Denster

Very impressive. Obviously you have a talent for leather work and pay close attention to detail.

I'm one of the crowd that just doesn't see the utility of this design. I understand the purpose just not the utility. Yes, there are gun free zones but I don't know of any holster free zones and it is a lot easier sitting in the front seat of your car to just simply reholster a weapon than to try to restrap on your holster and weapon. That said the workmanship looks pretty good. I think it would look much better if you left off the "reinforcement" piece which really serves no useful purpose. YMMV

The upside to all of this stupidity is that six months after the crisis ends, and for all practical purposes it ended yesterday, supply catches up with demand. Then all of the idiots who planned to get rich who invested all of their money in ammo, primers, powder etc. see it ain't going to happen and dump it all back on the market at bargain prices. I've seen it happen several times. I thought Clinton was the best gun and ammo salesman the world had ever seen but I was wrong. Old B.O. Has him beat hands down.

There is a reason they are so cheap. The grain side generally has a lot of cracks. The tannage is different than normal as they do not firm up when molded and dried.

Mike I wasn't aware there were different sizes. What I use is a standard folding utility knife that takes disposable blades. The blades are just a package of double ended hook blades. I've used it to cut up to 14oz bridle leather.

The best solution I have found as I stated earlier is a utility knife with a hook blade. As long as you strop it first and between patterns it will glide right through the toughest leather. It will also go around tight curves with no problem.

I wish that were the case but I have not found it to be so. The tough cutting doesn't seem to be related to the moisture content more likely to some abnormality in the tannage of a particular hide.

That is most generally a problem with some Hermann Oak. I go through 30 or 40 sides a year and of those 2 or 3 will be Hermann Oak from hell to cut. The solution I found for these hides is to use a utility knife with a hook blade well stropped. I start the cut by rolling my round knife through the leather at the bottom of the pattern till I have a couple of inch slit through the hide. Then insert the hook blade from the flesh side and pull it around the pattern. Almost as quick as with a round knife and by pulling the blade it lessens the tendency to angle it. The upside to a piece of leather like this is it makes up into very nice holsters.

Lots of luck with botac. Pretty much a crap shoot. I stick with Rob at the blue gun store. It's worth a couple bucks in postage knowing I will get it post haste.

The simpelest way I've found to do this is with a Tandy adjustable stitch groover. The ones that carry the groover in the shaft of the tool and also come with a creasing bit. You can either make a groove or a crease and with a little practice you can go around the belt slots very nicely. On the arched ends you rotate the tool and the work piece at the same time. Takes a bit of practice on scrap but once you've got it then no problem. Quick and easy.

I sent an answer to your PM. lso do what Husker said and check the adjustment of your thread take up arm per your manual. If this is out of position it could cause the situation you PMd me about and not pulling the stitch into the leather.

The shuttle on all Boss's will have that free play just ignore it. Don't know what you mean by setting the tension on the shuttle. The top thread tension is set as a start by backing off the nut on both tensioners and then spinning them down till they just touch. Then give the secondary tensioner the one on the right two full turns and the primary tensioner one and a half turns. Sew a few stitches and if the bottom thread isn't being pulled into the leather increase the tension on the primary by 1/2 turn and repeat as necessary untill the bottom thread is pulled into the leather. What weight of leather are you sewing and what thread are you using?

One other point regarding the nylon thread. Which I use also. You need to use care when winding your bobbins. If you wind them real fast with an electric drill the nylon likes to kink comming off the spool. If you wind one of those kinks onto the bobbin when you get to it things will feel rough and at best you will have a couple of nasty stitches and at worst break the bobbin thread.

OK forget the top thread thing your explaination of what happened shows it has nothing to do with the problem. The needle foot should not pass into the shuttle area the front of it should catch on the needle plate and only the needle pass into the shuttle area. The hook needs to pass the needle at the flat scarf on the needle above the eye. I guess I am unclear as to whether you meant the needle foot passed in to the shuttle race area when you had the needle plate off or does it with it on. I should have mentioned that when checking clearance with the plate off you have to hold the needle foot up with your finger. If when you do that with the plate off and holding the needle foot up the hook should pass the needle at the flat scarf on the needle and that is where you look for the clearance. If when doing this the hook still passes below the eye then check to make sure your needle is the same length as the one you replaced. If it is shorter it will cause the hook to pass below the eye. You are using 794S needles I presume. Just so we are on the same page here the hook passing the needle at the flat scarf is on the upstroke not the downstroke.

A couple of other things. You said the top tension went haywire/ What did you mean by that? You also said that the machine felt rough for a bit. Are you using bonded nylon thread? I have a reason for asking this.

To check the timing with the machine assembled and the handle fully upright the hook of the shuttle (the tip of which picks up the thead) should be right at 7:00. Changing the position of the rack stop doesn't effect timing it only effects the depth the needle goes and consequently how large a loop is formed for the hook to catch on the upstroke. Lowering the stop plate allows for a larger loop to form. If the machine is in time, and it is virtually impossible to get a boss out of time unless you break something, and you can't pick up the thread from the bobbin then check the hook to needle clearance. Unthread the machine and take off the needle plate so you can see and slowely cycle the machine and note how much clearance there is between the hook and the needle as it passes. It should only be a very small amount like .020 or a little more. If it is a lot more and the machine was working before it is not assembled correctly.

There is nothing in the shuttle area that you use to set timing it only goes together correctly one way. You did reinstall the spacer ring correctly I hope.

Set the top tension also as I mentioned. Also crank down the presser foot pressure that is the next most likely culprit.

Timing is not an issue with the Boss. If it is out of time something is broken. To set the tension start with the bobbin. Almost everyone sets the bobbin tension way to tight. The thread should flow freely from the bobbin with only about 1lb of tension. This doesn't have to be measured exactly just feel for a slight resistance. Set the seondary tensioner with two full turns and the primary tensioner with one and a half turns. Make tweaks with only the primary tensioner. The second mistake most folks make is not having enough presser foot pressure. It has to be tight enough that the leather is not moved when the bottom loop is pulled into the leather. Too much tension won't hurt to little will give you fits. The fraying is probably the result of having the bobbin tension way too tight and then trying to compensate with too much top tension. Don't try to overcomplicate things the Boss is really a simple machine. One other thing the Boss needs a real stable platform if you have it mounted to something that wiggles and shakes you will have problems. Hope this helps.

Exceptionally nice work. Those holsters could almost make a Glock look good.

Interesting. I just received an order of Hermann Oak from Weavers and the price had gone down from my previous order.

Springfield Leather carries an import that is visually identical to the Osborne but at half the price. It is excellent quality. I liked mine well enough that I bought a second one so I could have one on both benches.

I case both sides of the stitchline put the front on my granite slab and tap the back with a coblers hammer. Closes the stitches and does a good job of erasing machine marks.

I don't know. I've long since gone to drum dyed leather. Since Will uses it I'm sure it works. Iron oxide will turn leather black for sure. I believe you can buy it in crystaline form from chemical supply houses.

I doubt you will hurt anything heating the vinigaroon but it will smell. Eric works in his garage so it may not be a problem I still wouldn't do it in the house. As to Will's method that is somewhat different. Vinegaroon is ferric acetate that reacts with the tannins. Will's method produces iron oxide. A plus to Will's method is no vinegar smell.