Clicker Dies

[Red Cent]

Been doing a lot of reading on this subject including a post below. And something occurred to me. A western holster laid out in its raw state measures almost 20"s long sometimes. Would this present a problem if I had a 24x12x1/2 steel plate on top and bottom? More specifically, would the length of the plates be a problem other than the potential hernia or other things bad?

The clicker process appeals to me because I line most all my holsters. And two pieces cut exactly the same makes for easy edging. Cut, glue, bevel and sand. No waves, no bumps, and no edges uneven.

yazzir.

Anybody else doing the big piece of leather thing with a clicker?

[JLSleather]

Steel plate top and bottom of what? Clicker press? Shop press?

1/2" steel plate isn't going to be bothered by cutting leather. The shear strength of leather is so low it takes.. well..you've put holes in it with a little hand punch, right?

It your plates are flat, and you dont bottom out the machine (like dive in the shallow end) it's fine.

I'm cheap, so I would have to need quite a few of the same thing to justify a die, but if they're helpful...

[camano ridge]

Red, I don't click but you might get a hold of Chirs Andre Makers Leather Supply (aka Slickbald) He sells clicked out blanks of his Western holster patterns. He might give you some insight. One thing I have learned, you don't really want to try to glue together two pieces exactly the same size. You would be better off to click one piece then glue to your side or shoulder and cut out. THe piece you clicked is exactly your pattern so using it as a cutting guide should give you a pretty good finished product. If you have two pieces cut exactly to the same size and try to glue them together it is difficult to get all edges to line up exactly, especially if you are using contact cement like Weldwood.

[Red Cent]

I am considering buying a 20 ton shop press and clickers for a couple three best sellers. SL, the plates will be positioned on the press as others do. Logically, I would not think that a piece of 1/2 steel extended almost a foot on each side of the beam to be influenced. However, before I spend the money, I asked. You know, that intuitive and counter-intuitive thing.

Camano, I hand cut both pieces as close as possible. Usually a tad big. I glue outer and liner, trim a little with a knife, then use a band sander to square all edges. Do the edge thing, mark and sew. Fold the holster and sew main seam.

"One thing I have learned, you don't really want to try to glue together two pieces exactly the same size." Ears open. Never to late to learn something.

I have the Bianchi DVDs where he does the steps as you suggested. However, that increases my waste. I used to do the Bianchi thing but I see no difference in product.

[LeatherLegion]

There are few vids on Youtube showing a Lucris MA III cutting larger pieces...you just need a larger cutting board that you can move around . I am doing the same thing on my clicker press that has a round top plate 12in diameter

Edited August 31, 2014 by LeatherLegion

[Red Cent]

Leather Legion, I agree. I think. With the steel plate above to cover the entire clicker, I should be able to cut in one whack. At the worst, a slight reposition to finish the cut.

[Red Cent]

Camano, just re-read your post. Yep, ya gotta be careful when the WW is just right. So far it has worked out. With the heavy side clicked, it might be a good idea to do as you suggest laying it on the bigger thinner piece and trimming.

Thinking out loud and reading the answers. Thanks folks.

[LeatherLegion]

It all depends on the press you have too. The size of the top plate is in direct correlation with the

force of the press. You can only cut so much , as far as size goes, with a 5tone press for example,

before parts will start breaking

Edited August 31, 2014 by LeatherLegion

[JLSleather]

I cant see any issue with 20 ton.. in fact I'm sure 12 ton would do er. ROUGH math, the pressure for BLANKING a holster is about 12 ton. But this is figuring a blank that is 24" long and 12" wide, which you'd think would be enough, and that's in 8 ounce leather. BUT, you aren't blanking, you're SLICING, which reduces pressure by about 6x, if the die is sharp.

Seriously, only way you'd ever deflect that sucka is to bottom out the die and continue pressing. Well, the die not sitting straight, but i'm assuming you'd check that.

[Red Cent]

OK, JLS, but I'm gonna send you the bill on the 12 ton if it doesn't work .

[Colt W Knight]

Is the press strong enough to glue the pieces together, then click out the pattern? Then you wouldn't have to worry about lining up the pieces or trimming waste.

[Red Cent]

Colt, that is an awesome thought. Dang. You can bet I will try it when I get it set up. Something about forest and trees comes to mind

[Red Cent]

BTW, what do I use for a cutter board? Sure I might look it up but the conversation ends. I use a large piece of poly board with my small 1 ton hand press and, within a few strokes, it will break. Even if I put a board underneath it.

[JLSleather]

If you're gluing layers and THEN cutting, keep in mind that the pressure goes up accordingly (the thickness cut is part of the equation, so thicker = more tonnage).

I never glue and then form.. wrinkles suck

[Colt W Knight]

If you are interested in making your own cutting board, you can buy the raw material from McMaster-Carr. Mcmaster is an awesome store that I buy a ton of raw materials from. I wish they carried leather

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-plastic-sheets/=tjha59

[Red Cent]

Hey Hillbilly. Opened the site. What do I buy?

[Colt W Knight]

Hey Hillbilly. Opened the site. What do I buy?

The best way to navigate McMaster's website when buying raw materials is to use the Narrow by window to the left. First, select the size you need, then color if that is important to you. Then read the descriptions of the materials on the right. They will tell you the general use of the material, and give you information on their tensile strength and impact strength. You can use that info to decide what best fits your needs, and return to the narrow by search function on the left.

I would imagine something like this would work well

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-plastic-sheets/=tjw2ql

[Red Cent]

I can make you a great western rig, tune and repair all your cowboy guns, but I have no idea what to get on that page. You must have 30-40 choices.

[Colt W Knight]

Take a look at the easy to machine impact resistant ABS. I recently bought some to use in our feed mixer at the feedlot.