Dwight

Looks good from here, . . . she'll cherish that I am sure. May God bless, Dwight

Search out there, . . . Marlin made a bunch of .357 lever actions back in the 80's and 90's or so. My brother has a .357, . . . I've got the .44 mag. Both are good shooters. I've also got a golden 39A Mountie, . . . it's a .22 lever, . . . simply the best and most accurate .22 I've ever shot in my life. Sold it 30 years ago, . . . but talked the guy who had it into selling it back to me, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Just about any straps, . . . but especially should holster straps, . . . get the full dip dye treatment, . . . a light oiling, . . . then Resolene. The trick is to get back to the straps before the Resolene dries completely, . . . roll it and stretch it to make it pliable. I roll the straps over a 3/4 inch piece of round stock steel, . . . both ways, . . . hang em up, . . . maybe come back in a half hour and hit em again. Softens em right up, . . . the resolene keeps the dye from bleeding, . . . only way I will make em other than just plain oiled leather. May God bless, Dwight

Actually, John Bianchi suggested using calf skin for the loops in his old VHS tapes on holster making. I never have because I've always had the other available and it worked well. You'll do well with the veggie tan I'm sure. May God bless, Dwight

Kinda makes me want to go get a blued steel GP100 just so I can make a holster for it. Good job, Josh, . . . tastefully done, . . . but yet simple and practical. May God bless, Dwight

God be with you as well, Howard. PM me a regular email address, . . . I'll send you the patterns for the pieces, . . . it'll make it a tad easier. May God bless, Dwight

I would not use pigskin for that, . . . it will in the long run loosen up and not hold the cartridges like veg tan will do. I would use 2/3 oz veggie tan, . . . wet it well before you start making your loops is the first thing, . . . don't loop it dry. Secondly, . . . bring your leather in, . . . loop it around the cartridge, . . . and take it back out the same hole in the back. This is how I make all my cartridge belts. When you cut your strip for the cartridges, . . . make it the width of the hole you are using, . . . plus a 32nd of an inch or so, . . . pull it through wet, . . . when it dries, it will have a permanent "lock" because it will dry wider than the hole you pulled it through. I make the whole cartridge belt, . . . wrapping around cartridges as I go, . . . and don't remove the first one until I've done the last one, . . . and them remove them very carefully. You also only have to put one rivet at each end (or one doubled over stitch) to hold the cartridge loop ends. Take a look on my website, . . . product examples page, . . . down toward the bottom is a money belt / cartridge belt, . . . shows what it looks like. Best wishes, may God bless, Dwight

One out of two, Howard, . . . 6/7 oz, . . . but British Tan dye, . . . From my shop to the center of your Toronto Olympic swimming pool is 128 miles (crow flight distance). Thanks for the accolades, . . . stop by and we'll see about making one together. May God bless, Dwight

Were it my project, . . . I'd take lizardo's idea and run with it. Build the holster up front just like you normally would do, . . . including the little belt in the middle to hold it to the skirt, . . . but use the skirt for the back side of the knife sheath. The knife would stick up behind the skirt, . . . behind the belt, . . . Fact is, . . . it's a novel idea if you ask me, . . . pretty interesting even. May God bless, Dwight

Didn't really have a Shield holster, . . . too big for most of my pockets, . . . so I made this one. Actually, some of you will see the similarity of some of the Sparks holsters, . . . I've always been a fan of theirs, . . . just never could afford them. FWIW, . . . wanting my own holster of a "similar to" a Sparks holsters is one of the factors that got me back to doing leatherworking after a multi decade hiatus. But anyway, . . . just put it together out of some "pieces" laying around the shop, . . . wore it today for a couple hours, . . . think I'm gonna like this puppy. May God bless, Dwight

Just do it !! I did do something similar one time, . . . didn't have a long enough "one piece" of leather to make a double layer dress belt (had the inside piece, . . . but not the outside which is longer), . . . so I spliced a piece in the back, . . . used two oval shaped pieces to cover the cracks, . . . split it so it looked like it was supposed to be that way, . . . kind of a 40 /20 /40 split. Customer was thoroughly happy with it. Sometimes ya just gotta "think outside the box". May God bless, Dwight

I've never been "stuck" with that dilemma, . . . and I'm not sure where I saw it, . . . but a guy who was, . . . cut the belt dead center of the back, . . . made a piece to go in it, . . . and then laced it into the center of the original belt. It looked really good, . . . and if I recall, . . . he did something like put the guy's name in the center piece, . . . so it kinda looked like it was planned. May God bless, Dwight

Actually, chiefjason, that "4 inch" comment was for a cowboy gun belt or a LEO gun belt worn over top of his regular clothing etc. For a "hold up my pants" and "hold up my gun" belt, . . . I usually add 2 inches at the most unless the guy is carrying a cannon. And, . . . yeah, . . . I made a belt for a 53 inch guy one time, . . . by the time he got back to pick it up, . . . he needed a 56 and expected me to fix it. I did, . . . May God bless, Dwight

I enjoy making them, . . . mainly because I don't do very many of them, . . . it would probably change if I did make a lot of them. May God bless, Dwight

You are basically looking at proprietary equipment spec'd out and created for that particular holster maker. I doubt if you will find anything, . . . as I believe that is a Galco holster, . . . and I've personally never seen them on any other holsters. But, . . . best wishes on your search. May God bless, Dwight

Springfield leather Weaver Leather Tandy leather shop May God bless, Dwight

I gave up on the press idea a number of years ago when so many of the guns became plastic fantastics. I knew the day would come when I'd crush one, . . . and wind up unhappy having to replace a 500 dollar gun for a 75 dollar holster. I use a vacuum setup, . . . put the gun in the holster, . . . wipe it down with an oily cloth afterwards, . . . never have had a problem or an angry client. I also don't get those screwy looking lines down the inside of the holster where the zip lock bag folded over or bunched up. May God bless, Dwight

Personally, . . . I'd probably do a purse for her, . . . take a look at the ones she has now, . . . find one like it at the Salvation Army, . . . rip it apart for the pattern, . . . you will make her day, . . . and when she's gone, you'll get it back, . . . with lots of memories to hold you over. One of my prized posessions is an 1885 silver dollar I bought for my grandmother and gave it to her one year for Christmas. It was one of her treasures. When she passed, it came back to me, . . . and is now one of my treasures. May God bless, Dwight

Dave Richardson, . . . you outdid yourself on that one. THAT is really cool. May God bless, Dwight

Mike, . . . your extra leather in front of the business end of the barrel is a bit much, . . . BUT, . . . I am very careful about that. I always take enough off that it opens up the bottom of the holster so trash falls out, . . . you don't want anything obstructing the barrel, . . . but at the same time, I leave enough on there so if the wearer sits down in the dirt, . . . the holster will fend off most if not all that might try to get up in the barrel. It is a tricky thing to do, . . . and I usually do it on the belt sander, . . . taking off just a little at a time. But, . . . that's the way I do it, . . . and it's not every one's cup of tea. May God bless, Dwight

Also be sure to add about a 1/4 inch across the spine, . . . as a "just in case" the other measurements aren't quite on the money. I had an almost brand new high dollar reference Bible ruined by that simple mistake, . . . the spine was too narrow, . . . pulled in the covers when it was closed, . . . messed it up good. The lady making it for me meant well, . . . just missed on the measurement, . . . May God bless, Dwight

I got mine on black friday a couple years back. You WILL HAVE TO polish the blade, . . . which is a cheap way of saying the blade needs a good stropping. I used a piece of 7 oz about 5 inches wide, . . . contact cemented it to a very flat pine board, . . . loaded it up with polishing compound and went to work. You loosen one end, . . . spin the blade 180 degrees, . . . lock it down, . . . strop it a bit, . . . and put it back into place. Has worked well for me. May God bless, Dwight

The little guy has always been kicked around by the bullies, . . . business is no exception. The little guy's ace is his ability to outperform the bully in terms of customer satisfaction, . . . in whatever that needs to be. Custom work is up front there, . . . service is a big one, . . . even little things like a "thank you" card inserted in the package can make a difference. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, everyone, . . . getting crowded to get it in before Christmas, . . . but I'm gonna have to take a shot at it afterwards. Maybe near the wood stove sometime in January .... lol May God bless, Dwight

I can three strand braid a pigtail, . . . and that's about my talent at this point. I was asked over the weekend by a lady if I could make her a braided "hair strap" for want of another term. It would be about 18 inches long, . . . and with a clasp, . . . it turns into a circle. She wears it behind her ears and up over the top of her head, keeping her hair from flopping down around her ears. The one she has now is a round braid, . . . and she asked me for a flat braided one, . . . maybe 3/8 inches wide, . . . I told her I would look into it. Anybody got a suggestion as to how I could accomplish such a task?? You have my many thanks if you know the trick. May God bless, Dwight