alpha2

Decades ago, when I started in the Dental Equipment repair business, there were still a lot of old dental chairs covered in leather, in older offices. The leather was fairly firm. Chromexcel is fantastic stuff, and is stretchier than many other leathers. Maybe too stretchy, I'm not sure, I've only used it for belts. Over the length of a belt, it can stretch a bit, not sure about a barber chair long term. Not likely though, that an old Koken chair will get used all day, every day like in "the olden days"! In the old chairs, the upholstery isn't the only place they used leather. The seals in the hydraulics were leather cups, presoaked in oil before use. I could still get them new in the '70's! Royal pain to replace though.

I need to correct this, "When the "short timer" had two days remaining, they earned the nickname, "two digit midget". The term took effect when he had less than 100 days left, not two days! (Hey, it's been a LOOONG time). When I got on the USCGC Rush, it had just returned from Nam. It was still a very new ship. A few years ago, I read it had been decommissioned and sold to a foreign power also. Renamed the "Mohammed" something or other. I hope it sinks. I'm too old to be nice.

Sorry, I haven't been on for a while. My Gunny brother wanted to stay in, and would have if they would've let him. He was a weighmaster on Herky-pigs and others, specializing in what I would describe as "touch and go deliveries", getting loads yanked out of the back of cargo planes at "zero altitude", mostly C-130's. To the extent that he was chosen to train the Air Force in the process. He had an injury to his knee that prevented him from passing the physical related to 100 yd dash, or some such thing. He asked me, "how far do think I'm required to "dash" in a C-130?". I know he still regrets not finishing out his career. Not related to that, but I designed and installed the avionics suite in my IFR rated homebuilt aircraft, including building the marker beacon receiver and digital engine instrument stuff. I did have experience, long before, building a Heathkit oscilloscope for my Ham station. A faulty diode made that more difficult than it needed to be. (Mostly because I "assumed" it was a nightmare of a solder job on a multi-level rotary switch, it wasn't). Have you ever assumed the bug was something it wasn't? I didn't think so, nobody does. I do know that NONE of that would cut it for an avionics technician rate! I'm "not that guy". At the USCG AirStation San Francisco, the AT's were called "tweets", and there was badge the next to be discharged AT would wear that said, "Next Tweet Out The Gate". They also had to wear a ballchain that would have a ball cut off each day. When the "short timer" had two days remaining, they earned the nickname, "two digit midget". Radioman was the best I could do in the Coast Guard.

Neatsfoot oil has totally different applications than Resolene. Be aware, Resolene is a waterproofing agent, and if used prior to other treatments, will seal the leather and will not allow other agents to penetrate to do their thing. I'd replace the back piece with the belt slots, (and what appears to be a belt tunnel also, not sure why you would need both!), as you will not be able to get that piece to look like the original again in any other way, short of somehow cutting the black layer off, smoothing what is left, and re-dying it or adding another thin layer of new leather, in which case it will be thicker, probably. And the rivets, you may have trouble finding something exactly like them. You can use "double cap rivets" well squeezed to simulate them. Most of us have tons of them sitting around, so don't go buying a gross of them if you only need 4 or 5. Send me a message if you decide to go that route, I will NEVER use what I have on hand. One good thing, the areas at the mouth of the holster, where the finish is worn down to the original leather and rough, can be re-burnished! Win! Google "leather burnishing" and check out youtube videos on the same. You mentioned "finishes/chemicals", so here's a hint, you don't need to buy anything like a tub of the popular Japanese "Tokonole" to burnish leather. Water, spit, (actually quite good), and other concoctions are sufficient. You don't need a burnisher, either. You have plenty around the house/shop. Ballpoint pen, back of a spoon, a wooden stick, which is what a "burnisher" is. In fact, if you run into a place where you "need" something special, jump back on here and ask "what is a substitute for xxxxx?" Prepare to be amazed. Neatsfoot oil is a conditioner, and softens leather, too. If the leather has become quite stiff, it may help, but remember, it will soften the areas where the leather was formed, (boned) to the shape in the first place. I'd wait just a bit and let others with more "restoration" experience chime in. Could save you a LOT of headaches further down this road! Sorry if this rambled on, but I've been "down this road", and a lot of this info would have been nice way back when. Jeff

Well, that's it then, Dwight's convinced me I don't need no steel in my holsters! If needed, Kydex seems the way to go.

Did you do addl. tooling on the dark areas on the snakeskin, or just paint the contrasting colors on?

Nice holster! I wish I could do that artistic carving stuff, but it just ain't in me. Believe me, I've tried. Didn't get that gene. I prefer the type of holster shown in my avatar picture for wheelguns, but I've got a Galco pancake that is excellent for my 686+ Smith. The Galco was before I got into leatherworking. So, here's the one I HAD to make to replace the pancake Galco...

BrokenolMarine is a specialty? I did not know that. I'll have to ask my broken old Marine Gunny brother about that. I'll bet he knows! BTW, my ex...decided that I didn't need to keep flying. Well, I sure didn't need something, but she was wrong that it was the flying!

Yep, that's PINK!!! There's a construction company in town that paints their equipment that shade...ladders, extension cords, tools. Nothing has disappeared on a job site since they started painting them.

OOOhhh! That's nice!!!

I LOVE people like you! Thanks!

She doesn't carry the D&B's anymore, she still uses mine. She specifically asked for something small she could put just a few essentials in trips when she didn't need or want to carry a big one. Brown is first attempt, based on that one, she made some requests for the second, blue one. They were a learning experience. Not something I would want to do a lot of. In fact, I believe two was enough. I believe I hand stitched the first one, machine stitched the second one.

I've made her a couple, not D&B level, though.

SShhhh! Don't tell my wife I can repair her Dooney & Bourke purses!

Ah, you have discovered the secret, grasshopper!