MORE of my gunbelts

[BruceGibson]

Here's a couple MORE of my gunbelts. Opinions, positive or negative are always welcome. Both are 1-1/2" wide, double-layer Hermann Oak. The bottom one is mahogany with white stitching and a border stamp--cowboy-style, and the top is black with black stitching in a more conservative vein. The mahogany belt has a heavy polished brass buckle set, and the black belt has a heavy polished chrome brass buckle set.

Here's a link...let 'er rip! http://www.gibsonprorodeo.com/GIBSON17.jpg

[MatthewD]

Bruce, what weight leather did you use on these? I really like you belts

[Guest]

Bruce,

Great work, I would love to give belts a try; but, I know I would never be satisfied with a hand stitched look after seeing your belts and the cost of a leather sewing machine is enough to give me nightmares. What do you think is a good entry level machine? And its cost.....Shudder....

Great work and keep sharing it. Always love looking at it....even if I can't afford it!

Dave Theobald

back to this notebook....gotta get this thing done today!

Edited April 30, 2007 by David

[Regis]

Bruce, once again some beautiful belts. Do you glue togather before you sew? Also, I have same question as David.

Thanks for letting us see some fine work (wow on those edges).

Regis

[David Genadek]

David,

For belt wieght sewing I would go with a Consew 206 RB. They are an absolute work horse and you seldom have trouble with them. You can get in to one for around $900.00. A table a better motor probable around $1500.00.

David Genadek

[BruceGibson]

David & Regis,

Thanks for the kind words. I've tended to gravitate toward belts this year for some reason, but they've been popular with customers and I like making them so it's working out well.

As for machines, that's a great question--one of those that if you ask five people you'll get twenty different answers. :

I recommend Jerry and Steve at Artisan, without reservation. You can take a look at all the toys they've got at www.artisansew.com, and the price list (the dreaded price list) is at http://artisansew.com/manualsfiles/Artisan%20MSRP%202007.pdf

Dusty Johnson put me on to these folks awhile back, and I bought a Toro 4000P. It's a monster, but I've loved the thing the whole time I've had it. I'm not sure, but I think it's actually made by Juki. That's one of the things I find interesting about the whole sewing machine industry--it seems one company will actually manufacture a machine, but numerous companies will slap their label on it.

I also have a Tippmann Boss, and it's been a solid, dependable little hand-operated stitcher. They can be a little aggravating until you develop a "feel" for it, and get everything adjusted, but I wouldn't recommend it at the current price because for $1495 you can get a powered machine.

I think (I'm not sure) that one of our members, K-Man has several of the Toro 3000's that he uses in his holster/gunbelt business. He could give a lot better feedback on that particular machine.

Another I'd mention, is a machine from Neel's Saddlery in Lima, Ohio. I've never used one, but I know of a couple guys that have them and use them daily. The link for Neel's website is http://www.neelsaddlery.com/index.html. They have a machine that I've heard good things about and it will stitch at least a half-inch thickness of leather. I believe the price on it is around $900, and it's the one pictured on the website home page I listed. I wish I had more details, but they may be worth looking into (they have a good reputation).

[BruceGibson]

Regis,

I DO glue the face and the liner together before I sew. Actually, if it's tooled/stamped, I do that first. Then, I dye them (if they're not left natural) and once it all dries for 24-hours, I'll glue them up. They 24-hour, or "overnight" drying period is one of my personal quirks. They actually dry up faster than that, but I always wait a day because if something can get screwed up, I've got a knack for doing it.

Seriously, if there's any moisture left in it at all, the machine will mark it all up.

MatthewD,

I use 7/8 and 8/9 ounce Hermann Oak skirting. I love the stuff, and never buy anything else. I could be a poster child for Hermann Oak.

My end goal on gunbelts is an overall thickness of 1/4 inch. I skive down the buckle end to minimize bulk, and if I'm using the brass keepers, I'll skive the belt tip just enough to fit. If I'm using leather keepers, I keep the belt tip at 1/4" because I can make the keeper to accomodate it.

[K-Man]

As Bruce mentioned, I have two of the Artisan 3000's. Actually I've had all of the machines (other than the Artisan 4000) that he mentions in his posting. I found the Tippmann BOSS to be the one I had the most difficulty with - and tried 3 of them (broke the first two). I then used the Model 5 from Neel's Saddlery next and that was a mighty fine machine, especially for the money. It will easily handle 1/2" of thickness. (The picture on his website is a different machine.) I used it for a couple of years and made a wide variety of items with it.

I sold it and moved to the Artisan 3000. I have two of those that are used daily, along with their 618. The primary reason I have two is because I work on holsters that are different thicknesses, and I don't have the time to have to change out the thread/bobbin and make tension adjustments required. It's easier to have each machine set up for the appropriate thickness being sewn. The only difference between the Artisan 4000 and 3000 is the size/opening of the throat area (and price). The 4000 is best for large/heavy duty projects, while the 3000 works well for the smaller (in size) scale of projects. Both can handle large volume. I did over 1000 holsters last year, plus everything else, and had no hiccups.

[Art]

Hi David,

The 206 is a great machine and is a workhorse of the canvas industry; the Artisan 618 is also a good choice. I have seen many Consew and Pfaff machines in canvas shops and few get oiled or filled regularly. If you buy one of these, get a new one. You should see a used one before buying and know what you are looking at. If you see any wear, give it a pass. I have seen the 206 new for about $1200 with table and motor. You might want to get a speed reducer also. Two pieces of 9oz is right on the border for that machine so if you want to make belts like Bruce makes, an Artisan 3000 would be a better choice at around $1900. Generally, buy according to the biggest stuff you do, however if you do a whole lot of one thing, buy based on that, you can always hand sew the occasional piece that is too big for your machine.

Art

David,

For belt wieght sewing I would go with a Consew 206 RB. They are an absolute work horse and you seldom have trouble with them. You can get in to one for around $900.00. A table a better motor probable around $1500.00.

David Genadek

[Art]

Hi Davis and Regis,

I have also had good luck with Artisan. I have the 4000P and the 618 SC1. The 4000P is a special machine that is a Tiwanese casting with U.S. and Japanese parts, a little different looking than the 441. Most parts are interchangable with the Juki 441 with an occasional adjustment (feet). It uses a Japanese shuttle as opposed to the Chinese one in other models. I haven't torn it down to see if there are Juki part numbers on the internals, but if I ever have to replace anything (no indication of that happening after 2+ years) I can get Juki 441 parts easily. The 618 is also a good machine and just runs and runs, however I do break and bend needles (#19) doing step-ups or step-downs sometimes, but then I am usually doing something I shouldn't be doing with that machine anyway. It never complains and makes a nice stitch so if it goes under the foot or I want smaller thread, the 618 gets used. They never flaunt it but their customer list is impressive. Steve does know his machines if you need help.

Art

David & Regis,

Thanks for the kind words. I've tended to gravitate toward belts this year for some reason, but they've been popular with customers and I like making them so it's working out well.

As for machines, that's a great question--one of those that if you ask five people you'll get twenty different answers. :

I recommend Jerry and Steve at Artisan, without reservation. You can take a look at all the toys they've got at www.artisansew.com, and the price list (the dreaded price list) is at http://artisansew.com/manualsfiles/Artisan%20MSRP%202007.pdf

Dusty Johnson put me on to these folks awhile back, and I bought a Toro 4000P. It's a monster, but I've loved the thing the whole time I've had it. I'm not sure, but I think it's actually made by Juki. That's one of the things I find interesting about the whole sewing machine industry--it seems one company will actually manufacture a machine, but numerous companies will slap their label on it.

I also have a Tippmann Boss, and it's been a solid, dependable little hand-operated stitcher. They can be a little aggravating until you develop a "feel" for it, and get everything adjusted, but I wouldn't recommend it at the current price because for $1495 you can get a powered machine.

I think (I'm not sure) that one of our members, K-Man has several of the Toro 3000's that he uses in his holster/gunbelt business. He could give a lot better feedback on that particular machine.

Another I'd mention, is a machine from Neel's Saddlery in Lima, Ohio. I've never used one, but I know of a couple guys that have them and use them daily. The link for Neel's website is http://www.neelsaddlery.com/index.html. They have a machine that I've heard good things about and it will stitch at least a half-inch thickness of leather. I believe the price on it is around $900, and it's the one pictured on the website home page I listed. I wish I had more details, but they may be worth looking into (they have a good reputation).

[Art]

Hi Davis and Regis,

I have also had good luck with Artisan. I have the 4000P and the 618 SC1. The 4000P is a special machine that is a Tiwanese casting with U.S. and Japanese parts, a little different looking than the 441. Most parts are interchangable with the Juki 441 with an occasional adjustment (feet). It uses a Japanese shuttle as opposed to the Chinese one in other models. I haven't torn it down to see if there are Juki part numbers on the internals, but if I ever have to replace anything (no indication of that happening after 2+ years) I can get Juki 441 parts easily. The 618 is also a good machine and just runs and runs, however I do break and bend needles (#19) doing step-ups or step-downs sometimes, but then I am usually doing something I shouldn't be doing with that machine anyway. It never complains and makes a nice stitch so if it goes under the foot or I want smaller thread, the 618 gets used. They never flaunt it but their customer list is impressive. Steve does know his machines if you need help.

Art

David & Regis,

Thanks for the kind words. I've tended to gravitate toward belts this year for some reason, but they've been popular with customers and I like making them so it's working out well.

As for machines, that's a great question--one of those that if you ask five people you'll get twenty different answers. :

I recommend Jerry and Steve at Artisan, without reservation. You can take a look at all the toys they've got at www.artisansew.com, and the price list (the dreaded price list) is at http://artisansew.com/manualsfiles/Artisan%20MSRP%202007.pdf

Dusty Johnson put me on to these folks awhile back, and I bought a Toro 4000P. It's a monster, but I've loved the thing the whole time I've had it. I'm not sure, but I think it's actually made by Juki. That's one of the things I find interesting about the whole sewing machine industry--it seems one company will actually manufacture a machine, but numerous companies will slap their label on it.

I also have a Tippmann Boss, and it's been a solid, dependable little hand-operated stitcher. They can be a little aggravating until you develop a "feel" for it, and get everything adjusted, but I wouldn't recommend it at the current price because for $1495 you can get a powered machine.

I think (I'm not sure) that one of our members, K-Man has several of the Toro 3000's that he uses in his holster/gunbelt business. He could give a lot better feedback on that particular machine.

Another I'd mention, is a machine from Neel's Saddlery in Lima, Ohio. I've never used one, but I know of a couple guys that have them and use them daily. The link for Neel's website is http://www.neelsaddlery.com/index.html. They have a machine that I've heard good things about and it will stitch at least a half-inch thickness of leather. I believe the price on it is around $900, and it's the one pictured on the website home page I listed. I wish I had more details, but they may be worth looking into (they have a good reputation).

[Roger]

they look good to me!

clean, rugged belts

[Romey]

Great job Bruce!