Dwight

My guess is that you used contact cement, . . . and that is one of the bad traits of CC, . . . you get it where you did not want it, . . . too bad, . . . it will not take dye. About the best I'd suggest is using a black "Sharpie" or other black permanent magic marker, . . . but even then, . . . it'll take several applications. I learned long ago to stay a distance from the line around any glued on piece so that very thing would not happen. Are you using "Tee" nuts to hold on your straps?? May God bless, Dwight

Good job !!!! May God bless, Dwight

Uhh, . . . John Wayne and Clint Eastwood didn't like Glocks............ But, anyway, . . . I have never made one as you have described, . . . but I have built many holsters for 1911's which have a similar frame. It can be done, . . . what you want to do is get a copy of John Bianchi's western holster making DVD's or VHS tapes. Either one will show you the mechanics of making a holster like that, . . . and if you take your time, . . . it will be a holster you will be proud of. You most likely do not have a sewing machine, . . . so instead of making it with two layers of 6/7 oz veggie tan, . . . you can use one layer of 8/9 oz or 9/10 oz and achieve a good looking holster much like John Wayne used in True Grit or a couple of his other Western movies. You will have to sew one seam, . . . the seam that will be under the trigger guard and the light. You will also want to make it a closed bottom and let the weapon rest on the front of the flashlight instead of the muzzle of the gun. If you don't find anything (try Ebay) let me know by PM, . . . I have a couple of Glock blue guns, . . . and could probably whip up some kind of rough pattern for you. Do you also want to tool it, . . . decorate it with concho's, . . . or anything like that? May God bless, Dwight

My belts are all made of two pieces of leather, . . . usually cut back to back from the same hide, . . . put together with Weldwood contact cement, . . . then stitched. My belts run less than .250, . . . that is just on the very edge of being too thick. I am actually wearing one that thick right now, . . . but very few of my clients like them that thick. I did do some work for a local LEO, . . . his commercially made belt was exactly that thick, . . . and if I recollect correctly, . . . was 2 1/2 inches wide. His was also stitched. No, . . . I would not use raw hide, . . . veggie tan was made for belts, . . . makes the best looking and they are long lasting. May God bless, Dwight

I've found the one on the right is a bit more uncomfortable for me, . . . mainly because I'm one bony guy. Not much lard or meat on these bones, . . . maybe a bit hanging over the buckle out front, . . . but even that is not much. All that said, . . . the one on the right is a "pain cake" for me, . . . much prefer the one on the left. But also, . . . though it is the same thickness, . . . because it does not get pulled in next to my bony old self, . . . it does protrude a bit more. Not much, . . . but then you don't need much to look out of place. But that's just my take on the discussion, . . . YMMV May God bless, Dwight

I've always been a fan of this particular knife, . . . have one given to me by the mother of a young marine whose life was taken by sickness. You did a great job on that sheath, . . . kudos to you, my friend. May God bless, Dwight

Without dimensions, . . . it's pretty tough to figure on an improvisation, . . . but I have better than half of my punches made from galvanized electrical conduit. Generally, . . . I take it to a sander, . . . sand off a bevel on the outside edge to make a cutting surface on the end, . . . then cut / form / bend / that end so that when I whack it with a mallet, . . . it cuts out what i want. What are the dimensions of the project? May God bless, Dwight

"It's only happened twice in about 100 years........." I had to laugh, . . . my "big" story is a guy wanted a cowboy gun belt and holster like John Wayne's. We agreed on price and delivery. He measured out at 53 inches, . . . and I always follow John Bianchi's advice of making it 4 inches longer, . . . which made a 57 inch belt. I made it, . . . called him, . . . he came to pick it up. It was 3 inches too short, . . . as he had gained 3 inches in the processing time. Fortunately, . . . I was able to put a new tongue on it, . . . and it worked out. Don't want any more of those.............. May God bless, Dwight

I don't see any problem with using Resolene on those bags. Resolene only has problems (in my experience at least) in real sharp bends, . . . for example the bend at the buckle end of a man's belt. I always preform them, then put on the Resolene, . . . have never had one crack since. Again, . . . I'd probably take a 6 inch square of the same leather used for the bags, . . . and do everything to it you did to the bag, . . . then a 50/50 Resolene and water, . . . it should give you a really good protective finish. AND, . . by the way, . . . they look good from what I could see. I'd be proud of them if they were my creation. May God bless, Dwight

Carrieanna1172, . . . I have never used the snow proof weather proof stuff you mentioned, . . . cannot say good or bad about it. Resolene, . . . though, . . . I've been using for a number of years, . . . and it's a great product. I always thin it with water, . . . half Resolene / half water, . . . give it a couple of shakes, . . . you're good. I put it on with a bristle brush, . . . it usually is a fairly thin coat, . . . but you can add coats to get the thickness you want. One word of caution, . . . make sure your saddle bags are all formed to the shape you want them, . . . a severe bend in the Resolene after applying and drying can result in a crack in the finish that you WILL NOT like. I'd try a test area first, . . . make sure whatever is on there will not lift the finish off, . . . and go from there. Post some pics and let us see what you are doing. May God bless, Dwight

Of all the bikes in the last few years I've seen, . . . I'd say that is one I would not mind owning. So many of them around here are black and chrome, . . . black and chrome, . . . black and chrome. Boring does not describe them all adequately. This is a refreshing and beautiful change of pace. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Albob...... I wasn't sure what kind of snakes you were mentioning, . . . only ones I knew of in the San Diego area that would need a .44 mag, . . . mostly drank a lot, swore a lot, and wore either a skirt or britches. But, . . . all in all, the rig looked good, . . . and she seemed to be enjoying it. That last phrase is the most important part of it for me as far as leather working is concerned. If my customer is happy, . . . I'm happy, . . . looks like you hit a home run with her. May God bless, Dwight

Weldwood contact cement, . . . properly applied. May God bless, Dwight

I don't know enough about saddle structure and this riding sport, . . . but from a leather working standpoint: 5 stars my friend............ May God bless, Dwight

Cut up a portion of a one gallon freezer bag, . . . so you can wrap it around your knife, . . . shove the knife and bag down in the sheath. Get up tomorrow morning, . . . remove the knife, . . . unwrap the bag, . . . try the knife again. If it is still too tight, . . . keep adding layers until you get the fit you want. Remember to leave the knife in the sheath for several hours, . . . I like to do 8 or so, . . . it allows the leather to stretch out, . . . but not spring back. We do this with gun holsters, knife sheaths, even billfolds and check books. Neat trick that works every time. May God bless, Dwight

They never wound up that bad, . . . but I had some shipmates that must have been some relationship to your sonarman, . . . cousins or something, . . . they would do the same thing. Had one EM1 that wouldn't drink anything but sloe gin and orange juice, . . . he was ugly when he was plastered. Thanks for the story katsass, . . . I needed a chuckle today. May God bless, Dwight

She carries a Ruger wheel gun in .44 mag to keep snakes at bay while out camping. I'll admit, . . . I did see some pretty big snakes down around E street when I was in the USN out there. But they were mostly the 2 leg variety. But camping with a .44 mag.............gives a whole new perspective to the idea, . . . unless they're camping in the hills south of San Diego, . . . then I'd be carrying something that reloads a lot faster than a wheel gun. But with that, . . . good looking rig you're doing there. Be sure to post the finished product up close when it's done. May God bless, Dwight

Some years ago, . . . I bought a tool from Walmart (they don't carry it here now) that has blue handles, a white head, made of metal, and is for line 24 snaps only. It is too big for the smaller ones. I have seen that same tool at Hobby Lobby, . . . it is a card item, . . . hanging in their sewing area. They have two versions, the one that supposedly does all the sizes etc, . . . and the one that does the 24's only. That is the one I would get. It has served me well for the 6 or so years I've had it, . . . and I think the price was like $25.00 May God bless, Dwight

I was tasked with a special problem with two Boston bull dogs. Each one would tug at the other one's braided cloth shock collar, . . . until it fell off. Then the other dog would get his off, . . . and the pups would flee the yard for squirrels, frogging, mud running, . . . whatever. I made two new collars, . . . 8 oz veggie tan, . . . two layers, . . . sewn together like a cowboy belt, . . . Feibings stain, . . . Resolene finish, . . . and I have not had one bad comment from the owners, . . . That was a couple years ago, . . . I consider it a total success, . . . but just my situation, . . . YMMV. May God bless, Dwight

Occasionally I will use shoe polish, . . . but as an old Navy man, . . . Kiwi is the only shoe polish that comes in my front door. I have tried mop & glo, . . . prefer Resolene, . . . mainly because it is the only product out there that has a sun shield in it. I'm doing a few different things now, . . . and I just may step across the line to mop & glo, . . . will pass it on if I do. All my finishes are either dip and drip or brushed on, . . . and I want to experiment some this summer with spray finishes. Also want to look at two tone finishes you can get with spraying on the dye, . . . gonna do some "playing" so to speak. May God bless, Dwight

Supercub hit all the points I would have mentioned. I do have a couple patterns, but for the most part, your way is the way I do it as well for most pancake holsters. May God bless, Dwight

I'll do it for $62,500.00 (the price of the new Ford Quadcab I would like to have) May God bless, Dwight

Ray, . . . please don't be a stranger here, . . . you may not be "creating" anything on the production table, . . . but your vault of expertise can be profoundly useful here to many of us. I'm actually looking at the same situation in a year, . . . maybe 2, . . . maybe 3, . . . but for sure within the next 5. Seems like every project took so much longer than the one before it did, . . . and my arms aren't quite long enough to get stuff out there where I can see it anymore Take care, . . . may God bless, Dwight

What I do is roll them around a small steel dowel, . . . do that a couple times, . . . they will loosen right up. May God bless, Dwight