So I have been wanting to try my hand at a gun belt for a while. Since I bought a half-cow of leather recently, I decided to go ahead and try it. The leather is 12 Oz vegetable tan, with a decent grain. I cut two straps, and dyed them, laid out a template, measured about a zillion times, and cut out the pattern. I glued it together, and got to sewing....
Or tried to. The belt is 5/16ths of an inch thick. I'm beginning to see why serious belt makers use a leather sewing machine. I am 194 stitches in, and have about 3 hours tied up in stitching alone. I am punching every hole with an awl and a mallet, then having to press the awl through from the back, to widen the hole all the way through. After that is done for about 30-50 holes, I stitch up what I've punched, then start over.
Don't get me wrong, the belt is awesome, and will literally last forever, but there is no way I'm doing another stitched gun belt until I get a sewing machine.
Damn, this thing is a lot of work!
7 comments:
Have you considered looking for an older cast iron Tippman Boss sticher? There are pro's and con's to the TB and it does have a learning curve but that's where my interests are leaning.
Honestly, I haven't looked into any at all. If it was cheap and hell-for-stout, I'd give it a go.
I know you don't have the money right now, but I'll leave this right here.
http://www.tippmannindustrial.com/
The link Pawpaw posted will also take you to a forum. The current Tippman Boss is made from cast aluminum, knowledgeable folks prefer the earlier cast iron ones. If I find a used cast iron one I'll buy it, ship it back to Tippman for a rebuild (if necessary) and learn to use it. You do a lot of friends and family leather work so I suggest a community acquisition project. At this point you're ahead of me on the learning/experience curve as I'm only doing pre-cut projects and holsters from Zack White Leather and such. Best to you from a retired police lieutenant
thanks, sport pilot. It's nice to hear a stranger speak kindly about my piddling projects. The words are appreciated. I looked at the video at the link, and am pretty impressed with the way it works. Seems pretty darn simple, but well though out.
Thanks for the heads-up.
Here's another option, a bit more affordable. I might be willing to pitch in if you're saving money.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/251895792/brand-new-leather-sewing-machine-shoe
You're going to have STRONG hands by the time you finish... :-) And you're right, a good belt will last for years! Good luck on which ever way you choose to go.
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