Dwight

Pebbles, . . . the vinyl I use is .040 inches or 1mm thick. It is much heavier than the tablecloth vinyl, and is used for upholstery, cushions, seat covers, and the like. I use it because it is the nearest I have found to leather in the way it mimics folding, laying, or hanging. BUT, . . . I had not thought of tablecloth vinyl, . . . and at least for the pattern shape, . . . it may very well work out for you. I would, however find some belly leather, or scrap stuff you have laying around for the belt, etc. I do that with mine and it works out pretty good for me. May God bless, Dwight

The other day, . . . I got my new thermometer that I ordered, . . . drilled a hole in the front, . . . stuck the old thermo in the hole, . . . it is just nice and snug, . . . Left it on for several hours, . . . wanting to see if I would get up to the safety temperature of 140, . . . never happened. I got to about 135 and that was all. I'm not unhappy about it though, . . . I've got a safety if something goes wrong, . . . it's low enough that I can just up and forget for an hour or so and no big problems will occur with the project, . . . and I basically made it out of scrap or surplus parts I had laying around. As Hannibal used to say on the "A" team, . . . I love it when a plan comes together. May God bless, Dwight

Hbar, . . . Reading your post, . . . I could almost look up in a mirror and say, . . . yeah, been there, done that. A number of years ago, I built a small press, . . . and at first, . . . I was thoroughly happy with the results. Then, like you, I began comparing what I was doing with other's results, . . . and mine did not get up to where I really wanted them. Someone mentioned vacuum forming, . . . and because I used to do vacuum formed magnetic signs, . . . I decided to try it. I'll never use a press again. In fact, a young fellow in Arizona wanted to buy some press rubber, . . . I made him a good deal. I use it for almost all the holsters I build, . . . The bag is nothing more than a piece of heavy vinyl from Joann Fabric about 24 inch square. I use a Harbor Freight vac pump, . . . you can see the blank leather before the process, . . . and during the process. This was not supposed to be a hi-def holster, . . . but you can see around the hammer where it pulled in the thumb break strap. I had to straighten that later, . . . but that was no problem. I also made a Rhodesian holster for a 1911 commander, . . . first one I made with the bag, . . . eased it out of the bag after forming, . . . let it dry, . . . the gun was a bit snug, so I "forced" it into the dry holster. I almost thought I would need a razor knife to get the holster off the gun. That alone sold me on this process. I also like this as there is almost no possibility of crushing or breaking a weapon with this, . . . and I wonder about a press. Anyway, . . . food for thought for you. The little black slide cake was done in the vac bag, . . . not looking for a lot of hi-def, . . . just a working holster, . . . but you an see how well it did. That is 7/8 oz shoulder leather. May God bless, Dwight

Tinker Tailor, . . . it has been several years, . . . and I don't have the info right at my fingertips, but there was a post, . . . and it may have been on here, I'm not sure, . . . where another maker listed several instances where a person either fell or was pushed, . . . the impact of the spinal column being crossways to the handgun, . . . allowed the spine to be irreversibly damaged. I just don't want to be involved where that is a remote but none the less, . . . real possible scenario. I also do not make shoulder holsters that do not cause the muzzle to point down. Not everyone is as careful with firearms as I am, . . . and knowing that, . . . I want to build in whatever safety I can for my customers. If someone does not like my restrictions, . . . I wish them and their new supplier the very best. May God bless, Dwight

Just be sure that they know if they have a pistol on their spine, . . . get pushed down hard, . . . they will be in a wheel chair for the rest of their lives. A number of holster makers do not make them for that very reaoson, . . . I am one of them. May God bless, Dwight

Hey, Capt, . . . just a small warning, . . . you might want to take a set of calipers to whatever other SAA you want to use for the mold. Colt, Beretta, and some others are one size, . . . Ruger is a different size, . . . and it is sufficiently bigger that it can (and has, . . . ugh !!!! ) make a difference in the holster. The Ruger is a tad bigger overall, and the cylinder is a lot thicker. Just do the measurement and you should be good. May God bless, Dwight

Looks good so far, msdeluca, . . . When I get these projects, . . . I usually procrastinate a while, . . . then get mad at myself, . . . just quit what I wanted to do, . . . and DO IT. That's actually how mine came about earlier this year. May God bless, Dwight

You are right about the holster needing just a bit more grip, . . . I intended to do that with a bit of cant, . . . and somehow it just didn't get programmed into the product. I went all summer (after building the hot box) without using it, as I have both a door and an large window facing the South, . . . and I use them to dry most any thing I have, . . . and it is usually "overnight". I started 2 holsters Sunday late afternoon, . . . just for kicks and giggles, . . . and finished the second one this morning (putting on two snaps) before I put it in the post office to go to Arizona. Man how I wish I had done this so many years ago, . . . as I would be all cranked and ready to work, . . . but everything is drying / wet / damp / or something, . . . so I'd quit for the day. Now, . . . if I've got three projects going, . . . I can pretty well go non stop until I figure the sheets and linens are calling. I won't get a lot more done, . . . but it'll be more fun doing it. Next up: 2 cell phone cases / holster / belt / and a set of armor for a Roman Centurion. May God bless, Dwight

OK, . . . don't beat up too bad on me over this one, . . . it is my first "Slide Cake", . . . and was done in less than 24 hours: design / pattern / cut / sew / mold / dye / fit / buff / and final finish. What made it all work was the hot box. AND, . . . we found a name for it, . . . the slide cake, . . . because it "slides" on my belt a little bit. Now, . . . I did pull a big boo-boo, . . . locating the thumb break, . . . had to move it, . . . so three rivets fill in the otherwise blaring holes, . . . BUT, . . . I am really pleased with it, . . . far more than any pancake I ever had or made. AND, . . . it just might become a regular in my carry rotation. Anyway, . . . it's fun to have good news, . . . just wanted to share, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Well, . . . did a bunch of things down thru the summer, . . . never needed the "hot box" for what I was doing then. Got to thinking about it today, . . . no real sun for hanging in the window, . . . Made two holsters today, . . . and the concept works great, . . . and no problem with it "overheating". It dried one holster I dyed in about 2 hours, . . . dried the Resolene applications for 2 holsters in about an hour, . . . (I'm wearing one right now that I put resolene on earlier today, . . . normally would never have done this, . . . but the hot box makes it so workable). Got two cell phone cases drying in there right now, . . . did the old water forming trick, . . . waiting for them to dry. Been in there about 3 hours so far, . . . Just wanted to give everyone a heads up, . . . and the good news that the design works, . . . you want to copy, . . . jump in there, . . . but you gotta use your own wood. May God bless, Dwight

Everyone pretty much knows what a pancake, . . . Tom 3 persons, . . . snapcake, . . . Rhodesian, . . . SOB, . . . cross breed, . . . and other holsters are called. What is the nomenclature for a pancake that does not have holes punched for the belt, . . . but instead has a short belt tunnel on each side of the gun? I have seen them in pictures, . . . never in person, . . . decided to make one, . . . have no idea what to call it. Slip cake? Slide cake? Anyway, . . . just wondered. May God bless, Dwight

Many of us are in the same boat: grew up in the US, . . . I can measure almost anything we commonly use or work with because I know dimensions of my fingers, . . . the span of my hand, . . . the span of my arms, . . . the length of my step, . . . etc. Off to the far East for several years in the US Navy, . . . got introduced to metric, . . . about the time I got comfortable (sort of) I'm back in the US. Later, . . . the US has an extra curricular affair with metric, . . . didn't go well, . . . but foreign cars and tools we buy are metric, . . . so like you said Pavel, . . . two rulers. In my shop I have three tool boxes for wrenches. One devoted to metric, . . . one to normal, . . . and one that houses tools that don't care. Just a fact of this "modern", . . . global economy world we live in. May God bless, Dwight

FWIW, . . . when I got my Boss, . . . I got several different weights of thread, . . . mostly from Springfield Leather. Bought a spool of 346 at Tandy's also. I only use one other thread, . . . 400, . . . and it is ONLY for special projects. 346 goes on all the other stuff, . . . the thread from Tandy is so easy to work with, lays down beautifully, . . . May God bless, Dwight

I don't recollect who it was a number of years ago, . . . said only to use beeswax and neatsfoot oil in equal WEIGHT. I make mine in a glass jar sitting in an old cheap crock pot from Salvation Army store. I don't use it on a lot of projects, . . . use a little heat from the heat gun when I do, . . . It's only for special customers. May God bless, Dwight

Personally, . . . I have never had good fortune working with leather that was previously hardened, . . . it's just not the (pardon the pun) nature of the beast. OTOH, . . . for what you want to accomplish, . . . take your leather, . . . cut it to the dimension and shape you desire, . . . stamp and tool, . . . and then dry it in a drying box that DOES NOT exceed 140 deg. F. Let it hang in there until it is completely dry. If you want to then harden it, . . . dip it in liquid beeswax, . . . you can then attach this to your armor with contact cement and stitching, . . . it WILL NOT COME OFF, . . . and if properly done, will not degrade the strength of the armor. I've done this with some small pieces for special circumstances, . . . and that piece of leather is super hard, . . . maintains definition, etc. May God bless, Dwight

I would probably also prefer as LumpenDoodle2 said, . . . to use the M&M system, . . . But if you had been here in the US when it was attempted a couple decades back, . . . y'all would understand our reluctance. I don't recollect which way it was, . . . but the Japanese version of metric was one size and the German version was either a tad smaller or a tad bigger. You had to have three sets of wrenches to work on cars, . . . or at least two. Same went for screws, . . . the phillips head on a Japanese screw did not mesh with a German screwdriver, . . . and it was so disconcerting, . . . a lot of us just balked and said forget it. Even now, . . . mechanics still have to have two sets of wrenches, . . . But at least in leatherwork, . . . a knife cut is a knife cut, . . . no M&M or Inch, . . . just cut. May God bless, Dwight

I think you will find that the majority of us on here are into inches, feet, yards, etc. FYI, leather is typically measured in ounces, . . . and usually addressed in the format x/y ounces: for example 4/5 means at least 4 ounces in thickness, . . . but not over 5 ounces. Ounces are each 1/64 of an inch. Therefore, . . . a piece of leather that is exactly 8 ounces in thickness would be 8/64" or 1/8 of an inch. A few from Au, . . . UK, . . . Sweden, . . . etc. seem to be entombed in the mack-rack or M&M ideology. Can't be too hard on em though, . . . that is what they learned growing up, . . . and sometimes it is hard to change. Fortunately, . . . I can relate most of their posts to 7.62 mm or 5.56 mm as I just happen to be well versed in those two measurements. If I were not, . . . I'd have to google their mm measurements every time. May God bless, Dwight

Looks good from here.............. May God bless, Dwight

It works out a lot better to burnish the edges before you put on anything like edge kote or Resolene. The beeswax will hold the fibers down and give a nice smooth finish, . . . but it is better if you only use the beeswax and water. The other concoctions have oil and other additives that can dilute and/or attack your finish, . . . The "finish", . . . should be exactly what that name implies, . . . "finished". Doing anything after Resolene is hard at best, . . . and many times is a waste of effort. May God bless, Dwight

While I have messed with air brushing Resolene, . . . I prefer to brush it on with a 1 inch wide bristle brush, . . . It does an excellent job, . . . I've never had anything "run" on me using it that way, . . . and yes, it is cut 50/50 with water. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Chief,...... Have to give them a call come Monday. May God bless, Dwight

Hey, Folks, . . . looking for somewhere that I can buy a 24 inch by 24 inch piece of "nice" veggie tan leather. Cannot have any scars, holes, etc, . . . but does not have to be Queen Elizabeth perfect either. Must be at least 12 oz, . . . and I really have no need for any more than just that one piece. Ideas anyone??? May God bless, Dwight

Can't tell about the walleye, . . . if I need a few, . . . Kroger is still in business. Crappies and catfish are the local favorites. I haven't been fishing in years, . . . probably won't be for a while either. May God bless, Dwight

The mat on my table is available at Joann's Fabric, . . . get the coupon from their website, . . . can get up to half off, . . . I love mine. May God bless, Dwight

I'm sure if you shopped around enough, . . . somebody makes leather scented candles, . . . you could just light one every other day or so, . . . kind of make ya feel at home. Plus instead of hand sewing a holster, . . . you could take up fly tying, . . . ya gotta catch bait fish anyway if ya want them biggie muskies, . . . Seriously, . . . have fun, . . . my wife and I discussed selling out and moving, . . . decided to stay put, . . . we'll just hope and pray for the best for you and yours. May God bless, Dwight