Dwight

esantoro, . . . one of the most aggravating things about Weldwood, . . . you just mentioned, . . . wanting to put them together too soon. Our minds tell us we have to put glued stuff together before the glue dries, . . . and the truth is absolutely just the opposite of that when using Weldwood. Both surfaces have to be dry, . . . which can happen in 30 minutes under ideal conditions, . . . but I usually don't think of putting my projects together for at least a couple of hours. May God bless, Dwight

You won't find anything any stronger or more waterproof than Weldwood Contact Cement. Lowes, Menards, or other lumber retailers have it, . . . Properly applied, . . . it makes your project the next thing to one piece once you stick them together. I like to use a rolling pin on it after I have stuck them together. It keeps it together. I made an IWB holster for a Bersa Thunder 380 a couple years ago, . . . only used this product, . . . no stitches, . . . still works. May God bless, Dwight

I'm not a big guy in stamping, . . . prefer my leather more on the plain side, . . . but the last rig I did that had some stamping and carving, . . . I made the belt (cut, backed, sewn, edged, burnished, and buckled) before I stamped it. But then again, . . . the main rule is, . . . there ain't no rules, . . . whatever works best for you. I didn't want to have my belt "grow" as they can during stamping, . . . so I made the thing, . . . then stamped it, . . . so if it grew, . . . the whole thing had to grow. May God bless, Dwight

In Texas a few years back, . . . flea market surroundings, . . . someone had taken some old holsters, . . . cap guns, . . . fake marshall badges, . . . fake handcuffs, . . . but had put them in a picture frame made from old grey barn siding, . . . velvet backing, . . . and had put a gun, a holster, a badge, some cuffs or fake cartridges, . . . with a bit of western painting (cactus, . . . windmill, . . . bull horns, . . . etc.) and made a fairly nice looking wall decoration with them. The asking price was in the $80 range, . . . I didn't buy one, . . . but one day, I may make one, . . . thought it was neat. Course, . . . that stuff is kinda a guy thing anyway, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Troop, . . . go to the first pinned topic in this forum, . . . it has "cornfused" on it's title. Go to post # 8, . . . that is mine, . . . there are the pictures of a couple of Dremel tool type burnishers that work perfectly for my holster work. You need to burnish the mouth of the holster and the muzzle end also, before you sew it together. After you cement the edges, . . . sand them smooth, . . . bevel, . . . burnish, . . . and sew. It'll give you a very professional looking job. I often then go back and re-burnish, . . . as sometimes the pressure of the sewing machine will "unburnish" some of the edge for some reason. Anyway, . . . a friend put me onto the Dremel, . . . I love it. May God bless, Dwight

It looks like you are putting a cap on a cylinder (or half cylinder, . . . ). The cylinder part can be molded to the roundness and the top edge turned down, . . . and you can make a jig that will then hold the cylinder at the exact correct angle while you press it up against a large circular disc sander. It will sand it down as exact as you make the jig. The same goes for the cap, . . . a jig to hold the cap onto a flat backer, . . . then the backer goes up against the same large sander and rotates 360 degrees, . . . giving you your bevel for the lid. Again, . . . your accuracy and repeatablity will be directly proportional to the accuracy with which you make this jig. I would suggest for the cap, . . . a round, flat piece of brass (aluminum or steel can leave discoloring marks on good leather), . . . with about 16 each 1/8" holes per square inch below the leather. Attach a shop vac to a flared vinyl plumbing coupling of the right size, . . . and the vacuum of the shop vac will most likely keep the leather from moving while you sand the edge of it. May God bless, Dwight

justme, . . . I've not been around as long as many folks here, . . . but all my experience with deer leather, . . . it has been "buckskin" tanned, . . . or very much like suede cowhide leather. That gives it the properties you described. If I were you, . . . (and IFFF I understand exactly what you are doing), . . . I would first make a vegetable tanned "bracelet" using a buckle and strap made out of probably 5 oz vegetable tanned leather. Once it is finished (cut out, punched, edged, etc., and the buckle and keeper and associated snaps all done), . . . I would affix the stones to this piece of leather to a "flat" side of the stone, using contact cement. I would then very carefully cut a piece of the deer skin, . . . make holes for the stones to come up through, . . . be very sparing with the contact cement, . . . and cement it to the bracelet, . . . covering the top, edges, and back, . . . but not the area where the buckle and strap are. The vegetable tanned leather will give you a sturdy foundation, . . . and will allow you to make a very interesting and beautiful bracelet. Best wishes, may God bless, Dwight

Lobo has some good points, . . . especially the shifting problem, . . . but I was successful in overcoming it without resorting to tie downs. The first shoulder rig I had, I bought, . . . and it had probably 1 to maybe 1 1/8 wide straps of 6 oz leather for the "X" strapping. I gave it away. I then used some of the ideas there to make my shoulder holster that I still have and use. It is a horizontal carry, thumb break, and I purposely pulled it up close under my left arm, and allowed the off hand to hang a bit lower (after trial and error, found this works well for me), . . . and the off hand is a double mag pouch that opens down and carries two ea. 8 rd mags. My straps are suede, . . . tend to widen at the top of the soulders to almost 2 inches and narrow as they approach the holster or mag pouch. I have never needed any kind of belt strap, . . . it does not shift or move, . . . and I carry a full size RIA 1911, all steel, w/9 rounds in it. I also used a round piece of 5 oz leather for my attachment point in the back, . . . using 24 line snaps from Tandy, . . . it has never come apart, . . . and swivels nicely as it needs to. I also did not mold the holster, but lined it with suede (sewn, . . . not cemented) and just "crumpled" the leather a bit before I put it all together so the holster leather is a bit softer and more pliable. Makes for easier holstering and drawing. May God bless, Dwight

Nobears, . . . I make handgun holsters, . . . and often they are very carefully molded, and in very high detail. I only use the weapon long enough to get the shape, . . . extract the weapon, . . . and either lay in the sun to dry (through my kitchen window), . . . hang it over the wood stove (in the winter), . . . but I NEVER leave the item the holster for a prolonged time. Once the molding has taken place, . . . remove the item, . . . allow air to get to all sides. I also do as you did, . . . the big soak trick, . . . but I always allow it to do what I call "flash dry" by just letting it sit by itslef for about 6 to 8 minutes before the molding process starts, . . . and I get really good results. Often, my item is dry in less than a couple of hours. May God bless, Dwight

I used to have (sold it, . . . UGH) a really neat cross draw, driving holster, . . . and I thought it was made by either Ross or Kirkpatrick. It is not in any of their catalogs. It worked with a flap that was attached to the "bottom" of the holster and kept the barrel at about a 30 degree angle, pointing down and toward the outside of the car. The flap came up behind your belt, . . . over the top of the holster, . . . and snapped along side the slide of the 1911. It was made for drivers, . . . not runners, . . . it did not conceal well when out of the vehicle, . . . but it put the old pistola right where one would have needed it for carjackers or other problems. Maybe someone else remembers it better than I do, . . . May God bless, Dwight

When I was working for Uncle Sam (USN, . . . ) all sailors and wannabe sailors had two things for sure: a big "pocket" knife and a marlin spike. They don't make one a sailor, . . . but it kinda makes one look the part. If you are doing any serious braiding, or knot tying, . . . the marlin spike is darn near a necessity. They were both carried in a leather pouch on the belt, . . . the marlin spike had a braided leather "tail" on it, . . . Maybe???? Invest in some Case (two blade) or Buck (single blade) folding knives and marlin spikes to go with them. Offer "custom" belt sheaths for each/both. The knife blades should be in the 4 inch range. Just a suggestion. May God bless, Dwight

If I were doing this, it would be with two pieces of hard wood that make a mold. It looks like there are three separate impressions, . . . so it would be made to do all three at the same time. The flesh side would be the male of the mold, . . . having raised portions of wood to imitate the 4 points of the cross. The finish side would be the female, . . . having hand carved and sanded depressions to receive the leather being "formed" into it by the male mold. Wet the leather and let it flash dry for a few minutes, . . . apply the mold and a bunch of clamps (or a long clamp/vise jaws). The trick in this kind of molding is the female portion, . . . it has to be basically super smooth so there are no blemishes left. As said before, . . . for strength, . . . leather dust and glue can be mixed to fill in the voids in the flesh side. It takes a steady hand and a real patience to make those kinds of molds, . . . the male parts being first formed individually, then bonded to a blank board to put them in place. The female is hand gouging, chiseling, and sanding. Ugh!!! May God bless, Dwight

Lee, . . . you can do one of two things, . . . one is easy, . . . the other is easier. If you want the "wire" swivel that kinda looks like a bent coat hanger and goes on to a green military belt, . . . simply cut an appropriate length of coat hanger wire, . . . sand the ends smooth, . . . and bend it to form with a couple pairs of pliers. I have made untold numbers of these things when I was in scouting and in the military. Don't use fence wire, . . . it is too soft, . . . you may lose your holster. Heavy coat hanger wire is perfect for this job. A better deal I think though, . . . go to a local military surplus store, . . . tell the clerk you want a couple of sliding clasps that go over the military belt and hold stuff on. He may not have the clasps by themselves, . . . but you can buy a cheap ammo pouch for 5 bucks, . . . it'll have two of them on the back. Just make sure you work them back and forth to see they're not rusted shut. The wire hanger is great for a holster, . . . but if you are going to have pouches (ammo, first aid, compass, canteen, possibility bag, etc. . . .) you probably want to use the sliding clasps on them. The wire hanger has a tendencey to bounce up and down, . . . especially if you are running, . . . makes bunches of noise, . . . and can become un-comfortable. While you are there at the military surplus store, . . . have him show you a nylon butt pack and a pair of "Y" suspenders. I still have mine, . . . use them most any time I go for a "hike" in the woods, . . . got other stuff for hunting. The belt, suspenders, and butt pack make a good foundation for a solid hiking rig. May God bless, Dwight

The belt I am wearing right now is made of two 7 oz blanks that were contact cemented together, . . . and the edges sewn all the way around. It is 1 1/2 in wide. I prefer a Western buckle, . . . and it is attached by folding back the outside layer and snapping it just like a standard one layer belt. I carry a full size, all steel, 1911 on that baby, . . . and after about a three week "break in" period, . . . has been comfortable as possible. Any of my customers wanting a "gun belt" get this same treatment for theirs. May God bless, Dwight

Personally, . . . I think this whole topic reminds me of a Democrat in congress, . . . inventing a problem so he can take credit for the "solution". I don't know how many IWB holsters I have made in the last 4 or 5 years, . . . but I have yet to put any steel, aluminum, kydex, or anything else around the mouth as a stiffener, . . . except leather. And no one has brought the thing back saying it collapsed and wouldn't stay open. Not saying that no one wants the end product, . . . I just think that the "need" is very much over rated. May God bless, Dwight

Ya got a bunch of good points there, Lobo, . . . but I done bought my rubber pads, . . . got my 6 ton jack, . . . got the steel backer plates, . . . just haven't welded up the press so I can give my old thumbs a rest. Yeah, . . . I do it like you do, . . . haven't had anyone send one back yet, . . . saying he wanted his professionally cut with a clicker press, . . . May God bless, Dwight

I have to do this at times, . . . I sew down the front of the holster, setting the cant for the rig. I then SOAK the outside piece, . . . and I mean SOAK. After allowing it to drip & flash dry for a few minutes, . . . I position the weapon where I eventually want it to lay, . . . and begin to mold the outside piece of leather with my fingers and thumbs, . . . and a few other tools as needed. Most of the molding is done in less than 90 seconds with my fingers and thumbs, . . . then the outside piece is marked so I know exactly where to put it back down, . . . it's lifted up and the weapon extracted. Move the holster back together and lay aside for 24 hours or so to dry, . . . cut to size, cement, stitch, finish, . . . voila, . . . cash!!!! May God bless, Dwight

Max, . . . sometimes for one reason or another, I have to line a holster I am making. I "almost" always line them with suede leather from Tandy. ALL of them have both pieces of leather 100% bonded with carpenters contact cement (the smelly stuff that will make you high and give you a headache). I bond all the way out to the edge by making both pieces a bit big, . . . and doing a "dress" trim with a VERY sharp knife, . . . edging the veggy tan side with a smaller edger, . . . and stitching the edges together with a small stitch. I then burnish the edges of both just like it was one piece of the veggy tan. I haven't had any of my customers come back and holler, . . . no separations of the two, . . . and they seem to stay together well. May God bless, Dwight

Would you believe two different measurements? Being right handed ????? makes that wrist almost an inch bigger than it's left hand counterpart, . . . Anyway, . . . both hit between 7 & 8, . . . so I counted in as an 8. Hmmmm, . . . you don't suppose some of the girls will be cheating on this thread just so they can tell their friends that they are a "10" on your poll, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Echo, . . . the long bag with the USMC beads is a gun bag for a rolling block 45/70. Yldbill, . . . it's a white tail antler, . . . my cousin (who gets them both) made it for the handle on a bodacious bowie copy knife. It's cool too, . . . the metal he used was somewhat rusted, . . . so when he finished it, he left some of the pits in it, . . . gives it that "old, left out in the shed for decades" look. May God bless, Dwight

On and off, I have been working on these two projects for the last couple of months. Gonna deliver them this weekend at a family reunion, . . . and was really happy with the way they turned out, . . . just thought I would share. May God bless, Dwight

Cornfused, . . . this is a very simple approach to most burnishing problems. Get a Dremel tool. You sand with it, . . . burnish with it, . . . and polish with it. It gives you some real personal control on the piece you can "see". Enclosed is a pic of the rigs I use, . . . they were made by using a 1/8 in drill in the center of a piece of oak dowel for the shaft, . . . put into the Dremel, . . . sanded to shape using files and sandpaper. May God bless, Dwight

My belt measures .260 to .280 if you take a mike and check it in different spots, . . . which makes it just over a quarter of an inch in thickness, . . . meaning it had to be 8/9 oz for both pieces. And it is basically a full 1 1/2" wide. I am very happy with mine, . . . it has taken on "My" shape in the years I have worn it (it needed a good couple of weeks to "set" so to speak), . . . and I do not have any other belt I would rather wear, . . . with or without the 1911. May God bless, Dwight

FWIW, . . . I make my belts by laying down the liner (having coated both with contact cement and allowed it to dry properly) with the glue up, . . . cover it with newspaper, . . . and starting at the buckle end, . . . lay the "outside" piece of leather onto the liner. I then roll them together with a wall paper seam roller and finish with a rolling pin on a hard counter surface. It is then sewn around the edges, . . . holes punched, . . . dyed and finished, . . . and I have never had a complaint yet. Mine regularly carries a full size, all steel 1911, all day, . . . no problems. I have only had one pair of pants that had belt loop trouble, . . . a $10 pair of jeans from Wally World, . . . and they are just snug, . . . but they go through. My $.02 May God bless, Dwight

With my Tippmann Boss machine, . . . I use 277 thread or 346, . . . depending on the "Look" I want, . . . but others use combinations of 277 and 207. The smaller is the 207 and larger is the 346. You will probably have to go to a commercial sewing machine place to get that thread. I buy mine directly from either Tippmann Boss in Indiana, . . . or ST Leather in Missouri. The needle size is easy to figure. Use the needle that has the smallest hole where you can put it on an 18 inch piece of the thread you are using, . . . and holding the string taught between your hands, . . . the needle will slide freely up and down the string when it is held on about a 30 degree angle. May God bless, Dwight