Mablung

Are you making stitch down or lasted construction?

All of the above. Thinner leather will stretch more easily, some kinds of hides stretch more easily than others, and the belly will stretch way more than the back (as an example). The "All About Leather" subforum might be helpful to you.

Thanks. I may need to adjust my design and then make sure I can really crank the lacing down. Just gotta be careful that I don't damage the stock (lightweight polymer bolt gun I bought for humping all over the hills).

Does yours shift under recoil? Made a crude one for my bolt action and laced it down tight, but it still shifted under recoil. Trying to figure out if I need to just anchor the laces around the sling stud or if I need to change my construction method.

If he wants the holster to be something of a replica of a holster in use at the time the original pistols were used, you’re correct. Holsters like that are not “boned” (wet-molded to the creases and contours of the pistol), unlike most holsters made now.

Thanks. I walk my dog on head halter (which she hates) rather than the collar, solely because she responds way better to the halter than the collar, so I doubt it would get stretched too much in my use. I've got a 8/9 oz. strap blank part of which I plan to use, and I'll probably line it with a piece of 3/4. Back to the OP...

Not to hijack the post, but what would you recommend for a GSD on up? Planning to make a collar for my Husky/GSD mix and haven’t dialed in how heavy it needs to be.

Looks like you did a pretty good job. Nice work; I like it.

Thanks for the tip. I re-wax occasionally but don't know that I've ever just dropped the strands to let them relax back to normal. I'll try that.

I use stuff like that as a cover for a cheek riser (though most of the time I’m the only one at the range maintaining a cheek weld). Advertise that function with it and you may get some additional buyers.

It may not be expert, but that scene is recognizable for what it depicts and shows a good sense of depth. Getting the depth and perspective right is, in my opinion, critical for good art. That looks like a coaster round—am I right about that? If so, it’s a small surface and not easy to work with. Even if it’s bigger, that still looks good to me, frankly. I rather like it.

Glad to give a laugh! It's quite funny, remembering it; less so trying to paint it properly when 10 or so years old. You and I share the lack of patience---it's an exercise in growing patience to stitch this stuff sometimes. Good work on this one, though.

Agreed, the deer still looks like a deer. Years and years ago, when I was a young kid, I did an oil painting of a grizzly bear. It turned out rather plump, with a somewhat dog-ish-looking face, and its mouth alternated between too much toothpaste and a swollen tongue, as I tried to paint the tongue and teeth properly. You could just say your deer was stung on the snout by a bee. 1/2” to stitch is no joke, that’s for sure. Lots of patience and a very sharp awl required.

Clever design---I like that. I like the deer, too, esp knowing that it was done freehand. I see what you mean about getting into the dairy barn, lol, but it still looks awfully good. The edges must have been awfully thick for stitching---did you pre-punch the holes in each layer and then fit them together, or did you use an awl after the edges were cemented (assuming you cemented them)?

Do you have some scrap leather of similar composition to the bag's leather (i.e., chrome tan, veg tan, etc.)? You could try using the various creams and different topcoats on scrap to see what will work, without having to redo portions of the bag.

I’ve read this whole thread with great interest. Fantastic work, and a very neat project. That looks delightful: fits the aesthetic of that display area perfectly and shows off the knives perfectly. Excellent work. As I’ve read the steps and description of the creation of the case, I’ve thought over and over, “This is so cool.”

That does pose a problem, then, doesn’t it? Can’t live with that, unfortunately.

Is the cutting edge on the round end punch smoothly curved, or is it deformed like the upper body of the punch blade? If it’s smoothly curved, yeah, the overall finish is a little sloppy, but it’s still going to do its job. I have read elsewhere the QC isn’t what it used to be, but the tools seem still to work. Only one I actually own is a 120-year-old round knife, though.

This is a nothingburger, if one uses decent leather molded well and of the right temper and thickness. In other words, make the holster properly and you’re fine. It’s also a lot harder to shoot oneself in either the family jewels or the femoral artery than many think. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, but it’s not the imminent risk it’s made out to be. Don’t be an idiot when reholstering, and it’s perfectly safe to reholster with the pistol still in the pants, regardless of the pistol’s action.

Great work. I really like that choice of the brown pull-up. I’ve got some of that and really like it. Looks really good as a wallet, too.

Tandy sells some bark-tanned shearling. Don't know if it's the same stuff Cattleman is referring to, but it might be an equivalent.

No toe puff. I almost soaked them this morning but didn't want wet feet at work and thought I'd see how they did just stretching under foot heat and wear. Doing better than I expected. They'll probably get a wetting and wear tonight, though, at least the right one. The left feels perfect.

Finally got a new pair of these things done. Made the heels pretty ugly in trying to combine a dart and curve to the heel piece pattern, but they'll be serviceable for a while. Used a Crazy Horse pullup cowhide for these and needed to add just a smidge of length for the right foot, but I think it'll stretch adequately to work. I'll probably make another pair out of some great bison I got recently to see if they stretch to fit more readily in that stuff, after I adjust the heel a bit more.

Use a thumb break retention strap or mold the retention around the light and slide. I’ve done one for my CZ P-01 with a Streamlight TLR-7A that way. Some molding around the trigger guard is okay, but just not too deep.

If you’re looking at veg tan, you’ll usually be able to tell by the surface finish appearance and texture whether it’s been sealed or not. Words like “glazed” are dead giveaways, too.