Dwight

No "slight" intended SooperJake, . . . I owned an XD double stack, . . . carried it for a while, . . . and I'm sorry, . . . but I just could not get past the Glock look and Glock feel of it. Honestly, I never got to the point where "I" trusted it, . . . no doubt everyone else in the county did, . . . I just could not. Finally got a chance to trade it up and up for an ATI, all steel commander, . . . grabbed it while I could, . . . never looked back. I would love to see one disassembled, . . . see what makes the thing tick, . . . never had the time or inclination to do that with mine while I had it. A 1911, I have never taken one apart blindfolded, . . . but I'm thinking I could almost do it. I have taken it down to a pile of pieces, . . . the only parts still together were the sights still on the slide, as I recall. I wouldn't do that to an XD. But then again, . . . lots of people trust them, . . . and their trust is verified by their safety record. Can't even come close to saying that for Glocks. May God bless, Dwight

I have kind of shied away from making a lot of pancake holsters, simply because I've seen some worn that I wouldn't put my worst enemy's gun in, . . . they were all loose, floppy and more like a flannel bag than a leather holster. I tried Katsass' method of making them, . . . and I've become an enthusiast at least, . . . and in all probability, . . . a convertee. "THANK YOU", Mike. It is not readily apparent, but the holster is 4 pieces of leather: front and back each made of two bonded pieces of veggie tan. I think it could be marketed as the 11th round, . . . 8+1 coming from the 1911, . . . the 1911 itself being the 10th round, . . . and the holster, removed from the belt, could be the 11th round down range. Certainly if a guy was hit up beside the head with this at any speed at all, . . . it would certainly get his attention. I was also surprized at how well this process takes to the molding detail. I kinda figured it would not do well, . . . pleasantly surprised that it molds very well. This is for a full size 1911 that has a rail on it. Anyway, sorry the picture is not of better quality, but all black holsters don't photograph really well. May God bless, Dwight

Here is a sample of what I was talking about. The right side is sewn down, . . . the whole thing submerged, . . . gun outline made (Beretta 9mm in this case). After it dries, . . . finish gluing it together, . . . gouge, stitch and be on your way. It also allows you to use a bit bigger piece of leather, . . . and you can then mold it to the weapon, . . . especially if you do not have a pattern for that exact model. In this case I'm using a 1911 pattern back, . . . and a slightly enlarged front, . . . to do the Beretta, . . . and my "lucky guess" as to how much bigger to make it came out pretty good this time. They don't always May God bless, Dwight

I tried the game of having patterns so perfected that I could plot the stitch lines, . . . sew everything flat, . . . wet & mold later, . . . etc. Personally, . . . I did not like it. Much prefer to get one side of the holster stitched down like it needs to be, . . . wet & mold, . . . dry, . . . do the stitching on the second side. I also lightly gouge for stitch lines, . . . mainly to give these 71 year old eyes a target to put the stitches in. AND, yes, . . . they are also flat, . . . less chance of wearing and abrading through. I only mention these techniques as "the way I do it" and it is not necessarily "THE BEST" way for everyone, . . . but it makes my shop hum and be productive. Trying different approaches will sometimes create a nice pile of beautiful scrap leather, . . . but it will also give one foresight on what can and cannot be done that way. May God bless, Dwight

No, . . . believe me, . . . this is a "one of a kind" weapon. They sell for less than $200 new, . . . if that gives you any idea. Personally, . . . would not own one unless I had to. Google "image hi point 9mm" and double click on "more images". It'll give you an idea of what you're dealing with. Plus, . . . there are several different versions of the 9mm if I'm not mistaken, . . . you would need to know exactly which one. It's kind of akin to saying you are making a holster for a Glock 9mm. Which one??????? May God bless, Dwight

Unfortunately, . . . you will be making a Lincoln to haul pigs in. Hi-Point firearms are notoriously heavy and unweildy beasts, . . . make sure you use at least 8 oz leather on that thing, . . . and put some kind of retention strap on it. I personally have never been asked to make one, . . . and from my personal experience with one of them, . . . it's just as well. Last time I held one, . . . my finger had been clear of the trigger for a good 10 seconds when it finally decided it wanted to go boom. Depending on how good you are at woodwork, . . . you may be able to cobble up a dummy gun from wood that will suffice. I've done that in a pinch a few times. May God bless, Dwight

Heck, . . . I like it, . . . Now if that had a USN insignia in the middle.............. Seriously, DD04, . . . you could probably sell those at a local fair faster than you could think of making them, . . . course, . . . depending on price. My big old case goes to the left side of my billfold if I carry it, . . . learned that over in RVN, . . . Anyway, . . . welcome to the forum, . . . glad to have you here, . . . pull up an ammo crate and have fun. May God bless, Dwight

I've never done it, . . . but I have heard of folks using mink oil as their final finish, . . . Can't be all bad, . . . I mean, heck, a couple hundred years ago, what were your options: mink oil, bear grease, tallow, beeswax, olive oil, . . . many items were used then that we have developed replacements for now. Give it a whirl, . . . worst thing that will happen will be like some of my "experiments", . . . off to the "didn't work out" box. It's getting pretty full May God bless, Dwight

Mike516, yes you are right, . . . the only thing that goes onto my belts after the resolene, is the dust that gathers hanging in the closet........lol. My outside piece on a lined belt stays flat for stamping, sewing, tooling, and all that stuff. Then when all that is done, . . . it gets dyed. When that is dry (and I mean DRY................), . . . I'll actually flex it a bit in my hand, . . . nothing serious, . . . just roll it enough so if I lay it on its edge on a table, it will stay standing up, . . . maybe a 40 inch circle???? Then comes the Resolene process, . . . with a 1 inch pig hair bristle brush (them cheap little rascals at harbor freight, . . . I get em when on sale). I give it a good coat on the inside, . . . going back and forth, . . . brushing out all the bubbles. That includes the buckle end, . . . I usually do it last. I then flip the belt over, . . . give it a real good coat up at the buckle end, . . . and this is when I do my bending, . . . and I do it kinda of slowly, . . . making a really good bend, . . . usually with a small wooden dowel where the buckle would be. I then complete the Resolene treatment to the rest of the belt, . . . come back up and touch up the buckle end, . . . lay it on the top edge on a piece of cardboard for about 15 minutes, . . . flip it to the other edge and allow it to fully and finally dry. Tomorrow, when it is fully dry, . . . I'll take it to my electric burnisher (think 1 hp electric motor with burnishing wooden tool on the shaft), . . . i burnish the edges, . . . put on the buckle and belt keeper with 2 chicago screws, . . . it's done. Seriously, I have never had a problem since I started it this way. May God bless, Dwight

Welcome to the forum, . . . glad to have you aboard. May God bless, Dwight

Like you, . . . most of my belts are also lined. I have a special cutter that puts the two pieces together up at the buckle end. Just one of those "process steps" that we all get into, . . . I found that the Resolene dampens the leather plenty enough for me to make that bend without any cracking and so I've just "done it that way" so to speak. I also had a problem one time with snaps, . . . quit using them, . . . all my belts go out now with Chicago screws. I put one in front of the keeper and one behind it. No complaints so far, . . . and I usually don't have to skive, because my lining leather is almost every time, from the same hide. I cut two pieces, . . . take the better looking one for the outside, the other one goes to the inside. May God bless, Dwight

As well, . . . the "recent posts" is a blank screen, . . . "No new posts available" or something to that effect. May God bless, Dwight

Let me jump in here a second, . . . just wanted to say YES, . . . I like the new format. Much faster, . . . "looks" cleaner, . . . May God bless, Dwight

The vast majority of belts I make are final coated in Resolene, . . . when I get to the buckle end, . . . I coat both sides with Resolene, . . . then I make my bend, . . . fold it over real good and tight, . . . then smooth out the Resolene finish, . . . hang it up to dry. I busted one of the prettiest belts I ever made before I learned this trick, . . . have not had ONE problem since I started doing it this way. No, I do not skive the ends of my belts, . . . 95% of the time. Only occasionally for special effects will I do that. May God bless, Dwgiht

You can tell them for me (and I would suppose, a LARGE majority of the folks on here) that they should stick to running the cash register, . . . they obviously do not know much about leather or leather working. I have used Resolene for a number of years, . . . it works first time, . . . every time, . . . does a great job on my belts, and holsters, and knife sheaths, and gun bags, and purses, and billfolds, . . . and I probably missed a few things. Yes, . . . it does take a bit of getting used to as far as using it correctly, . . . but once you catch on, . . . there is nothing out there in it's league, . . . everything else is on a lower ladder rung. I normally brush it on with a 1 inch pig hair bristle brush, . . . but I have sponged it on, . . . air brushed it, . . . and dipped it. They're retail counter people, . . . would probably cry if they had to try to work for a living. May God bless, Dwight

That's a good one too............. Thanks, may God bless, Dwight

Hey, BondoBob, . . . thanks pal for the picture of the little lady in the pink. Haven't been feeling all the way up to par, . . . needed something to bust the monotony, . . . erase the fog, . . . y'know. THAT picture did it. Seeing the smile on her face, . . . ribbon in her hand, . . . and that beautiful piece of horseflesh she is riding, . . . just made my day. Again, thanks for posting, . . . May God bless, Dwight

^^^^ Good looking stuff Big Sioux.......... May God bless, Dwight

I know this is not the style you wanted, . . . but just to give you an idea of what you need, . . . and a way to think about it. I made these a couple of years ago for a parade, . . . made them from suede leather, . . . if you can read the legend on the cutting table, . . . you'll see that the main piece needed to be 29 inches wide, . . . and just about 32 long. These chaps were for me, . . . I'm 6' 2". And of course, I made the pattern in the vinyl first, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Only if you just finish one side,.......... Resolene seals the leather, . . . including smell. May God bless, Dwight

Considering you may have to cut around a brand, scratch, etc, . . . for the body of the chaps, . . . . I'd count on having a good 12 square feet of leather. The belt and pockets can be usually made of "stuff" you have laying around the leather shop.\ May I make a suggestion, however, . . . look on line, . . . get one of those 50% off coupons from JoAnn fabric, . . . go in there and buy two yards of their fabric backed vinyl. It approximates leather for making chaps, . . . in fact, . . . . it IS MY pattern material. Make your first pair from the vinyl, . . . it'll tell you where and how you need to modify your pattern. May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Philly, . . . It is for a special girl, . . . glad I don't have to spend as much time on all the others as I had to do for this one. But again, . . . how else do you show the love??? May God bless, Dwight

I just shipped out my niece's butterfly belt (it's in the show off section) this morning. I wrap the belt from end to end in soft, fluffy, paper towels. Last thing I want is one that gets there all scratched and abraded because of some traveling vibration. But I really do like your idea, . . . that wouldn't have been instigated by a purple bag with a crown on it would it???? lol May God bless, Dwight

Personally, . . . when I see someone carrying a 1911 that is not C&L, . . . I realize they are one of two: inexperienced and afraid of the weapon they are carrying, . . . or much more highly trained and capable than I. A cocked and locked 1911 is without a doubt the single most safe firearm a person can carry other than one that is not loaded. No other firearm has the redundant and time proven safety systems built into it as does the 1911. The other end of the spectrum is the plastic fantastics, . . . of which Glock is queen. I carry C&L 99% of the time, . . . and I only put the 1% in there JIC. If I were making a BBQ rig for a 1911, . . . it would for sure be C&L, . . . but then again, . . . that's just one idea, . . . there are others. AND, . . . I would not use a strap over it (commonly known as a suicide strap), . . . but rather I would make a thumb break, and let it lay between the hammer and the firing pin. When someone needs a 1911 with a thumb break, . . . that's how I make it. May God bless, Dwight

I don't usually show off my stuff, . . . usually plain vanilla stuff, . . . this one was not. My niece wanted a black belt with purple butterflies, . . . she got it. May God bless, Dwight