Dwight

Ray, . . . I confess to not knowing how it was done, . . . but:, . . . a few years back I was involved in a discussion of armor, armoring, etc. and how it was done in the "old days". One person mentioned taking very heavy leather, . . . cutting it to shape, . . . and literally immersing it in liquid beeswax, . . . forming it to the proper shape and allowing it to cool and harden. I guess this was actually formed to the individual wearer (can you imagine laying down while your local armourer "fits" you with a piece of leather that just came out of a boiling cauldron of beeswax ?) So just for fun, . . . we heated up some parrafin, . . . threw a piece of 12 oz or so of leather in the stuff, . . . left it in until it had soaked up the parrafin, . . . fished it out, . . . and when it dried, . . . it was almost a rock, it was so hard. I don't know if that process would work for you, . . . but a knife sheath done the same way would be a good practice piece, . . . and if it works as good on the knife sheath as it did on our scrap piece, . . . you'ld do all right. May God bless, Dwight

I have an order for a simple suede gun bag with a fringe down one side, . . . kinda sorta Native American, . . . but with a twist. I want to put a beaded design on it, . . . and have never done any beading of any sort whatsoever. I went to a couple of craft stores yesterday, . . . got the bum's rush so to speak, . . . figured I'd go to a friendly community, . . . here. The design will be the USMC logo, . . . or some facsimile thereof, . . . and should be in the neighborhood of 4 inches in diameter. I can do the layout with graph paper, etc, . . . what I am mostly interested in is the technique, . . . hints, . . . however you can advise on a bee-ginners project. Thanks, may God bless, Dwight

Living next to a 4000 acre public hunting land, . . . there is absolutely NO WAY I would hang a hide out on my wife's clothes line to spray it. Even if I had full 3rd generation body armor, . . . nahhhhhhhhhhhhh ! May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Trooper, . . . I guess I knew there was some reason I kept all those little bags of wax after I got the honey out of it. I very slowly warmed the honey to the point the wax melted, . . . after it cooled and hardened, . . . I just picked it off the top and jarred up my honey. Now I have a use for it, . . . and I will be buying a quart of neatsfoot oil come next Monday so, . . . when I "go to town". May God bless, Dwight

Tom, . . . If you drill the dowell pretty close to center with a 1/8" drill bit, . . . drill it down to where you have about 1 inch sticking out. This is the trickiest part of the whole job. Try as hard as you can to drill straight, true, and very near the center of the dowel. Then cut off the dowell, allowing about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch to make your tool from. Force the drill bit into the dowell with a dab of glue on it, . . . put it in your Dremel tool, turn it on, and form the dowell to whatever you want with files or small chisels. Sand smooth with sand paper as the dowel tool is turning in your Dremel. For edges, I sometimes use Gum Tragacanth (Tandy's) but for the two holsters in the picture, . . . I use the same stain I am using on the body of the holster. I also sometimes just use water, . . . it all depends on what I am working on. I like using the gum product, . . . but like glues, . . . if it gets on the finished part of the project, it keeps the stain from taking like it should, . . . and I can be a fumble fingered slop hound without even trying. May God bless, Dwight

What specifically are you looking for Tom, . . . might make the search & info a bit easier to find. May God bless, Dwight

Just was reading another thread, . . . use of beeswax was mentioned, . . . did not want to hijack the thread, . . . so here goes: 1. What can you use beeswax for with leather? 2. How do you apply it? The reason I ask? I have several pounds of raw, real, natural beeswax from the hives I used to have, . . . and since I am doing leather holsters, belts, etc. . . . figured if it is useable in my work, . . . should save me some bucks somehow. Lookig forward to all the replies. Golly, . . . this is a great website!!!! May God bless, Dwight

Just use the 1/8" bit that you drill the base with, . . . it fits the Dremel arbor and is a cheap tool. Go to Tandy, . . . get some Gum Tragacanth, . . . moisten the edges with it and your finger, . . . burnish it with the Dremel on about 2500 rpms, . . . polishes up like a brand new Ford. May God bless, Dwight

Take a look at my thread about edging, . . . on my second post you can see the tools I use. I would rather use my spool sander on my drill press, . . . but it's too cold out in the shed, . . . so I use my Dremel at my desk in the living room. My edging tools are pictured there also, . . . mostly now I use gum tagacanth, . . . makes a real nice edging. May God bless, Dwight

Peterk, . . . if I can get the picture to attach, . . . it's all yours. Least I can do for this community of good folks. The two in the picture are made of oak wood, . . . dowel rod type stuff, . . . I just clamped it into a vise and using a 1/8" drill, . . . drilled as best I could into the base of the piece of dowel, . . . trying to drill as straight as I could. I then cut the dowel off to the right length, . . . used a hammer to tap the same 1/8" bit into the cut off piece securely, . . . mounted it in the Dremel, . . . turned on the Dremel and using files and sandpaper, . . . cut out the grooves I wanted in the pieces. The three groove is for a) single 5/6 oz leather, double 5/6 oz leather, and c) double 7/8 leather, viewing it from right to left. The one with just a shoulder, I use for real thick pieces, . . . and for polishing the outside edge. Good luck, . . . may God bless, Dwight

A couple of months ago, . . . I did a "search" here on Leatherworker, asking about gum tragacanth and how and if it worked worth a hoot on belts, holsters, or whatever else a guy had to put a nice edge on. Well, . . . y'all came through with flying colors, . . . I got me a dremel tool, . . . some of that gum tagacanth from Tandy's, . . . made an edging tool for the Dremel from a 1/8 inch drill bit and a short dowel piece of oak, . . . and today I made one of the best edges on a holster I have ever done. I was especially concerned as it is a suede lined veggie tanned holster, . . . and getting both of them to smooth out together was critical. The Dremel tool with the little sanding barrels also is absolutely wonderful for smoothing out 2, 3, 4 or more layers into one nice surface. I don't know who it was, when asked how to apply it, . . . just said take your finger and rub it on , . . . but that works like a champ. Again, . . . I don't know who all to credit, . . . several threads were in the search, . . . but Leatherworker.net did the trick, . . . so many thanks to everyone who may have been involved. May God bless, Dwight

Ian has the answer, . . . get yourself a small can of contact cement, . . . put the cement on the edges of the holster (if you are using a welt between the two pieces, glue it to the back first, then line up the front and glue it down). You have to be real careful with contact cement, as any extra will show up by not allowning the dye to penetrate. Keep it about 1/16 of an inch from the edge and you should not have any trouble. I use a set of dividers to mark the inside of mine before I put the cement on, . . . and it works out well that way. Then when you are stitching, . . . you only have one set of holes to worry about. Plus, . . . once you put it together with the contact cement, . . . lay the holster down on its back, . . . take another piece of scrap leather, . . . good side down, . . . and use a small hammer/mallet to forge the two pieces together into one piece. If you do it right, . . . the stitches almost then become embellishing adornments, . . . and not really necessary. May God bless, Dwight HELP!

A couple of years ago, a friend loaned me 3 videos made by John Bianchi on making a SAA drop leg western holster and accompanying cartridge belt. If you ever get the chance, . . . they are well worth the 5 or so hours of watching. In it, he emphasized using two pieces of leather, one inside, one outside, . . . glued together (he used Tandy glue, . . . I use contact cement). And yes, . . . it is glued all over, . . . I make my outside to the exact pattern, . . . cut the lining a little bit big, . . . glue em, . . . and trim the lining. I do all my tooling before I put the two pieces together, if there is any tooling. After the holster is completed, you want to form fit it to the revolver, . . . by wetting the thing down real good and molding it. The last thing you do is take your thumb and very gently roll the edge of the holster out and away from the weapon, . . . when it dries and you apply the finish, . . . it will stay nicely. His technique is to then drench the whole thing in warm neatsfoot oil (he had a stainless steel tub about 2 feet long, one foot wide and one foot deep, . . . half full of oil) and then finish it with several coats of Tandy Harness finish. He recommended 7/8 leather for the belt and 5/6 for the belt liner, . . . same for the holster. Holler if you have any more questions. May God bless, Dwight

A couple of years ago, I made a holster for a Bersa Thunder .380, . . . an IWB style with loops on each side of the weapon to attach to the belt. I glued the sides together with Tandy's contact cement, . . . edged and finished it, . . . and it looked so nice without the stitches, . . . I just did not sew it. I wore the thing until one day a friend was talking about needing one for his gun, . . . I gave it to him and told him to let me know if it ever came apart. Haven't heard from him about the holster, . . . although we see each other regularly for other things. Glue it!! May God bless, Dwight

I have had very good results with a cheap, throw away camel hair brush (that I wash out with hand soap after each use) and it works super well. The secret is twofold: a) dilute the resolene to a 50/50 solution of resolene and water AND apply two wet coats together, starting with the inside of the holster, then the back side, soaking into the flesh side of the leather. Once the first coat has been applied, . . . brush it until you have an almost foam like appearance that will then disappear with a bit more brushing. Continue to the smooth side of the leather pieces, . . . again soaking, working up the foam, and brushing until the foam bubbles are basically gone. It is not as important on the flesh side, . . . but on the smooth side, . . . brush untill the bubbles are gone. Now, . . . go back, . . . right now, . . . and do it again. I like to hang my project up in the window, . . . let the sun's heat dry it, . . . or I hang it up about 7 feet above the furnace register, . . . it gets heat, . . . just not all at once. I only had one problem with this method, . . . I got in a hurry on a black OWB I did for a .40 Glock, . . . and some of the bubbles were not gone, . . . when they dried, . . . it looked like water spots on a finely waxed wooden table. Dye some scrap leather pieces, . . . and practice, . . . I think you will like it. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Tim, Kate, . . . I had thought about spraying, . . . but I can't do that year round because both the house and the shop are heated with "live flames" so to speak (wood burner in the house, . . . propane burner in the shop). I really have a yen for heaven, . . . but not on the leading edge of an explosion. John Bianchi showed using a larger tank for his oil bath he gave his Western rigs, . . . and I thought maybe some of you folks did something similar, . . . just wanted to get it as close to right the first time as I could. I'm planning on ramping up my holster business, but there will only be a few colors, . . . I just cannot do the rainbow thing. Thanks, may God bless, Dwight

I was not as well pleased with the dye job on a large Western gun belt or the two holsters as I could have been. I've been thinking of setting up some sort of container for large object dying using Feibing's solvent based dyes (mostly). Just wanted to hear from others, . . . maybe not make the same mistakes, . . . and I am concerned about how to store 4 to 6 qts of dye once it is opened and being used. If you do this, . . . what type of containers do you use, . . . are there any special clean up tips, . . . any special pit falls, . . . ???? Thanks, may God bless, Dwight

I have a Tippmann Boss that has serviced me very well in the work I have done on it. Touchy? Yes, . . . Sometimes obstinate? Yes, . . . Trade it? Probably, . . . but it would only be if I could do a whole big bunch better. There was one on Ebay a few days ago, . . . looked like it would go for less than a thousand, . . . at that price it would have been a pretty good deal. May God bless, Dwight

I do most of my leather work in my living room (20 x 35) on a desk I built myself. The desk has a top that is 36 inches wide, 96 inches long and has a 48 x 36 piece of poly plastic in the center for a cutting board. When I need to sew something, . . . I pull the Tippmann from under the desk, . . . along with the 4 inch "C" clamp, . . . clamp the dude on the table edge, . . . turn on my sewing light, . . . stitch until I quit, . . . unclamp it, . . . store it on the floor under the desk, . . . and go on with life. While it is not the ideal setup for everyone, . . . my desk is also, . . . well, . . . my desk. I write, pay bills, study, sleep, and read there as well as make all my leather goods. May God bless, Dwight

I don't do any more hand stitching than I absolutely have too because of the arthritis in both hands, . . . but when I do, . . . I use a lap pony (sit on it between your knees, under your thighs), . . . and a pair of small electricians needle nosed pliers. A friend at work busted the tip off of them a few years back, . . . my boss said I could have them, . . . so I ground off the tips even, . . . just had em laying around till one day I needed em. They work wonders. But I do use the gloves for dyeing and finishing. The only thing I don't like about Resolene is getting the stuff on my hands. May God bless, Dwight

Deadeye, . . . I saw one some time back and copied it, . . . materials would be less than $10, . . . and to use it, . . . it actually sits under your thighs, . . . near the knees, . . . in whatever comfy chair you care to occupy. I don't do a lot of lacing, . . . so I don't use it much, . . . but it is the cat's meow for those few projects. If you are interested in one like that, . . . let me know, . . . I'll try to get a picture of it to you. It can be built in all of an hour if you have access to a wood shop or a few tools. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, esantoro, for an old laugh. Reading your question reminded me of an old farm house we lived in when I was a child all too many years ago. An earlier owner had installed a new medicine cabinet in the bath room, and in the center of the cabinet was a little slot about an 1/8 of an inch wide and maybe 1 1/2 inches long. There was a corresponding hole in the plaster behind the cabinet. It was made to allow the discarding of razor blades, . . . then and there, . . . no muss, no fuss. I always wondered how many were in that wall. The house was torn down 6 or 8 years ago, so I guess I'll never know, . . . May God bless, Dwight

I cannot tell you which one is better as I have only owned and used the aluminum one I have. I like it. Yes, . . . it has it's finniky attitude times, . . . but I worked production maintenance for a fortune 500 manufacturer for 30 years, . . . and there is not one machine produced that will not in one way or another be that way. I have used mine mostly for knife scabbards, gun belts, dress belts, and holsters (by far the most of the stitches) and it adequately fulfills my needs. Yes, . . . I have in exasperation ripped out the stitches, . . . and used the holes made by the needle to hand sew a project when I could not get the machine to cooperate, . . . but not very often. A very dedicated and helpful staff also is there to help you if you need the help. They are top notch in my book. They have gone over the top to help me, . . . and deserve all the praise they get. May God bless, Dwight

Like Bruce said, the Tippmann Boss is a bit of a quirky machine. Mine does not like suede leather, . . . nor anything under a quarter of an inch in thickness. And sometimes, . . . well, . . . it just has a mind of it's own, . . . and that's all there is to it. You might also try Craigslist, . . . or Ebay, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Just wanted to say "Thanks" to all who responded to my question. I still haven't made the decision to buy it, . . . as I still have a few holsters to make/sell before I'll have the cash. I did get a commitment from the HF salesman, . . . it's mine for up to 30 days, . . . any time before that I can bring it back for a full refund, . . . no questions asked. It would only be used for at most 5 holsters or belts or some combination thereof per week, . . . and at 63, . . . I really doubt that I will wear it out. (No, . . . I haven't quite gotten to the point that I don't buy green bananas due to my age, . . . but I really do look at other purchases) Again, . . . many thanks, . . . if you hear of anyone who actually has one, . . . sure would like to hear from their experiences. May God bless, Dwight