badhatter1005

Thank you very much.

I'd say in this situation it's a matter of preference. I can't think of anything saddle wise that was made a hundred years ago that is going to be more comfortable than a current saddle made with a fiberglass frame. Also not as light to carry back and forth. Seriously pick up a McClellan saddle Pre-World war II ride with it for 2 hours and then carry it back to the tack room. Then do the same thing with a modern saddle and feel the difference. I think it has to do more with the person making the saddle. Find a reputable tackman. I can personally recommend Don Gonzalez. Probably the best I know of.

Sorry it took me so long to get back. You can use the olive oil itself to seal the product. The nature of the olive oil dictates that it will hold strong in the leather fibers. The only other option to seal would be neat's foot oil which I really like. It has the same effect but will not be as waterproof as tancoat. The good part about that is that you can go back later and add more oil if you need to.

For the probably thousandth time on these threads I'm going to agree with Dwight on all accounts. Tandy is right near me and I really enjoy being able to hold something before I buy it. I've had not so great luck from Weaver with some of their leather. It started out being great when I first ordered however later on down the road the quality control went down significantly. With Tandy being so close I can go to the shop and pick out my hide off of the table or out of the deck that they have set up. I can hold the tools and see what they're actually going to do and what they feel like in my hand. My recommendation is to find the nearest shop and driving distance and go check it out. Ordering off of the web is handy if you know exactly what you want and exactly what it's going to do. However if you want to feel the stuff in your hands (And I think that is very important because every hand is different) then you'll want to go into a shop. Most of the shops have knowledgeable people working that can tell you what you need to know about each item. If they don't know then they have somebody on the staff that does. I will say I have met Chuck Dorsey several times from Weaver and he is a leather genius. You can see him on their YouTube page. However with leather I like Wickett and Craig now that I'm charging a little more for my stuff and can afford it. However buying that from a local shop is impossible so I've had to bite the proverbial bullet and order offline. A general rule of shopping. If you don't absolutely love it in the store you'll never use it when you take it home.

Finally enough I use my over stitcher to mark stitching holes if I'm going to do manual stuff without a pricking iron. I actually do have several in my drawer of different sizes. Now I know what it's actually for I'll try it and see how it works.

I really like this setup. I use a tippman Boss myself and have struggled with the tensioning. Is there any way you would be willing to do a video on how you set this up? Potentially YouTube it. I would greatly appreciate it.

Being as to Dwight is the godfather of leather. I'm going to for the hundredth time say I agree with Dwight 100%. Same method I use except the applicator. I use a sponge opposed to a bristle brush. Although now I'm probably going to harbor freight and buy $100 worth of bristle brushes. Pretty much open-ended answer at this point. I agree with Dwight.

Unfortunately some of the chems that they add to the compound can cause a breakdown in the tanning process of your leather. Might not be noticeable at first but after a while you will start to notice the wear. Same thing with mink oil. Stuff smells great and for a quick fix is fine however pure needs foot oil is definitely the way to go.

I fear that I am the only one that uses barges contact cement. I do remove it from the container and put it in a glue pot. If it starts to get a little bit too thick I'll hit it with some acetone to thin it out. It will last as long as the glue does. Weldwood works extremely well and is actually a lot thinner than barges. However I just can't get used to the smell.

Thank you Dwight. As usual your advice is very handy and I appreciate it. I think I can concede to the man who has sold hundreds over several years and never had one returned for that purpose. That was the answer I needed and I appreciate it.

I was gifted several 2 and 1/2 in straps from European leatherworks by a friend of mine who decided he did not have the patience for leatherwork. They are 10 to 12 oz which I will skive down to 10 oz to make it even throughout. I do not want to line the straps for economical purposes. I'm thinking I can make basic belts and sell them for a lower cost. Have several buckles that I have no overhead in either. I suppose my question is how do I pre-stretch the leather so that when the person puts the belt on and sweats in it it will not start to stretch over time? May not be possible but I have seen lower quality belts do that in the past. I do understand that the quality of the leather will make a difference and these are definitely not Wickett and Craig so that is why I figured I could sell them as economy belts maybe at a farmers market or something. But I still want people to feel like they got what they paid for.

I use a cutting board and a mat. I will tell you about the cutting boards having bought one from Tandy. And please don't think that I am disrespecting Tandy because I do a lot of business with him. However I got one for a quarter of the price off of eBay same size and what seemed to be the same material as a replacement. It works absolutely perfectly. I do like the mat as well and just like the others on here I bought mine at Jo-Ann fabric. I think hobby lobby sells them as well maybe a little more expensive. Depending on your needs as to which one you will use. I do not recommend using a mat for punching holes with hammer punches. But the poly cutting board is good for keeping blade cuts and scratches off of your surface.

I agree with Dwight that the sun tanning works really well with leather. I've done it for a few belts and holsters as well as Bible covers and the sun will tan the veg tan as long as you keep it moisturized. Another option is extra virgin olive oil. Not only will it darken the leather but it will make it very pliable. From what I understand listening to Don Gonzalez and Will gromley they are finding sandals from the Roman empire made of leather and that were tanned with virgin olive oil that are still pliable to this day.

I agree with Dwight on this one. I use line 24 snaps from Tandy. You can get them in multiple colors and in quantities of 10 20 50 or 100. Definitely get the setter tool though. You will go crazy trying to pound them in. I use the same snap tool that Dwight does I just rubber dipped the hand part of the handles to make it a little easier when setting multiples. However his idea of buying two handles so I don't have to change the dies every time is genius.

I ise a Tippmann Boss. It is fueled by elbow grease but it will get the job done.

I second Dwight's motion. I currently have a boss and can say that it sews through 2 8 oz pieces of stacked leather. Granted it is fueled by elbow grease however it will get the job done.

North Carolina saying welcome

Make sure when you make your pattern to measure with the actual weight of the leather you're going to use. So cut a strip and use it for measurements. You can then lay it out on the cardstock to get your actual length. Other than that 100% what they said^^^

I agree with Dwight on this one. When I make my belts I use the same thickness. 6 oz and 6 oz. Rough sides together with a piece of poster board glued in between the straps as a stiffener. Learn this from Don Gonzalez. It works and the belts will not stretch in any direction. I use barges to seal the straps together. I then run a stitch line around the outer perimeter of the belt. Will literally hold forever. To clarify when I say poster board I just mean a very stiff piece of thin paper. Needs to be about 3/4 of the length of the belt.

Normally it's the same thing for me. I think the difference is in the paddle itself. I wanted a smaller paddle and came across these accidentally while making holsters of another style for someone else. For some reason these paddles weigh absolutely nothing. And the way that they sit on my hip has been absolutely perfect. That coupled with the fact that leather just doesn't seem to weigh that much, means that the only weight I'm really feeling is the weight of the gun itself. With the larger 1911 it took a little bit of getting used to however most of the time with my job I'm wearing suspenders over a button-up dress shirt so the suspenders alleviate the weight. With the smaller 1911 honestly cannot even feel the weight. I did make myself a belt out of 15 oz Herman oak veg tan. No liner. However the belt does a very good job of keeping my trousers up. Thank you for the comments. I learned a long time ago the kiss method of doing things. Keep it simple. So plain is the way to go for me. I appreciate the feedback. I just use the old kiss method. Keep it simple stupid. I'm not a huge fan of taking the easy way, however this one just seemed to work out for me. Still lots of stitching while sewing in the liner and let me tell you putting that welt onto the edge was a bear, but I'm genuinely happy with the way it turned out.

Looking for a concealed carry holster for my 1911 to be able to carry cocked and locked around my kidney area. Not a huge fan of the pancake style holster but I absolutely love the paddle holster. I modified this holster from a pattern that W. Grohmley had made called the barbecue rig. I added a paddle from a bolt pack that I had purchased from Vedder holsters. Used t-nuts and short bolts to connect the paddle. Lined with 2 oz milled veg tan. Hand stitched. Paddle fits perfectly on a 1 and 3/4-in belt that I also made myself. Very happy with this holster. It does not profile. It does not stick out. And most importantly it does not dig into my rather substantial now that I'm 40 paunch. The thumb break is smooth and has a clean open to it. Tell me what you think please. The larger holster is made from my EDC. Rock Island armory tag standard with a few modifications. 5-in barrel with full rail. This is carried direct on my right hip. Once again the thumb break is smooth and has a very gunfighter style draw to it. This pattern I made myself after watching several videos on YouTube about how to make it pattern. Much trial and error until I came up with this. Once again 8 oz leather for the shell and lined with 2 oz milled veg tan. Of course dyed with fieblings cut in half with isopropyl alcohol. I then use neatsfoot oil and let it dry. Then of course I use the resolene. Once the resolene has dried evenly I polish it with a mixture of mink oil and coconut oil. For some reason it just really seems to work. I appreciate any feedback.

I finally finished making myself a holster for my concealed carry 1911. I have to be honest it is really cool. I got the idea from Will Ghromley's barbecue holster pattern. Made some modifications and added a paddle that I purchased in bulk from Vedder holsters. It turned out absolutely perfectly. It does not profile at all. It snaps in perfectly with the thumb break in the cocked and locked position. My draw time from the kidney position is freakishly fast. I am attempting to upload some photos as we speak

@Dwight I would certainly appreciate it. I've tried out several patterns and none of them seem to work for me. However that one does look comfortable. I would be willing to give it a try. Thanks.

Looking for a pattern for a 1911. No rail with a 3.5 in barrel. Outside the waistband preferably with a thumb break. I'm a big guy but I need something I can conceal. Something that will sit flat against the body. Any suggestions please.