chuck123wapati

I hate that ! I did the same thing with a couple of other companies, to bad to see Tandy trying that it sure wont help their sales.

Its been quite a few years ago but here in Wyoming a highway patrolman was shot on duty and he sued the holster company and won the case, I think it was Bianchi. If I remember right his contention was the snap was to tight and he couldn't get his weapon out. It is a credible concern, IMO, especially with holsters designed and sold specifically for self defensive purposes. That doesn't mean i'll quit making holsters but I don't make them specifically for self defense. You can be sued for just about anything you make, heck someone could wreck a motorcycle and blame the guy who made the leather seat it still has to be proven however.

I would , if I had it to do over again, would buy a moderately priced good one that was adjustable in length. I bought the tandy cheapo and struggled with it until I lengthened it some and bought a better blade. A good swivel knife can be resold if you don't like it a cheapo is just wasted money if you find you don't like leather work.

I like that tooling!

those are plain? Those are some of the nicest ive ever seen. Beautiful work!

maybe you can air brush them before you cut them into straps, put them side by side to air brush or buy pre dyed leather

Thats a fine lookin sheath indeed smoke it up good an it'll be pertnear waterproof. I put a strap on mine so I could carry it over my shoulder like a regular rifle then just grab the butt and sling the sheath off for a quick shot. I think its harder to get good elk and deer hides due to how they are collected, mostly from hunters compared to cow which is bought from slaughter houses. Hunters don't take the time skinning as well nor are the hides treated as well afterwards, here they are collected by a couple of clubs but set around out in the weather for a good month before being picked up and sent to be tanned. Man do they ever stink lol, I,ve tanned a couple hides for myself but I have to do it when they are fresh.

That's a great wonderment , I've toted a lot of holsters and haven't had a one tear out due to stress. I've had sheaths and holsters thread give out due to rot and or wear. Don't know why it would be of much concern in holster fabrication. Now if your worried about the belt I can see that because its under stress and any belt holster combo should use the same thread just to match.

They sure look the part only time will tell. They are cool!

I've always used leather sheaths and I have been waist deep in snow, mud and water many times , I just water proof the heck out my knife sheaths and holsters just like I do my boots. Don't know how wet he intends on being but for hunting and such in the winter and fall leather works fine if its water proofed.

That's a nice holster I like the total coverage of the revolver for brush bustin.

Denim

maybe some heavy nylon strap material.

great lookin work there! It reminds me of a gamblers rig lol would look great with a suit.

I have no idea but it looks great on your pooch.

do you mean checkering into, little diamond shapes, the face of a stamping tool? If so a triangle file of the appropriate size, files cut on the push stroke so line it up and push it across the stamp lift it up and start over, dragging a file backwards across the work will dull it and could ruin your cut, just take your time.

yea but you have to roll them backwards for a bit then they lay flat.

for holsters and sheaths that are going to be used out doors I use a coat of neat's-foot oil then a good quality leather waterproofing like feibings golden mink oil, sno seal, etc. most are beeswax oil combinations and smear it on then heat it up with a bow dryer to melt it in.

Simple questions are vague questions. So answers are usually vague in reply." ....what leatherwork will bring in the highest rate of return? I Live in Northern California....." Are you just going to sell in Northern California? Are you going to sell on line? are you going to advertise in magazines? Are you going to buy in bulk, do you have the capitol to start a large business? work out of your garage and buy from Tandy?All these things affect your rate of return. How can someone answer you without more info? ."....does handmade leatherwork sell for more or does it just take too much time?" If you mean more time than mass produced then yes it takes more time to make, to much is a matter of how fast you are at making it, and usually sells for more than mass produced items unless it is crap workmanship then it doesn't sell at all. How long does it take you to build something compared to another leatherworker? People buy handmade for a reason and that reason is almost always quality and how fast you are at providing that quality also affects your rate of return. How can someone answer that without knowing the quality of your work? ".....what outlets do you use to sell your leather goods?" I use word of mouth, local advertising and consignment. BUT I'm not trying to make a living at this. Those are as straightforward as I can get, My best advise to you if you are planning to make a viable living at this is to enroll in a college level business course and then with that knowledge you will be able to answer all your questions no matter what you decide to sell, you can then create a business plan that has a much better chance of success and understand better the nuances of the business world. Good luck to you!!!!

The knives and the sheaths are awesome!

I think you could use about any high carbon steel for the punches as long as you can harden and temper them at the proper temperatures. The trick is knowing exactly what type of steel you have so you can then harden and temper at the correct rates. The reason I say this is because there are dozens of high carbon steels types, each with different properties, if you use say old drill bits or hand files or something like that you have no idea what the steel is so you depend on luck to get the proper hardness or temper, all your work could be for nil. As for high speed steel it is used for drill bits and high temperature applications and I don't think a punch will ever need that temperature protection, also it may be more expensive unless you can find a good deal and again know its hardening and tempering properties. The biggest tip or trick I can give you is know what steel you have so you can harden and temper it at the right temperatures with the right quenching agents to get the hardness you want in the end product.

I would use a high carbon steel that you can harden and temper, I use a lot of 1095 for knives, tools and such. I've made punches from various sizes of black pipe but they don't hold up for any length of time and are pretty much a waste of time. Rivet and eyelet sets you could probably get away with low carbon steel as they don't need to hold an edge.

You can make leather washers for knife/tool handles, leather conchos like on saddles, earrings, key fobs, hair pins, coasters, xmas tree ornaments,practice on them. If you have a logo or leather stamp make some key fobs with your logo on it to give away.

its called hr 5717 here in the us and the dems are trying to attach it to one of the stimulus packages! Write your reps!!!!! Our county has become a 2nd amendment sanctuary.

perfect place for a certain craft knife. lol