1Man

OK. This guy is just collecting dust. Price reduced to $1,600.

Hi Guys & Gals - still have the machine for sale...I'm in the Cleveland, OH area and would be willing to deliver or meet you within a reasonable distance. Price Reduction - $1,700 AND I'll throw in a bunch of leather I haven't used. Most of it is 7/8 oz, some black, natural and brown along with some exotics and bridle.

Still for sale. I'm willing to deliver or meet you within a reasonable distance. Also have some misc leather that I'm throwing in. Price reduced to $1,800 Thanks

Thanks for the emails. I'm honoring requests in the order they come in. Below is an updated list. Rings Ruger LCR Ruger LC9 Springfield XD9 Springfield XD40 Springfield Operator w/Rail Springfield Model 1911 - A1 5" CZ 75 Compact 9 HK Mark 23 HK 45 HK P7 M8 HK USP Compact 9 HK P2000 9mm Bersa Thunder 380 Colt Commander S&W M&P 40 S&W M&P 40c S&W M&P 45 Sig P229 Sig P228 Sig SP2022 (old version) Glock 19 Glock 21 Glock 26 Glock 30 Glock 36 Duncans HK P2000SK 40 HK 45C Kahr P45 Sig P238 Kimber K1911R w/rail Springfield 1911 - A1 5" Beretta Model 84 Blackhawk Beretta 92/96

Hello, Selling off all my leather working equipment, tools, etc. Here are some dummy guns for sale. All are used but in good shape (some have dye markings but no dings dents or otherwise). Most are brand new and only used a few times. $40/shipped a piece or buy 3+ and pay $30/shipped a piece. I'll accept paypal or personal check (must wait to clear before shipment). I'll check in as much as possible but you can email me for a faster response wardleather@yahoo.com (this is also the paypal account) Rings Ruger LCR Ruger LC9 Springfield XD9 Springfield XD40 Springfield Operator w/Rail Springfield Model 1911 - A1 5" CZ 75 Compact 9 HK Mark 23 HK 45 HK P7 M8 HK USP Compact 9 HK P2000 9mm Bersa Thunder 380 Colt Commander S&W M&P 40 S&W M&P 40c S&W M&P 45 Sig P229 Sig P228 Sig SP2022 (old version) Glock 19 Glock 21 Glock 26 Glock 30 Glock 36 Duncans HK P2000SK 40 HK 45C Kahr P45 Sig P238 Kimber K1911R w/rail Springfield 1911 - A1 5" Beretta Model 84 Blackhawk Beretta 92/96

Hello, I am shutting down the leather shop and will be selling off what I have. At the moment, I have an Artisan Toro 3200 for sale. I've had it for about 2 years and it's been gently used. Mostly custom leather holsters and a few belts. Standard left, right, double foot, roller guide and standard tools. I have a package or so of needles and a couple spools of white and black thread that I'll throw in. $1900. I'd prefer to sell it to someone who can pick it up. My zip is 44223. I can't check the site very often so please email me at wardleather@yahoo.com or call at three-three-zero 7011931 if you're interested or would like some pics. Thanks.

Hey there. I've done a few of them by hand. I can't say they're a lot of fun. You just have to get into a rythme and keep going. I found that punching about 10-12 holes and stitching those gives me little goals to work towards. As you "accomplish" each goal by sewing those you'll feel a small sense of accomplishment that'll keep you going long enough until you finish the next set, and so on. Before you know it, you're done. Typically, I'll cut a long enough piece of thread to just do one side of the belt. It's still a lot of thread but, it's better than 30 feet. Just make sure you start at the tip close to where you'll punch your sizing holes and end at the buckle end which is typicall wrapped to the back of the belt anyway. I've also found that wearing latex gloves helps me get a better grip on the needle and reduces the fatigue in my hands. Anyway, just my thoughts. It's definetely worth it when your done. And possibly, just possibly, you'll enjoy it enough that you'll be thinking about your next belt as your stitching this one. Think about different designs and color schemes. Happy Stitching!

This is an interesting project. I don't like using clips on my holsters for various reasons. But, I've had a good customer of mine ask me to build him a holster with a clip so he could show his neighbors. He lives out in rural farmland and his neighbors all like to clip their gun/holster to their seatbelt or some other area when their driving their tractors. But, they like the ability to quickly remove the entire rig when they change vehicles. I've also considered a car mounted holster and thought that covering the outside of the holster in the soft velcro material might work if the hook material was mounted somewhere else (i.e. center console/under dash, etc). I guess you'd just have to make sure there's enough flat surface area on the holster to get a good purchase on the hook material. This might be an option for you if the customer is willing to add some velcro material to his seat belt. ...just a thought.

I'd suggest that you order them. Both the 229 and 239 are popular concealed carry firearms. I even invested in the Sig 2022 for a customer of mine. Both he and his father use them for competition and they've ordered several holsters and mag/double mag carriers from me.

Hi, thanks! Yes, I started taking photos inside but the flash just makes a mess. I'm not all that keen with cameras even though it's second nature to everyone else in my family. So, I decided to try outside with natural lighting and it seems to work very well. I think it gives you much better color balance. BTW - I had looked at your post the other day...I didn't intentionally use the retaining wall as a background, I think it was a memory thing because when I sat the holster down on the retaining wall, it was like I had seen that same image somewhere...now it all makes sense. You know, when you're just so busy some things just get filed in the back. You build very nice holsters, by the way. Your work is very clean and has the right proportions/angles etc.

Hi, I used 7/8 and lined it with some tooling kip from Tandy's. I used brass rivets to hold down the bullet loops (2/3 tooling kip) and brass eyelits so I lined it so the brass didnt' touch the wood. I think it turned out pretty nice.

Hi, I just wanted to share some pics of recent holsters/carriers. Please let me know what you think.

Cool beans. I'll have to give it a try and let you know what my results are. It's worth a try. It's a really nice classic looking machine that would look great in the workshop but, I think my grandmother would like it even more if I were putting it to use.

You're right, I have it so I guess I'll just have to try it and find out. I was just curious if I was trying to get water from a stone. But, do I really need to be sewing with heavy thread for a belt? Would 138 work?

OK, so I'm familiar with seeing that the common thread sizes are 277 for top and 207 for bottom with size 25 needle. How does this compare to the size 69 that you mention? Are the 277/207 much larger than the 69?

Hi Guys, I just picked up the sewing machine that belonged to my grandmother. It's made by the Domestic Sewing Machine Company and it's a Series 153. I'm interested in building some belts using 7/8 leather and backing it with some 2/3 oz tooling kip or calf skin. I was able to run the machine without any thread and it seemed to run through the leather with ease. I really don't think this machine was designed for this application so, what do you guys think? I've never used a machine for leather before so I'm wondering if this is just wishful thinking or if this will actually work. I"m sure I probably need to be more concerned about how tight I can get the stitches (I presume), as opposed to just being able to punch holes in some leather. Thanks in advance!

I always mold first then use a deglazer before I dye. I've never had any issues with the detergent acting like a blocker. Realistically, I'm only using a drop in about a gallon of water. Maybe it doesn't do anything at all but I started doing it the same time that I started placing my pieces in front of the heater to dry. It works for me so I'll continue to do it. It seems to make sense to me that the detergent would help. I think what's really going on is that the water is acting as an agent to relieve the oils from the leather itself and thus creating a way for the leather fibers to bind closer together. We've all seen the Dawn Dish Detergent commercial where a drop of soap disperses the grease in an instant. Maybe someone with a chemistry background or more knowledge on this subject could chime in and tell us exactly what the wet molding process is actually doing and if any of these additives are truly necessary.

So, what did you end up doing and how did it turn out?

What does the Ammonia do? My two cents... I'll dip my piece in relatively hot water (hot enough that I can still leave my hand in it and not get scalded). I've been adding a drop of dish detergeant to my water bath since it acts as an agent to break up surface tension and allows the water to get into the leather quicker and more uniform. Depending on the type of leather you are using (and weight), you may only need to leave it in for a few seconds or it might take up to a minute. If you have the really dried out sun baked leather like the stuff called Craftsmans Grade at Tandy's, it'll take longer - better leather needs less soaking. Now mold the leather to the shape you want. At this point, this is the step that I have found to have the best effect on stiffening the leather. I place my piece in front of one of those ceramic heaters with the little fan. It seems to "temper" the leather and seems to lock in the form. I don't put it so close that it gets hot, i just set it about two feet away and let the warm air dry it out. I'll usually leave it there for 6 - 8 hours. Voila, stiffened leather. Finish as you see fit. I have not tried drying it under the sun but, that might work too. But, if your going to dye any color other than black, you might have some issues with the UV rays darkening your leather. You're also a bit limited to working only on warm sunny days. I live near Cleveland and we don't get very many of those. Hope this helps.

Hallaloujah!! I'm not crazy! There definetely something different about the finish on their holsters. I did send them an email by the way to see if they would give me an idea of what they are doing. We'll see what happens.. As for the Acrylic, this is the method I use and it works well. Use a 1" foam brush to slather the acrylic on. Both inside and out. Use a thin coat on the inside since it's hard to get back in there. Let the acrylic work it's way around for about a minute and then use a moist sponge to come back and smooth it out and pick up the excess. I usually opt for about a 4"x4" square and dip the sponge in some water and ring it out. Then I'll sort of smack the surface of the holster in different directions to get the excess off without leaving streaks. If you push too hard, then you'll inevitably leave streaks and want to hurt yourself. Let it dry and come back with another coat using the same technique. Rinse off the sponge every couple of strokes to keep it from becoming saturated with acrylic. Not exactly a science but it works for me and I've been able to avoid the streaky acrylic issue. I think the trick with acrylic is to use a damp sponge to work it around and once you get it to the point that you like LEAVE IT ALONE. If you keep going as the acrylic get's tacky, then you're just going to make a mess and you mine as well just soak your sponge, wipe it off, let it dry and try it again.

It's not really the appearance that I'm trying to replicate. I think I can acheive just about anything I need to there. It's really all in the feel and texture of the leather. Buffed out acrylic just doesn't feel the same as the finish on a Milt Sparks. Does this make sense? Maybe it's just the difference between a quality piece of leather. I did just read a little bit on their website in the FAQ section about maintenance. They mention the use of Angelus Lustre Cream for Black and Cordovan. And, they recommend Renaissance Wax as another option. Have you ever used either one of these products and could you tell me what the results were? Looking at their website again, the finish almost looks like a patent leather.

Well, most of my stuff is black. And with black there's just about no way to screw it up except to not put on enough. I'm definetly going to be buffing more between applications. I think that might make a difference. Has anyone actually seen a Milt Sparks holster in person to know what I'm talking about?

OK, well, if it's not a product in particular, is it how the product is applied? Is there a buffing process before the acrylic or final finish is applied or is there an additional buffing after the final coat is applied. I don't know. I just won't forget how smoooooth that leather felt.

Hi, So, my approach to dying/finishing my holsters is to apply neatsfoot oil/dye/acrylic resolene (in that order). I wait sufficiently between applications to make sure each application has dried before proceeding. But, I happened upon someone who had a Milt Sparks VMII on them the other day and really admired the finish that they put on their holsters. I'm sure there's some trade secrets in this but, does anyone know how they finish their holsters? Maybe they are using the same standard process and it's all in the leather but, I doubt it. Seems like there's something else that they are doing that I just can't put my finger on. Any ideas?