HandyDave

Thanks guys. It don't ever take much of a reason for me to make another holster. And I honestly have the most fun when I'm making pieces as gifts. If I was a filthy rich billionaire I'd make every piece I do for free. But unfortunately I do have to charge for pieces as well from time to time. As for the little skully guy stamped on back. It was one of first stamps I made myself with a bolt and a dremel tool. And I put it on a few pieces years ago and it pretty much became my makers mark. The USA goes on everything I make along with my little skully guy.

I love seeing the stuff you create. You don't think outside the box you smash the damn box and go wherever you feel like it. if your thinking of a complete woven style bag maybe look at crochet type bags or basket weaving techniques might give you the inspiration and some ideas to use to figure out just how you want to finish it. I look forward to seeing whatever you come up with.

My dad has been going to Lithuania for last 6 or 7 years on mission trips with his church. One of the guys they met this past summer who was helping them get supplies and help translate and other stuff is military/police officer as well. Him and my dad was talking about guns and such and my dad was showing him my website and some other pics of work I've done. He mentioned how he would love to have a custom holster for off duty use for his glock 17. So I built him one and the preachers wife is taken it over to him as a gift when she goes next week to deliver a Christmas care package to the families they help. I didn't go to over the top decided to keep it classic with a nice 2 tone black and brown. 7/8oz for main body. 6/7oz for the decorative stiffner/belt loop. And it's lined with some thin pig I had laying round.

Beautiful work on the sling sir. It just matches the classic look of the lever gun perfectly.

If you go further down the list of threads on home page there's a whole section on nothing but sharpening leather tools. Tons of info for everything we use with an edge. To answer a couple of your questions is strop regular atleast everytime you are going to use the swivel knife. I don't think you can over strop. I mainly use a good 3/8" straight blade for allmost all my carving. But I've got a couple cheaper blades from tandy that are smaller or angled that helps with certain carving tasks and you can feel a drag or a kinda skipping when a swivel blade ain't running as smooth as it should. And always make sure your leather is cased good while carving cause dry leather will dull an edge quick. Hope this helps

Some nice work frodo. If you can't find a horse or bike to throw them on you could always grab your six gun and throw them across your shoulder and become a old time bank robber. I'm sure they would hold plenty of loot.

Remember Chuck it's just scouts now the term boy is apparently offensive. But yet there still allowed to have girl scouts and you don't see no boys over there selling cookies. This poor world is so screwed up.

I enjoy doing my made to order builds for paying customers. Well I enjoy making every piece I do. Since starting Leatherwork it has become a true passion. But I have the absolute most fun when I'm building pieces as gifts for friends and family. It's when I can cut loose from the general constraints of customer projects and go outside the box a little more.

Ive had the same issues with white paints yellowing after finish is applied. Leather sheen and resolene both was yellowing my white painted pieces. I use regular craft acrylic paints from the hobby lobby by the way not "leather specific" paints like angelis. What ive found fixes all my yellowing issues is i add a couple drops of a light beige paint into my white and mix it real good. It still comes out really white colored but i dont get the yellowing after adding a top coat. Hopefully this helps.

Finished another critter and went for a little extra scare factor on this one. Its goin to one of my older nieces. Instead of the more simple plain button style eyes i went with some glass eyes i had layin around. They kinda follow you around the room. And made a little leather bloody butcher knife that sticks to hand with velcro. Hope yall enjoy.

Very nice i like the simpler rustic style. Really matches the old bowie well.

Ive just been playing these pieces by ear. Whatever colors pop in the head is what they get. Probably some purple and pink or orange. Who knows. Ill deffently post some pics once i get the others complete. The 2 i got done so far are gonna go to sisters so i wanted keep them similar so theres less options for them to argue over who gets what.

Thanks guys. I was able put another bear/critter together in between workin on some customer projects. Kinda the same as first with slightly modded pattern to make it easier to turn right side in after sewing it up inside out. I learned on the first my neck was to small and it made pulling the lower half of body through very tough. So i widened the neck a little more and i added just a little taper to arma and legs so they would be easier to roll right side out. Heres the second critter. And only have 2 more to make and my nieces will be covered for christmas presents.

Thanks everyone. Figured instead of running to the store and buyin mass produced crap toys for my little nieces and nephews i would make them some cool stuff that would be unique and last awhile. Im workin on patches for hats for the boys and some stuffed critters for the girls. Heres what one of the hats looks like that the boys will be getting.

Made me a quick template and built a kinda bear shaped stuffed animal for one of my little nieces. I used some embossed gator leather i had layin around with some chartreuse colored leather for fringe hair. Its deffently not your typical plush kids toy.

I mostly do made to order custom work. So when i get someone asking about making a piece i tell them let me crunch the numbers on there piece and i let them know a hard price within a day or 2. But i give them a ballpark when first speaking. And tell them depending on leather used and detail and hardware used this is the range of price variation. Then of course you get the people who say i seen this online for this cheap price can you make same thing for close to the cheap price. My simple answer is no i cant make it that cheap and want make it that cheap. But i allways tell them once there cheap bought item guves up on them to call me for a quality piece. And i do have alot of regular return customers that do get a little better deal then some cause there allways wanting more stuff. Im not gonna try to compete with the mass produced "handmade" crap that is flooded all over the interwebs. Just cause your hands touch the machines that do all the work doesnt in my opinion make it handmade.

I second leatherstampmaker.com ive used them several times for custom stamps for a few businesses i do regular work for and they work great and the first pieces i got from them has made several hundred impressions with no sign of slowing down. And with there brass stamps you can get there heating iron and use the stamps for branding as well as stamping. Ive got smaller stamps that work great with heavy handle and a hammer. And ive got bigger stamps i use in my press with equal quality results. I wouldnt hesitate one bit about goin back to leatherstampmaker for any custom stamps i need or want in the future.

Really nice work. I had the very same idea couple years ago with a nile croc skin i had. Made a keychain for a good friend. He likes to get people to smell it then tell them where on the croc that piece came from lol. The 1911 grips are also from the same nile croc skin. Atleast i know now i wasnt the only person to look at the cloaca and think that would make a nice eye socket

Just went down to my shop to give the 5906 a try in a couple of my 1911 holsters. The commander size holsters are about the perfect length and overall size for the 5906 but with the crazy trigger guard the 5906 has it wouldnt fit deep enough into my commander size holsters. The holsters i tryed have very tight stitch lines and have been wet molded specifically for commander size 1911 pistols. Now on a more generic holsters like your speakin of the 5906 might fit alot better. Its damn close the trigger guard on the smith is only thing keeping it from sliding right in.

If you can force it in then yes the leather will stretch and kinda form to what you put in it. Now something made for one thing and using it for something different might not be perfect fit but it should work. The s&w 5906 is very similar in shape and size to commander size 1911. Ill try my 5906 prop in one of my more basic commander size holsters and post the results for you.

Nice job im sure it will be enjoyed. If you dont mind just a touch of constructive criticism if you pre bend the outside and glue the liner piece to it on a bend youll get rid of atleast most of that creasing on the inside at fold. And id run the stitching all the way around it adds to the finished look and makes sure that little area in the middle at top and bottom doesnt pucker or delaminate. Still a great piece love the paw print and the 2 tone

Medieval marital aid?

Last quiver i made i used thin walled abs black plumbing pipe. I used 5 pieces of 1 1/2 inch diameter. They was all cut from one stick of pipe. I glued a piece of foam in the bottoms and put caps on the ends. I bundled the pipes together 3 in one row and 2 on top of the 3. Strapped them together tight with some scrap lace pieces and slid them down into quiver. They set a couple inches down into quiver shell so the pipes arent seen unless lookin down into it. My customer wanted to be able to keep a couple arrows with his 1 inch broad heads seperate and be able carry several small game point and target point arrows. The pipe does add a little bit of weight but not terrible. Ill see if i can find a pic of the quiver i did with the pipes and post it on here. I seen a bunch of the quivers for sale on the webs specially the hip style quivers had some sort of pipes to seperate the arrows so i used my construction and plumbing background and made it happen. Hope this helps.

Nice little holster you got there. I love my mouse guns. I have a north american arms mini revolver in 22 mag which is what i carry in my pocket when around the house or workin in my shop. And also have an Italian 25acp that looks about like your 22 that i carry as a back up in an ankle holster or pocket holster quite often when im out in public. Heres my 25acp pocket holster it prints like a wallet or cell phone.

Very nice heartfelt work. I will take an ok dog over 90% of the human population anytime. And a good dog is irreplaceable but its great to have the memories.