Denster

Do yourself a favor and use the chisel point needles for veg-tan.

Sheen is a finish. It goes on last after you have finished and formed the holster.

I agree with Pappy. Great machine. I have two and have sewn over four thousand holsters and assorted other accessories with very few problems.

Rob is a good guy and he is not going to cheat you. I would guess that he had to pay Rings when he placed your backorder. You say you ordered several items on backorder that may be why it is taking a bit longer since Rings will ship them all at once and not piece by piece. If Rob shipped them from stock he now has he would first have to cancel the order from Rings and recover his payment then ship from stock to you. The time to do this would probably be longer than waiting a few more days to get your order from Rings. Rob provides a valuable service at a very small margin of profit and you will generally get an order from him a lot quicker than you will get it from Rings.

Pretty darn nice Frank.

Nice looking holster.

Pretty much any source that will establish a vacuum will work. Remember it is not the suction that does the work it is the difference between the air pressure inside the bag and the pressure of the air outside the bag. When a vacuum is established the pressure inside the bag is 0 outside of the bag it is about 18 ftlbs/sqin give or take a little depending on your elevation. The flexibility of the bag is an important issue which is why I recommend poly over vinyl. Having a dedicated vacuum pump is important to folks like Particle, Dwight, Sooper Jake and myself who conduct a business as time really is money. It is not necessary for the hobbyist and good results can be obtained without it.

I second what Dwight said about McMaster Carr. If they don't have it no one does.

Particle. I see your problem. The screw in the end of the tube opposite the vacuum gauge needs to be backed out to about 3/4" and locked with the nut. Without going into a long detailed explanation of why it is there it is not needed for our purposes so back it out an lock it down. I also presume that you have the red handle at 90deg to the air filter when you start the pump and only turn it in line with the filter to release the vacuum. Small holes in the bag can be fixed nicely with a piece of duct tape.

One other thing. With all due respect to Dwight. It is not necessary or to my mind a good idea to get the holster sloppy wet. I give the holster a quick dunk in warm water maybe two to three seconds max then let it set till the color starts to return and insert the gun. As Dwight said it helps to get the leather going in the right direction with your thumbs before you put it in the bag. With the poly bag I can bone the details right through the bag.

Mine will hold 18mmhg for at least 10 minutes. Just have to make sure all of the seals on your connections are good and there are no pinholes in the bag. I found that it was worth the money to purchase the heavy poly bag from veneer supply as it is more flexible than the vynel one I started with. Difference between night and day and very tough I've done more than 3000 holsters and it still going strong. It also helps to clamp the edges of the bag to a flat surface as it keeps the bag flat as it pulls down around the gun and holster without bunching up.

If you are using it strictly as an accent it only needs to be glued and stitched to the holster body. As a throat collar etc. then 4/5 or 5/6 works nicely.

I have the rack covered with aluminum foil. 120 to 130 degF is plenty to accomplish the purpose. Over 150 and you will damage the leather.

I'm curious. How in heck did you manage to break the thread lifter arm?

Machine. It is very hard to be profitable without one. I have two Tippmann Boss' and a powered machine that I use for larger projects like belts etc. All holsters I do on the Boss. In over 4,000 holsters and countless other projects I have broken two needles and one thread take up arm spring. The Boss is tough but simple to repair yourself if something does break. Simple to learn on and help is only a phone call away.

Springfield leather carries an import that looks identical to the Osborne at less than half the price. I have two of them and no complaints.

Thought this might be of interest to owners of Boss1 (Cast Iron) and Boss2 Aluminum. Tippmann upgraded their tensioning method on the thread take up arm. There was none on the Boss1 and the Boss2 used a bobby pin type spring that was a misery to replace when it broke. The new device uses a coil spring and a delrin washer on a slightly longer shoulder bolt. Works like a champ and also upgrades the Boss1 to having tension on the thread take up arm. Only takes a couple of minutes to install on either machine. It is not on Tippmann's website so you have to call and ask for it specifically. Only cost a couple of bucks and is well worth the time and money. Thought some of you Boss owners would like to know.

The elastic folds back in a slot on either side of the main slit. As to the white leather no idea.

Yes the front is split to the forward edge of the cylinder and heavy elastic web is sewn across the opening. At the trigger guard a welt is sewn in that the back of the trigger guard slides under. On the draw the gun is pulled forward against the elastic and the trigger guard moves forward of the welt and the gun comes out.

I believe the OP was asking about caseing the leather prior to cutting out the pattern. I agree lightly caseing the holster for punching the belt slots and for edging. My work flow is after the holster is sewen I lightly case the stitchline front and back including the areas of the belt slots and the edges and where I intend to place my makers mark. I then tap the stitchline to close the holes and stamp my makers mark. Then I punch the belt slots and edge the holster. There is a lot that goes on prior to this point where having moisture in the leather would be detrimental.

BigGunDoctor Well said but you left off three zeros on the debt.

No the competition is not that bad. In fact the market is so huge that anyone from a novice maker to the true artisan can sell holsters depending on price point and quality. Witness the influx of holster makers in the past few years. You asked a question as to how to determine fair market value for your product?First I would suggest checking the sites of various holster makers that have established a presence in the market for example: Lobogunleather, Matt Del Fatti, Milt Sparks, High Noon holsters, K&D Holsters etc. Compare similar products from their lines to what you offer and their price point to yours. Then do a critical self examination of the quality of your product to what they offer quality wise. This should give you a basic idea of what your price point should be. Second you need to inform folks why they should order from you. I checked your site and there is no information regarding the materials you use. It could be anything from Hermann Oak to Tandy bargain bin. Customers want to know. Information regarding what sets your holsters apart from others ie: design, construction tecnique, molding etc. Why should they buy from you when similar designs are readily available for 20 to 30% less from hundreds of others. Good photography front, back, sides, is important. In the final analysys if you are getting hits on your site but not selling then either your price is too high or quality too low.

The edge wax that is sold on eBay is the same as that recommended by John Bianchi the formula is 50/50 beeswax and parafinn. I use a lot of it and it works great.

Caseing before cutting out the pattern seems to me to be tottaly counterproductive. It is not needed to be able to cut the leather and once cut out the pattern needs to go through a number of processes where you would not want it to be cased.

It is basically alcohol or an ester thereof. You can get the same results with any alcohol.