TrentonP

I have recently acquired a nice 1911 so I figure a new holster and belt combo is in order. I have been wanting to do a nice hand stitched exotic belt for a couple of years now. I have been trying to avoid buying a large hide as it is rather cost prohibitive for one project. Ideally I would like to find some where offering exotics in strips or something similar. I am considering shark, elephant, and alligator. Does anyone happen to know of a place that offers what I am looking for?

I am looking to sell my Tippmann boss. This one has the cast iron frame. It works great I will just be upgrading to another machine and no longer need this one. The machine comes with a dual thread stand and two spools of #277 thread (Black and White). There are a few various needles included as well. I am willing to ship the machine in original box. I do not have any pictures at the moment but I will be adding some this evening. $1100 OBO. Thank you for looking!

That is incredible work.

Really nice pieces. Looks like another project to add to my list.

Really cool work piece. Thanks for sharing the template as well. Maybe one of these days I will get around to making one.

Nice work!

I used the search bar and did not find much on this supplier so I thought I would share. The company is based out of St. Louis. They have a website as well as a store (more like a warehouse). The website is not extremely user friendly and if going to the warehouse I would suggest having a list of what you need and the item numbers. They do offer a pretty large selection at some decent prices. The prices on hardware are substantially cheaper than Tandy and the warehouse has a wide selection of leathers from veg tanned to prints to some exotics.

Thank you everyone for the replies. I have started on the avenger pattern Josh has so kindly provided. It is a great pattern and turning out very well. That is a good looking rig Dwight!

I left it broad because I will most likely be customizing the pattern. I'm looking for a simple pattern that can be worn on a regular belt while out hunting.

I have a customer wanting a western style holster for a Ruger GP100. Unfortunately I don't have access to the firearm to make my own pattern and I have been unable to find one. Does anyone have a pattern they would be willing to share or sell? Thank you ahead of time.

I already have researched and read on them. I was just curious what everyone here thought about it. There is a new one now which is the Cricut Maker. It will have an new cutting attachment released in October which is very similar to an exacto knife.

Great looking work as always! Can't wait to see what you do next.

This morning one of the girls I work with mentioned that Cricut has a new machine that will cut thicker and more dense materials. She does a lot of vinyl work and is very happy with the Cricut she currently has. This made me wonder if the new machine could be useful for cutting leather. The website states that it can cut up to 2.4 mm balsa wood. I am curious as to how it would do with veg tan leather. What are everyone's thoughts on this?

Pretty great of you to be offering this! It seems like I always find a use for my scraps eventually. Plus when I was reading your interests I could have swore they were mine!

Thank you.

Last week one of my coworkers asked me to make her a dog collar with a matching bracelet. I ordered in some strips and hardware from Springfield Leather and got to work. This is my first set like this and I have only made one collar previously. It is also worth noting that for this particular set I did not bevel or burnish the edges. This is the the first project I've done with a sewing machine.

I often make belts for individuals who either concealed or open carry firearms. Due to this they are looking for a sturdy belt to properly support the firearm as well as not stretch or breakdown. When looking online I have came across companies who put steel cores in their belts. I am curious about how they do this as well as where to get the cores. I have been unable to find any online. It seem this would make for a very sturdy and extremely durable belt.

That is a great looking wallet. I really like the look of the airbrushed inner slots.

The gel was definitely different to work with the first time. I have found I like to use it on pieces which have some stamping on them. When you wipe the gel off it leaves some behind in the stamping which makes it darker than the rest of the piece. It can lead to some nice color variations.

I apologized because I had originally stated that I had used his pattern which was not the case. I have since edited the post. The dye is a gel antique mahogany from Tandy. This rig was made for a customer so I have not used it. Although I have made one out of elephant from the same pattern which I use frequently. I find it to be very functional and I would not make any changes to it.

My apologies. It has been awhile since i acquired this pattern. I am very fond of the gel dye I used one this one. Thank you!

A friend of mine recently acquired some leather and was nice enough to give me a few good size pieces of elephant. I used some of this material to make a J frame Smith & Wesson holster.

Recently finished this holster for a full size 1911.

I will look into these options. I can not see myself sewing more than 18oz of leather. Most of my work is hoslters with the occasional belt. Hand stitching belts is not something I enjoy undertaking. I have been leaning towards the Tippmann Boss due to the availability although 3/4" of sewing ability is much more than I will ever need. Are there any you recommend over others?

Thank you to everyone who replied. I did not expect the seller's listing to be anywhere near accurate based off the many posts I've read on this forum. I have gained a lot of information from reading your posts Wiz. With that being said I have read a lot of your recommendations. I am looking for a hand powered machine though and I have not seen much on them. Which would you recommend in that category?