Mcqueen Holster - Sort Of....

[longtooth]

Looking at the color on my original from Andy I would say you nailed the color. Nice job.

[Red Bear Haraldsson]

Gary, Dikman,
I feel for you guys, truly. I didn't know it even extended to holsters, that's just sad. Hopefully all the major hurdles have been cleared for you now and you can go enjoy shooting!
Red Cent,
I saw your center picture on Facebook. Someone had posted that their new rig was on its way to them. I saw it and posted back, "Hey! That looks like Red Cent's work!" They confirmed it and gushed over it and you. Congrats to that!

Edited March 4, 2016 by Red Bear Haraldsson

[Red Cent]

Thanks folks.

[dikman]

Red Cent, I meant to ask how you get such uniform colouring? By dipping?

Longtooth, your info was invaluable in understanding the design. Many thanks. (I must admit the colour is a fluke on my part ).

Edited March 4, 2016 by dikman

[Red Cent]

I have tried dipping and I don't care for it. The dye will migrate to the lowest edge and pool.

I have discovered that you cannot get good coverage unless you take the leather to the color intended. By that I mean, I lay a piece of leather flat and color it good, not worrying about streaks. I continue to color the leather (I use a small piece of towel. I cannot control my application with a sponge) and when I start to see that the coverage is good and the dye doesn't dry out/be absorbed so fast, I start long even strokes. Stroke until the towel piece is almost dry. There is a point that the dye will very slowly be absorbed and that's when I stop.

[dikman]

(Insert bright flash of light!). Now that makes perfect sense! I've always been concerned at adding too much dye because the stuff I've read always indicated that I should get coverage just using a couple of coats. I see now that I wasn't going far enough. Many thanks for explaining your method.

I've just been asked to make a couple of shotgun cartridge belts, and looking at your design it's rather intriguing. Is it a belt with another piece stitched on the inside, extended up and folded over? It looks like it will have the effect of angling the cartridges away from the body a little. It's certainly different to every other one that I've seen.

[Red Cent]

Some SASS members questioned the legality of the belt. However, Deuce Stevens presented the belt to the SASS RO committee for approval and it passed. Doc Noper, a friend of Deuce's, came up with the idea.

That is a 21" X 6" piece of 8-9 ounce veg tanned folded in half. I use two pieces of leather to form the belt for each end. You will alter the tilt if you run a piece all the way around the bottom. After sewing on the loops, you glue it all together and sew.

[dikman]

Nice. I might have ago at something similar, just for the ruckus it's likely to create here . The fact it's been approved by the governing body would be my "ace-in-the-hole"!

I tried my holster at the range yesterday, and I like it. I just have to develop a technique for clearing the front sight (so that it doesn't catch on withdrawal) but that's no big deal. The next one will be in natural leather, but I suspect I'll end up making two like that plus a matching belt. I like your two-tone effect, but I think I'll try that later .

[Red Bear Haraldsson]

I was going to ask you about clearing the front sight, but I had figured you already had a plan for that.

I'm going to give Red Cent's dye steps a try. All my browns look like wood grain. And the weirdest part is NFO does not darken leather for me. It does while wet, but once dry, it returns to the color it was before...

[dikman]

I've got a small bottle of thinned brown so I'm thinking of putting a bit in a small container and adding a couple of drops of black just to see what happens. Sounds like it might be worth experimenting a bit.

Front sight - I had intended removing it, as for such close range shooting I don't see that it's necessary, but a member from another club said that occasionally they will shoot at a target that has a small centre so greater accuracy will be required. I'm still undecided about it, but it's only a matter of developing a technique with very slight pressure pushing the muzzle to the rear. Doesn't need much, I'll see how I go.