donohueleather

Had a request to design and build a holster for a coworker's Taurus Tracker. I had limited time to put something together (<5hrs from start to handing it over) and since none of my other revolver templates would allow for the extra tall sights on the tracker, I had to start from scratch. In light of the timing I'm happy with how it turned out. There are a few oopsies, but I'll leave those for you to find Before anybody yells at me for leaving a gun in a wet holster, I did plastic wrap the revolver before molding, and put a good coat of gunoil on it as well as cleaned it afterward. So no throwing me into a gun god's volcano for sacrilege today. Also, the holster will have dry time while he's driving out, so there shouldn't be an issue there. The inside of the holster was buffed and sealed, the outside was dyed and finished in multiple coats of Resolene. The trigger guard stitch line runs along the edge of the reinforcement piece, hard to see from this angle but it's there. The rivets are mostly cosmetic, the only actual function is for the one closes to the belt slot to prevent any separation should the glue decide to stop doing it's job.

Will do!

Thanks, Yeah I've come here a few times previously when looking for information, usually was able to find a thread that was helpful. Noticed a few people are from the puget sound area on here as well.

I skipped this thread and went straight to a "help!" post, so I'll circle back here. Not entirely new to leather-craft, but have been working in a limited scope for a while (holsters, knife sheaths, belts & wallets primarily). I'm looking to learn new skills and gather information from those more experienced in bag making as well as??? whatever else comes up? I do leather work primarily to fulfill my need for "creating stuffs" as well as relieve stress and occasionally make some extra cash (which typically goes to tools, materials or whiskey). Constructive critique is appreciated.

Clean build, consistent stamping, Nice work

G'day Mate , Thanks for the feedback. Now that I'm branching outside of my comfortable niche, I'm evaluating the finish processes. Do you find any issues with applying after oiling? Do you have a wait time after oiling before you apply it?

Thanks for the feedback! Somewhat glad to know it's not something I did / didn't do. buuuut, this leather may end up being stuck in the back of the pile and relegated to things like coffee cup wraps or something else (not in direct contact with skin / clothing). for the edges on the veg straps that bled, i went back and sanded and sealed with edgekote. not quite what i had in mind initially, but it worked out.. and.. doesn't bleed!

Roofing hook blades (utility knife blades), when cutting heavier weight leather you can hook the edge, and carefully control the draw, either against a guide/straight edge, or along a drawn or traced line. The blade pulls through with minimal effort and eliminates the need for multiple passes. Due to the curved nature of the blade it also helps cut bends and around corners without over cutting. I load my utility knife with straight blades and hook blades so I can quick change as needed.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll pick some up and take a look. With regard to the waxed leather, do you use this as a top coat for the whole piece or just the edge? or do you only use it on the dyed veg tan?

Hi all, new to this board, have searched but I am not finding a specific post on this subject. (I.e. Bleeding dye from hand finished veg tanned leather and/or waxed leathers) Recently I have been looking at expanding my work from holsters, knife sheaths and wallets to bags and accessories (totes, purses, dope kits, etc.). After making a number of items I've run into an issue. namely, dye bleeding from the leather under certain conditions (typically hot & humid and in contact with sun screen...?). BACKSTORY - I made my wife a tote bag out of oil tanned leather, knowing the oil tanned leather wasn't going to work well for straps I made straps from veg tanned leather. I hand dyed the leather and finished with a top coat of resoline, the edges were beveled, dyed with Fiebings pro dye and burnished with Tokonole. For the Flesh side I opted for Eco-Flow water stain, sealed with Saddle-lac (I've done this with belts with positive results for a while). Prior to fixing to the bag, I tested for dye transfer with paper towels over multiple passes, no transfer. The issue I ran into was that on a hot and humid day the straps began to bleed dye out (onto my wife's fair skin, she laughed, I laughed... I was wrong..). I thought the issue might be related to the two different dye options or maybe the sunscreen she had on her leg (maybe it acted like solvent???). I tested the strap again against my skin (no sunscreen), nothing, tested against a paper towel, nothing.. tested on her arm (with sun screen) and it transferred.... not sure if this is causation or merely correlation? I could use an edge paint vs. dye but I'm wondering if the transfer had more to do with the heat/humidity or the sunscreen? Onto the second dye/bleed irritation. Unsure of the issue causing the first bag's straps to bleed, I made another bag. This time out of waxed red crazy-horse leather. The straps were dyed with fiebings pro dye only (thinking maybe the water-stain wasn't setting fully) and burnished with tokonole before sealing the whole dang strap with Saddle-lac (thick coat). I thought I'd addressed the bleeding issue, but then, on another outing she informed me her jeans were marked with red lines. I'm super irritated at this point because I can't seem to find a solution to the bleeding (note I've never had this issue with holster, belt pouches, wallets, belts...) Then I realized the lines were consistent with the color of the crazyhorse waxed leather, not from the dark brown straps. I became confused and frustrated, I may have called the bag mean names as I handed over my debit card to buy new jeans.. ... I drank some beer and thought about it all. ... I may have had a few beers while I thought about it all. ... Fast forward... ... I am now wondering, can the waxed crazyhorse leather be sealed to prevent bleeding, or does it need to? Could the bleeding effect be simply due to the hot/humid conditions when the dye transferred? It doesn't seem to transfer under normal (<80f) conditions or in my leather shop. And if that is the case, would a pre-dyed and finished veg tan have the same issue potentially? or would it be more resistant to transfer due to the industrial processes it goes through? Also, does the Eco-Flo water stain require some other sealant to prevent bleeding? (other than Saddle-lac or Resolene?) Has anybody else experienced similar issues? Am I missing a step in prep/finish somewhere? Or am I Simply dealing with an extreme scenario due to weather? It was 90-100F with pacific northwest humidity on the days of the issues.. Does anybody else have a preferred beer or whiskey for their leather shop time? Inquisitive minds must know! Any thoughts, questions, feedback are appreciated. (pictures attached of offending bags and straps)