Machine Sewing and edging holsters

[LarryDonaldson]

Just received my Cobra Sew 3000 and plan on making IWB, Pocket holsters and belt holsters. Just ordered a Wickett & Craign 6/7 oz side to start with.

What thread sizing is recommended and proper needle size? Do you stitch groove when machine sewing and if so what groover is recommended?

Can't afford a lot on tooling so far. What edger would be recommended for holster work? Any brand needles better than another.

Edited June 5, 2009 by LarryDonaldson

[LeatherCaptain]

So, either your promoting the Cobra 3000 or you just don't want to do any research 'cause there's like a billion or so posts on leather thickness and there's a separate chat room for sewing. I'm not trying to be a jacka$$ because i see the company who makes the Cobra is a paying sponser and I'll ask common questions as well but, man, you haven't even tried the Search function yet and your asking questions. Next you'll be wondering if you can have someone come over and run your machine for you...all for a quick buck. I mean, have a little appreciation for the craft.

[LarryDonaldson]

Not promoting anything was just providing information from where I'm starting. I did a search for "thread sizing" but nothing came up of any help on it, unless I missed it. As a beginner I'm trying not to make to many mistakes or reinvent the wheel or spend money on things I don't need. I'm looking to do strictly holsters for a hobby business so there a lot of tools and things for general leather work I may or may not need. I know there are many different sizes of edgers and brands and was looking for recommendations for a starting point. Sorry if I pissed you off.

[JohnnyDingus]

I've been known to jump a few posters in other forums too, but don't you think we should give people a chance when they have so few posts. They might be new to this world of computers and high tech. I know it took me a while to figure this out...when I was in school we still had typewriters.

Just my .02

vince

[rdb]

UNLIKE EVERY OTHER FORUM ON THE INTERNET....

There are no dumb questions on this Forum. We have all sorts here, from 50 year professionals to "I just started today". There are very few questions or topics that go very long without a comment.

We also encourage vendors to advertise and keep us informed. So...I doubt that any of them feel the need to create "sock puppets".

Coming on this board for the first few times can be intimidating to a lot of people. There really is that much stuff here. Without being a search expert, the simplest way is to open the Topic Category of choice, and start reading..i.e. Sewing Leather.

As for Cobra products, the best part about buying from them is Steve, himself. Call him.

Some people groove first, even with a modern machine that sews tight, anyways. This becomes up to you, and your desired finished look.

For edgers, you can buy from Tandy, and Osborne, alll the way up to one of the ones made by our valued toolmakers. Price is always a concern, and you do get what you pay for, but that being said, starting off with the standard fare is not a bad way to go, and as you improve, improve your tools.

[LeatherCaptain]

Well, I apologize for being harsh if you've got legit questions. I don't, by any means, represent this forum. I'm just here like everyone else and I know you've got to ask the generalized questions first before you can get into the specifics. I guess I'm just having a bad day and I like to come out here and let my brain relax for a while. I just get a little frustrated with people who are just going to throw a couple of piece of leather together and sell it. I'm not saying that's what you're doing but when you post the same questions in a couple of threads you start to sound a little generic like you're trying to sell something. There really is a lot of skill to leather working a lot of different niche areas that you can indulge yourself in. So, again, I aplogize for being an ass and look forward to seeing pics of some of your stuff once you get up and running.

(someone needs to design a smile of a guy sitting there smoking the peace pipe)

[Shorts]

Just received my Cobra Sew 3000 and plan on making IWB, Pocket holsters and belt holsters. Just ordered a Wickett & Craign 6/7 oz side to start with.

What thread sizing is recommended and proper needle size? Do you stitch groove when machine sewing and if so what groover is recommended?

Can't afford a lot on tooling so far. What edger would be recommended for holster work? Any brand needles better than another.

Thread size depends on the leather weight. If you bought from Steve you should have received the owners manual with tips in the back on recommended thread sizes for weight. Many holster makers using 6-9oz leather use 207 and/or 277, maybe 346. The needle on the machine is likely size 25.

I use a groover so I know where my stitch line needles to go for the pistol. I use my crafttool adjustable groover I've had for years since its the only one I have. Nothing special. The groove does not need to be deep as the inner foot has the notch on the bottom to groove for the stitching. Use it as a guide.

I don't have an edger yet but I anticipate a #3. I use a different method to edge.

[Billsotx]

Which W/C did you get, carving?

I'd suggest 207 thread on 6/7 oz. The Tandy/LF freehand groover will work, and it's low price, BUT you've got to practice with it. I hardly ever pickup my adjustable groover any more.

On edgers, you want a round-bottom edger not those run of the mill Tandy/LF edgers, as those will not give you a rounded edge - actually they scoop out, and don't round up - like you want on gun leather. I prefer the Jeremiah Watt edgers: his #1 for belts, and #0 for holsters, mag pouches, cartridge pouches and butt cuffs - that said, mine were modified to work. You're going to learn that leather ain't just leather, no two tanneries are alike, and you'll have to modify tools and sometimes just make your own. Keep in mind a lot of work working tools will do what we do.

Let us see some pix of your stuff when you can get some.

[Art]

Hi Larry,

Congrats on the new machine, keep Steve's number handy. If you are making single ply holsters, which many IWBs are, you can use 277 top and 207 bottom with a 25 (200nm) needle if that is the look you want. For something smaller use 207 top and bottom and maybe a 24 needle (180nm). Organ or Schmetz needles work fine in that machine.

Stitch groovers are a personal thing. I like Ron Edmonds' for a free hand groover, and for an edge groover the Douglas Versa Tool is great, however the simple Craftool edge groover works very well too, get the more expensive one with the set screw in the end of the shaft. They are rather inexpensive and you can buy two or three and just leave them set to different sizes for decorative work too.

For edgers, you want a round bottom edger. Ron Edmonds, Jeremiah Watt, Bob Beard, Barry King, and some others make them and you MUST call them for the proper size because none of the numbering systems vaguely resemble each other or anything else for that matter. Another way is to call Luke or Vandy at Sheridan Leather Outfitters or Bob Douglas and have them select a fine used edger to do what you need. Their tools will come reconditioned and be sharp. Now, If you can't afford one of the above, get one from Hidecrafter Leather in the SMALLEST size, preferably a number 0. With a very small edger like the 0, you can make a few passes at different angles to approximate a rounded edge. It will all come out in the burnishing.

Art

Just received my Cobra Sew 3000 and plan on making IWB, Pocket holsters and belt holsters. Just ordered a Wickett & Craign 6/7 oz side to start with.

What thread sizing is recommended and proper needle size? Do you stitch groove when machine sewing and if so what groover is recommended?

Can't afford a lot on tooling so far. What edger would be recommended for holster work? Any brand needles better than another.

[Cobra Steve]

Hi Larry, you can call me anytime you want, and I do my very best for you, no matter what. Thanks, your friend, Steve

[Shorts]

Well you learn something new every day. Good info on the edgers guys

[LarryDonaldson]

Thanks for all the information, exactly what I was needing. When I did generic searches I didn't come up with as near as good results and looked thru 100's to get that. The edger information was great.

[TwinOaks]

One of the little tricks to using the search function is quotation marks. There's a little primer about 'wildcards' in the advanced search box and it's worth reading too.

If you search for [ holster edges ] you end up with a 24 page list...limited to the 1st 1000.

If you search for [ "holster edges" ] you get 4 topics.

similarly, [ edging holsters ] gets 6 pages

[ "edging holsters" ] gets 2 topics

It all has to do with how you tell the computer to search for things. Un-"quote tagged" words looks for both words. "Quote tagged" searches means look for word 1 followed by word 2......in a very basic sense. I know there's more to it, but I can't discuss computer code as well as some of our members, so I defer to them.

I somehow missed this earlier, so I'll take the opportunity now to say "Welcome to Leatherworker.net"

Edited June 9, 2009 by TwinOaks

[Johanna]

To add to what Mike said, "Search" works the same on Google, too.

Welcome to LW!

Johanna

[CliffFendley]

Thanks for that info on the searches, that will come in very handy.

[RMB Custom Leather]

I've been known to jump a few posters in other forums too, but don't you think we should give people a chance when they have so few posts. They might be new to this world of computers and high tech. I know it took me a while to figure this out...when I was in school we still had typewriters.

Just my .02

vince

I agree. I had the very same questions and honestly I am not sure if I posted it in the correct section but what should that matter right. I have had some very ridiculous comments on other forms which were a VERY BIG TURN OFF to the forum and one I finally asked that my account be deleted. This forum has been great and we need not criticize each other for little things just answer posts no matters were they were posted. A good suggestion to overly sensitive posters is to try the new post link at the top of the homepage and just read and comment on the posts not paying so much attention to what section they came from.

[Billsotx]

UNLIKE EVERY OTHER FORUM ON THE INTERNET....

There are no dumb questions on this Forum. We have all sorts here, from 50 year professionals to "I just started today". There are very few questions or topics that go very long without a comment.

We also encourage vendors to advertise and keep us informed. So...I doubt that any of them feel the need to create "sock puppets".

Coming on this board for the first few times can be intimidating to a lot of people. There really is that much stuff here. Without being a search expert, the simplest way is to open the Topic Category of choice, and start reading..i.e. Sewing Leather.

As for Cobra products, the best part about buying from them is Steve, himself. Call him.

Some people groove first, even with a modern machine that sews tight, anyways. This becomes up to you, and your desired finished look.

For edgers, you can buy from Tandy, and Osborne, alll the way up to one of the ones made by our valued toolmakers. Price is always a concern, and you do get what you pay for, but that being said, starting off with the standard fare is not a bad way to go, and as you improve, improve your tools.

What's a dumb question?