Holster Repair

[Tomathvl]

I sent three holster to Jerry Burney for some repairs; I just received them back. I'm pretty much a nit-picker when I get work done by someone; there's nothing to nit-pick about Jerry's work. In my opinion, Jerry is a skilled craftsman that puts out some amazing work. I know what I sent him and I'm looking at what came back and the craftsmanship is excellent. The holsters are fixed and you can't tell

[Pete Ebbink]

Hi Tom,

You are absolutely correct...cannot find any nicer work than Jerry's efforts.

I did notice a slight difference in the color of the stitching on some of the holster's Jerry did for me. The new stitching was a bit more white than the older original stitching.

Had a fellow collector give me a tip to use a used-tea bag, slightly wet. It added just enough color to have the two sections match up.

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

[lugerholsterrepair]

Tom, Thanks for the kind words...Color is always a problem. Both stitching and leather. Matching them can be troublesome.
For stitching I have developed a technique that works better than it once did. Finding linen thread in the right color and thickness is a real challenge. As linen thread ages it changes considerably, both in color and texture.
The problem with matching leather parts is more serious. Modern American dyes are nothing like turn of the Century German dyes. The Germans used a genuine brown color. Most, or all I might say, American dye makers use either red or yellow as a base so all of their so-called brown dyes are reddish in color. This is a real problem when trying to match the beautiful light brown and tans the Germans had. I am afraid some techniques, processes and materials will never be duplicated again. I have been searching for a genuine brown dye but so far have not been able to come up with one. A real shame....Jerry Burney