Dwight

I did one once similar to that. I took a scrap piece of 16 or 18 oz and laid down a 1/4 inch wide track in it with my router, using a straight edge. I then trimmed the piece to fit the top of the holster, . . . glued and sewed it in place. I was not "perfectly" happy with the results, . . . but it did the job well enough to resolve the problem. May God bless, Dwight

FWIW, . . . I just use my thumb and ever so slightly "funnelize" the opening into the holster for the revolver. It adds a ton of strength to the front of the holster, . . . and kind of guides the thing down into the hole. I also don't mold the belt slots quite as much as you do. I let the wearer finish putting the "set" in the slots, . . . that way it has a tendency to mold more to him, and also help in the retention of the weapon also. I'm curious as to the weight of the leather you are using there also, . . . I usually lighten up a bit on any front side decoration or reinforcement. The sides look like they are a bit thick, . . . but it just may be the angle from which the picture was taken. Holster looks good to me, . . . good work. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Hedge, . . . I guess I was so excited about getting started, . . . I didn't think it through. Sometimes we can't see the forest, you know, . . . all these trees are in the way Still don't have a real good answer, . . . may just go buy a commercial bag, . . . strip the guts out of it. May God bless, Dwight

I have a beautiful semi auto rifle that I want to make a case for it. Holsters, belts, knife sheaths I can do, . . . this I'm having troubles getting the materials fixed in my mind. I'm using veggie tan 8/9 for the outside, . . . but I want both a liner (I'm thinking suede), . . .and a "cushion" material between the suede and the outside. If you have done this, . . . or have one you like, . . . I'd love to know what others are using for the insides. Thanks in advance. May God bless, Dwight

It depends on how straight you want that first line. An aluminum ruler that has a layer of cork glued to the bottom side does not slip and slide hardly at all. A drywall knife with a new blade that has been stropped 50 -75 licks will cut through any 9 oz or less leather I have ever encountered, . . . and do it in one pass. A "last resort" that will give you a straight enough lne for most things, . . . is the old carpenter's chalk line. Just don't get too much chalk on it as you pull it out. It works well if you have a side you are trying to even up or something like that. May God bless, Dwight

I would probably prefer to punch both sides of the seam, and lace it just like lacing a pair of shoes up, . . . tuck in the ends so they are not seen, . . . then pour some hot/warm water onto the leather. As it dries it will try to shrink ever so much, . . . it will also "set" the veggie tan leather, . . . and I would think that it would be a really handsome piece. To keep it from coming loose and rotating around the handle, . . . I would go back from the seam a bit and contact cement a stripe of it the full length of the handle. May God bless, Dwight

For the reasons you mentioned above, I have all but quit using my holster press, . . . except for those I know will be black. I'm working on a vacuum molding deal, . . . havn't gotten it where I want it, . . . doing hand molds for all browns for now. Sorry I couldn't be more help, . . . maybe if you moved this question to the holster section you might get a bit more traffic. May God bless, Dwight

I might be too late, . . . but just for the heck of it, . . . consider giving it a couple coats of 50/50 Resolene/water. If that doesn't stiffen it up a bit, . . . then bronze plating is about the only other hope. May God bless, Dwight

I'll agree with Randy on this. Lose the alcohol. I regularly use Feibings dyes, and all but one are the oil base. I do not dilute the oil base unless I am looking for a specific effect, but I dilute one of their spirit dyes by 1 to 1 for a certain color I use in some of my products. When I do dilute, I use the Feibings product for that, . . . and have never, ever encountered the problem you mention. And, yes, . . . almost all of my stuff is dip dyed, . . . for me and my products, . . . it gives a more predictably uniform color. As an aside, . . . I did do a western rig one time, . . . it was dip dyed in a 95% thinner / 5% dye solution to give an "aged" and "worn" look. I was thrilled with the product (still have it in my personal collection) and there was simply no cracking or anything like that. Again, Feibings oil base dye and their reducer. May God bless, Dwight

What gun do you plan to make it for? May God bless, Dwight

I need a pair of chaps about like most guys I know "need" another horse, another gun, or another dog, . . . but after seeing these, . . . I just might be tempted to haul off and make a pair. I started to make a pair several years ago out of naugahide type material, . . . primarily to keep the poison ivy & poison oak off my clothes when I did my weed eating thing, . . . but after I found out about Round Up and some other chemical weed eaters, . . . I shelved that project. You did a real good job, . . . I'll second the suggestion that there was probably one happy cowboy last Christmas. May God bless, Dwight

Looks like a Win, Win, Win to me: you were happy with the work, . . . client was happy with your work, . . . you were compensated for your work. What's to complain?? I'd be proud if I'd done that one. I did one for a Ruger a couple years ago, . . . stainless fluted barrel target .22 with a 4 power scope and regular sights both on it. Had to set the muzzle in first, . . . then rock the rest of it back onto a ledge that the trigger guard sat on, . . . grabbed the snap strap to hold the whole thing in place. It was a Win, Win, Win for me too. Keep up the good work, a lot of people I know wouldn't even have tried that one. May God bless, Dwight

I don't have any samples to show you, . . . but with my Tippmann Boss, . . . if you let up a bit on the tension, . . . you can nail that stitch where ever you want it, . . . just about any direction you want it from where you are now. You can get some pretty far out patterns by connecting the dots your way. I haven't tried the thin thread yet, . . . but I got a hunch it will work. May God bless, Dwight

Doug, . . . it probably is not the problem I had, . . . but it sounds just exactly like it. My "big" problem (there actually were several other little things) was that a set screw had loosened in the back of the machine. Around in the back of your Boss, . . . remove the cover, . . . there is a cross shaft up in the top. On the left hand side of that shaft is a collar, . . . mine had slipped and moved about 3 inches down the shaft. The proper position for that collar is the center of it being exactly 1 inch from the inside left edge of the machine. There is a wonderful mechanic at Tippmann's, . . . his name is Ben, . . . he fixed mine, . . . but I stuck it in the passenger seat of my Jeep and drove it there. Best wishes, may God bless, Dwight

Thanks for sharing, Cowboy, . . . yes, . . . He is good. We don't brag on Him enough in my book. May God bless, Dwight

I googled up this page, . . . http://www.mcpheetersantiquemilitaria.com/05_accoutrements/05_item_006.htm As Frank said, . . . 36 loops. May God bless, Dwight

I had some of the same problems when I did my first few belts. Yes, . . . matter of fact, . . . I groove both sides. I do my edges first, sanding and edging them to an acceptable final finish. Sometimes I even go ahead and burnish them. This is the trick necessary to getting the backside stitches in the groove where they need to be. I learned to position the stitch groove in the window on my presser foot so I could dictate to the machine where the next stitch would land as I made the turn. I actually move the belt while the needle is all the way down, . . . pivoting on the needle itself. I also drastically removed pressure from my presser foot. My belts or holsters will feed, . . . but I have it so loose that it just barely feeds, . . . and I have practiced to the point that I almost force feed it into the machine. That did get rid of those nasty marks you were talking about. My machine is a Tippmann Boss. May God bless, Dwight PS: They beat the heck out of a sail needle and a palm, . . . those sewing machines !!!

Most of my holster business is IWB's and I pretty much use Resolene exclusively. I have never taken my holster off and found it soaked with perspiration or even damp. It protects my weapon, . . . protects the leather, . . . and makes for a good looking product. 50/50 mix with water, . . . brushed on with a cheap, 1" bristle brush. Works great. May God bless, Dwight

It has taken some "work" to get me there, . . . some practice, . . . some effort, . . . but, yes, I do. The vast majority of my work is either a belt or holster, . . . and if there is any kind of "edge" from which to work, I do stitch groove on both sides. It makes it easier to lay the stitching flat with the work. One of my first and worst concerns was that I would get out of the groove on the back side, . . . and the ugly old groove would be there. That very rarely happens, . . . but when it does, . . . I work on that piece of leather with a spoon and some water, . . . and whey I get done, . . . it is almost impossible to find the place. May God bless, Dwight

Duke, . . . a couple years back, a lady on this forum told of an old fashioned "Finish" she has used for a number of years. Gives a soft finish, . . . gives a sheen, . . . real easy to apply, . . . and very cost effective. Measure out equal parts BY WEIGHT of virgin bees wax and neatsfoot oil, . . . put in a jar (one you don't want to use for anything else again), . . . set it in a pan of boiling water, . . . wait for it to all melt together, . . . pour it into a little plastic tub and let it set up. It'll be similar to shoe polish, . . . put it on either with your finger tips or a small rag, . . . rub it in, . . . buff. I also like to hit the first coat or two with my heat gun set on low and far enough away that I can literally watch it melt into the project. I just finished a black, single holster, western rig, . . . most authentic looking one I ever did. The finish is soft both to the touch and to the sight, . . . and if it gets scuffed or anything, . . . real easy to fix. Again, . . . old fashioned, . . . but is a real nice looking finish. May God bless, Dwight

Because it is just basically a computer monitor, . . . the thing needs to be protected. Put something in the "cover" part that will protect the "screen" from the owner banging it up against a table corner, chair arm, etc. I'd use a thin Kydex sheet or something like that, . . . maybe a sheet of plexiglas, . . . but other than that, I think I would make them either like a zippered Bible cover or with a clasp like a clutch purse. And of course, . . . carve the thing front and back, . . . May God bless, Dwight

This will be the place: http://www.letargets.com/estylez_ps.aspx?searchmode=category&searchcatcontext=~080000~080200~080202 May God bless, Dwight

That looks good for your first one, . . . my first one did not look anything near that good, . . . but I still have it, . . . and sometimes still use it, . . . just for old time's sake. May God bless, Dwight