Newbe Needs Advice

[GripUs]

Hello, all. My name is Joe Sabine and I own a small company in San Angelo, TX where we make custom pistol grips. We have been working with a company for over a year to get a pat pend holster made but have received nothing from them but heartache and a thinner wallet. We have decided to manufacture our own holsters but we are unsure of what machine we need. We, obviously don't want to buy something that isn't stout enough but we don't want to spend money for capability we won't use. We have tried looking on the internet and are somewhat in awe of the numberof used machines out there but we don't know what any of them are capable of. We will be sewing 0.60" Kydex between two layers of leather ( about .125" for the two) or a total of 3/16". We will be sewing 4-5 stitches per inch.I would appreciate any advice you could give me.

Thanks,

Joe

Edited May 19, 2012 by GripUs

[DoubleC]

Hello, all. My name is Joe Sabine and I own a small company in San Angelo, TX where we make custom pistol grips. We have been working with a company for over a year to get a pat pend holster made but have received nothing from them but heartache and a thinner wallet. We have decided to manufacture our own holsters but we are unsure of what machine we need. We, obviously don't want to buy something that isn't stout enough but we don't want to spend money for capability we won't use. We have tried looking on the internet and are somewhat in awe of the numberof used machines out there but we don't know what any of them are capable of. We will be sewing 0.60" Kydex between two layers of leather ( about .125" for the two) or a total of 3/16". We will be sewing 4-5 stitches per inch.I would appreciate any advice you could give me.

Thanks,

Joe

Hi Joe. Glad you joined us here at the forum. If you look further down you'll see a thread just for sewing machines and those guys will tell you everything you need to know. They are really expert and friendly. Cheryl

[TwinOaks]

Check with Steve Tayrien at Leather Machine Co. , and Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial Sewing (there are ad banners for both); they can both discuss in detail what kind of machine you'd need.

I also hope you have researched the patent design well, because kydex sewn between leather is not a new idea. I have been doing so for a while now, and I modified my method from other ideas that have been around for years. You need to do some research on Tucker Gun Leather. The idea of sewing through the kydex has also been tried before, usually with less than satisfactory results.

So you'll know what you're looking at, take a look at the Cobra Class 4, the Cowboy 4500, and perhaps even the Toro 4000 (though Toro doesn't receive as much support as it used to).

Either the Cobra or the Cowboy line of sewing machines should do well for you.

If, by chance, neither will be suitable because of the sewing method, you could also look at the needle and awl machines. The best current option is probably Campbell-Randall. It'll sew through pennies, so kydex penetration won't be an issue. What WILL be the issue is the persistent issue of the kydex damaging the thread, and the 'blow-out' of kydex on the back side.

[GripUs]

Check with Steve Tayrien at Leather Machine Co. , and Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial Sewing (there are ad banners for both); they can both discuss in detail what kind of machine you'd need.

I also hope you have researched the patent design well, because kydex sewn between leather is not a new idea. I have been doing so for a while now, and I modified my method from other ideas that have been around for years. You need to do some research on Tucker Gun Leather. The idea of sewing through the kydex has also been tried before, usually with less than satisfactory results.

So you'll know what you're looking at, take a look at the Cobra Class 4, the Cowboy 4500, and perhaps even the Toro 4000 (though Toro doesn't receive as much support as it used to).

Either the Cobra or the Cowboy line of sewing machines should do well for you.

If, by chance, neither will be suitable because of the sewing method, you could also look at the needle and awl machines. The best current option is probably Campbell-Randall. It'll sew through pennies, so kydex penetration won't be an issue. What WILL be the issue is the persistent issue of the kydex damaging the thread, and the 'blow-out' of kydex on the back side.

Mike,

Thank you for your kind replay. We did, indeed, have our design very well researched before filing a non-provisional patent application and are quite confident our holster is unlike anyone else’s. It is a rather unconventional design, will have a niche market and is not intended for broad appeal. We are just a couple of old boys out in west Texas just trying to amuse ourselves with something we enjoy. We have no delusions about being a threat to the holster world nor do we have any about being the first to use Kydex and leather. We really started out to make some of these for our friends and maybe take some to a gun show. I reckon what happened is we ordered a small quantity from this company and they have basically stolen our money and sent us very little in return. So, we just kinda set out to show them we could make them better, cheaper and faster than they could. My partner in this has a very good fulltime job and I am a disabled veteran retired from three or four careers.

All of the stitching will be straight line (well, with a few 90 degree corners). It seems the only thing the company we have been dealing with did well was the stitching through the leather/kydex.

This forum has been a wealth of information about different machines and while I am no expert by any means, I do believe I am a little smarter than when I signed up this morning...a little. I believe the Cobras, and their ilk, are a bit out of our range...even the used ones. We had a Singer of some sort about 10-12 years ago for a different project but sold it when the project was completed. I really wish I had kept it because I am quite certain it would sew through Volkswagon fenders. But, you know what they say...junk is something you throw out two weeks before you need it.

Joe

[mlapaglia]

First, Thank you for your service.

If you do not mind saying, what is your budget for a machine and how many holsters do you plan to make in the first few months?

Michael

[TwinOaks]

Also, without divulging TOO much about your design, how much throat will your machine need? Specifically, will you only be sewing near an edge, or will you need to rotate the design under the arm? I ask because that may greatly change the recommended machine. If you only need to sew along one edge, you might be able to get by with one of the old Champion Shoe stitchers (or similar). It has a tiny throat (about 3 inches) but it IS a needle and awl machine, designed for sewing soles on shoes/boots. There are other machines of this type that you might be able to use, provided your design can utilize the limitations.