Gosut

I was going to take a photo of the snaps on the old belt, then found them on the Tandy Leather site. Their Segma snaps are exactly the same. Weaver Leather Supply has a similar Segma snap. Not trying to make any converts here, just pointing them out for anyone curious to what was on that old belt. I like the idea of Chicago screws. It would serve the same purpose of allowing to change the buckle. It's perhaps worth noting that I can only find snaps on my oldest belts. The later ones sew the flap down.

That's the ferrous acetate solution I made months ago. I strained and poured the finished solution into an airtight plastic bottle and ended up with only some precipitation. Used it on January 1, 2024, and pouring let in enough oxygen that the solution turned a dark red. Nothing to do but to discard. I like vinegaroon, though. Am thinking about making it as needed instead of making up a batch and storing it.

Thanks, all. I hadn't considered Chicago screws. The whole point of snaps is to allow changing the buckle, and Chicago screws would do that just fine. Last year I first used rivets, but was getting dye from somewhere in the buckle end and ended up boring them out and dunking in M&G. Went back with snaps. I did have a problem with the snaps coming loose, but attributed it to them being cheap snaps. Ended up fiddling with the wire in the socket that grabs the stud and that helped.

Found an old belt that got stuck behind something. These days I look at worn out belts and think "Hardware!" but in this instance I paid attention to the snaps holding the keeper and buckle flap in place. Last year I had bought some cheap snaps, and when I used them on a belt, the rims on the inside part of the post and socket created a gap. These snaps didn't. They're segma type snaps, but sit perfectly flush. The socket doesn't even have a rim, just a series of splits in the side to hold the socket in place, with the post fitting inside, maybe all the way into the cap. The belt snaps were also smaller diameter than I remember. Is is possible to find a snap that allows a flush fit? The segma line snaps at Tandy seem to have a thin rim. Would that give the same flush fit?

The vinegaroon worked beautifully. The M&G did as well. It's my stitching that stinks. I had a gray thread on hand that I thought would work well. Not top name, but good enough. It was passable, but the light gray against black highlighted every flaw, and there were plenty of them. The first I noticed was stitching up the checkbook cover. I had given it three coats of a 50/50 solution of M&G and water, and had set the holes prior to the vinegaroon. There was enough acrylic in the holes that I had to run a regular awl through them, but i can't blame the stitching on that. The punch side wasn't so bad. The underside, though, had several places out of line. Honestly, I didn't do that bad on my first project. The leather pouch for a whetrock was worse. Okay, so it was simply to protect a small hard Arkansas stone, and only tried dyeing it as a test. Instead of M&G, I stopped after my usual two light applications of neatsfoot oil. Once again, used the gray thread. The stitching is horrible, the worst I've ever done. The pouch was tight and I cased it to fit the stone, but had punched the holes first because precisely because I feared I couldn't keep them aligned. How bad are they? I had planned to photograph and post on the board because of how well the vinegaroon turned out, but the stitching on both are so bad I'm ashamed to show them in public. Sigh. I thought we were supposed to get getter with experience. I know the problem was in the angle of the chisel, but I though I had this down. The best thing I can say is neither one were gifts. No one has to see them.

It's possible that it wasn't strong enough. Another possibility is the tannins in the leather. On New Year's Day, I used vinegaroon I had made over several days back in the summer, but prior to use I dunked the leather in black tea and let it stay a few minutes to add tannins. Then I dunked it in vinegaroon, then, when it was nice and black (less than half an hour), removed, gave it a baking soda bath, then rinsed and put it back in the tea for a short soak, then rinsed again. Based on comments on the forum, the next time I use vinegaroon, I think I'll not bother with the baking soda. The idea of the baking soda is to remove free acetic acid in the vinegaroon that's left in the leather, but it will also remove any tannins left. What's going on is that the iron and the vinegar form ferrous acetate, which reacts with tannic acid to produce black. That's why I gave it a short soak in tea before and after. There has to be enough ferrous acetate to react with the tannins, and enough tannins for the ferrous acetate to react with. My guess is that 20 hours didn't produce enough ferrous acetate, but that's just a guess.

Used it tonight, in a 50/50 dilution. I first used it on a belt that had a bleed through issue I couldn't nail down. Removed the rivets and dipped the entire thing a total of three times, drying in between. The only drawback was I had already used Resolene (tm), and the final result was fine "crackles" that can be felt but not visible. Pretty sure that's a case of over-application, but wanted to stop the bleed through This time I used it on a vinegaroon dyed checkbook cover. I did the dip method again. Anticipated streaking, and had a section of sponge moistened in the solution and wiped it clear. When it dried sufficiently, noticed there was still light streaking, but it buffed out. Has I not been wanting to make sure the inside of the pockets were sealed, wouldn't have dipped it. This cover will be subject to sweat, and wanted to make sure everything is sealed.

I don't know if a baking soda rinse is necessary or not. Have read some comments by those who do and comments by those who don't. The pamphlet I read on home tanning did not mention a baking soda rinse, only following a dunk in the veg tan bath after the vinegaroon. I was hedging my bets, so to speak, with the initial soak in black tea, then a final soak in tea before the last rinse.

I had planned to leave the whetrock pouch be after a short soak in the tea and a rinse, Just oil it and let it go, as you suggest. Unfortunately, I somehow got a little vinegaroon on my thumb, and when I rinsed the whetrock pouch, there was part of my thumb print. The pouch is just to protect the whetrock, so I was about to leave it be, then decided to dye it black to cover it. A little vinegaroon, a short soak, and it was done. Rinse with a baking soda solution, then soaked in tea again, then a final rinse. Unfortunately, with all that soaking, the molded pocket went away. Wrapped the whetrock in plastic cling wrap and reformed the pocket. It's drying as we speak After removing the checkbook cover from the vinegaroon, I rinsed, then poured the baking soda solution left over from the whetrock pouch failure into the bag. Let it soak a little,l then removed, rinsed, and set it soak a short time in the tea. Rinsed and wiped off the excess, but feared it was still drippy. It was a sunny day above freezing with a light to moderate breeze, so I hung it outside in the sunshine. Black color + sunny day + wind let it dry out in an incredibly short time. The resulting leather was stiff, but seemed no stiffer than the whetrock pouch was after it dryed after casing. Have applied a light coat of neatsfoot oil and have it hanging inside to make sure it's all absorbed. That light coat has helped the stiffness. So far I'm very pleased with the vinegaroon. That could change, but right now I really like it.

With two minor projects, a whetrock pouch and yet another checkbook cover, I wanted to try something new. The whetrock pouch is made from scrap and is for a hard Arkansas stone about the size of a small whetrock. The plastic case for it shattered decades ago, and I happened to look at it last week and think "Hey, I can make a pouch out of scrap for it." Though I used another as a pattern, the leather was so tight I ended up casing it after gluing. That worked surprisingly well. Instead of leaving it natural, I decided to try baking soda to turn it brown. That worked with a test piece of scrap last year, so I wanted to see how it went. I had already planned to used the vinegaroon I made last year for the checkbook cover. The test scrap I dyed with it turned out well, so I was optimistic. For both, I steeped some store brand decaffeinated black tea and let cool. I dunked both in separate containers (store brand ziplock bags that leaked slightly) for about ten to fifteen minutes. The whetrock pouch I put in a near saturated solution of baking soda and water. The checkbook cover got the vinegaroon treatment. Both are in different ziplock bags than I used for the tea treatment. The baking soda is a surprising disappointment. After about a half hour, the leather has shown little to no darkening. The vinegaroon started to work before I sealed the bag, The checkbook cover is currently a nice solid black. Both the whetrock pouch and the vinegaroon will go back into the tea. I read a pamphlet on home leather tanning that suggested returning leather to tannic acid soak after the vinegaroon, so I'm wondering if the tannic acid will react with the remaining baking soda and ferrous acetate in the leather. I did see a pamphlet on home leather tanning that recommended this for vinegaroon, so it's not an original idea. May rinse the checkbook cover first in a solution of baking soda to neutralize any free vinegar. At least I know not to rely on baking soda for brown.

Will have to try that. I have the same problem with PVC cement. Acetone sounds like a good idea. I wiped the threads down dry, but there's likely still a residue.

It's contact cement. Have tried channel-locks, but didn't really "shut down" on it from fear of crushing the top. Will have to try again.

Have just finished gluing up two minor projects and the issue of stuck glue lids. I have one from earlier this year that I cannot open. I had to use a new one, and I've tried to clean glue off the screw threads with a disposable shop towel, but I'm not optimistic. I had stored the older can upside down, but don't think that helped. Does anyone have a solution? I hate wasting glue.

I don't remember the model, if I even noticed. Only know that it was a Glock and had the type of safety that runs down the middle of the trigger.

Not really a soap box and all good info. FWIW, grew up keeping the finger outside the trigger guard until ready to fire. Walking around with the finger inside the trigger guard is an accident waiting to happen.

The trigger pull is also a lot less in a striker fired handgun, or at least it was in the Glock I shot. The stiffest I've encountered is in double action revolvers. These are revolvers that rotate the cylinder and cocks the firearm and fires when you simply pull the trigger. This revolver also worked single-action. This is when you pull back on the hammer with your thumb, which also rotates the cylinder, then pull the trigger to fire. Single action in that revolver had a lower pull than double action, but the pull on the Glock was less than both. My firearm knowledge is limited, but I haven't encountered a revolver with a safety. That's a button or small lever you have to push or slide to enable the firearm to fire. Some semi-automatic pistols have safeties. The Glock safety is built into the trigger, hence my concern. Not trying to start a safety / no safety debate. The take-away on safeties on pistols is if the lack of one makes the shooter uncomfortable, then the shooter shouldn't buy a pistol that doesn't have one. FWIW, I liked shooting that Glock, so it's really just a holster question with me. The holsters that day were Kydex (tm) and a leather pancake. I didn't have a chance to to examine the leather one.

A short while ago, I had the opportunity to shoot a Glock. That had me thinking about holsters for that type. What gives me pause is the safety is built into the trigger. That has me thinking a holster must be ridged and completely cover the trigger area, as well has have good retention (strap or otherwise). There's a certain incident that made the rounds of an accidental discharge where the top of the holster folded over and caught the trigger. Obviously, the leather can't be that soft,. But is leather for a striker fired pistol holster just not a good idea? Is there some way to eliminate risks? For instance, is "boiled leather" for a holster an option, or would it soften over time and exposure to sweat and the elements? Is there a way to form and incorporate a rigid metal support for the opening of the holster? Is there some other way entirely? Just curious.

That's a good idea. Will try that. Thanks.

Have recently been involved in repairing the controls of two identical power recliners. I happened to have the original part number for the control, and ordered one to make sure it was the right one before ordering two. Good thing: It was the right part, but a previous "repair" had destroyed the connectors to the seat and back massage motors. The seat massage motor wire may even be cut. Whoever worked on this installed a control that let the chair up and down, noting more, and didn't bother unscrewing the control box from the side of the chair - just cut the wires and left it in place. I can sort of understand that part, especially if the plan was to install the proper control later, but not what was done to the wires to the seat and back massage motors. Installed the control I ordered on the other power recliner and got it going. The wires were intact on that one so it was a simple replacement. Have ordered a different control for the other chair that will allow it to raise and lower, but would like to do a full repair. The problem is the cable plugs / sockets have stumped me. They are rectangular, two-wire, with one socket round and the other "D" shaped. They seem common among power recliner remotes, but haven't been able to find them. Plan B calls for replacing them with a plug / sockets I can find locally, but that also means doing the same with the proper control unit. Would really like to get it back the way it was. Any suggestions? A huge problem is I don't know exactly what the plugs /sockets are called. They may be AMP Mini-Fit, Jr 2-Way connectors, but I don't know. Thanks. PS: Gripe Ahead. I really don't understand the butchered wiring on one of the chairs. There was no call for it. I can understand using a "get by" control to make the raise / lower part operational, but not what was done to the wires to the massage motors. Whomever worked on the second didn't have a 100% compatible control, but at least didn't cut the massage motor wires. That's how it should be done.

The third coat dried quickly in the heat, and found a can of Kiwi Wet Pruf paste in the shoeshine box. It's older than the now-grown children, and only a little around the edge of the can, but it was still pliable and looked and felt like it had beeswax. Buffed the belt, then applied the paste, rubbing it in and then buffing. Whether from age or ingredients, the paste felt tacky like beeswax. Had no dye rub-off. Given the amount of acrylic on it, thought the surface might crackle under bending, but it didn't. Due to the acrylic, applying the paste may have been wasted effort, but it's done. Used cheap snaps that I had on hand instead of rivets. The snaps aren't holding as well as I like, but then again, they are cheap snaps. Wore it a few hours without rub off or bleed through, but that's not like wearing it all day.

The dye was Fiebing's Pro Dye Dark Brown. I've used it to good effect on a gift checkbook cover, sealed with Resoline, but it's not exposed to moisture. I put the third coat on maybe 20 minutes ago. One advantage of sunny hot weather is that things dry quickly outside. Brought it in for the evening, and it was maybe 90% dry after just an hour. Let it dry overnight, then gave it another dunking. Once again, I had some dye bleed into the solution, about as much as with the first dunking. I don't think continued dunkings will do much good. The mystery is that I'm getting none from the keeper, made from the same leather, with the same dye and sealant. The bleeding is coming from the belt. Looked for Sno-Seal (tm) yesterday, but, not surprisingly, found none locally. Not much snow here, but plenty of hot and humid weather. May try neutral shoe polish. The acrylic will act as a barrier, but have to try something.

Keeping on the side of caution. Some companies are sensitive to how you use their product names, lest it become used as a generic reference. Classic example is Aspirin, which was Bayer's trade name for the medicine. Another is Kimberly-Clark's facial tissue, Kleenex (tm). Kimberly -Clark used to run polite ads in at least one writing magazine reminding authors to use the term facial tissue for the generic product, and (hazy memory here), Kleenex (tm) facial tissue if they needed to mention the specific product.

I need to sweat-proof dyed leather. I had the dye bleeding from the buckle area before it weather turned really hot (at the moment 36° C / 95° F and that's cooler than some days we've had).

I'm still around, just busy and having to spend money on other things. This goes back to a belt project several months ago. I did three coats of 50/50 Resolene (tm) and water with a sponge, drying between coats and getting some resistance to absorption on the third coat. However, after wearing it maybe twice, I got signs of dye bleeding in the buckle area. I removed the rivets and trimmed out the length of the slot to better accommodate the buckle, but then stopped, uncertain of how to proceed. I have plenty of Resolene (tm) for sponge application but not enough for dipping, which I wanted to try. Alternative was to try Mop & Glo (tm) cut 50/50, but it doesn't seem to be available locally. Yesterday was buying mower blades in a big hardware store some distance away when I thought about Mop & Glo (tm). They had it, got a bottle, and this morning put just shy of 3 ounces (88 ml) Mop & Glo (tm) and water in a gallon zip-lock bag and dunked the belt. Did the keeper first, dunking and placing it on a wire hanger outside, then loosely rolled and dunked the belt. I planned to reuse the solution for subsequent dunks, but I immediately had bleeding into the solution. I hadn't sealed the belt properly with Resolene (tm). Didn't time it, but I closed the bag and sloshed the solution thoroughly on the belts to be sure all parts were exposed, then removed and placed on a wire hanger. Finished by wiping down both the keeper and the belt with a disposable shop towel. The solution I discarded lest I end up depositing dye on top of subsequent coats. Checked on the belt a few minutes ago and found no streaking. I'm baffled as to what I did wrong with the Resolene (tm). Made sure all parts of the belt were covered and used a cotton swab to apply it in the holes and slot. Some was cut away when I lengthened the slot, but it also cut away the dyed exterior. The plan is now is to see if I get bleed-off in subsequent dunks. If I still do after the third, not sure what to do.

Maybe. It would be interesting to see if a pattern could be imprinted on it in the press portion. But my skills aren't up to carving and tooling leather. My main interest is puncture resistance. Had a inside waistband carry idea, then the damaged sheath on a cheap Fairbairn-Sykes knock-off reminded me that it can easily puncture leather, and that's not a good thing to have near the femoral artery as the sheath moves in clothing. Kydex of sufficient thickness should have puncture resistance. The only possible leather option I could come up with is to harden leather, and I'm not sure how puncture resistant that would be.