Set the focus on the upper surface of the leather 4. Lay your leather as flat as possible (smooth-side up) on the bed of the laser - it may be necessary to place weights on the outer edges of the piece to keep it flat, but make sure that these weights will not be in the cutting area and will not interfere with the movement of the laser. Load the test pattern in Corel Draw (test_pattern.cdr) 2. It will use an area about 2" high x 2" wide. You can use the test file included if you like. It is a good idea to test the laser settings on a small area of your leather prior to cutting. Since leather is an organic material, it can vary significantly from one piece to the next. Note: If you don't have access to a laser cutter, I have pre-cut leather kits available in my etsy store. All TechShop members have access to the computer workstations, but you will need to take the Laser Cutter SBU (LAS101) class before you can use a laser at TechShop. Paper towels * Items available at TechShop ** Items available from Tandy Leather Factory I made this at TechShop San Jose, so I was able to use one of their computers with Corel Draw and one of their 60W Epilog lasers. A piece of heavy (8oz or more) vegetable tanned tooling leather at least 8" x 12"** 2. A brush to apply contact cement Supplies you will need: 1. Some burnishing tools - I use a spoon, a sharpie, and the handle of a leather punch but you could use any number of items for this. A short section of square acrylic rod approximately 0.25" thick cut to just fit between the front and rear sights of your pistol. A pistol or pistol form (you can use an actual pistol, a "blue gun" or even an airsoft pistol for this. A thermometer (either a candy thermometer or a infrared thermometer should do nicely) 7. A graphics workstation with Corel Draw* 2. If you want a left handed holster, you will need to reverse it. Also note that the pattern I made is for a right-handed holster. 45 Auto Glocks, and H&K USPs you will need to make adjustments to the pattern. 40 S&W Glock pistols, 1911s, Beretta 92s and other pistols of similar size. This holster was designed for a Glock 17, but the patterns I created will make a holster that works nicely for a variety of semiauto pistols including 9mm and. Have a look at the pictures below.In this instructable, I'll show you how I made a nice leather holster and formed it to fit my pistol perfectly. Chrome tanned leather has a high resistance to water, stains and heat. Chromium tanning gives a distinctive blue hue to the leather and ensures the hides are soft and supple. In order to achieve this, the hides pH level must be reduced, where they are placed in acidic drums or bathes and then chromium salts and chromium oxide is then added. Chromium salts bind with the proteins in the collagen and permanently alter the structure. This involves drawing out water molecules from the proteins of the skin (from the collagen). So what exactly is tanning? Tanning is essentially transforming animal skins into leather. The process involves altering the protein structure of the cow skin, to ensure the skin can not decompose and permanently seals the hairs to the skin. Chromium tanning has been in use since the middle 1800's and is the primary tanning process used today. This is about the chromium tanned process, which involves many different stages, but which yields the best quality tanned hides. A little insight into the tanning process of cowhides.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |