How Do Most Of You Sew Your Holsters?

[Shooter McGavin]

I like the tippmann boss because it gives me ultimate control over the placement of every single stitch. I dislike it due to parts breakage and the seemingly constant fiddling required to keep the tensions good.

I dont have the space and power in the basement workshop to get something like the cowboy or cobra.

[Denster]

Machine. It is very hard to be profitable without one. I have two Tippmann Boss' and a powered machine that I use for larger projects like belts etc. All holsters I do on the Boss. In over 4,000 holsters and countless other projects I have broken two needles and one thread take up arm spring. The Boss is tough but simple to repair yourself if something does break. Simple to learn on and help is only a phone call away.

[SouthernCross]

Thanks for the responses, gentlemen.

[Shooter McGavin]

Machine. It is very hard to be profitable without one. I have two Tippmann Boss' and a powered machine that I use for larger projects like belts etc. All holsters I do on the Boss. In over 4,000 holsters and countless other projects I have broken two needles and one thread take up arm spring. The Boss is tough but simple to repair yourself if something does break. Simple to learn on and help is only a phone call away.

I've broken the lifter arm 3 times, the rack gear once, and the quadrant gear twice. I've dulled a bunch of needles, but never broke one.

[Josh Ashman]

I sew everything by hand using a homemade stitching horse and a thin pair of leather gloves with the finger tips cut off. I've been giving a lot of thought to getting a Boss for a few years now but haven't done it yet. This is just a hobby for me and I find sewing to be relaxing but I'd take a lot more orders if I had more time.

Good luck,

Josh

[Samalan]

Cobra 4 with eps for me this machine is it!.

[Denster]

I've broken the lifter arm 3 times, the rack gear once, and the quadrant gear twice. I've dulled a bunch of needles, but never broke one.

I'm curious. How in heck did you manage to break the thread lifter arm?

[Shooter McGavin]

Just to clarify, Im talking about the CAR-11 piece that clamps to the shaft and has a bearing that the thread take up lever rides on.

The first time it broke was when tightening it to the shaft after replacing the needle shaft gear, the second time was when the needle shaft gear broke again, jammed up the rack gear, and I tried to gorilla the arm up. Cant remember what the 3rd break was, by then I was so frustrated I couldnt think.

So now I have a warehouse full of extra parts just to avoid the downtime I was experiencing.

[lws380]

Hand sewing at first, but after I bought a Cobra 4, I know I should have gotten it earlier. May hands got pretty sore hand sewing all the time. Machine sews a holster in a minute or so, compared to 20 minutes by hand. If you want to increase the volume, you need a machine IMO. I liked the Cobra so much, I got another one just like it. I have natural thread set up on one and balck on the other. I got tired of changing thread and decided I should have a back up in case one broke. If I was without my machine, I'd be screwed. So now have two, just in case. I've also added a Cobra Clicker dye and a Cobra leather splitter. Love them too and they are time savers as well.

[gottaknow]

Even though I have plenty of machines to sew holsters with, I sew by hand to get the relaxation factor.

Regards, Eric