Hildebrand

The panel is a different piece of leather but the color difference has more to do with the dye job. It was supposed to be a 2 tone with the holster being fieblings saddle tan and the panel dark brown. But after the first coat of saddle tan the color was right but a little blotchy so I gave it a second coat and it darkened up a bunch. It is lined, 2 4-5 oz pieces glued together. The missed stitching on the top is just an oversight. I was concentrating on both bottoms and got them sewn up and jumped right to gluing together and then sewing the rest, I didn't notice the missing top stitches until I was wet molding it. The grip on the 1911 is probably a special edition, that is the NRA gun of the year and it comes as a package with a knife that has matching handle scales. Also the contrasting thread color is a little because I like the look but also I have not had good luck with black or brown in my Boss and neither color seems to have the body like the white does when you use it. This was sewn with possibly the oldest Tippman Boss still going, it is serial #130.

For some reason the front picture did not show up so here it is.

Here are some pictures of my first attempt at a pancake holster. Thank you Jeff at JLS for the patterns. I learn something new on every holster, on this one I learned not to finish the front piece before test fitting and making sure the top of it and the mouth of the holster are exactly even. I ended up with some stitches actually in the edge of the mouth of the holster. Comments and critique appreciated. Todd

Thanks for the replies. I figured I would sew all edges. I have been reading all of the holster threads, I am back to page 114. I have read a bunch of Katsass’s posts. There is a ton of great info in the forum.

For the first time I am using 2 4-5oz pieces glued together for a pancake holster. Do you sew the areas that are just the 2 layers to keep them from separating or is the contact cement sufficient for that? Thanks Todd

I have a very old one that I bought used, serial number 130. You will love it or hate it. When it works it is great and much faster than sewing by hand. I have spent countless hours getting mine tuned in, I think part of the problem is I knew so little about leather sewing machines I didn't ask the previous owner what size thread he was using and now I realize it was probably a size smaller than what I bought. All that said now that it is tuned in it has been sewing very consistently. I was even able to sew a cartridge holder without missing a stitch. Todd

This was about 35 years ago and thankfully no photo evidence exists from that time in my youth. One of the problems with the device is the instructions tell you to start in the middle of a piece of leather and essentially cut a spiral out. This leaves all the lace naturally laying in a circle.

The lace cutter you describe is OK but it probably will not cut consistent enough laces for the precision you are putting into that project. I have one somewhere that I used to cut lacing to lace together a set of buckskin cloths many moons and pants sizes ago.

I was asked to do a bible cover for my wife's coworker and she provided a piece of leather and the dye she picked. I am very much an amateur leather worker and had zero experience with dye. She had picked up the eco flo all in one. It worked fine on the bible cover and she let me keep the left over materials for doing the work. I thought cool something to experiment with. I made a pancake style knife and multi tool case and thought I would dye it. What a train wreck, it looked great after the dye job. Problem was when I ran it under the water to wet it to form I had dye everywhere. It definitely doesn't work if you are going to wet form the object after dying.

Could you email a catalog to thildebrand64@gmail.com? Thank you, Todd

Thank you both for the replies. I used the Hoover one on some table covers, it belonged to the upholstery business. I couldn't find it with google since I didn't know the name, I think thats the one I will shoot for. Todd

You have to have the little rod about 3” long that has a shoulder on it. You drive the punch out from the back. It’s a press fit. My dad has that exact tool.

I am looking for a different snap setter. I have the Tandy hammer type but I would like to find a pliers type. I mostly set #20 and 24 snaps. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

Another quick way to transfer patterns is to print them onto the clear overhead transparencies. This lets you see the leather underneath and mark you cutting and stitching lines with a molding tool and it re usable.

Tigdim, If you really want an education on holsters I suggest doing what I am in the process of. I am on page 82 of the 273 in this topic. I have read every thread on holsters and most of those on knife sheaths and other projects. The amount of information is amazing, some of the members no longer post or just sporadically but there are tons of holsters to look at and compare to the advice given. The only downer is the posts with photobucket pictures, the pictures are no longer available. I plan to read all 273 pages, I have learned a ton, I thought I had a basic understanding after making a few holsters based of the instructions in Al Stohlmams how to make holsters book. Man was I wrong, just what I have learned from this forum so far makes me realize I wasn't even up to Newbie status when I started reading. Todd

I was looking at it again last night and I remembered I had put 2 stitch lines around it so I am going to cut the first row out and see if that loosens it up enough. If it does then I know where to move it to on the pattern I made.

Thank you Mattsbagger.

No pictures. It was a train wreck. I made a bunch of western style holsters a few years ago. I got a Tippmann Boss for harness repair and decided to get back into holster making and try something different and make an Avenger style, the learning curve is definitely longer than the western style. I tried one of JLS Leathers patterns for a magazine pouch and it came out perfectly.

Just wondering if any of the other patterns out there can be used for this model. Given the thickness of the slide I was curious if a Glock pattern would work. I tried to make my own from JLS’s instructions but ended up with the stitch lines to close and the gun won’t fit. Also I got the start of the belt slot to far back. Thanks for any pointers. Todd

I put this in the "Show me the backside of you holster sewn with a Boss" thread but it is a pretty old thread and hasn't gotten any responses. I am attaching pictures of a magazine pouch I made this weekend, thanks JLS Leather for the pattern. I have spent about 3 years in a love hate relationship with the used Boss I bought. A few weeks ago I finally narrowed down what I think was the problem all along, a bent piece in the needle carrier assembly. I have slowly been doing more sewing getting confidence in the machine and going through the learning curve. One thing I have found is the colored thread, I have black and brown, is much more difficult to get correct tensions with and make good stitches. I double checked and all 3 are the same 277 thread and nylon. Is this common or did I possibly get bad spools of black and brown, they are very stiff compared to the white. Anyway with all that said all advice welcome on the stitching of the mag pouch. Todd

I know this is a very old thread but I gained a lot of good information from it over the last 3 years as I tried to get my Boss to stitch on any kind of regular basis. I am posting pictures of a magazine carrier I made, many thanks to JLS leather for the pattern, and would like any suggestions on the stitching and also would ask if other with the Boss have more issues with colored thread than white, I finally got it to sew with the brown but it is much stiffer and more critical on the tension adjustments. The white just seems to flow. Thanks, Todd

Thank you everyone I found one I could make work. Todd

I have googled the tar out of it. Any I find are complex designs. thanks Todd

Does anyone have a tracing pattern or know where I can download one? I need to put a simple cross on a bible cover. Thanks in in advance for the help. Todd

Thanks everyone. That’s what I figured I just need to pay closer attention and make sure the bobbins are full.