Dwight

I have several tanned deer hides given me by a dear old uncle who has since passed. I want to make a fringed deer skin jacket from them. I've never NEVER worked with deer skin, . . . which is stretchy, . . . thin, . . . and all too precious to me to mess up. Anybody got any good tips to share with an old veggie tan leather worker on how to not fail on this project?? Sure would appreciate any special pointers y'all got. May God bless, Dwight

Take the needle you want to use for the sewing, . . . buy a couple that are either one or two sizes bigger, . . . put them in a hand electric drill, . . . stand up straight, . . . drill the holes. I've done this too, . . . and it works. Now some folks will suggest using a drill bit, . . . I do not like that idea, . . . it actually cuts a hole in the leather and removes leather material. Using my system does make a hole in the leather, . . . but it will tend to close back up, . . . looking a whole, whole lot better than if you used a drill bit. Problem is to be very careful to stand straight, . . . and keep the drill straight, . . . so the needle goes straight down. Stack 6 or 8 pieces of scrap leather or one piece on top of a sponge, . . . you'll feel it when you go thru. May God bless, Dwight

Ken Nelson started out the same way I would, . . . I would recommend you get a diamond awl the correct size and length. Sharpen and strop it and get it SHARP. Use a stitch groover and then a stitch marker to mark your holes. Use the awl to carefully make your holes He quit in his advice as far as I would go. I'd put that very sharp diamond awl in a drill press, . . . tape the chuck so it cannot move, . . . and punch your holes without turning on the motor, . . . just pushing the awl thru. I cannot tell you how many times I've done this, . . . works like a champ. I also sometimes use my Tippmann Boss machine to do the same things, . . . punch the holes, . . . then hand sew the item. It will do up to 3/4 inch leather, . . . but only with the needle, not with an awl. Just be creative my friend, . . . that's the secret of successful leather working. For that thick of leather, . . . I'd use waxed polyester or nylon, . . . 346 or 415. I have both, . . . would depend on what it would be for, . . . and how much bling I would want or not want in the sewing. May God bless, Dwight

This may not be what you are looking for, . . . BUT................ Every now and then, I run into a situation where it must be hand sewn, . . . either by design, . . . or by some "special" choice. I have a couple options, . . . and one I like is to take my handy dandy Tippmann Boss, . . . remove the thread, . . . and let it punch the holes for me. Then I glue it together with a needle aligning everything up at each end, . . . then I grab my saddle needles, . . . and "hand sew" the thing. I get the benefit of not having to punch every hole, . . . the look of saddle stitching, . . . and the strength of saddle stitching. Yer darn tootin it costs the customer more when he gets that, . . . but I have not had a complaint yet. May God bless, Dwight

Looked good from here, . . . only thing I saw missing were the cartridge loops, . . . then I realized it was a cap and ball Ruger, . . . Good job.......... May God bless, Dwight

Glad you found a fix, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Just for kicks and giggles, . . . it'll cost you a couple hours work, . . . and ten bucks. Go to the grocery and buy a bottle of Mop and Glow, . . . it's a floor finish product, . . . also acrylic, . . . also water based. Used to be a super guy on here went by the handle of Katsass, . . . search him out, . . . Mop and Glow is all he used, . . . and his holsters turned out beautiful. Using it, . . . you cut it 50 / 50 with water and simply dip it in the solution, . . . hold it a few seconds, . . . pull it out, . . . shake off the excess, . . . hang up to dry. He swore by it, . . . and I never heard that he swore at it. It would be worth a try in my book. May God bless, Dwight

I've been using Resolene for about 14 years, . . . NEVER had but one problem with it, . . . a couple times I put on too many coats. Other than that, . . . as Paco Pedro used to say, . . . "No Problemo". I first mix it 1 to 1 with tap water, . . . shake it up every time I use it, . . . keep it in a Skippy peanut butter jar with the lid tightly closed. Second, . . . ALWAYS rub whatever you are doing to get any loose pigment off it, . . . I like paper towels, . . . old cut up tee shirts, . . . old cut up PJ's. Third, . . . I use a cheap, . . . Harbor Freight 50 cent bristle brush, . . . about an inch wide, . . . start brushing it on left and right so it gets a good liquid coat on my project, . . . continue brushing left / right / up / down / oblique angles, . . . making sure I had enough product to get a little "froth" of bubbles all over the project. Once that is achieved, . . . continue brushing until all the bubbles disappear. Hang up to dry, . . . if it is a product that will flex, . . . come back in about 20 minutes and flex it gently. Otherwise, . . . it is ready to use in 12 hours or so in 70 degree atmosphere. NEVER had any real issues with anything other than that mentioned above. May God bless, Dwight

Yes, . . . Resolene, . . . mixed 1 to 1 in water makes a solution that will seal the dye, . . . as well as a floor product called Mop and Glo, . . . again, reduced with water 1 to 1. Downside?? A slightly harder finish and feel, . . . as both are acrylic finishes and tend to be "hard" finishes. But they do seal the dye, . . . May God bless, Dwight

OK, . . . lemme ask a question, . . . why glue it??? I don't normally make bags, . . . more of a belt and holster guy, . . . but the ones I have done, . . . I just put the stiffener in there, . . . sewed the old girl shut, . . . and sent her on her way. Haven't had a complaint yet. Matter of fact, . . . one was a very special bridal gift that got dumped a couple years later, . . . lady got it at a flea market, . . . traced me down by my maker's mark, . . . wanted to know the history of the bag, . . . she was just thrilled with it, . . . I wouldn't worry one iota about it moving if you cut it the right size. May God bless, Dwight

It would require hand stitching, . . . or at least some hand stitching, . . . But I would make the top zipper the very last sewing job on it. Allows you to add the stiffener, . . . sew the zipper, . . . DONE !! That's how "I" would do it anyway. May God bless, Dwight

Holler if you need any help on that money belt, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Treesner, . . . go to your local Joann Fabric store, . . . get this thread, . . . https://www.joann.com/coats-clark-outdoor-200yd-thread/zprd_11744323a.html#q=Coats &start=1 Saddle stitch it at about 6 stitches per inch, . . . and the nylon will rip to the devil and back before you tear out these stitches, . . . unless you are packing anvils or some such. I gave up regular thread years ago and use this exclusively for stuff I sew on my sewing machine (regular type), . . . only problem is if I have to take the seam out, . . . it has to be cut, razor cut, all the way. May God bless, Dwight

Having had one, . . . bad . . . experience with those things, . . . I would not touch them with a 10 foot pole. The person using them MUST BE FAMILIAR WITH and MUST PRACTICE with them or they will get hurt. My one time going up a short pole to change a yard light sensor, . . . they cut out on me on the way down, . . . 30 years later I still have the scar on my face. If he wants to do that kind of work, . . . it's important that he has the proper equipment, . . . that looks old and maybe worn, . . . certainly not trustworthy for life and limb. May God bless, Dwight

If he asked me to do it, . . . I would tell him I'm cutting his belt dead center between the hole he uses most, . . . and the buckle end. I would then add a piece of vegetable tanned leather with his last name on it, . . . with the cut ends very nicely laced together, . . . or a piece of fake caiman, . . . again the cut ends nicely laced together. That way the front of his belt where most people will notice it, . . . will look like it is the original, . . . and anyone seeing the rear, . . . would have to guess that the belt was originally designed like that. May God bless, Dwight

Welcome jujulolo, . . . this is a fun place to be most of the time. My ancestors immigrated here from western France a couple hundred years ago, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Can we see the rest of the holster, . . . might make it easier to understand. May God bless, Dwight

I make key fobs like this one, . . . dampen the leather, . . . 1/2 ton arbor press, . . . using a little brass stamp from Hong Kong, . . . Works like a champ. The actual impression is about 7/8 inch tall and about 2 inches long. Trying to stamp that with a hammer, mallet, or maul is a lesson in futility. I lay a 1/4 inch plate steel piece above it, . . . press it down and hold it for about 10 seconds, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Because this is the original question: "After you punch the last hole in a adult belt how long do leave the end of the belt. Other words what is the length from the last hole to the end of the belt. Is there a normal distance? " And the answer is 4 1/2 inches. Simple, . . . May God bless, Dwight

You and I use basically the same process, . . . except I have a "belt end template" that I place on the belt blank, . . . I first measure up from the buckle and put a mark at say 38 inches for a 38 inch belt. I then position my template so the center hole is over that 38 inch mark . . . and proceed to mark off my 7 holes with 1 inch spacing, . . . and my 4 1/2 inch tongue (measured from the hole closest to the tongue end) where I razor cut the end of the belt blank. I then finish shaping the end of the belt on my sander. From the end of the belt, . . . to my center hole, . . . will always be 7 1/2 inches, . . . +/-, . . . and I do not have customers complaining. Fact is, . . . most of my customers come back within a couple years and ask for another one, . . . a different color. I've got one fellow out there that I believe has 5 , . . . maybe 6 of my belts. Using that ridiculous idea of 5 inches from the center holle, . . . would give me a tongue of 2 1/2 inches, . . . it would not even make the first belt loop, . . . would stick out and be some kind of ugly. May God bless, Dwight

Take my word for it, . . . you DO WANT the flat side against the body. Much more comfortable. The flat side against the trousers serves no purpose whatsoever, . . . and puts that shootin' iron a rubbing hard against your body, . . . being pulled in tight by the belt. AND, yes, . . . this holster can be made left handed, . . . and with a reverse cant, . . . but there is no place on the human anatomy that it is comfortable, . . . unless the owner is wearing at least a 1 inch layer of lard around the waist. May God bless, Dwight

Todd, . . . what you are asking cannot be made. True pancake holsters have to be worn OWB just like shoes go on the outside of socks. The slots won't work with the belt unless you cut holes into the belt area of the pants. NOW, . . . I do personally make a product that is indeed flat backed, . . . resembles a pancake, . . . and I have made it for a backward canted appendix carry (the owner was somewhat handicapped, . . . this was a one of a kind so to speak) and it could be used for a cross draw holster. I will tell you though from personal experience of trying to perfect one, . . . IWB cross draw holsters are very uncomfortable. In order to create that holster, . . . you could use a pancake, . . . flat backed, . . . but you would have to put straps of some kind to go up over the britches, . . . then come down and loop around the belt, . . . or use mechanical clips to reach over and clamp to the belt. Here is a picture of the one I make, . . . obviously you can see why I call it a Cactus holster. This holster virtually has no cant, . . . as the owner wanted. May God bless, Dwight

Actually, . . . that is very much wrong, . . . you measure from the last punched hole, . . . Hardrada uses 2.5 to 3 inches, . . . I use 4.5 inches. If you measure from the middle hole on mine, . . . with only 5 holes, . . . using 3/4 inch spacing, . . . the tongue would be over 6 inches from the last hole. Measure from the last hole, . . . for the tongue, . . . but for the perfect length of the belt, . . . then wizard is perfectly correct, . . . always measure to the middle hole. May God bless, Dwight

Probably a lot of us know that eggs have yokes . . . comedians tell yokes, . . . but who knew airplanes had yokes??? Seriously, . . . show a picture of what you want to cover, . . . and some idea of what you want to finish up with, . . . someone on here can probably help you out. May God bless, Dwight