Littlef

I remember doing this in geometry. - Probably did this in a drafting class also, but that's been many many moons ago.

I use mine far more for wood working than leather, but it comes in handy to find the center of a circle, regardless of the medium. - the center point is far enough out , that I can see on a quick glance that its off. But I worked out the process and I explained above to get the actual center. (or at least close enough that it works for me.)

I think any attempt to bend this would just warp or crack it. The red base is 1/2" thick and the ruler is steel. At least I worked out a process to make it usable.

I have a similar tool that's aluminum with a steel ruler. Its odd that mine doesn't find the exact center. Playing around with mine, I found a process to get the center point. I draw the first line through "center." Then, I turn it 180 degrees, and it draws a parallel line about a MM away from the first line. Then, I turn it 90 degrees and draw an intersecting lien. Then I turn it 180 degrees again and draw the 2nd parallel line. When I'm done, there's a tiny square in the middle, instead of a single point. The center of the tiny square is the center of the circle. I thought about returning the tool, but I think that's precise enough for anything I'm doing.

I know on the cheek pad on a M1D Garand (the sniper variant) they put a brass wood screw into the bottom of the leather to keep it from shifting. A rifle stock is just an oddly shaped taper than makes it tough to secure a piece of leather to it. You could place a thin piece of rubber between the wood and leather. I keep an old bicycle innertube in the workbench that I occasionally cut pieces off of for various similar type applications. - also comes in handy to make spacers, vibration dampening, or for a non-skip type application.

Good lookin Hat, well done!

lol, thank you very much

Gotcha, yea when the area around the end of the barrel is wider than the trigger guard, retention is tricky. Making a thumb break will definitely help. Another thing I've seen done, to add stiffness, is to mold a strip of kydex and sandwich it between the outer leather and the liner. - that might be worth keeping in mind if you have fit/retention issues as you work it out.

At least you actually have the gun, and will have the light. step one get those two parts together, and trace it out. If you are doing a vacuum form and you are worried about having some deep recess that could lock the light in place, I'd recommend maybe getting some molding clay and press than in any gaps, then wrap saran wrap around that area before doing your vacuum form.

Great lookin guit straps. That airborne strap really pops. well done.

That's a fine lookin scrap pile

All granite places don't give away scraps. I went to the granite store down the street from me, and asked if they had any scraps or cut out, and they all laughed at me. They had cut samples (which I'm sure were cleaned up scraps. ) I bought a sample piece for $25 bucks, which saved me from have to drive around asking other shops.

I think you’re good with either one you choose. A quick google search: Quartzite is much harder than marble is. measuring a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale, quartzite far surpasses marble which is usually around 3. Is quartzite more fragile than marble? As it is harder than marble, it is less prone to daily wear or tear and is also not vulnerable to chipping and stains. Besides being durable, quartzite countertops are also resistant to heat. Therefore, keeping any hot pan or pan on it will not damage it. It also doesn't scratch, even if you use a knife on its surface. and regarding the acid question. Unless you're planning on dumping acid on it, or leaving it in the back yard with acid rain for a hundred years, I can't image there being any impact. If you spill something on it that shouldn't be on it..... clean it off. I believe marble is somewhat porous, and could stain - but I would recommend never dying your leather directly on the slab.

One thing I was doing wrong when I first started leather work was being too conservative in applying dye. I was putting it on way too light, but then I'd have to keep applying more and more trying to even out coverage. By the time I got it even, I would have a very heavy coat of dye. Now, I do thin out the dye with alcohol, but I also use shearling applicators when dyeing. The wool holds a lot of dye. I found that when using the wool applicators, it floods the dye over the leather much more evenly and eliminated a lot of the blotchiness I had in the beginning.

I have one of those green self healing mats I keep on my work surface. It just stays on the work surface 95% of the time. Then I just put the granite slab on that. Depending on what I’m doing and how much noise it’s making, I also have a 1/4” thick piece of that rubbery pondo board. Sometimes I put that under the granite slab to absorb some noise. if I’m punching holes I put a cutting board on top of the granite. You definitely don’t want a hole punch hitting the granite.. Sometimes I don’t even use the granite when punching holes. — unless I have a lot to punch. I primarily use the granite for stamping. If I’m setting rivets I actually have a little anvil. The steel anvil makes quick work of rivet setting, cause it’s designed to be struck. Good energy transference.

I’ve used them as leather washers or spacers. Also if you ever need to put a rivet in a holster, I’ll take a hole punch and glue it over the top to keep from potentially scratching the firearm.

Thanks a lot. I have a lot of hours invested in that project. I took my time to make sure it was done right

lol, I feel your pain. My friend is super skinny. The straps were initially probably twice that long. I cut a ton of strap length off when we did the final fitting.

I like it! I bet those belt loops give it a lot of stability

Baking soda is used to neutralize the acidity of the vinegar. It neutralizes the acid because its a base. I use it, and then I rinse it out. If you were concerned whether the end solution is a base, acid, or neutral, you could always use litmus paper, but I think that's probably being more anal than is necessary. I think taking a few seconds to flush the leather good with water when you're done is sufficient.

another option would be to use a wood stain from a hardware store.

Nice looking holster. That snapping turtle is just too cool. Living dinosaurs. Someday I'll have to pick a handgun out of the safe and make a holster for it out of snapping turtle.

You’re welcome sir. They seem to be way more fancier than what most people would use… but hopefully it gives you the dimensions you were needing.

That's really neat. I dig it. That started some gears turning for a future project

Tandy has a 1917 saddle bag pattern in their leather craft library. I tried to post it but its like18.6mb, and over the size limit. My email is capped at 10mb. this is the link. 1917 Saddle Bag Pattern Pack — Tandy Leather, Inc.