Dwight

Yes, . . . but the two things that should be stressed about neatsfoot oil: it is a natural bovine product, being an oil extracted from the legs and feet of cattle, . . . and secondly, . . . it does not congeal at room temperature. It seems the Good Lord intended for it to be a part of His cattle He created, . . . so maybe we should just add some of it back when we get done altering the cattle, . . . and their hides. Anyway, . . . that's what I found out on Google. May God bless, Dwight

The first thing you will need is the "female" portion of the mold. Get someone to rough out a hole in a piece of walnut that will take out the major portion of the wood to form the outside of that rounded punkin shaped thing. Your walnut piece needs to be at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick at all points around the finished mold. The sides could even be 3 inches. Then you get youself a couple of very sharp gouges and begin to gouge out the rest of the wood until you have the shape you want. Make it just about 1/4 inch longer than you really want it to finish up being. Next, . . . go to work on the inside of the thing, . . . sanding it smooth as a baby's bottom. This next step is pretty critical, so don't mess it up. Drill 4 holes the full length of the mold, at least a half inch away from the mold hole, . . . two on the top and two on the bottom. They should be 1/4 inch holes. When you get done, . . . run 1/4 inch steel rods through the holes, cut them off and thread the ends for nuts. Now, . . . verrrrrrrrrry carefully, . . . cut the whole thing in half (remove the steel rods first). This cut should be across the middle of the center or "belly" of the thing. This gives you two halves of a perfectly formed mold (hopefully). Sand the cut edges just smooth, not taking any more material than necessary. Bolt the halves together so your mold is complete. Then build a top to go over it, . . . but leave a slot in the back for the top of the purse to come out. The mold top will be bolted on with bolts, . . . two top plates and two bottom plates, . . . held on by bolts. Drill a 1/4 in hole in the center of the mold top. Get yourself a piece of veggie tan leather, . . . cut it to the proper shape, . . . get it sopping, gooey, dripping wet in as hot a water as you can stand. Force it down into the mold as well as you can. Line you mold with saran wrap. Strap on the top. Open and shake a can of triple expanding foam, sold in hardware stores. Fill the mold with the foam and go horseback riding, . . . go to bed, . . . take a nap, . . . do something for about 10 hours. Take off the top, . . . loosen the 4 "through bolts", . . . and dismantle your form. You should have a rounded product with a flap to make a top from. Annnnnnnnd, . . . iffffff, you can have the sides straight (the picture shows them apparently bulged) you can make the male portion of the mold out of another piece of walnut, . . . make it about 1/8 of an inch smaller overall than your female mold, . . . you can wet the leather and form the purse by forcing the two pieces together in a vice. I make my magazine carriers in a similar male/female mold. Good luck. May God bless, Dwight

Several years back, I was trying to decide what size thread to use for my work. I bought several smaller spools from www.stleather.com in St. Louis, . . . they were good people to deal with. They also used to have a really neat on line catalog, . . . don't know if they still have that, . . . but their thread spools were smaller, hence cheaper. I use size 346 on most all of my holsters and belts. I used some 270 for a while, and have a large spool of black that I'm probably going to give to some fisherman or something some day just to get rid of it. The next size bigger than 346, I believe is 400. Oh, and yeah, . . . Tandy has the 270 and the 346 in white, . . . about $25. May God bless, Dwight

ps0303, . . . you DID IT !!!!! I had found Lobo's post, . . . but the other one I couldn't get to come up for some reason. As soon as I saw her holster thumbnail, . . . I knew that was it. Time to get the old crock pot fired up, . . . I thought it was 50/50, . . . but wasn't sure enough to commit the resources until I saw it in print. Shoot me a PM with an address, . . . once I get it all made up (and I know it works like I want it to), . . . I'll send you a sample, . . . you can "smearymint" too. Thanks for the help. May God bless, Dwight

There is another way, . . . one that has been real good to me. AR and tap water, 50/50, room temperature to start with. Take a 1 inch or so, CHEAP, bristle brush. Nylon don't work well for me. Dip the brush and slather on the mixture, inside and out, . . . I usually start on the flesh side, . . . soak it good, . . . and just keep brushing. You will work up a bit of lather, . . . nice little piles of bubbles all over. Quit adding liquid at that point, . . . just keep brushing, . . . left, right, up, down, sideways, . . . keep brushing until there are no more bubbles. Hang up to dry, . . . if it isn't glossy enough for you, . . . do it again. I like to hang mine in a window and let the sun's heat do the drying, . . . but in the winter, it's over the heat register. May God bless, Dwight

OK, . . . I give up, . . . need some help. I did the "search" thing for the past hour or so, . . . could not find the post I was looking for. Some time in the last 8 months or so, someone posted about using (if I remember correctly) a mixture that is neatsfoot oil and beeswax, . . . kept it in something like a crock pot, . . . used it I thought for special deal old west looking holsters. Anyway, . . . I've got a bunch of beeswax, . . . an old crock pot, . . . some neatsfoot oil, . . . but I wanted to re-read the post or at least get a better handle on how they used it. Just got the itch to "experiment" but wanted to get boosted off in the right direction. Anybody got a handle on this? Thanks! May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, olliesrevenge, . . . I tried making one unlined just for the heck of it, . . . and it did not turn out to suit me. As for the copyright, . . . I would never assume to make an exact copy of the Tucker, out of respect for his labor and his originality. I simply have an acquaintance (a nurse) who wanted a holster for her Glock, . . . and I really thought that one made in a similar pattern would probably suit her needs fairly good, . . . and still not reflect against Tucker's legal rights. May God bless, Dwight

Just out of curiosity, I have looked at yours, and on the official Tucker website, . . . is the front flap actually two pieces of leather, or is it just one piece? I wasn't able to figure it out on my own, so I just figured I'd up and ask. Thanks, may God bless, Dwight

Another way to do it, . . . punch one hole clear through, . . . re-position the punch so that the left end of it is in the hole already made, . . . slowly and deliberatly lower the rest down into the slot until the right side touches, . . . 1/8 of an inch farther to the right, . . . smack the punch and now you have a 1 5/8 inch slot. You should get a cleaner cut than round holes and chiseling, less cleanup that way. May God bless, Dwight

Susan, you did not say how many "multiples" you wanted, and if the number is very many, . . . especially if it is a recurring shape, . . . you may want to investigate a company you can find at www.weaverleather.com . Go to the "supply" link, then "demo videos", and click on "hand operated clicker". This is the "premier" way to get pieces cut in a shape that will be virtually identical in every respect, one to another. I don't have a cost, . . . but you can contact them, . . . and if you don't want to invest in the clicker, they can make the die for you and cut out your shapes for you, . . . sending you the cut pieces ready for your use. May God bless, Dwight

Actually, it is for a nurse (imagine that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). We only see each other occasionally through our work assignments, but just as soon as she gives me the order, . . . I'll make it, . . . May God bless, Dwight

I have long bemoaned to myself that the whole forum had no "preview" for a thread's OP post, giving one a heads up as to what it was all about. I made my daily pilgrimmage to the site tonight, . . . voila, . . . previews abound. Thanks much, . . . very appreciated from this end. May God bless, Dwight

Congratulations, good luck, best wishes, . . . and as one old cowboy used to say, "May the good Lord take a liken' to you". While I really enjoy making holsters and other leather goods, . . . I am not sure I want to get to the point that I would do the same. I kinda like keeping the living room in leather (finished & unfinished). May God bless, Dwight

Another thing you can do is go to Wally World, go to their sewing section, . . . tell the lady in glasses that you want to purchase the blue handled snap setting tool that should sell for around $10.00. It is great for 24 snaps, . . . and even sometimes when it is a bit on the short side, . . . because the way this works, . . . it will compress and make it work for you. Not everytime mind you, . . . but sometimes. It also puts snaps on so that they don't come off, . . . and I really love that. May God bless, Dwight

Necessity may be the mother of invention, . . . but laziness was Invention's father. First, get some chisel point leather needles (Tandy sells them), get a spool of thread for this also. I like size 346, personally. Buy needles that will allow the thread through the hole, . . . and then if you hold the thread taught between your hands, . . . the needle will slide down the string using only its own weight. Put the needle in a cheap $39.95 Harbor Freight drill press, . . . then unplug the thing. Drill a 1/4 in hole in the center of a flat sanded 1 x 10 about 24 inches long, . . . screw it down to the drill press table so the hole is directly below the needle and the needle can go through it. Cut a piece of thread about 4 times as long as your stitching plus 24 inches. On the first hole, . . . pull the thread through the leather piece, . . . now you have half the thread above and half below the object you are stitching. Move the needle back up and out of the leather, . . . then force it down at the next hole, . . . then pull up slightly, . . . creating a small loop under the leather piece, . . . thread the other end through that loop, . . . then pull the needle up and out of the leather. Pull both ends until you have the place that the threads cross up in the center of your project, . . . you have made your first stitch. Keep up doing that and you can sew anything in about 2/3 the time it takes to hand sew with an awl (at least for me it seems that way). You'll have a bit of aggravation at first until you figure out how to hit the correct loop underneath your project, . . . but once you figure that out, . . . happy stitching. May God bless, Dwight

I believe Hidepounder was the one who had a really neat post a few months ago on a book cover. Check what he did, . . . it may be your answer. May God bless, Dwight

Will Ghormley has a package of patterns you can pick up on the internet or at Tandys. It is the way I do all of mine, and I have had no complaints at all on them. Basically, the liner of the belt is 5/6 oz, . . . outside is 7/8 oz, . . . loops are 4/5 oz, . . . you punch slots directly behind the cartridge, and thread the loop up through the slot, . . . around the cartridge, . . . and back down through the same hole again. Your fingers will be sore, and your hands raw when you finish up a 24 cartridge belt, . . . and you do it with the loop leather dampened, . . . pulling it TIGHT on the cartridge. I usually use about 8 cartridges, . . . the first one stays in its loop until I need one for loop # 9, then I move it, . . . # 2 to 10, etc. Rivet the first end down before you start, . . . bevel and slick both edges, . . . then cement the whole thing together. Be sure to get cement on the back of the loops, . . . that way they won't come loose later. PM if you have any more questions. May God bless, Dwight

I make mine somewhat different, . . . 1) The placement of the front loop on the "front" of the holster instead of the leading edge, will allow the butt of the weapon to swing away from the wearer's body. This could make for a faster draw, . . . but it also will print badly under a lighter garment. 2) I would lose the nut on the backside of the rear of the holster. Place the male piece of your snap between the two pieces of leather before you glue and sew, . . . they you can sew around it and add the strap later, . . . or as I do, . . . put the strap on with the snap before glueing and sewing. It gives the back a more professional appearance. Just my $.02 May God bless, Dwight

Unless I missed it in the literature, . . . Resolene has a UV blocker built into it's formula that Sheen does not have. That should make your projects that will get a lot of outdoor activity, . . . a little less susceptible to harm from direct sunlight. It is the reason I use Resolene instead of Sheen, . . . other than the fact that I can get THE finish I want with a paint brush and Resolene, . . . and not necessarily so with Sheen. May God bless, Dwight

I guess the basic shape should be just a little longer than suit coat length, but not as long as the one you pictured. Fringe on sleeves, across back and front. I will do some bead work for each front shoulder area, . . . maybe one in the center of the back shoulder area. It will be a button up the front, . . . I absolutely detest a pullover jacket, . . . sweaters OK, . . . jacket, nahhhhhhhhh! I still haven't decided on the inside vs outside for the shiny side of the skins, . . . I haven't decided if I want to line it. It will definitely have a couple of inside breast pockets. I don't know the pros and cons of the lining thing and the "shiny in" vs "shiny out" thing, . . . need to get that settled first. Thanks, Luke for the pic, . . . that is one good looking coat, for sure. May God bless, Dwight

I'll trade you the secret for a pup from your poster picture (just kidding, . . . beautiful dog !!!!!). I do mostly CCW, IWB holsters and belts, . . . and I use Resolene on 99% of them. The best way I have found that leaves no streaks, puddles, whatsoever, . . . : a) thin it down using the 1 part Resolene to 1 part water formula, and get a small (1 inch or 1 1/2 inch at the largest) paint brush, . . . make sure it is a natural bristle brush, . . . and it can be the cheapo, they work just as well. I start with the back (flesh side) of my holster, . . . and brush it on liberally. Go to the front, . . . brush it on liberally also, . . . go back and forth, up and down, crossways, . . . brush till their are very few big bubbles. Go back to the back again, . . . and add another liberal coat, . . . this time brushing (and adding liquid) until you get a good foam, . . . then brush out until the foam is gone, . . . even the little bubbles are busted up, . . . you will see brush marks in a real good light, . . . but as it dries, . . . they disappear. Do the same to the front of your project. I get absloutely beautiful results when I hang it up and let it dry like that in the direct sunlight, . . . second best is over a register in the winter time. On some, . . . I come back and do another coat, . . . same identical sequence, . . . and it really puts the shine to it with the second coat. Don't forget to finish up with the edges. A buddy uses it full strength for the edges, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Smalltown, . . . I've been looking for a pattern that I could literally do in a blue color, . . . for a special project. Your picture was just exactly what I needed to see. May God bless, Dwight

Now, don't take offense, . . . and don't laugh. The answer to your question is very simple, . . . you ain't lazy enough ! I don't remember who it was, . . . but some years ago I heard a comment that went something to the effect that it was lazy people who saw improvements because they were not going to bust their backs doing things the hard way, . . . just 'cause that was the way it was done. I'm not perfect at it, . . . but I always ask myself if there is an easier way. Oh, . . . and "Get a wife", . . . no that is not the answer to that question above. May God bless, Dwight

Frank, . . . do you have any kind of drawing, . . . sketch, . . . dimensions, . . . etc. I cannot personally understand what you meant by a "tan bound edge all the way around". Do you mean laced? Do you mean another piece of leather sewn around the outside like women used to use bias tape on their aprons? Holler back, . . . we'll help as best we can. May God bless, Dwight

Several years ago, my most important mentor passed on, . . . leaving me among other things, . . . several beautiful medium brown buckskins. I put them away, . . . but want to get them out and make them into my own fringed buckskin jacket. I went out on the web, . . . looked at 3 hours worth of patterns, . . . and came up with the following questions: What is the advantage / disadvantage of the flesh side being out verses the flesh side being the inside of the garment? If the garment is lined, is that lining glued to the leather, or just sewn in? Did in fact the native american buckskin jackets have a collar similar to a man's shirt collar of today? Thanks, may God bless, Dwight