Gum trag and finish sequence question please.

[Tallbald]

Morning all. Today I should receive an order of supplies from Tandy including "gum trag". The holsters I am making are unlined and have flesh side showing in the bucket and on the back. I'm hoping the gum trag will smooth the flesh sides but am not sure how to use it or when. I'm thinking this should be my sequence:

1- Assemble and sew holster, stain and let dry fully

2-Oil with neatsfoot oil, but not too heavily.

3-Apply gum trag to rough flesh sides and burnish with wooden dowel, allow to dry.

Please correct me where needed.

Also, if I wait to apply gum trag until the holsters are sewn together, how do I get the trag down into the creases of the bucket I wonder? Can the trag be applied before I assemble my holster or will it seal the leather and prevent gluing or oiling. Thanks everyone. Don

[TwoWalks Baldridge]

Tallbald, I am totally new to this as well so please take my answer in that context.

I would apply the Trag to the flesh side before sewing the holster because it would be a lot easier to burnish while flat.  You did not mention what method of applying stain you are going to use.  That could make a difference if you should stain before or after sewing.

[Tallbald]

Hi Twowalks. I really should have mentioned that. Sorry. I plan to apply black Tandy stain with a small mop. The first holster I made (I keep it only because I finally got the pattern right for a thumb break cross draw on my Blackhawk) was sewn when I stained. It was hard to get an even application. Then I made the mistake of applying the hard glossy sealer outside AND inside, which gave me a pretty holster that was so stiff I could barely get my Blackhawk in the bucket. So I thought "I'll flex the holster and soften it up some" which promply cracked the too-thick-in-the-first-place leather, and to boot it was still as rough as 60 grit sandpaper inside. Hoo wee! Don't want to repeat those mistakes. Thanks, Don

[Trailrider]

I use a 50-50 mixture of Fiebing's Black and Tan dyes to create a dye I call "Faded Arsenal". Actually, unless applied lightly it will come out looking dark black, but I can't call it "black" in my catalog.  After the dye has thoroughly dried, I brush the leather on both sides with a shoe brush.  This removes much, but not all the excess carbon black.  Next, I apply Fiebing's Bag-Kote.  (Tandy/Leather Factory only carried Tan-Kote, which has a slightly browning tinge to it, but should work fine.  I order Bag-Kote from Fiebing's direct by the gallon, as I use so much of it for my business.)  Apply the Bag-Kote or Tan-Kote evenly on the dyed surfaces and allow to dry.  This will prettty much stabilize the dye. If the leather has stiffened due to being wet, spray on or apply with a soft cloth some Lexol Leather Conditioner.  Don't overdo this, but a light application will do the job.

I am not knocking the application of the gum trag to the flesh side of the leather, but I've not found it necessary, even with brown dyes if I use the Bag-Kote treatment.  I'd apply the gum trag after the Bag-Kote, but I strongly suggest trying the order of application with scrap pieces of leather to see what works best.  BTW, most of my leather is obtained from Tandy/Leather Factory, so that I can hand-select each side I buy, carefully examining the finish side and the back side for quality.

Hope this is of some help.

[rickk]

You can apply the trag after the holster is sewn and died, but before it is sealed. You can apply it before you sew it if you wish. It is easier when it is flat. It might interfere with glue on the sewn seams if you use glue and get it in the sewn seams.

I guess it doesn't matter too much as long as the die is there first.

To use trag, apply it somewhat liberally and rub it in with something. A boning tool will work. I often use the side of a plastic pulley that is commonly used for edge finishing in the pulley grove.

The trag will soften and clump the loose fibers together and hold them flat as you rub it, giving a smooth surface.

Later, if you moisten the holster to mold it to the gun, some of the excess trag may wash off. You will feel it as it is slippery when wet.  It really doesn't matter if that happens as it has done it's job and enough is left to hold the loose fibers in place.

[marine-mp]

Tallbald,
    I bone the flesh side before sewing with nothing but water.  Then I sew it up and form the bucket.  I then put the 50/50 mix of gumtrag on in the bucket with a small (1/2") brush and rub back and forth, up and down.  It gets in the cracks just fine.  Semper-fi   Mike

[Cliff Fendley]

I rub gum trag into the edges and flesh side after the dye is dry and finish off with bag kote over everything. It's not really necessary on good clean leather but it still makes the flesh side even smoother and tighter.

[rickk]

I thought that I would add that even if you work a bit on the edges before sewing, you will still be cleaning up the seam after you sew, dying the edges, and using more Trag to smooth the edge to a new smooth radius.

Some people use beeswax in the sewn edge instead.

Sometimes I use tragacanth to round things up and then beeswax over the edge as well.

I do not really plan it, I just pick it up and use it (tragacanth) as a tool when it seems like it is needed.  In my mind it's really just a tool to soften the affected area and allow it to pack into a smooth surface.