JazzBass

Amusing observations on advertising notwithstanding (love it), you're absolutely entitled to be paid for your hard work. I'm a newcomer to leather crafting, but I've been involved with guns and gunleather for 40 years. It is only in the past year or so that I've even become aware of what actually goes into making a holster like this. IMHO, whatever you currently charge, should be received for this, and whatever you consider "better", might currently be under-priced. Consider that one.

Waiters? This should be on everyone's tool belt! ROFL! Very innovative, nicely done!

It's beautifully made - molding, stitching, etc. I say full price too - but if you feel "guilty" (don't know why), discount it $10 and call it a "sale".

Think Velcro

Well...hmm... I'd bet a month's pay that the choice of the slot system by a player, is due to two things - 1) they don't want a buckle that could ding the instrument while handling it off the body, or in its case. 2) the slot system is the only other system that they know, from what's always been available. . At the same time, they know, from experience, two things - 1) it's a real chore to adjust the strap, BUT 2) once adjusted, it is unlikely to need it to be moved, so we "deal with" the initial fitting. We measure our shoes, clothes, and belts. IMHO we should (ideally, of course) tailor our straps, as we tailor ours suits. HOWEVER - (you'll like this part) Adjustable straps absolutely have their uses, for a person with multiple instruments that they only play occasionally. It makes no sense to spend the money on custom tailoring when "off the rack" is all that's required. Although I am not part of the "leather business", it's obvious that it's rather necessary to have a stock of items for sale that are not "one-offs". Few if any could do business that way. I've been discussing this with a good friend and stratospheric guitarist. We believe that we do indeed have a concept that abandons the slot system, has no buckles or hardware, and may be adjusted in seconds, if need be. Once prototyped and tested by both of us, I'll happily share it here. Want a hint?

It's a two piece affair, requiring changing the strap button on the guitar, and screwing the other piece to the strap.

@Dwight Thanks for the tips on rawhide as well. I knew that there could be issues with different drying times with veg, so what you said makes a lot of sense - mold and dry the rawhide, then mold the leather to it. @immiketoo Thanks for the clearer explanation on using steel. I'll just have to experiment to see which materials work better on my somewhat crazy idea for the design.

Wow - glad I asked this question!! I've looked up those mentioned here. Every one mentioned are both inspirational, and enlightening! Many thanks to all !!

Thanks, Mike, Maybe I'm overthinking this, having never tried it before. Yes...but how? Assuming steel, is it generally glued inside the layers while flat, then formed? If the liner is formed first, then covered, does one use damp ,mouldable leather, or dry, finished leather? I worry about being able to cover a pre-shaped insert smoothly, using contact cement that sticks rather permanently, when covering complex shapes. Again, I may be overthinking it - guess I should just "wing it" and learn from the mistakes. (gee...what a concept!)

Many fast draw and competition holsters are lined with steel between the layers of leather, or (since CFDA prohibits steel liners), rawhide. I've also heard of Kydex being used. I have a rather radical "skeletonized" design for a holster that will absolutely need some form of hard liner. Does anyone have experience doing these types of rigs? This is a design that requires those skills, just to "prototype" it, to see if it works as designed. Any suggestions as to the procedure, will be greatly appreciated!

In addition to a solid surface, I've found that a "Dead-Blow Hammer" is a nearly miraculous tool. They are available in all different weights, and are DIRT CHEAP at Harbor Freight. It has lead shot inside the head. If you "commit" to a good, solid strike, it transfers all of its energy, and comes right off the tool with NO BOUNCE. Whoever invented this "better mousetrap" is a genius! Whether it's 3D stamps, drive punches, etc, nothing does a better job when you need a lot of force IMHO.

A friend of mine, a great saxophonist was asked, "How can you play so well when you're drunk?" He said, "I practice that way".

What's the "lesson" ? Simple - Carry on. We are all the worst critics of our own work. When making items, it's done in many different steps that have us examining every square millimeter of the work. Many times, I've made a bad mistake (gee, ya think?) , and considered the item "ruined". I would always decide (after uttering a plethora of profanities, of course), to just carry on for the practice alone, instead of abandoning the whole thing. Guess what? Almost every time, the final result didn't come out anywhere near as bad as I had anticipated. Sure, if something is cut too short in length, or some other major functionality problem occurs, then I have had to chalk it up to experience and start over, BUT- Reading posts here, even including those in the "Critique My Work" forum, has shown me that people do indeed see the "forest", instead of the bark of the tree that's in front of the maker's face. Also, learning to correct, adjust or hide mistakes along the way, seems to be a rather necessary skill, in and of itself, and I'm certainly learning that the hard way at times I intend to just stay humble, continue to mess up, do my best to fix it and learn, and try to see the overall result instead of the "microscopy". Quote- "Making a mistake is understandable. Playing it without passion is inexcusable" - Ludwig van Beethoven. Quote- "Since I'm never completely satisfied with my work, I can't help but improve" - Chris Gordan, Musician. Carry on!

Single malt scotch generally solves the "red/white" dilemma. ROFL!!

Bingo! I'll go with what you (and Nigel's videos) said. If it's the effect that you want, it's "right".

Well, I called it a "stupid" question since it had nothing to do with leather crafting! ... didn't expect it to be my first question on the forum. ROFL!! Believe me, for the rest of it, I'll just remain humble, ask beginner's questions when necessary, and learn from all the nice folks here It really is a wonderful community of pros and amateurs, all willing to share. MANY Thanks to all!

Were the holes "dremel-drilled"? I sure wouldn't want to try to get through all of that with a diamond awl! Nice job.

Interesting! I knew that there would be a variety of opinions on this topic. Great info for us newbies. Thanks! As Nigel said in his videos, "if you're getting the stitch that you want, then you're doing it right"

@Grey Drakkon I like it! Lazy? or creative? It looks good, is more than practical, and cuts the build time. What's not to like?

@fredk Interesting - I hadn't considered that angled holes would make the stitch stronger, but what you said makes sense. I'll leave the subject of "frilly underwear" to others...LOL!

Agree 100% - I'll do the slant for aesthetics, but don't mind a straight stitch for something "utilitarian". I was just curious as to what others think Thanks.

It seems that the experts and aficionados often vehemently insist upon an angle to a saddle stitch. Yes, it makes it easier to tell hand stitching from machine stitching, but- Forgive my amateur eye and possibly "plebeian" taste, but my eye is only "offended" if stitching is uneven in some way, either in line or tension, or visible(too big) holes, or too much "puckering" from tension. Why is the angle of the stitch such a point of contention for leather crafters? What is it that makes folks insist that the angled stitch looks better? Yes, I've finally figured out how to do either look, finding also that a stitch groove will force-flatten the stitch, etc. ...just an amateur, scratching his head on this one. Would love to hear the "why" behind this one, where it started, and why angled stitches are seemingly accepted as "correct" or "superior".

Although I'm a relative newcomer to leather crafting, I'm a professional musician who's been playing since age 9 - I'm 56 now. =:O Preface all of the following with "Unless your client insists" , of course. 1. Use a soft, SMOOTH liner (back), whether it's pig, calf, doe, etc. Never use suede, or any "rough-out" material. a) even those who don't jump around on stage, need it to move SOME, without noticeably sticking to clothing. It's common to pull the neck a bit towards you when playing in the lower range, and allow it to come forward when playing on the higher end of the neck. b)- The suits/tuxedos I often wear, cost a lot more than the strap. Keeping abrasion to a minimum is a rather good idea. 2. NOBODY that I've EVER known in the business, likes the "slot" type of adjustment system. I have no idea how or why this became "standard", but it just plain SUCKS! Some folks use buckles for adjustment, but the problem here isn't when it's being worn - when you pick it up, put it on, or take it off, that buckle can bang against the instrument. NO! Sure, we could try to invent a better system for adjustment, BUT - because my two electric basses (fretted and fretless) are nominally identical, I haven't needed to adjust a strap in over 30 years! We're talking "custom" here, right? Why not just get it right from the get-go? The one I'm making now will have 2 holes on the tail (bottom) side - one for standing, and one for sitting, to keep the strap from falling from the shoulder when it's not holding the weight. A few inches of the tail will hang while sitting. Big deal. Different guitars/basses? Well...there's no time to readjust on stage. A different strap IS the ONLY practical option, adjustable or not. IMHO, measure it, make it, and leave it alone!! A "non-adjustable", custom measured strap IS the best way to go for professionals who want a custom strap. "Adjustable" straps should be reserved for "stock" items. 3. Stitching - It seems (and please feel to correct/disagree) that stitch length and thread size are most often chosen based on how it looks on the front. Sure, that's always a consideration, BUT - a chunky thread will will create "wear channels" on whatever clothing is being worn. Consider either using a fairly fine thread, or a recess groove on the back side to lessen wear to clothing. Again, it's cheaper to restitch, than to buy another suit jacket because your strap wore it out prematurely. 4. Shoulder pads and internal padding - No, no, NO! A wide shoulder pad on a thinner strap (like we see on many luggage shoulder straps), STINKS!. You're constantly moving it to keep it in the "right" spot, as the instrument moves while played. Internal padding is NOT necessary, and as it compresses, it makes the guitar want to "stick" to that spot. It must be able to move some, and, as I said, having the thinner strap sliding through a shoulder pad is a bad solution to what should be a non-existent problem. 5. Stiffness - Most "favorite" straps will be soft and supple. Realistically though, if we're doing a fully tooled veg-tan strap, it's going to be relatively stiff when new. Consider a "pre-break-in", by pulling and stretching the strap back and forth around a pole or pipe, to make it a bit more flexible when new. Yes, this could mess with your finish or tooling, but that will happen eventually as it softens in use. The best solution may be to pre-stretch and soften, prior to tooling and finishing, but I'll leave that to the leather experts, as I'm an amateur. Any thoughts on this would be GREATLY appreciated. The softer, the better! 6. Strap Locks, or not? This one IS something that the client should indeed choose for themselves. Some do complain about a strap being difficult to affix or remove, especially when new. Strap locks do allow one to have a relatively stiff strap and put it on and off with the push of a button. Personally, I don't use/need them - some folks won't do without them. Either is fine, and as long as it won't slip off while playing, neither is superior IMO.

Thanks, @Rhale - that's what I'm looking for - true artists of whom I am not YET aware

Given all the consummate professionals that take time to post and respond in these forums--- Who are YOUR "heroes" that are living and working today? ...those whose work MUST be seen/emulated? As a newcomer, I've been most influenced by (in no particular order...couldn't "rank" them if I tried, as some have completely different specialties)-- Nigel Armitage, Ian Atkinson, Harry Rogers, Don Gonzales, Bruce Cheaney, Sam Andrews, and a few others. I know the list will be long, but - Who are YOUR heroes??