . you have the impression of where you need to punch the hole for the female and decorative part of the snap. Mount rest of snap, . . . bag, . . . sell, . . . spend profit on ice cream. May God bless, Dwight PS: Whoops, . . . forgot about the sewn edges of straps, . . . you'll have to modify that measurement process, . . . do it earlier. Just don't put the outside parts of the snaps on before you dye and finish, . . . dye and finish CAN make the pretty part of the snaps not look so pretty.

Send him my way if you would, Sixer, . . . ciminod@midohio.net, . . . tell him if he has any questions he can see some examples of my work on my web site. I have a friend why used to be a patrol officer, . . . mags just kept jabbing him in his thigh or his gut, . . . I made him two that he wore horizontally on his duty belt. He loved them, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Willy, . . . what is the Singer machine? I am only familiar with a couple and this isn't one of them. May God bless, Dwight

Marty, . . . I truly hope someone comes to your rescue on this. I don't know of anything short of a very, . . . very, . . . sharp razor knife, . . . just barely slicing off the area that has the contact cement on it, . . . then dying and finishing and hoping for the best. May God bless, Dwight

For anyone thinking about a data base, . . . let me just say that Microsoft Access is a keeper for a data base that YOU can manage, . . . YOU can make, . . . You can fix, etc. I started working with it almost 20 years ago, . . . knew nothing at all about it, . . . took a 1 day class from a woman who didn't know much about it herself, . . . but it did get me started. I wound up peddling my ability into a full time job that kept be righteously employed for over 15 years, . . . when I could easily otherwise have been looking at disabiility retirement. Two things to remember: 1) purchase the "Dummy" book, . . . Access (insert latest edition here) for Dummies. Read it, . . . follow the instructions, . . . set apart a 4 hour block sometime in the week, . . . do the next chapter each time AND 2) tables are the secret to Access. Queries give you info, . . . Reports tell you what you got, . . . but if it is not in the table, . . . the query cannot find it, . . . and the report won't print it. You almost cannot have too many tables. Also, . . . make the tables simple, . . . too many people want to make one table have all the information, . . . and it becomes a nightmare trying to insert, edit, change, etc. Whereas if it is a simple table, . . . it is easier to mess with. As an example, . . . use a specific Customer ID number for each of your customers, . . . it can be fixed in Access to add it in for you, . . . making sure that there are never two who are the same. It is easy to get two Bill Smith's, . . . and sending the wrong Bill Smith the holster for a 1911 when he wanted a bridle for his Palomino will cause headaches. We use Access for our church, . . . tithing, income, expenses, checking acct, bills, employees, virtually everything is in that one little data base, . . . and it was built one piece at a time, . . . took about an hour each, . . . May God bless, Dwight

You can do the buckle hole (oblong slot) by doing a round hole at each end, . . . cut out the middle with a razor knife. Just remember to cut from both ends, . . . toward the middle, . . . otherwise you will go too far, . . . and slice the other end of the slot. Trust me on that one ! For the ends, . . . I just razor knife them, . . . take them to the belt sander, . . . make em pretty round or pretty pointed or pretty whatever, . . . but I do it on the sander. I also us the sander along each side to even everything up. It was $39.95 at Harbor Freight. May God bless, Dwight

Tacky: I do all my billing, . . . scheduling, . . . tax records, . . . on one little computer program: Microsoft Excel, . . . but I have about 20 years experience at it, . . . and judging from your picture, . . . you probably don't. Be that as it may, . . . you can use Excel as a calendar, . . . and as you get orders, . . . put them into the calendar. Only load up say 6 hours a day, . . . that gives you the ability to do 2 things: one, you can have a "cushion" of time, . . . just in case stuff goes South, . . . and two, you can visually see where you actually are. It makes all the difference in the world when you are first trying to get stuff together. You can also print it out in the morning, . . . make pencil changes during the day, . . . correct and re-print tomorrow if pencils work better for you than a keyboard. I couldn't post an Excel sheet on here, . . . but I did a screen save/convert to *.jpg so you could at least see what one looks like. PM me if you want to look at something more elaborate, . . . I can help you there possibly. "Organization is the KEY, to production, to profitability, and believe it or not, . . . to sanity". Not an old saying by any means, . . . but I live and believe every word of it. May God bless, Dwight

This one is a 56 or 58, . . . don't remember for sure, . . . but that is why we have Tim Horton's close by, . . . get to the tongue, . . . lay her down, . . . do a doughnut and coffee, . . . ready for the next one Notice in my hand, . . . one side is stitched, . . . we're doing the other side. May God bless, Dwight

4/5 cowhide with chap suede inside makes a good holster, . . . especially if you put a small mouth reinforcement piece on it. May God bless, Dwight

Hey, Cheryl, . . . Resolene Application 101: 1. Dilute the resolene in clean, clear water, . . . 1 for 1. I like to use a cleaned out plastic peanut butter jar (Skippy, Crunchy) 2. Get a cheap bristle paint brush (NOT NYLON), . . . real, . . . ugly, . . . pig bristle, . . . I get em at Harbor Freight for about fifty cents each, . . . 1 inch wide. 3. Dip the brush in the Resolene solution, . . . start slapping it on, . . . you need enough to work up a slight lather look, . . . when you get there, . . . quit adding, . . . and start brushing. 4. Brush from the left, . . . then from the top, . . . then from the right, . . . then from the bottom, . . . then a diagonal one way, . . . then an opposite diagonal, . . . and just keep brushing until all the bubbles dissapear. 5. Hang the object in a warm atmosphere, . . . let it dry, . . . takes 24 hours, . . . don't touch it until the time is done, . . . polish in a couple of days with clear shoe polish, . . . you should love the product. It will have a very high gloss if you do it right. A second coat done the same way makes it look like plastic almost. May God bless, Dwight

Just a quick note with the Resolene, . . . it is an (I think the right term) Acrylic Finish, . . . it is water based, . . . mix it 50/50 with good clean water, . . . if you are using multiple coats, . . . do the several thin coats, . . . don't go heavy with it on each coat. You also may want to take a large scrap piece of leather, . . . use it on it first, . . . see if you really do want that finish. I use it for holsters and belts, . . . and it does good for that purpose, . . . I am not a tack expert, . . . might want to move down into the saddle forum and pick someone's brain there for the better/best finishes. May God bless, Dwight

I'm not sure I understood all of your questions, . . . but this one I can help with: "Questions...Can I just use Fiebings black dye on it all over to cover the areas that weren't covered? And if so, do I need to put something over that because i keep reading about all these problems with black dye rubbing off? " No, . . . you do not HAVE TO PUT SOMETHING OVER IT but it is adviseable at least, . . . depending on the look you want, . . . will determine the product you use. The first thing to do, though, . . . is determine how much work you want to put in this, . . . and what you want out of it. If you are willing to really bend the elbow and get a really good dye job, . . . then use the USMC black Feibings dye. It penetrates somewhat better then the black oil dye. BUT, . . . you need to get out the old wash cloths you don't want any more, . . . and hand rub, rub, rub, . . . all the extra pigment that is left behind by the USMC dye. THAT is what rubs off, . . . not the dye, . . . and if you rub it off. After you dye the item, . . . let it sit for 24 hours in a comfortably warm environment, . . . so you can start rubbing when it is dry. Have some WHITE rough paper towels handy, . . . when you think you have rubbed it enough with the wash cloth, . . . hit it with a paper towel, . . . if it stays white, . . . you're good, . . . if not, . . . just keep rubbing. The oil dye does not need but about 1/2 the rubbing and polishing, but does not penetrate as deep. Depending on the item, . . . your finishes range from just plain old neatsfoot oil applied sparingly and buffed, . . . all the way up to multiple coats of Resolene. There are many other options in between. Neatsfoot oil will offer some protection, . . . and add a very minor gloss, . . . Resolene will practically encapsulate the item, . . . provide excellent protection (including UV rays) and when buffed, . . . shines like a brand new penny. Best wishes, may God bless, Dwight

Michael, . . . Here are the numbers you need: TOLL FREE: 866-286-8046 PHONE: 260-441-9603 When you get Tippmann on the line, . . . ask for Ben. Take your time, . . . let him walk you through it, . . . He has helped me out in the past, . . . and is really good. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Mark, . . . I appreciate your assistance, . . . am not sure where this will wind up right now, . . . like I told Hidepounder, . . . leather was donated, hdwe too, got plenty of good advice thrown in for good measure. This whole project is beginning to look like Christmas, . . . Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to your and yours. May God bless, Dwight

Mark, . . . pardon the ignorance, but what are Armitas used for? When are they worn? Are they Show stuff only? Are they work pieces? Reason I ask, . . . I have a couple of young girls (9 and 11) that I am going to be making chaps for early in the new year. It's a charity job basically, . . . long story, . . . but I saw your picture and was totally intrigued, as I have never seen those before. I had planned on making shotguns for the older girl, . . . batwing for the younger, . . . later the younger one could grow into the shotguns, and the older girl could use the batwings for chinks, . . . (but that's a lot of "down the road" thinking). Now after seeing those, . . . maybe I just might let them decide. And yes, . . . both are very much "lady like" and enjoy the "Cowgirl" personna. Thanks, may God bless, Dwight

When, . . . remember I did not say IF, . . . when you get tired of stabbing your belt, keeper, thumb, forefinger, and leg, . . . punch one hole in front of the keeper, . . . one behind the keeper, . . . put in two Chicago screws, . . . slot toward wearer's body, . . . and be done with it. While I love your dedication to "old timey ways" etc, etc, . . . I would charge at least another $25.00 on top of my belt price to get one sewed on like you do it. AND, . . . it does really look nice. But, also, . . . I really hope the guy who invented Chicago screws went to Heaven, . . . I want to shake his hand and thank him when I get there. May God bless, Dwight

Pretty much the same, . . . Cut both blanks, . . . outside is 9 inches longer than the measured length, . . . liner is 4 inches longer. Both blanks cut with same strap cutter, . . . one after the other. Fix up both ends, . . . tongue and buckle Glue both together, . . . I use Weldwood contact Cement Sand edges to make sides really straight and smooth, . . . using a 1 inch wide belt sander Edge, burnish, and stitch gouge, . . . sew it together Dip Dye the whole thing Add buckle, . . . punch tongue holes Send to customer, . . . spend check. May God bless, Dwight

Now if you had said you had this new 3 inch McCulloch chain saw, . . . with a special leather cutting blade, . . . and you were plunge cutting the buckle slots, . . . THAT would have been new May God bless, Dwight

Odd man out here, . . . I use a Tippmann Boss, . . . I like the ability to set it up, . . . use it, . . . put it back under my desk, . . . PLUS, . . . my right arm is all the electricity it will ever need, . . . even out in the barn. It is a bit of a pain sometimes when I am doing a 50+ inch belt, . . . at 5 stitches per inch, . . . but that just gives me justification for another piece of fudge (gotta keep my energy level up, y'know). May God bless, Dwight

One thing you can do is go to JoAnn's, . . . take their 40% off coupon, . . . buy two yards of their cheap vinyl, . . . should be enough there to cut out all three patterns, . . . or at least pretty close to enough. You can trace through the paper onto the vinyl with a blunt stylus, . . . it leaves a sort of a groove, . . . so you can see where to cut. Works for me anyway. May God bless, Dwight

I use the mag, . . . May God bless, Dwight

That nasty old Tippmann Boss of mine does something between 4.5 and 6 SPI, . . . depending on how she feels on a given day. They all work for me. May God bless, Dwight

OK, Folks, . . . need some help on this one. I've got a "charity" job coming up, . . . a 9 year old girl and her 11 year old sister. They ride like a couple of little pro's, . . . and are just as sweet as they can be. I'd like to make a pair of chaps for each of them, . . . on the QT, . . . But I've never made a pair for someone that small, . . . and I am wondering if there are any special pitfalls to be careful of. Any and all advice is requested. May God bless, Dwight

Bob, . . . a very good place to start is the nearest gun show, . . . with a bunch of crumpled up ones in your front pocket. Take both your guns, . . . and wander around the tables, . . . looking especially for the guy who is selling sockets on one end, . . . rusty shotguns in the middle, . . . and has a box or two of used holsters on the other end. He'll usually take a few bucks for one of them. Try the holster, . . . make sure it fits your gun, . . . buy it, . . . take it home, . . . cut the stitches, . . . take it apart, . . . then hand sew it back together. It's fun, . . . educational, . . . and you get a useable holster out of a day's entertainment. May God bless, Dwight

Uhh, . . . I never got the note about not using waxed thread. And, . . . uhh, . . . that's about all I use. White stitching WILL GET DIRTY on a belt or a holster, . . . but it is then the customer's responsibility, . . . just like it was when the customer made the decision. I buy my 346 thread from my handy dandy Tandy store, . . . and every now and then, . . . I take 10 minutes to pick the gobs of wax off different parts of my machine. May God bless, Dwight