Dwight

Thanks, Cowboy, . . . like I said earlier, . . . not sure how many times I may ever use it, . . . but I'm sure glad I got it. I will definitely do the pattern just for practice though. May God bless, Dwight

Vice grips and Cheerios there bikermutt07, . . . , . . . actually I have a time with mine as well, . . . but when it is done, . . . it is so, so, so much easier than trying to thin down a piece of leather with hand tools. I'm too old to spend the money that would get me a machine that would do an 8 or 10 inch piece, . . . cannot justify it, . . . but it sure would be nice to have one. Put the leather in, push the button, . . . catch it so it don't hit the floor and get dirty, . . . yep, I'd love that. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Gary, . . . we all learned something today..............

If I dye it, . . . I dip it, . . . don't have any questions then about the coverage, . . . go over it then (or before) with a coat of neatsfoot oil, . . . use only Feibings Oil dye. Basically no problems with my process. The dip dye process takes more dye, . . . but when you are done, . . . you are done. Ya don't have to question and don't have to worry about scraping it and the color scraping off. May God bless, Dwight

I waited for Tandy to do their Black Friday special, . . . got a small one for $199, . . . no way I could have engineered and manufactured something that works as well as that little jewel. Be warned up front though, . . . while it is "sharp" from the factory, . . . the blade needs a good 100 stroke dressing from a home made "strop on a board". Oh, . . . and that is 100 strokes on the top, . . . AND, . . . 100 strokes on the bottom, . . . + / -, . . . to get that razor edge that lets you cut really well. While for the most part, it is only used for belt blanks, . . . I have cleaned up holster parts with it, . . . Watch a couple of Youtubes on how to sharpen the thing, . . . it is a good investment IMHO. May God bless, Dwight

I really don't like most of Tandy's craftaids, . . . but that is one I would love to have in my drawer. I would use it at least once a year I am sure. You did an excellent job on that CowboyCurry. May God bless, Dwight

Do a search on here for a member named Katsass, . . . he was THE progenitor for M&G, . . . and if I recall correctly, . . . his process was equal parts of M&G and tap water. He did the "dunk and shake" routine, . . . and I believe at times it was multiple coats, . . . although I'm not certain on that. I'm happy with Resolene, . . . and other finishes, . . . so I don't use it myself. May God bless, Dwight

Would I also be wrong in guessing that this was a post from something like Etsy or Pinterest, . . . and that the poster was most likely a young female? It has all the look and feel of something you would see on there, . . . not a serious attempt as a "holster". May God bless, Dwight

I guess if you are some kind of a pansy butt, . . . pink parasol carrying wanna be dude, . . . an empty chamber and the safety on might be a good way to carry. OTOH folks who understand guns, . . . safety, . . . threats, . . . and their own abilities, . . . realize that a 1911, cocked and locked is the safest form of firearm carry there is, . . . other than of course, . . . in the glove compartment of your wife's car. May God bless, Dwight

I had one customer (hope he never comes back) who had a "rash", . . . it poked him in the side, . . . it was heavy, . . . etc. I kept waiting for him to tell me the color was the wrong shade of black. Long and short: the rash can be a true personal body reaction to the leather / finish / dye, etc., . . . but it may be a gripe from an habitual complainer. I re-made the holster, . . . to his exact specs, . . . "Well, it's better, but still not right". Again, . . . hope he never comes back. May God bless, Dwight

When I built mine, . . . it went on the shaft first (after drilling all the way through of course), . . . and then went into the drill press. Got a big cup of coffee, . . . hand full of files, . . . turned the old press on, . . . chopped, channeled, and filed until I got what I wanted. Then took it to the shop, . . . little bit of smoother sand paper, . . . then finished it off with a coating of true to life virgin bees wax from my hive up in the corner of the yard. Took some nasty old hard leather scraps, . . . and heated up the burnisher by pressing really hard on it, . . . and she slicked up really good. May God bless, Dwight

Since you did not say otherwise, . . . I'm assuming by "gun belt" you are talking of carrying a pistol on your person for protection, etc. The ones I make dedicated for that generally run .180 to .220 in total overall thickness. That will usually work out as a pair of 6/7 oz blanks, . . . heavy toward the 7, . . . or a 6/7 liner and an 8/9 outside. I always use a micrometer to check the thickness and if necessary, . . . run them through the skinning machine and make them a tad thinner. You will have no worries about it as it will carry a pair of 8 inch barreled .44 mags, . . . with no trouble. I've seen suede lined gun belts, . . . and personally I would not walk across the room to get one. If the belt is properly curved like John Bianchi teaches, . . . it is practically impossible to fall off your hips. Those that do, . . . . simply are not properly curved, . . . or the person wearing it is wearing it too loose. May God bless, Dwight

Well, . . . that's a pain, . . . "Seller doesn't post to the United States" May God bless, Dwight

Actually I would think 207 would be sufficient to get that look. It is apparently mostly denim with leather overlays, . . . Do you have a machine? Do you have access to thread pieces to try, . . . so you can see what you like? I can help you with the thread if you like, . . . just PM me. I need especially to know the type machine you will use. May God bless, Dwight

Personally, . . . I use all 346 thread, . . . for belts, knife sheaths, holsters, and gun bags. It has held up well so far, . . . May God bless, Dwight

You and I are cut from the same piece of cloth, . . . or maybe leather as I have made almost all my specialty cutting tools for straps, contours, belts, etc. Made my own drying box, . . . burnisher, . . . and others. Been called a cheap-skate, . . . and I just smile and nod at the reputation and recognition. May God bless, Dwight

Earlier, I saw another home grown burnisher, . . . and this is just to reinforce to especially the new folks, . . . you do not have to spend $1000 on equipment to make your edges look good. This took me a couple hours, . . . and something like $10, . . . has worked for quite a few years. Don't recollect what the motor came off of, . . . probably a furnace fan. May God bless, Dwight

Hey Dragonfly, . . . welcome aboard, . . . from one far enough south to say, "Yeah, . . . Dragonfly, one of those guys who's almost in New York", . . . lol. Just south of Marion, . . . glad to have another Uh-high-uh guy here. May God bless, Dwight

Yeah, . . . I'm with x101 airborne, . . . made E-7, . . . but for a CSM, . . . ooooo, . . . that needs tooling, . . . concho's, . . . shading, . . . antiquing, . . . maybe a tri-color, . . . But seriously, . . . looks good, . . . hope he enjoys it. And glad he opted for the 1911 instead of a wonder-9, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Now, . . . that's good to know......Thanks, Colt, . . . appreciate the info. May God bless, Dwight

This ain't one of them things like the old Louisiana cook where he "put a little wine in de sauce, . . . put a little wine in de cook" . . . thing is it?? You know, . . . "put a little Everclear in de dye, . . . put a little Everclear in de dyer", . . . May God bless, Dwight

Howdidja know the answer to the question: Where's Waldo?? That's where Dwight lives. Seriously, . . . my metal pans are actually an aluminum pan for the browns, . . . and a porcelain (white) pan for my blacks. Got another aluminum one for odd stuff that I do once in a blue moon. I've never had any problems with any of them. Everclear??? Here in Ohio, . . . it is illegal to own, sell, traffic, purchase, or possess. OTOH, . . . if you know the right "ol' Southern boy", . . . ya might get something that will be in the same neighborhood of 190 proof, . . . and yeah, . . . folks around here still drink it, . . . not me of course, . . . but others do. May God bless, Dwight

Wellllll, . . . actually, I use all white thread, . . . but I do have a small spool of black. Never have had anyone want anything but black or white, . . . and probably would discourage them if they did want some off the wall combination (red thread on a green holster). The few I get ask for the white stitching, . . . so it really is just a matter of when do I stitch, . . . before or after dying. AND, . . . my machine is a Tippmann Boss, . . . which just every now and again can be a pain when I change out the thread. Never figured out why, . . . just know it happens, . . . I sometimes think my machine is a female, . . . it can get peeved over the slightest nothing, . . . and takes it out with a vengeance. And, yes, . . . the white thread does come out a tad less dyed than the leather, . . . even the black, . . . but it is close enough that I've never had a customer get all up in arms about it. He probably wouldn't be a customer long if he did, . . . because it is just that close. I'd give him his money back, . . . bid him adieu, . . . put the item on Ebay, . . . and get my $$$ back. Also put that dude on a DO NOT CALL list. May God bless, Dwight

Given the choice between copper and brass, . . . I'll take the copper every time. I've NEVER had a copper rivet fail, . . . actually never have ever heard of one doing so. But brass can and will break, . . . I've done it many times with brass rods. Copper bends but does not break. May God bless, Dwight

Double Daddy, . . . I made my commitment to dip dying several years ago, . . . just got fed up with the sponging, wiping, etc, that sometimes did OK, . . . sometimes looked like something that needed a grave under the garbage heap. Messed with an air sprayer, . . . did not like the lack of depth, . . . it is only a surface coating. Jumped in with both feet on the dip dying, . . . and again, . . . fooled around with other reducers, . . . finally decided that since Feibings makes the dye, . . . they probably make the better reducer, . . . so all of my dye is reduced 1:1, . . . before it is used. And as you touched on the subject, . . . the only hangup is when someone wants a contrasting thread. Fortunately, . . . I don't see that much, . . . and you won't hear me complain about not seeing it either. May God bless, Dwight