Dwight

Wood actually does work great . . . several commercial leather suppliers make and sell them . . . Mine is I believe out of maple . . . which is the type of wood you want . . . it has a very close grain and is reasonably hard. Oak can be OK . . . just have to be careful of it . . . sometimes grain can be pretty open . . . which would make for a splinter producer possibly. When you first start it up . . . 1450 rpms or so is good . . . start it up . . . fold up some old canvas or some cotton rope . . . use it to get the wood warmed up . . . holding it tight into the grooves . . . then add sliced solid bees wax . . . back to the rope . . . more beeswax . . . more rope . . . until you get a really smooth surface. Fix up some scrap leather . . . edge it . . . rub beeswax on the edge . . . and force it into the grooves while it is spinning . . . and kinda let up slowly on the pressure . . . finish polishing it with an old handkerchief or tee shirt. Then each time you use it . . . hit it with the beeswax . . . or rub beeswax along the edge of whatever you are burnishing. You'll love the production. May God bless, Dwight

Finish them with a coat or two of Resolene . . . they last for a long time . . . look good and feel good. Before finishing . . . lay it flesh side up . . . slightly dampen it . . . and using a glass slicker . . . go over it . . . from end to end . . . only ONE WAY . . . It'll smooth right out . . . your customer will love you. May God bless, Dwight

I basically disagree with all your conclusions. Leather weighs what leather weighs . . . making a belt out of two layers of 5/6 will equal the weight of one layer of 11/12 oz. If the holster is slipping up and down . . . it is the fault of the design and the maker . . . the belt slot is too big . . . they can be made to fit. Making belts or holsters of 2 layers . . . glued together with contact cement . . . will make a very comfortable and enduring belt . . . to say nothing about it's superior looks. Making a holster "rough out" is only a personal preference . . . sometimes adding a certain "rough" beauty to the belt or holster. For a few dollars more and other westerns of that era had some of them. Double layer holsters also will grip the weapon better . . . be far less apt to deflate and become a floppy mess of loose cowhide. The smooth side out on a belt . . . only allows the belt to slide . . . if the belt is not made on a slight cresent contour . . . which makes it not only very comfortable . . . but will not slip down . . . even with two 4 oz revolvers and 24 rds of ammo in the back. Made right . . . they don't slip. Been making holsters for 20+ years . . . never had one . . . not one . . . negative complaint on any double layer holster I've ever made. John Bianchi taught me how to make them with his videos . . . still do it that way. May God bless, Dwight

Actually it is a really good job . . . and this is only a comment . . . not meant as a complaint. If it were mine . . . it would have a thumb break . . . especially if I were wearing it in the water. There does not look like there is a lot of leather that would hold it in if it needed to be held in. May God bless, Dwight

Most all of us here will at one time or another . . . repair something made of leather . . . usually though only in the vein of work we normally do . . . ie: belts, holsters, purses, sheaths, satchels. But you can put me down as one who generally will take on repair work . . . I actually enjoy the challenge. May God bless, Dwight

Unless he's selling a couple hundred a day . . . he'll never pay for a full international patent . . . they're scary expensive May God bless, Dwight

But you do have to remember that your German patent is not good in the US . . . so the first customer who wants in on the action . . . may just jump on it . . . Things of this nature . . . even when they are patented . . . are always subject to "copy" so to speak. Not pushing the sales opens the door for another enterprising individual. May God bless, Dwight

Thank you . . .

I don't have one any more . . . sold it long ago . . . but if you really wanted to do custom engraving . . . it is really a simple process. First you make a copy of the item to be engraved . . . in some detail . . . and make it rather large . . . put it on a computer program that will print it out on paper . . . in a very large format . . . filling an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. Glue that to a piece of 1/4 inch plywood . . . and here is where the person comes in who is very talented. Non talented people will dismiss this . . . as will lazy people. Using a router with a very fine tipped blade . . . engrave the image . . . by hand . . . 1/16 inch deep into the plywood. You then take that image in the plywood . . . and using a pantograph router . . . set for 2:1 scale . . . re cut it into another piece of plywood. This will produce an image that is 4 1/4 inch by 5 1/2 inch . . . Using that 4 1/4 inch by 5 1/2 inch . . . you then use your pantograph router again . . . and this new smaller image . . . put a diamond bit in it . . . and engrave the buckle. The maximum size for that buckle engraved image will be 2 1/8 by 2 3/4 inches. Making the first image . . . being very talented . . . and willing to take your time . . . you produce an image that has flaws in it . . . for sure . . . but the talented part will not let many flaws erupt on the plywood. The second image reduces those flaws to not being readily seen . . . and the final engraved image is almost always very good looking. The first ten or so you do will take some time . . . but it usually isn't long before you get the hang of it . . . and it becomes old hat. Plus you can take the old ones you have already used . . . flip them over . . . and use the back side if you only engraved 1/16 of an inch down the first time. May God bless, Dwight PS: You may be able to substitute a carbide tipped router bit for the diamond bit . . . you would just have to experiment.

Your best bet would be to contact several well known auctioneers in your area. THEY . . . have "been there . . . done that" . . . as far as liquidating estates. And besides that . . . what little info you gave us . . . there is no way anyone here could take any kind of a guess at it. May God bless, Dwight

Maybe before asking a question . . . you might read what was written previously. Might answer your question before you ask it. May God bless, Dwight

If only that old saddle could talk . . . It's memories would probably keep us spellbound for some time May God bless, Dwight

There are very few times when it is optimal to tool later . . . as a rule . . . stamp it and tool it first. May God bless, Dwight

Toss the esthetics out the window . . . get a cap start single phase motor . . . and go to work. Quickest . . . cheapest . . . and actually THE best way . . . as there are downsides to ANY other option . . . and the only down side to this one is you haven't done it yet. May God bless, Dwight

I kept getting little spots of dye and stuff on my shirts . . . got aggravated . . . made an apron. I looked all over in the shop for a special leather to make it from . . . didn't like anything II saw. Wound up making it from marine vinyl . . . sold at Joann's fabric shop for about 25 a yard. I keep it and use it when developing a pattern . . . it mimics leather well enough for holsters . . . so I had it on hand. Am I ever glad I did. It is fairly light in weight . . . liquid proof . . . makes good pockets . . . If I had to do it all over again . . . I'd still use the vinyl. May God bless, Dwight

As a matter of fact . . . I make them. I do standard ones that usually run around 9/16 of an inch high . . . to bigger ones . . . offset ones for an offset scope . . . As a rule . . . I need to know the height the person needs . . . which is a process they have to go thru. Looking at the pictures . . . the one at the bottom is the starter. Cut a piece of scrap leather . . . about 15 cm square . . . dampen it slightly . . . drape it over the stock of the rifle behind the grip . . . so that when it is laced . . . the front lace will but up against the grip. Allow it to thoroughly dry . . . you might want to place a plastic bag under it so no water marks get on the stock. Once it is dry . . . look at the bottom picture . . . and you'll see that I've taken masking tape and taped it down tightly to the stock . . . but only in about 5 mm of the edge all the way around. Tape it so the flesh side is up. Next . . . take other pieces about the same size . . . but not over 7 oz thick . . . dampen them . . . pull them down over the first piece in a stack . . . tape them down tight . . . after you have made the height of cheek piece you want . . . minus the thickness of the one last piece which will go over and all the way down to the bottom of the stock where it will be laced. Allow that to dry . . . at least 24 hours . . . carefully take the pieces off . . . keeping track of which one was which . . . and one at a time . . . using contact cement . . . glue them all together in a nice uniform stack. You will have to take the "stack" to a sander of some sort . . . mine is a 30 cm round one that will take your finger off if you are not careful. Sand the sides and the ends smooth so the profile of it comes elegantly up from the stock . . . to a similar profile at the top . . . that you would find on the top of the stock of the rifle. Very carefully cut your over piece . . . cement it to the "stack" . . . make lacing holes in it . . . and lace it onto the gun. I generally will dye the outside and the ends . . . edges . . . and use wax on the inside so it does not mess up the finish of the stock. The cross side picture with the 7 on it is my rifle . . . the 7 is the designation of my destroyer squadron from Vietnam and San Diego . . . DesRon 7. The reason for it being so tall is my very small Native American heritage . . . that gave me cheek bones that are very high. I rest my cheek bone on that riser . . . and my right eye picks up the cross hairs perfectly. Two of the pictures are of a standard 9/16 riser . . . left side view and rear view. Another one is that of an offset piece for an M1 Garand that uses an offset scope mount. Have fun . . . may God bless, Dwight

I bought a spool of 415 a couple years back . . . as I had always used 346 and thought I'd pop the bigger thread for "exhibition" sake. After a couple of times messing with it . . . I went back to 346 . . . and am still there. I only use black and white . . . black for black products . . . the white for everything else . . . It does not take the dye like I would like for it to do . . . but I've never had a complaint on the thread. Try the 346 . . . I'm sure there are folks who will make that in colors . . . and it is a pretty bold thread. May God bless, Dwight

All I've ever run across like that were made of leather scraps from the floor . . . ran thru a chopper like a blender . . . then blended with glue . . . forms a leather product that is similar to OSB . . . Usually not worth the gas you spent getting to Walmart to buy it May God bless, Dwight

Leo . . . my dies are simple . . . pre-made . . . and I have not yet come to a need for a custom die Very simple . . . as far as my most important factor(s) . . . 1st: it has to cut . . . no bulling around . . . just cut the thing and 2nd: it has to be substantial enough that it won't get messed up if ol clumsy hands me drops it or something. Other than that . . . I'm good Have never needed stitching holes . . . one has a rivet hole . . . the other does not . . . it is no big deal to me to pop the rivet hole in the second one I use a hydraulic jack press . . . May God bless, Dwight

I've done holsters like that on and off for 20 years . . . all of the stitching except the 9 stitches which hold the holster together at the trigger guard and continuing down 9 stitches. All the rest is done with the double layer holster laying flat on my Cowboy table . . . the decoration on the front only goes thru the one outside layer In this order: outside decoration on first layer of the holster . . . wet form the holster parts . . . first the inside layer . . . then wrap the outside layer around the gun AND the first layer. Be sure to also fold over the belt loop while the leather is still dampened. Proceding on: allow all pieces to dry . . . use glue or contact cement to put the 2 pieces together . . . wrapping them first around the gun . . . then around each other . . . Trim as needed . . . then sew the whole holster other than the 9 stitches talked about earlier . . . last to sew is the loop on the backside. Starting out to "finish" the stitches . . . when you started sewing this holster . . . at the first stitch . . . the 10th one down from the trigger . . . you go completely around the edge of the holster. A cowboy 4500 laughs at how easy this is to do. The stitching you did here has 3 inch starter threads that you do not trim off. When you get to the area of the holster where the trigger guard is . . . you quit sewing halfway around . . . in the 9 stitch area on the backside of the holster . . . pull out 4 inches of thread and cut it . . . pull the thread out of the needle and sew the 9 stitches' holes . . . just punching holes in the leather. Apply contact cement to the inside of both edges where it is below the trigger guard for those 9 stitches. Starting on the back side . . . first stitch the top one of that 9 stitches below the trigger guard . . . making sure you have the outside leather facing up and the needle going down thru it . . . but all you will do is punch holes . . . when you get back up to the top where the leather is just below the trigger guard . . . pull out 3 or 4 inches . . . and sew the whole outside top of the holster. When you get around to the place where the top of the outside of the front of the holster is . . . pull out 8 or 9 inches of thread from needle and bobbin . . . cut it off. Sand the edges of the holster and bevel all except the area where the 9 stitches are. Wire brush both places on the backside where the belt loop is sewn down. Contact cement it . . . put it between two small wooden pieces and squeeze the bent over piece that when stitched out . . . it'll form the belt loop. HERE COMES THE TRICKY PART: if you did it right (and if I told you right) . . . you will have 4 corners on that holster that have thread protruding out of it. 3 will have 3 or 4 inches . . . one corner will have 8 or 9 inches. You should also have punched holes for the "9" stitches I talked about earlier . . . but no thread . . . and those will be located 180 degrees from each other . . . two sections of 9 stitches . . . but no thread. On the backside pull both threads thru so that the stitch threads will both come thru toward the welt. (forgot . . . sew 9 stitch holes in the welt too . . . but not with thread . . . you want holes only) Do the same for the back side of the holster beginning at that piece where it is below the welt . . . pull both threads in so they lay on the inside of the holster. Do the same for the front side of the holster . . . beginning at that piece where it is below the welt . . . pull both threads in so they lay on the inside of the holster. Apply a 1/2 inch wide strip of contact cement to the welt and to the inside edges of the holster where those 9 stitches will be finished up. On 3 out of the 4 corners you have at the 9 stitches . . . pull all 6 of the threads into the contact cement . . . and lay them 1/16th of an inch inside the punched holes for the 9 stitches. Let it all dry. With a hand needle that will adequately hold your thread . . . pull the bobbin thread of the front side of the holster up at top where the trigger guard is . . . pull it thru the welt then thru the back side. Get your needle pad and as you gently lay together the outside area where the welt is . . . fill each hole with another needle. When you have the holster fully together with the contact cement . . . use two small wooden pieces or two sections of 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/8 inch . . . CLEAN . . . steel angle iron . . . use a couple of C clamps . . . pull the wood or the angle iron up and almost touch the needles on the front and the back . . . and clamp them down . . . hard. Put your remaining one orphan string of thread thru another needle . . . and saddle stitch the top 8 of the 9 stitches on the welt . . . pulling out the 8 needles and going thru the hole each occupied . . . start at the top and stitch downward . . . remove the wood or the angle iron. For that last stitch . . . I personally would do it and double stitch back up toward the top of the welt . . . 3 or 4 stitches . . . cut and trim. This holster was probably done a different way here . . . bringing both threads thru their respective pieces of leather and a square knot finishing it all off . . . the knot residing between the welt and the back side piece of leather. Take those last two sewing threads and pull up on the inside of the holster next to the welt . . . after first coating the first inch with contact cement . . . force them into one of the valleys between the front and back and the welt . . . but do it on the inside. When the contact cement is dry . . . get a flashlight . . . check for any EXTRA thread that didn't get cut off inside . . . with barber scissors . . . reach in and trim off all you can. If there is any left over you cannot reach . . . dip a q tip in contact cement and force the EXTRA thread into the welt area. When that dries . . . you are ready for dying and edging the welt . . . and the final finishing touches. Hope you all were able to follow my directions. I've done several like this . . . works every time. May God bless, Dwight

All thread I've ever used will pick up the dye . . . cotton and linen are the worst culprits for this. If you want it to be pristine . . . as some of my orders are . . . put it together . . . dye it . . . rub it out real good . . . sew it . . . then wet mold it . . . works great. OR . . . dye your leather first . . . cut out the pieces . . . sew it . . . wet mold it . . . that's the simplest way to get light colored thread to be really nice . May God bless, Dwight

The S&W . . . I'm not familiar with it . . . doubt if I ever did one. BUT . . . it has been my experience that if you are "close" it will work . . . and if you are not . . . you wasted a pound of leather. Revolvers are finicky that way I have actually made my own S&W mod 29 . . . works really great . . . a little wood . . . some band saw and sanding work . . . and a dowel rod was all I needed. The buyer was very happy. Autos are easier to make . . . and a little more forgiving IMHO . . . than revolvers. But take an afternoon and make your own model . . . some day you will be really happy you did. May God bless, Dwight

I'd like to see the full pictures of the holster . . . not sure of all I'm seeing with the chopped up pieces. May God bless, Dwight

If you want a good solid leather sewing machine . . . and you want a manual one . . . get a Tippmann Boss . . . I've used one for 20+ Years . . . their service is excellent . . . and it will sew 3/4 of an inch leather . . . I've done it. It will also sew up to 415 thread . . . I use 346 almost exclusively. It is the original hand machine . . . all others are poor copies . . . and personally if you gave me an outlaw . . . I'd never get it out of the box . . . seen them at Tandy . . . about as impressed with them as I would be a left handed crescent wrench. May God bless, Dwight

Get hold of Bob at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machine Co I've had great service from him including the servo he sold me for an old singer machine Besides that . . . he's good people . . . https://www.tolindsewmach.com/ And yes . . . they're in Toledo Ohio May God bless, Dwight