Dwight

Chris . . . I've personally never seen that book . . . but there are a lot of things I've never seen . . . and won't at age 76. But that is not the point I want to make. THE MOST IMPORTANT piece of information you need to know about a swivel knife is simply this . . . KEEP IT SHARP. A dull swivel knife is about as useful as a teaspoon with a hole in it. Personally . . . I hate using the darned thing . . . but there are times it has to be done . . . so I bite the bullet . . . sharpen it up and go at it. I also have two styles of knife, . . . a straight one . . . and one cut at a 45 or so degree angle . . . Learn the process of sharpening them to the point they will cut you badly if you slip . . . and you will find the whole process is tolerable . . . if not enjoyable. May God bless, Dwight

Do your gun a favor . . . put the holster in a pretty box . . . up on the shelf in a closet . . . inscribed with "My first holster". Then go make one right . . . you are fretting over a few bucks worth of leather and a bit of thread . . . not worth it when you scratch the bluing off your gun . . . gouge the metal past "polishing out" . . . and seriously devalue that weapon. Not worth it. May God bless, Dwight

I'll go the other route on that advice . . . leather has a natural oil to it . . . that is mostly worked out of it in the tanning process. Applying a THIN coat on the hair side only of the leather approximately 24 hours BEFORE YOU DYE IT . . . will almost always give you a much better dye job. That is especially if you are doing anything in the light tan spectrum . . . with saddle tan being an example. The leather retains pockets of oil . . . which will change the color of the dye . . . and can give you some really nasty . . . spotty . . . ugly dye jobs. When I first encountered it . . . I thought it was a bad hide . . . then I ran across it other times . . . now . . . I do the oil trick every time before I dye . . . and allowing it to sit for 24 hours will allow it to soak in pretty much equally everywhere. AND . . . now I don't have those dye problems I used to hit from time to time. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Hasbeencowboy . . . what you said makes a lot of sense . . . As a younster . . . I watched Rin Tin Tin and other such shows . . . thought being a soldier back then would have been great. About 14 yrs old . . . maybe 16 . . . got to ride one of them old "soldier" saddles. Cured me of ever wanting to get in a time machine and go back. May God bless, Dwight

I guess I never really paid any attention to other saddle styles . . . The only saddle styles we ever had around here were English . . . military (old left over stuff from back WW1 ways) . . . and "cowboy" . . . But all the cowboy saddles I saw or rode growing up . . . had pretty good swells coming out on each side of the horn. Is this a new "style" that has done away with that? Just nosey I guess. May God bless, Dwight

Just remember, Forester, sometimes it ain't all on you. I made a single gun rig for a guy a number of years back . . . similar to yours . . . just not as much bling . . . it was a 53 inch belt I made for him . . . he picked it up 6 weeks after ordering it . . . by then he needed a 56. Thankfully . . . there was enough wiggle room . . . with a new belt tongue . . . May God bless, Dwight

Just a note . . . suggestion . . . Mold your holsters tight enough that they do not need the retention screw . . . if you do a good job . . . it'll be a long time before it is needed . . . and they can be added afterwards. I don't use em because I know people . . . and some would tighten it down the first time they put a gun in the holster . . . and it would not be long until you would have to put a lariat on the gun to keep it in the holster as they ruined the molding. At least that is my way of doing things . . . YMMV. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Lobo, . . . I had thought the N frame was awful close . . . but never had a chance to compare as I have no source here for the 1917. He's got the picture I sent him . . . he's doing a "measuring" of the different points of the weapon . . . and what I'll do is just make a wooden model . . . which will do for what we need done. I had to do that a few years back for a model 29 . . . it was a "trial run" so to speak . . . worked out like a champ . . . the customer was thoroughly pleased . . . and I still have my pine wood "Dirty Harry" revolver in case I ever need to make another model 29 holster. May God bless, Dwight

I do not do a lot of carving and stamping . . . but I have learned this . . . Tandy's shoulders . . . the closer you get to the neck . . . the "harder" it is . . . Try . . . just for kicks and giggles . . . some of Tandy's belly leather . . . it is some of the softest leather they have . . . see if you have the same results. My wager will be "NO" May God bless, Dwight

Toss that garbage glue . . . go to Weldwood contact cement It is great stuff. May God bless, Dwight

Were there any gun models to look at? May God bless, Dwight

I see a lot of patterns . . . some things I don't recognize . . . and a few things that look like wooden gun models. Is there by any chance a version of a 1917 .45 Army revolver? May God bless, Dwight

Thanks . . . I'm sorry it happened to you . . . too . . . I think we've all done something similar if we've been whacking leather for any amount of time. May God bless, Dwight

Yessir . . . my "customer" and I have been "talking about" this holster he wants . . . for over a year now. He finally figured out after getting Covid . . . losing his job . . . and assorted other things in his life . . . that there is never a better time than the "el presidente" . . . Anyway . . . I'll need the mold . . . so please send the pics to ciminod@midohio.net Thank you very much . . . looking fwd to seeing them. May God bless, Dwight

Have you got a 1917 S&W .45 revolver model?? That is THE ONE I need . . . but could maybe sutstitute . . . depending on what you got. Lemme know . . . May God bless, Dwight

I don't have the same printer I used years ago playing around . . . and the wax paper I used was that stuff your wife has in her kitchen . . . May God bless, Dwight

I have a disabled vet who wants a shoulder holster for his 1917 Army .45 revolver . . . Anyone have one they want to part with for a reasonable fee . . . OR Is there something I could use in place of that particular revolver that is "close enough" that the shoulder holster would work?? Thanks, may God bless, Dwight

It is touchy . . . but you can take wax paper . . . run it thru your printer . . . with the image you want reversed . . . then lay it on your leather . . . and the ink will transfer. I've messed around with it just for kicks and giggles . . . never made anything I really wanted to keep . . . also did my son's portrait on a piece of pine doing the same thing. May God bless, Dwight

Experience speaking: line the holster . . . for 2 reasons, it protects the firearm better than any product you can put on the flesh side of a holster (unless it is one of those plastic-fantastic firearms that you can't really hurt) and a holster made of two 4 oz pieces instead of one 8 oz piece . . . will ALWAYS hold it's shape better and longer. Don't line the straps . . . but make sure you pick really good leather for the straps with no fur balls or trash on the flesh side. Also give the flesh side a good coat of Resolene and then work the straps so that they are supple. Also make sure you give the holster . . . straps . . . mag carriers . . . all of it, a single good coat of neatsfoot oil on the hair side only of the leather . . . after you have created it . . . but before you dye it. Let it hangout for at least 24 hours . . . then dye and finish. THAT process makes a good looking and good wearing rig. May God bless, Dwight

I am not sure what it costs me for every leather project I've done . . . I hope I have made more than I've spent . . . but it might be a toss up. I've certainly not won enough in my firearm shooting skills to make up for what I've spent . . . but like Spyros said . . . it's a lot cheaper than the psychobabblers and their couches . . . or what I could have spent at the state store if I were so inclined to go that way. May God bless, Dwight

I had a customer one time who might have argued with you . . . it would have been in fun . . . but an argument anyway. He wanted a single revolver western fast draw type rig . . . and I made it for him. His "girth" was 53 inches . . . so of course I made the belt 4 inches longer as per usual for cowboy rigs. When he showed up to get it . . . it was 3 inches too short . . . his girth was now 56 inches. So maybe leather does not shrink . . . maybe the subject grows??? May God bless, Dwight

I am not sure why you cut a square corner in your project . . . But unless it is absolutely necessary . . . it is almost a cardinal sin in leather work to do that. Make a rounded cut . . . it makes all the world of difference as to your ability to edge the item. This is my carry holster . . . as you can see there are two really close rounded cuts Those cuts are made with a punch . . . then I come out from circle on each side with a razor knife to make the opening. Later I go in on both sides with a edging tool . . . gets it completely and no problems that are not solved when I burnish the edge. May God bless, Dwight

First thing . . . can you post a picture of an example of your problem . . . Secondly . . . I use those cheap Tandy bevelers . . . and never have a problem . . . So I think there is probably something I don't quite grasp . . . in your post. May God bless, Dwight

Beautiful saddle, you are a credit to the industry . . . I would be very proud to ride that saddle . . . May God bless, Dwight