Lobo

Very nice website. Now the challenge is driving traffic to your website! That will require selective and repetitive use of social media to get people talking about your products and your website. Think about your potential markets, target internet forums and other sites that are active and likely to generate interest in your products and your company, and (if possible) try to recruit others to post positive commentary about you and your company. REPEAT: NOW THE CHALLENGE IS DRIVING TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE. Don't overlook that part. Best wishes from a retired leather worker with a 7-digit investment portfolio.

Burnishing edges is really nothing more than "slicking" and polishing the leather to a smooth and glossy surface. The method that I found most effective and time efficient was using a 1" diameter hard felt polishing bob mounted in a bench-top drill press. After dressing the edges with a drum sander, then beveling the edges, I would dye the edges, then rub the edges with a 50-50 mixture of beeswax and paraffin wax, then polish the edges using the hard felt polishing bob turning at about 1700RPM. The friction caused the wax to melt and moderate pressure forces the wax into the exposed leather, sealing the edge quite well. A minute or two per item (belts, holsters, etc) left the edges at a highly polished state. I have finished holsters and belts that I have used for more than ten years and the edges still look great. When a bit of wear shows I can apply a little bit of dye, rub the edges with the wax mixture, and polish out on the felt bob, leaving the edge looking like brand new. Friction causes heat and abrasion, and the felt polishing bob uses both to quickly finish the edges to perfection. Years ago I became obsessed with creating the perfect edge. I used custom hardwood mandrels, working edges for endless lengths of time trying to achieve perfection. After trying the hard felt polishing wheels and the wax mixture I realized just how much time I had wasted year after year, when the desired effect can be had in only a few minutes.

Leather is photo-reactive (sensitive to sunlight and ultraviolet). The usual results of exposure begin with darkening in color, then drying noticeably, followed by shrinking and curling, finally becoming hardened and breaking apart. I would not recommend leather for long-term exposure to sunlight or to salty air. If leather must be used you may extend its useful life in such environments by treating it with neatsfoot oil frequently and by keeping it sealed (as much as possible, given the conditions expected). Treatments such as Fiebings Tan-Kote or Bag-Kote contain acrylic resins that are moderately resistant to moisture infiltration. Such treatment would have to be renewed regularly, and I would not expect a long service life of the leather.

It is always interesting to learn from the experiences of people of other countries. I appreciate all those who have taken the time to add their comments to this post. I have travelled much of western Europe, spent a little time in Australia, saw a lot of Vietnam (during the war), much of Mexico, Belize, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and a few other places. There are huge differences in the economies, governments, cultures, traditions, and every other aspect of life. I feel very fortunate to be a US citizen, and to have been successful enough to retire comfortably with few worries. Unlike some forum members, leather work was never a hobby for me. As a young police officer with children to feed and bills to pay there were things I needed, so I learned to make them. Others I worked with noticed, and I started receiving requests to make holsters, belts, and accessories for others. Leather work remained only a small business sideline for years until my retirement. All that time I did everything by hand, including stitching. A relatively simple holster required most of an hour to lay out the stitching pattern, punch all the holes, and hand-stitch using harness needles. When I entered the business full-time, using the Internet as a marketing tool, I quickly had to adapt to a much larger volume of orders. I tried a stitching machine, which was minimal at best and not capable of standing up to the demands I required. I studied and sought advice from others, then ordered a Cobra Class 4 (Leather Machine Company). Stitching chores that used to require 45 minutes to an hour started getting done in 5 or 6 minutes; I could complete 10 items in the time I used to spend on one, and that does not even take into account how much easier the work is on the hands and forearms! I strongly recommend a power stitching machine for anyone planning to do production work in leather. The increase in production capacity makes it possible to earn far more in much less time, and the work becomes much less tedious or strenuous. I also recommend investing in a machine that exceeds your expected needs. A machine that is minimally suitable will be constantly worked at its capacity, accelerating wear and tear, and causing more maintenance issues. A heavy duty professional machine will do the required tasks without stress or strain, and will usually outlive the owner. Contacting Cobra Steve and Leather Machine Company could be one of the smartest things a leather craftsman ever does. Best regards, from an old retired hide pounder!

Nice workmanship there.

I have been wondering what happened to Katsass. Good to see that you are still getting after it! I retired in 2015 and sold Lobo Gun Leather to a great family of leather crafters. I'm happy to report that they continue to do very well with the brand and my designs and production methods. At the time I was dealing with the effects of osteoarthritis, old spinal fracture, neuropathy, and just general "getting old" stuff. I knew it was time to stop working 7 days per week, especially doing work that can be very tough on the hands and forearms. I very happily gave the new business owners a ten-year non-compete agreement as part of the sale agreement! Now I am a 'consultant', always ready to lend my 'expert opinion and advice' on every aspect of the business. As a consultant I have had to start dressing better than I did while working in the leather shop, and I shave at least every week or so, so I can still feel important and useful! New owners recently moved the business from Iowa to northern Minnesota. I took the opportunity to travel there as they were getting all set up, rented a houseboat on a 22 mile long lake, did some fishing, ate like a hog, and enjoyed fermented malt adult beverages to my heart's content (doesn't take nearly as much to make me content anymore, I just tend to doze off for a couple of hours before checking my fishing line and throwing a little more meat on the grill). Read several excellent books, too. Stay active! Stay involved! Stay healthy! Enjoy life! Best regards.

Ten years ago this was one of the most active forums on-line, lots of new posts every day. Now it seems like very little is going on here. I know that I have retired. Has everyone else retired also?

Very nice work there, Josh. As a lot of you folks know, the Threepersons' style was always one of my favorite projects over the years, including recreation of the original carving pattern based upon old Tom Threepersons' original holster. Truly a classic design! I'm also pleased to note that Josh understands the proper use of the hammer thong. So many folks seem to struggle with a simple concept! Two or three twists in the thong, then drop it over the hammer and the tension created by twisting will keep it in place nicely. Best regards.

Dwight has done the OP a great service with the advice given. I have been retired for about 3 years now, but I would like to add a few comments. 1. The most basic mistake many craftsmen make is in trying to hurry through a project. Many steps in the holster making process require time in between those steps. Drying time, time for adhesives, dyes, and finishes to completely set up, etc. When we try to move through the steps too rapidly we are inviting failure. 2. Dyes can be a challenge. Selection of the proper type (oil-based, spirit-based) for specific projects and desired results is the first step in a successful job. Ambient temperature and humidity within the work space can affect results. Temperature of the dye solution can affect results. Absolute cleanliness of the leather surfaces is essential. As Dwight pointed out, many dyes benefit from some type of moisture applied to the leather prior to the dye, a process which can greatly enhance the dye's ability to penetrate the leather fibers. A very light application of neatsfoot oil can help oil-based dyes penetrate evenly and deeply; a very light application of clear water can help some spirit-based dyes penetrate evenly and deeply; a very light application of isolpropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol, about $1 per quart at your nearest discount store) will help either type of dye penetrate evenly and deeply, with the advantage of very rapid evaporation with no residue left behind. One of my most frequently used tools was a spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol kept at the dye station. AGAIN, I WILL STRESS THE NEED TO ALLOW PLENTY OF TIME FOLLOWING DYE APPLICATION FOR THE DYE TO COMPLETELY SET UP; I always allowed 24 hours at room temperature before going on to another step. 3. For quite a few years my shop turned out an average of 40 pieces per week. This was done by completing multiple items (holsters, belts, pouches, etc) as a batch, typically 10 to 12 pieces at a time. Cutting, dye, assembly (cementing, clamping), stitching, edge dressing, final dye, wet-forming, edge burnishing, oiling. Three or four batches per week, then one day for final dye, oiling, edge burnishing, finishes, hardware. Then 24 hours or more for everything to set up completely so it could be packaged and shipped out. Options like holster linings, tooling, carving work, etc, have to be worked into the process as appropriate, so those items were typically handled as a separate "batch". By managing the work flow in this way I was able (with an assistant) to average one finished piece for every 47 minutes of shop time, done over the course of a week's time. As most of us are aware, doing one holster at a time can take hours of effort over the course of several days, most of that time being consumed in setting up (cutting work, assembly/cementing, stitching, forming, edges, dyes, finishes, etc). My point is that once a work station has been set up (all tools, supplies, materials, etc, ready at hand) it takes very little more time to do 2 pieces than it takes to do 1 piece, and a dozen pieces go pretty quickly, then we can break down that station, clean everything up, and put everything away one time instead of a dozen times. So, avoid rushing forward without adequate time for everything to set up properly, essentially staying focused on each step of the process so you get it right instead of getting it fast, work smart rather than work hard. Best regards.

Over the past 45 years or so the majority of my hunting (Colorado mule deer, elk, antelope) has been done using a single-shot rifle, usually a Ruger #1 (.30-06, .25-06, 7mm Rem.Mag.). Hunting seasons here are typically during pretty cold weather requiring heavy clothing. Not very many options for carrying extra ammunition that will work, and a belt slide is way down the list of possibilities (because the belt is underneath a lot of clothing!). I always just carried a few rounds in my jacket or hunting vest pocket. Conditions might be different where you are located. One thing that never changes, and that is the simple fact that a customer orders an item expecting it to perform in a certain manner (based primarily on his imagination), and when the product doesn't perform as the customer expects the customer will always remember that the maker failed to meet his expectations, but he will never remember that it was his poor idea to begin with. Don't think for a minute that some customers won't bad-mouth you to others after you have gone out of your way to give them exactly what they asked for. I actually like the idea of a buttstock cartridge carrier (with appropriate warning to the customer to remove it during the off season to avoid damage to the stock), or a padded sling with a couple of cartridge loops to keep spares close at hand. Those are a couple of ideas that could actually work in the field, in my opinion. Reality? A hunter of small game or birds might need a couple dozen rounds readily at hand, but a large game hunter seldom requires more than one or two to fill the freezer (assuming that he is competent). With the typical bolt-action hunting rifle having a 4 or 5 round internal magazine I can't see much to be gained by carrying additional ammunition into the field. Best regards.

Thank you, Double Daddy. When I first started in holster making (1972) there was no internet, no Leatherworker.net. A couple of books were found in the public library, and a few others were available from suppliers, but other than those aids I always had to figure things out for myself. Two kids to feed and a mortgage to pay, so there was never much available for equipment or tools, and I learned to adapt what I could find (knives, shears, arbor press, woodworking tools, etc). I hand-stitched everything for many years, usually requiring over an hour per piece to punch all the holes and pulling harness needles until my hands and arms ached. OK for one or two pieces per week, but that is the sort of work that will cripple a person eventually. By 2006 I started expanding via internet marketing, trying to sell 5 or 6 per week to help keep the bills paid (my other business ventures were suffering from the downturn of the economy, and I still really viewed the leather business as nothing more than a sideline). I was shocked when demand for my products quickly resulted in a full-time business; actually I was scared that I would find myself with more orders than I could produce. Had to go through another big learning curve, managing orders within production capacity, adapting streamlined production methods and work flow, hiring and training help. After nearly 10 years of 12-14 hour days, 7 days per week, I was just plain worn out. In my mid-60's with no debt and a very healthy investment portfolio, I decided to call it quits. Stopped taking orders, finished production of all pending orders, ready to shut down when along came a good family with experience in business as well as strong leathercraft experience, worked out a sale of the business. They continue to do very well, and I remain a consultant assisting with design and production issues. So now I can live the life of a retired millionaire, chasing redfish along the Texas gulf coast, fishing for northern pike in the northern Minnesota lakes, trout fishing here in Colorado, hunting pheasants and grouse, spending my afternoons at my club playing poker and drinking adult beverages. I still stop in here at Leatherworker.net once in a while, and I can occasionally help with answers to questions or advice on production and business issues. Several members here have found that I respond to PM's (although it might be a week or so before I get around to it). Best regards.

Exceptionally nice workmanship. Functional artwork done in leather!

And before electricity there was water power. Nearly all industrial towns are located on waterways for a reason: the flowing water was used to power equipment used in production. I have watched a water-powered trip-hammer machine used to forge steel rifle barrels; no reason at all that the same power source couldn't be used to run any type of industrial equipment.

John Bianchi created Bianchi International while working as a police officer, doing holsters on the kitchen table during his spare time. When he retired and sold the business it is estimated that total production had exceeded 40,000,000 items, and during the same time period Bianchi served as a US Air Force National Guard officer, retiring as a brigadier general. It is ALL ABOUT MARKETING, establishing your market niche, and filling that niche better than anyone else. Product design and quality are obviously top priorities, but without marketing to the likely customer you are spitting into the wind. Just my $0.02 worth, as a retired holster maker with a very comfortable investment portfolio. Best regards.

Saddle skirting is typically very thick vegetable-tanned leather, 12-oz to 15-oz or so. For those who need a point of reference, one ounce in leather weight equates to approx. 1/64" in thickness. You will seldom see cowhide any heavier than what is commonly referred to as saddle skirting. When shopping around it helps to keep in mind that "gauged" leather weight is usually within a range of tolerance, and there will be variations throughout the hide, side, shoulder, back or other cut being offered. Any leather other than vegetable-tanned is generally unsuitable for use in holsters. Any veg-tanned leather that has been infused with waxes or other treatments is generally unsuitable for use in holsters.

First you must have a 3D printer with sufficient capacity to produce the parts you require. For common handguns that will require working dimensions of about 12" X 6" X 3" or so. Figure on spending $10,000 plus. Then you will need the media with which to produce your parts. That can be done in polymers or metal, or a mixture of both. In sufficient quantities to work with you can expect to pay about $20 to $40 per piece produced (and that assumes bulk purchasing, probably $1000 or more per order). Then you will need the 3D files to drive your machine. Those can be produced using an optical-laser scanner by a skilled technician with proper laboratory equipment. To do so you will also need the original handgun to be copied. I doubt that handgun manufacturers will be agreeable to providing free 3D files for all of their products, so put a price tag on all of that. (Actually as recently as the 1970's many gun makers offered factory dummies to established holster makers at little or no cost, but those days are long gone). Interesting topic, but not one that has a simple or inexpensive solution readily available. Start-up expense will be pretty high, and as soon as you think you have everything you need some handgun manufacturer will announce a new model, and you'll be back to square one again, having to open up your wallet in order to meet perceived demand. Prior to my retirement I had about 80 dummy guns in the shop. I also had about 70 actual firearms in the gun safe. No matter what I had there would always be a demand for something else! Developing the ability to read market demand, and invest accordingly, is part of the business of holster making. During the 1990's there was a flood of Soviet-bloc pistols (Makarov, CZ, Polish, you name it) coming into the US at bargain prices. Demand for holsters blossomed, but there were no dummies available. Fortunately, the actual pistols could be purchased for very low prices (frequently less than $100 each). A decade later many of the European police agencies were changing handguns, and HK P7-PSP, Sig P6 (P225), Star BM, and a dozen others came into the US market by the thousands. Once again, holster demand spiked. I bought dozens of pistols. I made hundreds of holsters, usually for a year or two. Then the guns sat in the gun safe for months, or years, between orders. Meanwhile, US makers were jumping on the "plastic fantastic" market in droves. New handgun models were announced at least once per month. Holster orders spiked with each new model announced, but "dummy guns" were never available for most, and even when dummies were made those were always a year or so behind the demand. Again, an interesting topic. Also a topic that will interest many folks new to the business (or considering holster making as a business). All I can say is that you have to spend money to make money, you have to be careful what you spend your money on so that you can recover your investment in a timely manner, and ALL THOSE GUNS IN THE SAFE HAVE TURNED INTO A GOLD MINE FOR MY RETIREMENT! Best regards.

That is some beautiful workmanship right there!

I see some exceptionally nice work displayed in this thread. I also see an enormous outlay of time involved in each piece. That is just fine for the hobbyist, doing one piece at a time without worries about maintaining a production schedule, no worries beyond artistic perfection. No problems at all. I spent 43 years in the business, about 32 as a part-time sideline business and about 11 as a full-time endeavor. My shop completed an average of 40 orders every week consisting of holsters, belts, and accessory items (cartridge pouches, magazine pouches, etc). I had to maintain a work-flow that maximized production for the time involved with each step of the production process. Edge finishing says a lot about the quality of a leather product. A well done edge treatment shouts "quality" like nothing else. Burnishing by hand, edge paints, and other processes can produce beautiful results, but the trade-off is lots and lots of time and effort. Over the years I developed some methods (or I should say I adapted some methods from other processes) that produced excellent results with minimum time, effort, and expense. In my shop the edge finishing was one of the very last steps in production. Most of my edges were of two-layers or more (lots of welted seam construction), so the process described below reflects that. 1. Dress edges on a power sander. Depending on the size, shape, and complexity of the item the sander may be a belt sander or a drum sander (drums of 3", 2", and 1" diameter are useful). I like to dampen the leather prior to sanding because that allows residue to fall to the bench rather than filling the air with dust and fibers, irritating the lungs and spreading the mess all over the place. Most pieces can be done in a couple of minutes. 2. After sanding to a smooth and even finish the edges need to be beveled. This usually takes only a minute or two. 3. Touch up dye on dressed and beveled edges. Another minute or so. 4. Rub exposed edges with a mixture of beeswax and paraffin wax (50-50 mixture, muffin-sized pieces work nicely). A minute or less per piece. 5. Chuck a hard felt polishing bob into the drill press, turning at about 1700 RPM. Burnish edges thoroughly (takes a minute or two per piece) with the friction melting the wax and forcing it into the compressed exposed edges. When done the edge will shine like a new penny, edge completely sealed against moisture, and very resistant to abrasion. 6. Proceed with final finishing (oiling, sealing, acrylic or whatever you wish to use). Edge paint, as shown in this post, can be beautiful. It is also easily worn, chipped, and abraded in use. My edge finishing stands up to hard use very well, is easily touched up when showing a bit of wear, and stands the tests of time over years of use. It is also very fast and easy to do on a production basis. You can work hard. You can stress yourself out over every result. Or you can work smart and be done with it in a few minutes, and at very little cost. The choice is yours. Just a few little hints from the old retired MILLIONAIRE holster maker for your consideration.

In my shop we referred to our failures as "chew toys", and the dogs were never lacking for something to chew on! Every new project or design idea begins with a mental image of how we expect the end product to look and function. Envisioning each piece, every sequence of its creation, then transferring those mental images to a pattern. I really don't remember a single project that worked entirely as envisioned in its first production. More typically, the first "prototype" product identified multiple changes that needed to be made, with another pattern being produced for a second attempt. Frequently, 4 or 5 iterations were required before I was satisfied that the product would actually serve its intended purposes, thus was ready to offer for sale. I always kept all of the scrap leather and imperfect pieces for use in those development projects. Why start out with best quality leather when it can be predicted that several attempts will be required to achieve the final result? Perhaps this will help. And you really should have a dog to help you dispose of those first attempts!

Thanks for your kind words. I cannot take credit for the beautiful floral carving work, now being done by the very talented Matthew Fedders. My forte appears to have been in design, patterning, and construction of the products, with a few innovations developed along the way that (in my opinion) improved several holster types for specific purposes. A pet project of mine about 10 years ago was the recreation of a classic holster first developed for the legendary Texas lawman Tom Threepersons (circa 1920). Having located photographs of the original, I commissioned several talented leather carvers to recreate the original carving pattern, allowing us to provide enthusiasts with the most accurate modern reproduction. Beyond those aspects, my contributions were primarily in working 10 to 14 hours per day, 7 days per week, in marketing the business, managing the orders, organizing and maintaining a work-flow that allowed us to deliver some 2000 orders per year. Lobo Gun Leather continues under the ownership of the Fedders family, now located in beautiful Ely, Minnesota, near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area shared by the US and Canada in the border area, and also the site of the International Wolf Center (somewhat serendipitous, as 'lobo' means 'wolf' in the Spanish language so common here in the Desert Southwest region). I recently visited there, ostensibly in my capacity as "consultant" for Lobo Gun Leather, but really because the Fedders family are such wonderful people to share some time with! The fact that there is a lovely lake nearby featuring houseboat rentals, and my older son was able to join me for a few days of fishing, story telling, and adult beverages, well that also contributed to a pleasant trip.

Sheilajeanne: You are doing well to concentrate your efforts on products with which you are familiar and interested in. I am sure that others will find your work both useful and desirable. Defining a market niche is the key to success in this, or any other business. I was born on a farm with firearms as daily tools. I served as a soldier (nearly 5 years active, 4 years in reserves), including combat service in Vietnam. I was a cop (police officer, investigator, police chief) for over 20 years. Obviously, my attention was focused on the tools and equipment of my trade. After retirement from law enforcement I continued my long-time sideline leather business, eventually putting up a website and marketing my products to customers all over the world (33 countries altogether, including many Canadian customers). The leather business was very good for me, allowing me to retire a couple of years ago without any debt and with (what others might consider) a rather comfortable retirement portfolio. I was able to sell my company to a very good family, and they continue to do well with what I built up over the years, and that gives me much satisfaction. Now completing my 67th trip around the sun, I am about to start spending some of that investment money! Life is good here. I wish you all the best!

Raksha: During my 43 years in the holster business I delivered products to all 50 states within the US and to customers in 33 other countries, including Norway. Not my largest market, certainly, but you might be surprised just how many Norwegians are in the market for good quality leather holsters. Best regards.

They say divorce is so expensive because it is worth the cost. I hope I never have to find out if that is true.

Retired now, and in the US. All I make are indentations in the chair cushions at my club while I drink beer and play cards. Very difficult to do on a continuing basis. I don't recommend it for you younger, more active folks.

A young man should never get married until he is absolutely sure that he can afford the divorce!