Denster

Depends if you are doing it as a hobby or business. It only takes the time saved on 3 or 4 holsters to pay for the punch.

You'll like the dies. Just remember to tell them what you are going to be cutting through so they can grind them correctly. The Tandy one can be made to work wel,l as the steel is decent. You do have to clean up the inside and then lengthen that secondary bevel on the outside. They were not, as they come, designed to punch belt slots in heavy veg tan but slots in bag leather for closures or straps. Trying to wallow that big shoulder behind the edge through heavy leather is an excercise in futility.

Erik Best bet is to order a set from texas custom dies. I have ones for 1&1/2 and 1&/34 X3/8. Both dies cut about .040 over the stated size which is just about right. It's the width measurement that is important and of course being thick enough I think 3/8 is just right for a number of reasons. The Tandy and I believe the Weaver punches cut 3/16 thick which is OK for your normal dress belt but not for the dual purpose weight lifting belts some insist they need. There are a couple of tricks to sharpening punches and punching belt slots. I only need one good whack with a three pound maul to go through two layers of 8OZ and occassionally a couple of light taps to finish the ends. If you order from Texas custom tell them what you will be punching through and you need the shoulder taken back a bit. They will coome to you ready to work and take note of how they are sharpened. The inside edge has a small bevel that is polished as well as the outside edge. You can't have a really sharp tool unless both surfaces comming to the edge are smooth. You can do the same with the Tandy punches. unless you bought the cheap tube ones in which case throw them away. I've only had to touch up my ones from TCD once since they came and that was after more than a hundred slots. The second trick is to have a solid platform over which to punch. My marble slab sits over one leg of my bench I put a piece of old cutting board from a wal-mart plastic cutting board on top of it and whack away. Used to use a poundo board but even that slight amount of give made the job harder. The two dies I got from TCD totaled I believe $142 shipped and they will make them however you want them.

Yes the outside edges ride the top of the slide. When you get done edging them each will look like a triangle with a flat top. They are not much trouble to do once you have done a couple. I like them beter than those done with a dowel.

Here is how I do it. For use with a dowel. Groove the dowel to slip over the front sight then tape in place. For stitched in take two 1/4" wide strips of veg tan 5/6 or 6/7OZ as long as the distance from the front of the ejection port to the end of the barrel. Mark a centerline inside the holster and glue the strips on either side about 1/4 inch from the center line. Stitch in place then take a fairly aggressive edger and go down both sides of each strip. With pancake styles your centerline is your forward stitchline.

I use Hermann Oak drum dyed black strap sides. Have not had the first problem with rub off. The piece of sheepskin I use to burnish holsters after wet forming has done over 200 holsters and barely has a tinge of black.

Here is a link to an interesting video from Horween tannery on the production of shell cordovan from horsehide. I posted it here because likely the only ones interested outside of the shoe industry are holster and belt makers. Does answer the question of why the horse butts we use are shaped the way they are. http://vimeo.com/4814754

Way to go Frank. Thanks for posting.

I'll give you $600 plus shipping for that old dust collector and you won't have to look at it any more.

I use poly and buy it from Weaver's. If you are using Nylon check out Cobra Steve's site he has really good prices.

Erik You never cease to amaze me. Are you sure you were'nt a leatherworker and tooler in a past life? You seem to start out where everyone else would like to be in a year or so. Yeah a few whoops boos but not really noticeable and very attractive.

Actually what I was refering to was a needle and awl machine like the union lockstitch where the back looks every bit as nice as the front. I meant nothing disparaging towards John or Matt. For the work John currently does making lined western holsters and gunbelts a machine like the cobra is an absolute if you want to make any money at it. Can you do it on a Boss? Yes but it can be a P.I.T.A. particularly bullet loops. I get back to what the OP inquired about, which is making holsters as a hobby which he may or may not find satisfying in the long run. Lets say he buys a Cobra 3 I believe $2395 plus $300 to $500 as a guess for shipping and decides a year from now this isn't for me. A used Cobra might bring $1800 if you are willing to paletize it for shipping. If not you are confined to a local market which might not be favorable. A Boss however, purchased lightly used will be around $1000 if you decide to sell it you can advertise it here or put it on ebay and get back all of your money or a profit. You can ship it anywhere in the ConUS for $30 or less. That was the point I have been trying to make. Most seem to be aproaching it from the idea that going into business and making a variety of items is a given. In that case of course the Cobra would be the logical choice probably the class 4 with EP.

Bill Sometimes with thinner threads it is helpful to go twice around the primary. I don't use anything finer than 207 and mostly 346 so once around is good and I have the newer version of the aerostitch. The only thing that really matters is whether you are getting a good stitch. In their various manuals for both the aerostitch models and the Boss models they show different ways of threading the machines without explaining what the difference is for.

Do a search for vacuum in this topic. I posted pictures of my setup and links to the suppliers awhile back.

MatW said:If you are at all serious about making professional looking goods a quality machine is the only way to go. If you start with a Boss, you will outgrow it soon and have a hard time getting your money back out of it. Now here I will have to disagree: You may start with a Boss and go to a powered machine but you will likely keep the Boss just because there are some things that are easier and quicker to do on it. I can't imagine not having one in the shop. If you bought it lightly used for between $800 and $1000 and you decide to get rid of it put it on eBay or advertise it here and it will sell and you will get your money back if not a profit. I doubt you can do that with a Cobra. Which is nothing against Cobra they are excellent machines and you won't hear anything bad about Steve from the people he has sold machines to. Recall that the original poster is in the beginning hobby stage and is not certain that this will be a long term thing or that it will develop into a business. As to quality work the Boss will sew every bit as nice a stitch as any other machine short of a needle/awl. Don't believe it look at some of Particle's work in other posts.

Congrats on the continued success. Just don't get so busy you can no longer find the time for the important things. You know! Beer, Poker, Fishing, Shooting. Did I mention Beer?

Erik Once you try the vacuum bag you'll wonder how you lived without it. The biggest advantage is being able to bone the details right through the bag. Just don't be cheap get the poly instead of the vynal. Since it is the external air pressure working for you when you bone a line in the air pressure over the bag holds it just as you boned it. No waiting for just the right moisture content. I have a sink of warm water with a touch of dish soap and dunk 5/6 just in and out heavier I give it a three count. Wait until the moisture has all been absorbed then open the holster with my forming stick and put the gun in. Start the leather with my hands in the right direction and pop into the bag seal it and go to town. All of the forming tools you have now work just fine. The only thing is that after awhile( 100 holsters or so) the surface of the bag looses some of it's lubricity. Just hit it with an ArmorAll wipe and your good for another 100 or so.

Just got in my order of two shark skins from rojeleather. One black and one dark brown. These are excellent veg tanned skins great figure and temper and clean flesh side makes for an easy glue up. At least 90% useable. I'm really pleased.

Natural leather is easier to pull the thread through than dyed. If you leave the tension set for natural you should be good to go with either. Always a good idea to keep a couple of glued up strips of scrap by the machine and run a line of stitches before you start to work for real. Catches those little problems before they happen.

Particle you just get better and better. Your stitching is flawless. You should send some photos of your work to Tippmann I'll bet they would feature you in their monthly newsletter as a Boss user. Free advertising never hurts.

Camera is on the fritz. It is just a 3"x1"X1/2" block of wood with 1/2" deep trough. I hold it in my left hand on top of my stitching horse jaws against the leather I'm sewing to support the leather and catch the tip of the awl in the beeswax as it comes through. The beeswax lubes the awl an makes it slide in and out very nicely.

Looks like I am way outvoted. I guess it depends on whether you are certain you are going to stick with this hobby and possibly carry it into a business. The safe bet if you are not sure is a Boss. Neither of mine are the cast iron versions. You can always get your money back or profit if you decide it really isn't for you. If you are certain that this is going to be long term then cobra class 4 is the way to go. In business time is money and for belts and other long stitch runs power is the way to go which is why I have the aerostitch. If I didn't allready have it I'd have a class4 Cobra.

What Art said is exactly right. With a properly sharpened and polished awl it will go through over 1/2in of firm veg tan with hardly any resistance. The idea of a block of beeswax as a backer is invaluable I use a oblong block of wood with a trough in it filled with beeswax. It lubes the awl and keeps my digits out of the way.

I would have to vote for the Boss as an entry level machine for holsters. You can generally pick one up on eBay lightly used for around $900. Maybe a little more depending on attachments. You will not pick up much speed going to a powered machine over the Boss. The machines like the Cobra, which is excellent, do offer more throat clearance which is sometimes convenient. From my perspective the Boss is virtually indestructable. I have two, both used when I purchased them, and they have sewen in excess of 2000 holsters between them and the only thing I have broken is two needles. Both my fault. They are simple and if you are the slightest bit mechanically inclined you can work on them yourself. If not Tippmann will rebuild them and warrent them like new for around $150. One other good thing is that if you decide to go with say a Cobra later you can put the Boss on eBay and recover all of your money. I have an aerostitch as well but use it only for belts. I still do all the holster work on the Boss.

I second that. Kevin. Do you carry shark? Also how large a piece is your elephant in? ie: avg sq/ft?