LeatherCaptain

Actually, that's all I order are backs. It's just a nicer finish overall because you are working with a tighter grain. A side is simply the addition of the belly. But, the lower end of the back does start to get a bit stretchy. The higher portions of the back, especially near the rear take a nicer finish and will glass even better than the lower parts of a side. It seems to take more effort to mold the higher end of a back as compared to a belly piece as well. I know you have decades more experience than me but I still disagree that a quality back is a waste on a holster maker. A nice side of bridal leather may be a waste. But, I have yet to try it and no one here seems to have any input on the subject. So, I may have misread your statement that a quality piece of bridle leather may be a waste but, I got the overall impression that you're suggesting a holster maker need not worry himself about using quality leather because it doesn't matter. To that, I disagree. The quality of the leather you're working with comes out regardless of the application.

I disagree with the comment that quality leather is wasted on a holster maker. There's novices on the concealed carry forums who notice the difference in the quality of leather used in a holster. I think the project and the purpose should determine the grade of leather.

Hi, thought I'd add a comment since I order from W&C. All of the sales people are great to work with so you can't go wrong with any of them. I've ordered sides/backs in all of their grades and I honestly think there's more to grading the leather than just range marks. Overall, the higher grade appears to have a tighter grain than the lower grade, as well as fewer range marks or blemishes. I've also noticed less prominent stretch marks/fat lines in the higher grade category. Also, the flesh side of the higher grade is much more usable. I guess it all depends on what you're using it for. Utility type pieces would be served just fine by the sides sold in their monthly specials but, for overall better feel and appearance and higher utilization, your better off with the top grade. You just have to charge a couple bucks more for your stuff to make up for it. I've always listened to the advice that your product is only as good as the materials you put in.

Thanks guys, that was perfect!

Hi, As the Topic suggests, I'm looking for a compass style adjustable stitch groover. Anyone know where to find one?

You don't use a casing solution to mold holsters though, right? This is just something you'd have for stamping/carving....sorry for the hijack

could you elaborate on what casing solution is?

If I remember what my information from Artisan said...the needle should be changed out after 10 hours of sewing. The issue is not in the sharpness of the needle but the way the steels temper changes from the friction.

Looks good to me. I get what you're saying about having the back of the pouch be flat. To me, it's a totally different look. I think it's a better style for mag pouches that have the belt attachment directly behind the mag but it seems to detract from the pouch when set up with the belt attachment system as you're applying it. What are you applying to your edges by the way? And, do you always leave the interior undyed?

I don't think there's a wrong way to do anything around here...just different than the norm. I'm just curious if casing the leather before molding will help achieve a smoother finish. I've become obsessed with getting as smooth a finish as possible, both inside and out. Maybe I'll give this a try.

I'll try to post a pic soon but basically there is a little upside down "fin" on the bottom of the foot that has the hole that the needle passes through. You can take off the piece by unsrewing the little bolt and depressing the presser foot pedal. Pretty technical, I know. Sorry. I just took that piece to my belt sander and ground off the little metal "fin" that creates the groove. Geeze, I'll bet the sewing machine gurus hate me for my ignorance.

Hi, I'm fairly new to machine sewing as well and have the 3200. It comes with the Left attached but i switched it out for the Double. Mainly, I build holsters and belts and find myself wanting to go in illogical directions when selecting where to start/finish. So, by using the double, I'll atleast always have one foot on the leather no matter which direction I work. I also found that the double leaves less of an indentation in the leather than the left or right. Also, big help here, I took of the foot that creates the crease for the stitch line and sanded off the little grover piece on the bottom so I don't muck up my corners. Sorry I forgot the name of the piece exactly but, there was another post here not too long ago about the same thing.

Interesting that you ar casing the leather before you're molding. Why are you casing it at all? Won't the molding process negate anything you've done?

I've used some 2/3 oz as a liner on some holsters in the past because of the feel and the ability to stay dyed. Of course it was just a lining behind some 5/6 oz tooling leather. I did notice it took a lot longer to get soak the leather for molding but not impossible and it seemed to retain the gun shape very nicely. I'm just fairly hesitant to try with straight 6/7 oz bridle. Especially at the 10 side min $$$$.

Looks great! Your stitching is very nice, too! <div><br></div><div>Oh, but the one thing that someone mentioned about my holsters a while ago was to limit the use of the squared off "pointy" edges on your mouthband area. One would assume that this will be the most vulnerable spot that would start to lift off the holster. Maybe it never will but, a rounded edge would definitely lay flat and you wouldn't risk the loose edge.</div>

Hi, I've been using mostly Tooling/Skirting in 7/8 oz., drum dyed and the flesh dyed. However, I just received some sample swatches from Hermann Oak and a few of them were drum dyed English Bridle leather. I've been on a quest lately to figure out the best treatment for the inside of my holsters and really like how the flesh side of the HO English Bridle feels. It's a very smooth and not as fleshy as the tooling/skirting i've been getting. Even when I paste the tooling/skirting with gum trag, i'm no where near the quality of the English Bridle. The samples I received seem to be about 9/10 oz so maybe it's not a good representation of the feel of 6/7 leather but, is it a bad idea to order English Bridle for molding holsters? Is the wax/oil level too high to keep a nice firm form once it's been molded?

Thanks Steve. That's sort of what I figured. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to be breaking any cardinal sewing machine rules by using the same thread size on top and in the bobbin.

Hi I've been searching posts about what thread sizes people use for holster work and I've been seeing that most people use a smaller size in the bobbin. Why is that? So you could fit more thread in the bobbin?

OK, so my leather arrived yesterday. Man that took forever! Anyway, I won't order the "Pasted" flesh finish anymore. It's not really pasted. It's just a spray on application that sort of slicks down the flesh side. But, not much more than the unpasted flesh I've received in the past. Not really a paste at all. More like a slight misting of hair spray. Overall, though, the back in the middle grade is very nice. The grain is tight and the thickness is even throughout. I'll get very close to 100% utilization out of this piece. And, even though the $/ft is more for a back, the total cost per unit is cheaper and I'll get the same amount of pieces out of it since I don't use the belly anyway. Phew! Glad I got that process figured out.

Same here. More detail about the process would be helpful. Can you print on Vegtan or Chrome only. How durable is the image and would you recommend a coating? Do you apply the image to the raw side of leather or is it applied to the finished (stitched) product? Could you use this process for leather that is to be molded/wet formed?

OK. So, I rubbed in a small amount of neatsfoot oil, let dry for awhile, applied bag kote, dried and then applied Angelus Lustre Cream. I think I'm going to abandon the bag kote, acrylics, and tan kote. I seem to get a rougher finish when using those products. I was just using Fiebings Leather balm with atom wax for a while and like the results. I think I'm going to stick with that. I like the way I can get a really smoot glassy finish to the leather. Does anyone know the difference between Fiebings Leather Balm w/ Atom Wax and Angelus Lustre Cream?

what about the Pilgrim polishing machines? Fairly pricey for smaller batch work but definetely high quality. Is there a similar set up out there for less? From what I understand, RPMs under 1,000 is ideal.

Hi, again... So, I've read about finishing processes in several posts and I've started several of mine. I was hoping to take this post on a different route. Specifically... Could you, would you, apply an acrylic and then apply a product like Angelus Lustre Cream? Or, apply a leather conditioner, the acrylic and then the lustre cream? I guess, would you apply an acrylic or bag kote or tan kote or any of the "sealer" finishes and then apply a wax/polish on top of that? Or, are you defeating the purpose of anyone of the products by applying it over another? Should I just stick with the lustre cream/carnuba wax and be done. I'm just afraid it won't seal in the dye and give it a durable finish. I just don't like the finish look or feel of acrylic but I do like the durability.

Hello, Does anyone use a buffing machine to buff the finish on their work? My primary environment is holster work and it seems that the faster/more pressure I put into buffing, the nicer the results. I'm thinking that a buffing wheel or bench grinder set up might be helpful. What kind of set up do you use and what type of pads/wheels are appropriate to use? Thanks.

How much stiffer is the leather once it's plated? I've seen some sides at Tandy's that have been compressed and they're stiff enough that it's got to be used for shoe soles. I couldn't imagine trying to mold a holster with leather that's that stiff.