Dwight

I'm going to go out on a limb, . . . saying that you probably have garment leather in that strap, . . . not veggie tanned, . . . and the tooling will not come out the way you want it to. Having said that, . . . if you have a Tandy store nearby, . . . you can go in there and ask them, . . . barring that, . . . just go for it. I've thrown away lots of these "experiments" that I had hoped better for, . . . but just every now and then, . . . one of them turns out really right, . . . and everything is so much better. The dye should be color fast, . . . so you should not have a "mess". Probably though, . . . they dye is only on the surface, . . . and if you do any real heavy tooling, . . . you will have to re-dye some of it. For that reason, . . . do as much of the designas you can by stamping rather than tooling. Have at it, . . . and have fun. May God bless, Dwight

Measure her waist, . . . make the "belt" portion out of suede, . . . doubled over, . . . so that the top of the belt is the folded edge. Overlap the ends and put them together in the back with hook and loop material. I'd probably make the belt about 4 inches wide, . . . which makes your blank have to be 8 inches wide to start. Looking at the "lady" with the ax, . . . her skirt seems to be made of 12 exterior plates and 12 interior plates, . . . laid out so that the openings in one is covered by the body of the other. I would use rivets hidden under the elephant tooth protrusions to hold the whole thing together, . . . with the interior skirt plates also sewn to a dark "A" line skirt (ask your wife, she'll show you what one of those looks like) just for modesty sake. The skirt zipper goes in the back. As for the taper, . . . remember you are using 12 plates. Measure the waist, . . . divide by 12 for the width of the top of the plates, . . . measure the hem of the A line skirt and divide it by 12 for the bottom width. The exterior would either be garment chrome tan, . . . or suede, . . . and I would probably opt for the suede. Make a tab at the top of each of the interior plates, . . . the ends of the interior plates go up in the belt to be sewn in, . . . the ends of the exterior plates overlap the belt and hide the stitches. As for the metal elephant teeth on the outside of the skirt, . . . they will have to be really light weight, . . . or will have to be bonded to a metal piece running the length of the skirt plate. I'd probably opt for turning them on a wood lathe, . . . painting them silver, . . . and putting them on the skirt with wood screws from the back side through the aforementioned metal plate. If there is nothing behind them, . . . they will just flop down, . . . pointing at the ground, . . . and will not look like the lady in the picture. Best wishes, . . . may God bless, Dwight

The really nice thing about wearing one of these, . . . once you get there, . . . the holster mechanics (retention, . . . molding, . . . etc.) take second place to the oooohh's and ahhhhhhh's, . . . Plus, . . . with all the others that will also be there, . . . even if you did have a problem with retention, . . . the bad guys would be so out gunned that you could just sip on your iced tea and be cool. Every time I start to make one for me, . . . I change my mind on the design I want, . . . so I don't have one, ......................................... yet. That is one good looking piece of art though, . . . and a credit to it's craftsman. May God bless, Dwight

If I were making it for him, . . . the blanks (I only do lined belts) would both be heavy 7/8 leather. I only made one like this for a guy who was a 52 inch waist, . . . so I am not quite up into your league Anyway, . . . the blanks for your guy would be 66 inches long, . . . and no less than 3 inches wide. I always place my buckle billet so that the finished buckle inside lip is dead even with the leading edge of the belt. Look through the buckle, . . . make sure it is even. The tongue billet should be fixed and placed on the end of the belt so that the center hole (I always use 7 holes spaced 1 inch apart) measures exactly the same as your customer's belt, . . . PLUS 4 INCHES. ...................... DON'T FORGET THE 4 INCHES. My overlap from the first hole to the end of the billet is about 3 1/2 inches, . . . it all depends on how it is going to be done to finish it. Take a look at the diagram, . . . holler if you have any questions. May God bless, Dwight

Well, . . . whoever had your name, . . . had mine first. That was a couple of years ago. That is one good looking holster, my friend, . . . but then what would we have expected from you? May God bless, Dwight

Mine uses a 8 ton jack from Harbor Freight. Total investment: +/- $125 May God bless, Dwight

I would be very tempted to take the easy way out on this, . . . Take a pair of her crocks that fit, . . . make a pair of suede booties that will attach to a pair of light brown crocks, . . . contact cement the very nicely done and painstakenly decorated booties to the crocks, . . . and wish them the best. After all, . . . this is a wedding, . . . she's not planning on hiking to Denver in them. May God bless, Dwight

I have dyed the leather first, . . . I have dyed the leather last, . . . and I don't find any real difference either way. I finally settled on making it first, then dying. No real reason, . . . just do it that way, . . . it works for me. Lou Alessi always advised that he dyed first, . . . drum dying was his technique. If it works for you, . . . do it, . . . Kinda like the old gunfight thingy: 10 years from now no one will remember the tactics, stance, particular ammo, . . . only who survived. Doing leatherwork is similar: 10 years from now no one will care if it was dyed first, last, or if at all, . . . just so long as it is still working. May God bless, Dwight

Yep, . . . 40 is the correct number. Mine came from McMaster Carr, . . . natural gum rubber, . . . works like a champ. May God bless, Dwight

Just a quick couple of comments, . . . Steve, . . . and we'll start with the color. I love it !!!!! It looks like a holster that is a holster, . . . that is used by someone other than the Governator or Bradd Pitt. On the construction, though, . . . I'd make a couple of changes if it was mine. 1. Take the reinforceing band all the way up the sweat sheild 2. Cut some off both ends of the reinforceing band, . . . get it out of the trigger guard area, . . . stop it while it is still on the frame. 3. Consider reversing the back side so that the back is "rough out". That helps a little bit in keeping it from sliding around on you, even if you have two straps, they kinda like to move. I made one of these holsters a few years back, . . . it is a copy of Spark's VM2, . . . and it is a great holster, . . . but they're just too much of a pain for me to mess with, I do simpler designs. May God bless, Dwight

I know some folks have a dislike for Weaver's, . . . I am not one of them. In Ohio, you have to get a "Vendor's License" which allows you to collect sales tax on your sales, . . . then send it to the state twice a year. With that, . . . Weaver's is more than happy to do business with you. Other states probably call it differently by name, . . . but that is what you need. I have their catalog, . . . pick out the things I want, . . . pick up the phone, . . . call it in, . . . watch for the truck in the drive way, . . . simple as that. I have also been there, . . . if you go, they take you out back where you pick your hides you want, . . . and absolutely every one there was really nice to work with. True, . . . they have their rules, . . . but that is their business model, . . . get inside it, . . . you'll find they are good people to work with, . . . or at least that has been my experience. May God bless, Dwight

I don't do small lettering like that, . . . but I used to own a sign shop a number of years ago. One of the greatest tools for what you are doing is called a pantograph (sp??). It amounts to a mechanical arm setup that transfers the movement of a stylus to the cutting action at the blade or knife. The neat thing is you also get a reduction from the "master" to the finished product. Most pantographs are adjustable, . . . but if you built one with a 2:1 ratio, . . . that would be the best for easy use and scale figuring. A 2:1 reduction will take a letter, . . . for instance an "M", . . . and will make 4 little ones that take up the space of the first one, the pattern. What is also great, . . . you can make your own patterns, letters, scenes, etc, . . . and they don't have to be absolutely perfect. Get "most" of the defects out of an original that is say 8 inches square, . . . use it to reproduce a pattern that would then be 4 inches square, . . . from it make a pattern 2 inches square, . . . which makes a 1 inch square pattern that has just about lost every possible defect, . . . and makes a beautiful 1/2 inch design in your leather. For my "blade", . . . I would use a Dremel with a 1/16 inch drill mounted, . . . I would cut the leather dry for all my patterning, . . . then dampen it and tool it to the final product. I actually still have one, . . . it was purchased from Sears about 5 or 6 years ago, . . . it ran about a hundred bucks, . . . I used it for some sign work for our church, . . . and it works great. May God bless, Dwight

Bretta, . . . my favorite, hands down, product for final finishing of belts is Resolene. Dilute it to a 50/50 solution of Resolene and water, . . . brush it on with a cheap bristle brush, . . . (brush until you get a coat of bubbles, . . . then brush till the bubbles all disappear), . . . you may have to do a couple of coats. We buy it here in the states in a small 4 oz bottle, . . . it is worth the investment to try it on a scrap piece, . . . but if I were a gambler, . . . I'd bet you will like the results. It is a good, tough finish. May God bless, Dwight

Good job on the holsters, Steve, . . . I won't show you my first one. Your problem has been mostly addressed by marine mp, . . . it is the unground black pigment left over on the top of the leather when the solvent dries that is causing your grief. You can rub and burnish until you are blue in the face, . . . you'll not get it all, . . . and sometimes it is in the exacltly wrong place. My wife can attest that she lost a couple of (previously) beautiful wash cloths to my using them for that burnishing purpose, . . . it is the best "rag" I've found so far. Additionally, though, . . . I use Resolene as my final finish, . . . it gives a much better finish (I think) and is more forgiving of the left over pigment. Anyway, . . . good start, . . . keep at it. May God bless, Dwight

I punch 3/4 inch bag punch holes, . . . 5/8 inch apart on centers. I cut my 5/6 veggie tan leather with a strap cutter, . . . 13/16 wide, . . . and burnish both edges. I use a 56 inch piece to make 20 belt loops, . . . secure one end (sew or rivet), . . . feed the other end through the slot, . . . up and over, . . . back down through the same hole, . . . insert a cartridge of the appropriate size, . . . pull tight, . . . flatten the back side, . . . do it again, . . . until done. I leave the cartridges in the belt for about an hour or so, . . . then gently pull them out. From the side, . . . my belt looks something like the little drawing. I never have any issues with shrinkage, . . . and I don't use neatsfoot oil on my cartridge belts because I am sloppy, . . . and if it slop too much of it on my leather, . . . it becomes floppy and to me, . . . ugly. May God bless, Dwight

A wise old carpenter friend of mine explained one time the difference between a craftsman and a successful craftsman. A craftsman will know how to do 99% of what is required for his trade. A successful craftsman will also know how to do 99% of what is required for his trade, . . . PLUS, . . . he'll know how to get by on the other 1%. You, . . . are a successful craftsman. May God bless, Dwight

Send me the details to ciminod@midohio.net, . . . perhaps we can work something out. May God bless, Dwight

I have a copy of an old Heiser catalog, . . . it dates from the turn of the century (maybe a bit later, . . . ???). Let me know roughly what kind of style you are looking for, . . . I'll see what is in there. Here are a couple of sample pages, though. May God bless, Dwight

Law Enforcement Targets, . . . somewhere in Minnesota, . . . you can Google them easily. Their guns are usually in the $35 range, plus shipping puts them in your mailbox in 3 - 5 days for $45 or so. They have been absolutely wonderful to deal with, . . . they just don't show all the models they can get on their website. Do the phone call thing, . . . if you get Kathy, . . . she'll fix you right up. So wil lthe others, . . . but she did my last order, . . . and I don't know what could have been done to make the transaction any better. May God bless, Dwight

I cracked up when I read this, . . . figured at least a few other folks on here may enjoy a good laugh: http://glossynews.com/society/201001070305/activists-missing-after-declaring-war-on-leather-at-motorcycle-rally/ May God bless, Dwight

Google up Law Enforcement Targets, . . . someplace in Minnesota. Their guns generally are $36 plus shipping, . . . super people to deal with, . . . Kathy did my last order, . . . super job. May God bless, Dwight

You want to call McMaster Carr, . . . and ask for gum rubber, . . . mine is 1 inch thick, . . . hardness is 40. It looks kinda funky, . . . lots of people I know wouldn't have it on their place, . . . works like a champ, . . . less than $125 in it. May God bless, Dwight

Good job, wolfeyes, . . . Like you, . . . I enjoy also doing pieces that are modeled after "old timey" things. This is the only rifle bag I have made, . . . did it for a young USMC guy to carry his rolling block 45/70 in. He has the heritage and the looks to carry it, . . . both as a Native American and a Marine. And, . . . yeah, . . . there are 2400 individual beads in that emblem. May God bless, Dwight

Those are both good looking holsters, . . . will probably last a long time. My only critical comment is the allowing of the head of the snap to lay against the wearer. Over time, the snap head will begin to discolor the wearer's clothing. I fix that by first using a male post for the male snap part and the female snap part. I affix it to a smaller piece of leather, . . . along with a small piece of aluminum similar to the piece on the black holster. That whole thing is sewn to the thumb strap in such a manner that the only thing that shows is the female portion of the snap. The stiffener is there, . . . it works, . . . and the metal is removed from contacting the wearer. May God bless, Dwight

There is an old quote from an equally old movie: "Stupid is as stupid does". In the first place, . . . he had a Glock, . . . one of the singularly most dangerous firearms ever developed. Secondly, . . . he did not buy a holster, . . . he bought a generic piece of leather goods designed to carry anything the owner deigned to force into it. Thirdly, . . . he did not take care of his firearm or his "holster". I make holsters, . . . not junk like he was carrying, . . . I don't have a "profit" motive that would lure me into making inherently dangerous products. May God bless, Dwight