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Everything posted by Dwight
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Help needed, my leather wouldnt harden :(
Dwight replied to Suntailhawk's topic in Historical Reenactment
Here are some pics, . . . actually used 4 bulbs, . . . thought it was only three. Go to Lowes, . . . buy the lumber and usually they'll cut it for you. At least I can usually get them to do it, . . . I explain it has to fit in my Jeep. You can't see the hooks in the picture, . . . they are at the top, . . . put a coat hanger in there with whatever needs dried / hardened. I will probably go with smaller bulbs later on, . . . this dries em out just a tad fast for me. May God bless, Dwight -
Help needed, my leather wouldnt harden :(
Dwight replied to Suntailhawk's topic in Historical Reenactment
Actually all I did was mount 3 porcelain pull chain fixtures to the bottom of the box, . . . wired em up, . . . put a switch on the box, . . . installed the bulbs, . . . voila, . . . it works. May God bless, Dwight -
Help needed, my leather wouldnt harden :(
Dwight replied to Suntailhawk's topic in Historical Reenactment
Actually the "drying bag" is an extension of my "drying box" I have. It's about 12 by 18 and 48 inches tall. Full door on the 18 x 48 front. Put a couple of hanger hooks in the top, . . . 3 each, 100 watt incandescent light bulbs sit on the bottom, . . . thermometer sticks out the door up topside. I've never heard about the 180 deg water for hardening leather, . . . but I can tell you for a fact that 135 to 145 deg dry heat from those light bulbs will dry out and harden a holster almost to the point you could use it as a weapon. Don't recall who (someone on here) sparked the idea, . . . but I ran with it, . . . and use it occasionally if I see a real need for it. The bag is a cheap alternative. May God bless, Dwight -
A couple of Holsters
Dwight replied to SickMick's topic in Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes
Mike, . . . can I throw you a constructive criticism, if you don't mind??? Your barrel end is a tad tight, . . . give it just a bit more leather. Western holsters should be more rounded, . . . instead of profiling the outline and symmetry of the weapon. THEN, . . . go to the hardware store, . . . buy a slick and varnished claw hammer handle (one of them wooden ones), . . . cut the top off it where the hammer head would go, . . . sand that smooth and varnish it, . . . use that hammer handle to open up, smooth, and pattern the barrel part of the holster. I about laughed myself silly when I saw John Bianchi do that in one of his videos, . . . as I was trying to think ahead and see how he was going to do things, . . . when I saw that trick I about lost it. Had a broken hammer handle in the shop, . . . got it fixed up, . . . been using it for over 10 years, . . . makes the nicest and prettiest holster bottoms you can imagine. Anyway, . . . just a couple of suggestions. May God bless, Dwight -
Here you go: https://www.tandyleather.com/en/category/rawhide May God bless, Dwight
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Help needed, my leather wouldnt harden :(
Dwight replied to Suntailhawk's topic in Historical Reenactment
OK, . . . what you want to do is wet the pieces, . . . hang them in as near the shape as you want them, . . . get a 55 gallon drum liner, . . . make a bag that hangs open end down, use a garbage can lid or something to keep the top nice and big, . . . the heat will hang tight up in the top of that bag, . . . hang the leather in the bag, . . . and put a couple of 150 watt incandescent bulbs below the bag, . . . Check it every hour or so until you see how the first pieces come out. OR, . . . if you have a furnace with floor ducts, . . . it might be hot enough if you hang the bag right over one of them. THEN, . . . get a bottle of Resolene, . . . mix it 50/50 with water and coat each piece inside and out. After about 3 or 4 coats it will harden it up really good. It'll also shine the heck out of it. TRY . . . a piece with the metallic paint first, . . . the resolene may go over it with no problem, . . . but it will have to be dry first. If not . . . take a piece of steel wool and lightly scuff the surface of the resolene, . . . then paint over top of it. Have fun, . . . may God bless, Dwight -
Help needed, my leather wouldnt harden :(
Dwight replied to Suntailhawk's topic in Historical Reenactment
OK, . . . let's go back to the original: wanting to make armor. Must stand up to LARP standards. NOW, . . . what size piece are we talking about?? Are you making a full body armor such as Roman generals wore, . . . or is it "fish scale" type armor made up of small 4 to 6 sq inch pieces, . . . or is it something totally different. PICTURES would certainly help. May God bless, Dwight -
Help needed, my leather wouldnt harden :(
Dwight replied to Suntailhawk's topic in Historical Reenactment
One other thing you can do, . . . get it wet again, . . . but before you do, . . . find a place (not an oven either) where you can regulate the heat at 130 to 140 degrees F, . . . closer to 140 the better. Then get it wet, . . . not sopping, dripping, drooling wet, . . . just wet, . . . adjust whatever molding you want to, . . . then put it in the heat, . . . and leave it for about 3 hours. If that don't do it, . . . then send me a PM, . . . I've got another trick or two for you. But that really should work. It always has for me. (quick question, . . . how thick is your leather??) May God bless, Dwight -
Welcome from Buckeye land, . . . Transplant from Carter Co, . . . Have fun and enjoy. May God bless, Dwight
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Congrats, . . . glad it worked out. I just the other day tossed a holster I had quite a bit of time and material in, . . . simply because I could not make it work. I wanted too much out of the leather, . . . it said "NO" so I pitched it. Sometimes it works out as it did in your case (and I'm very glad it did), . . . and sometimes the waste basket is the best option. May God bless, Dwight
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Sometimes when I walk in there, . . . I think the cash register does a little dance, . . . "He's Baaaaaaaccckkkkkk". May God bless, Dwight
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Once you get your pattern, . . . make a test cover with fabric backed vinyl purchased at JoAnn fabric. Get their 50% off coupon off Google, . . . buy a yard of it, . . . it'll be 36 by 48, . . . so you'll have plenty enough to mess with. Leave 3/8 to 1/2 inch extra, . . . all the way around, . . . take a pair of dividers and mark that all the way around the edges of the pieces. Then, . . . staying about 1/16 of an inch away from your scored line, . . . coat each piece with Weldwood Contact Cement, . . . a thin coat is adequate. When the cement dries, . . . (I use a heat gun to make it happen a lot faster), . . . slowly and carefully put the edges together, . . . and re-mark them now in the inside, . . . and sew that line. You can use a sewing machine, . . . with carpet thread, . . . also bought at JoAnn's, . . . and a lot of machines will do that. I had a Brother machine I bought at a yard sale for $25 that would sew that all day. The seam will then need to be laid over so that it all points down toward the pavement. Have fun, . . . show us pics when it's done. May God bless, Dwight
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One sure fire way is to not saddle stitch, . . . use a lock stitch like a sewing machine would make. I know, . . . "saddle stitch is the only authentic, . . . " (ad nauesium), . . . but if you can, think of the number of holsters and belts that are in use in the world that were never even thought of in terms of saddle stitching. I don't know the official ratio, . . . but I'd bet it would be at least 10 to 1, . . . machine stitch vs saddle stitch. My Tippmann boss makes the prettiest white stitches you could ever want, . . . May God bless, Dwight
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You may find it cracks, . . . and I don't know why, . . . something in the formula makes it like being put on in very light coats, . . . hence the 50/50 cut with water. But it is a holster, . . . not a belt or wallet that will be constantly flexing one way or another. Personally, . . . I like those 50 cent bristle pig brushes from Harbor Freight, . . . just swirl it on, . . . work it up to a lather like, . . . brush out the bubbles, . . . hang it up to dry. That's how I do it, and I've never really had any troubles. Got lucky though, . . . I read about the cut before I used it. May God bless, Dwight
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Did you cut it with water first?? Should always be cut 50 / 50 with tap water, . . . otherwise it goes on too thick, . . . becomes brittle at times. I usually do 2 coats of it reduced, . . . sometimes 3. May God bless, Dwight
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Lowes has it for something like $13 a pint, . . . for the liquid, . . . the gel is a bit more, . . . and at times is well worth the extra couple bucks. The liquid tends to thicken up as the solvent escapes, . . . adding a bit of acetone thins it right back out. May God bless, Dwight
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I have no experience with the leathercraft cement, . . . though I've heard good words about it. Back over 50 years ago I began using Weldwood contact cement for formica kitchen cabinets, . . . found out it worked on a host of other stuff, . . . naturally gravitated to it for leather, . . . have never been sorry. You can put two pieces of leather together with it, . . . and then rip them apart, . . . but the glue doesn't give, . . . the leather does. Leathercraft cement could not be any better, . . . only equal the Weldwood. I actually did a small holster for a Bersa Thunder years ago, . . . Weldwood only, . . . not one stitch in it. I'd bet it is still together. And yes, . . . it holds up even thru wet forming. Anyway, . . . keep up the good work. May God bless, Dwight
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Hmmm, . . . do I know you from somewhere ???? Cheap advice, . . . if you contact cemented both wings correctly, . . . all that stitching you did around the belt loop holes was really not necessary, . . . adds some character, . . . but for me, . . . that is expensive character, . . . Other than that, . . . looks OK, . . . One other thing, . . . use one single wrap of plastic around the gun, . . . the way you wadded that up, . . . it may stretch the holster and make it be a bit on the loose side. May God bless, Dwight
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They are both acrylic finishes, . . . most likely adding Resolene will add to your headache, . . . as it will not be any less flexible (probably somewhat stiffer), To lessen the shine, . . . you might take a cloth with denatured alcohol or acetone (only moist, not wet) and lightly go over the sheaths a couple of times. Acrylics do not fully cure overnight, . . . take a while to get full hard. You may be able to undo some of it. I would treat a panel of leather the way you did the sheaths, . . . then using denatured alcohol first, . . . see if it will undo it. If not, . . . next try acetone, . . . and if acetone doesn't do it, . . . your only hope would be good ol unleaded gasoline. But remember, . . . I've messed up as many projects with those chemicals as I have saved, . . . go slow, be careful, and don't have any open fires or electrical heaters nearby. May God bless, Dwight
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My armor experience is having created two sets, . . . both very much Roman-esque armor, . . . my favorite was worn by General Sutonious as he battled Bouddica in the History channel or Youtube. The front is one piece, . . . 12 oz or so veggie tan, . . . hand molded, one section at a time. The back is done the same way. Care needs to be taken, . . . make the arm holes and neck hole plenty big enough, . . . and roll the edges out. I don't have a picture of mine, . . . but this image is the one I used to design mine, . . . and provided the opponent only had a wooden sword, . . . it would probably prove battle worthy. The two pieces are buckled together at the top, . . . the front overlaps the back on both sides, . . . and they are buckled together as well. Have fun with your armor, . . . I wear mine to imitate the 3 centurions of the New Testament, . . . at church presentations. May God bless, Dwight
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Zippers have two sides, . . . one with the slider, . . . one without. I always sew in the slider side first, . . . starting from the bottom or the end where the two meet, . . . come back down to the starting point, . . . put the zipper together, . . . zip it closed, . . . sew in the other side. I also ALWAYS completely stick my leather / zipper things together with contact cement. It first, . . . lets me see what the finished product will look like, . . . and second, . . . helps me keep everything in line. That's how I do it anyway. May God bless, Dwight
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You and I find flaws, . . . probably could find them in each other's work, . . . but so much of the purchasing world out there, . . . they either go over it with a fine tooth comb looking for a big enough reason to get a discount or return it, . . . (maybe 3 - 5 % ), . . . or they unpack it, smile, and go to using it. The maker knows his mistakes, faults, etc, . . . including how he hid the "charm" and "character". Most of my brands, . . . they go inside the holster, . . . it's still branded, . . . but I've never had one come back with that complaint..........lol May God bless, Dwight
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I think a lot of people equate "hand made" to "having given attention to the details of the product". I'm not sure they care if it was clicked, cut, or chopped out, . . . hand sewn or machine sewn, . . . if they can understand that the maker took the time to create it correctly, . . . and it passed a decent "QC" inspection, . . . they are happy. At least that is the type of feedback I get from my customers. AND, . . . yes, . . . they do want HANDmade to be WELLmade. May God bless, Dwight
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I haven't made many, . . . but I resolene mine as well, . . . no complaints yet. May God bless, Dwight