Gun belt help...

[sniper]

After a bit of a hiatus, due to wife's ill health causing a slump in everything, shooting, photography, reloading, and leatherwork, during which I made only one item...a sheath for my new axe,  She is better, and I am getting the urge to do something leathery.

I have all the materials to make  a gunbelt...two layers, edge stitched, and carved...well, actually basetweave stamped. This is  a bit more complicated than anything I have attempted so far, and I figure, if anyone can help me, it will be the folks here.

Now, my questions...

1. I have some contact cement purchased at my last Tandy store visit. Is this good enough glue to fasten two layers of leather permanently?

2. Gluing the two layers together, is it necessary to put a curve it it, to prevent stretching the glue when I wear it, and possibly having the bond fail sometime during the life of the belt?

3. the belt is 1 1/2 inches wide, and I will put a stitching crease 1/8 in. from each edge. How many rows of the Tandy medium size basketweave stamping can I fit in the left over 1 1/4 inches, if I use the diagonal stamping process? 2?...3?

4. is there something better than blue painter's tape to put on the back of the stamped layer, to keep it from stretching?

5. I will hand stitch the belt, using my set of ChiCom  pricking tools for marks to drill the holes with my drill press. I have used 1/16 in. bits, but is there a larger size I should consider using for ease in stitching?

Any recommendations will be carefully considered.

Thank you!

[Dwight]

3 minutes ago, sniper said:

After a bit of a hiatus, due to wife's ill health causing a slump in everything, shooting, photography, reloading, and leatherwork, during which I made only one item...a sheath for my new axe,  She is better, and I am getting the urge to do something leathery.

I have all the materials to make  a gunbelt...two layers, edge stitched, and carved...well, actually basetweave stamped. This is  a bit more complicated than anything I have attempted so far, and I figure, if anyone can help me, it will be the folks here.

Now, my questions...

1. I have some contact cement purchased at my last Tandy store visit. Is this good enough glue to fasten two layers of leather permanently?

2. Gluing the two layers together, is it necessary to put a curve it it, to prevent stretching the glue when I wear it, and possibly having the bond fail sometime during the life of the belt?

3. the belt is 1 1/2 inches wide, and I will put a stitching crease 1/8 in. from each edge. How many rows of the Tandy medium size basketweave stamping can I fit in the left over 1 1/4 inches, if I use the diagonal stamping process? 2?...3?

4. is there something better than blue painter's tape to put on the back of the stamped layer, to keep it from stretching?

5. I will hand stitch the belt, using my set of ChiCom  pricking tools for marks to drill the holes with my drill press. I have used 1/16 in. bits, but is there a larger size I should consider using for ease in stitching?

Any recommendations will be carefully considered.

Thank you!

Taking the questions one at at time:

1.  Contact cement is THE product for putting two pieces of leather together, . . . 

2.  Your fear will never happen, . . . we put curves in cowboy belts so they stay up on the cowboy, . . . and don't slide off.  Standard 1 1/2 gunbelt does not need it.  And, . . . no, . . . if you do the contact cement correctly, . . . it won't come apart.

3.  You'll have to play with that one, . . . it is a personal preference and has a lot to do with the border stamp you use

4.  I never mess with it, . . . damp and stamp.

5.  You don't say what size thread you are using . . . let me suggest you use the pricking tools to mark where the holes go, . . . buy the thread from Tandy, . . . and the appropriate needle for that thread that they would sell for their Cowboy machines, . . . and instead of the drill bit, . . . use the needle with the drill press not running, . . . you will like the finished product better.  I do that sometimes with my Tippmann Boss sewing machine, . . . use it to punch the holes, . . . then hand stitch the product.

May God bless,

Dwight