1'x1' is a good starting size for this piece of leather if you're working with a standard pistol. For a larger handgun, cut it to make sure you can wrap your weapon in it. You'll be making the pocket that holds your weapon with this piece; this is the holster. Fold the leather in half over the top of your weapon. When you do so, the handle should stick out. This is how you would grab your weapon if you need it. Using scissors or a utility knife, cut triangles out of the top corners. Your triangles should be an inch tall for a pistol. For a larger gun, you can cut up to 3” off. You should easily be able to fold the leather over your weapon and have a spare inch. This will be plenty of material to work with because it will stretch. Take your leather and soak it thoroughly in water. This will take a few minutes. Eventually, it will become pliable. Once this happens, squeeze the excess water out of it. The side of the leather than is less tough is the inside of your leather. This side will soak water in better than the rough face of the leather. Do this with the middle of the leather piece over the barrel and have it wrap under the trigger. Using stretching blocks, put pressure on the leather around the mold and stretch it out. You should have one block on each side of the leather and it should be as close to the mold as you can. This will help the leather stretch once you clamp the blocks into place. You can use any clamps that you want, as long as they will hold the blocks in place tightly. With the clamps holding the blocks, and the mold wrapped in the leather, place it in the sun to dry. This will take a few hours.

Summary: Begin with a leather square. Cut the top corners off of your square. Soak your leather. Wrap your leather around the mold of your pistol. Place this in the sun.


Don't run for class president your first year out.  Try one of the other positions, instead. If you're new at the school, try volunteering for a position that's not elected your first year, such as yearbook or newspaper. It will be a good way to get to know classmates and the school and gain experience before you run. You may also wish to start your own club or organization. Spearheading an initiative like this will allow you to stand out from the crowd as someone who is willing to invest his own time to improve the student experience. For example, if you like writing, run for secretary. If you're a leader, try president or vice president. It is best to attempt to win a position in which you will naturally excel. If you make reasonable pledges that are appealing to the majority of people, many of those same people will vote for you (for example, say you'll create a short break between classes during each day). However, don't pledge to do something you know you can't do, like getting rid of homework; most people won't believe you and those who do will be disappointed if you can't make it happen. Always be aware of the limitations of your office. You don't want to make promises now only to find out later that you don't have the authority. Most school elections give the candidates an opportunity to deliver a speech to their classmates. This speech will likely be one of the most important components of your campaign. Here are some tips for delivering a quality speech:  When you make a speech, keep it short, and to the point. Tell the voters why you are the best candidate for the office you're running for.  Speak clearly and stand confidently like you know you are deserving of the office you're seeking.   When making a speech, don't try to plead, bribe, blackmail, or make promises you cannot fulfill. Know what you can and cannot do in the office you're seeking.   Add humor to your speech.   Don't lie. Be honest. If you make impossible promises you aren't able to keep, no one will vote for you in the future.  Make hand gestures and move around your audience while making speeches.  This will help keep their attention. If you get elected president, make all of your possible promises come true, and try to make a good one, so you can get elected once more.  Make a note of the things you promised to do while campaigning. Tackle those issues one by one, checking off your initiatives as you go. Be prepared to fight for something you promised the student body. Perhaps you said you would try to increase the amount of time between classes, but the school's administration says it can't be done. Don't just give up. Ask questions of the administration and challenge any inconsistencies in their explanation. Your classmates voted for you so that you could represent them. Even if you can't get them what they want, you can at least say you tried your best.

Summary: Start small. Recognize your strengths and interests. Make pledges. Prepare and deliver a quality speech. Follow through.


Unlike the reading stage, you should start reading some more serious works. Look at books in the library. Check databases for more specific articles. Don’t just Google the topic, or search for it in Wikipedia.  Most major libraries have databases you can use. You will need a library card to access them; some even require that you be in the library to use them. However, databases like EBSCOhost have many smaller databases that you can search; which ones are included depends on what your library pays for. Research libraries will often include databases on every topic, from business to humanities to psychology. In the advanced search, you can choose which ones you search, so pick one relevant to your topic. You will get academic articles in return for your search. Be sure to try different sets of keywords; you never know which set will bring up the results you want. When you take notes, you can begin to see where different authors reference each other and where different ideas come together. Pick one of those intersections as your topic. Continue to research it until you can develop it into a paper. If you’re in high school or an undergraduate, your topic doesn't necessarily need to be original, as your professors will mainly be wanting to see if you can develop a theme throughout the paper. However, in graduate school, your topic should be more original.  It should be something that hasn't been covered a hundred times by someone else, so be careful when picking out your research topic. You should get an idea of what has already been covered as you research to help you choose something original. For instance, there’s likely been a good number of articles written on B.F. Skinner’s behavioral psychology, but your idea can be different in how you apply it. Maybe you want to apply it to a piece of literature or maybe you want to look at it in relation to current pop culture. The application of it can be original. Also, make sure your topic is something you enjoy, as you’re going to be spending some time working on it. You don’t want to be researching a topic you hate, as that dislike and disinterest will show up in your essay. For more information on writing a good research paper, see this article. Also see Start a Research Paper.

Summary: Begin researching the main ideas on your bubble map. Get an idea of the research in the field. Use keywords to find articles related to your topic. Take notes and use them to choose your topic. Try to look at your chosen topic in an original way. Choose a topic that you enjoy.


To buy on eBay using PayPal you must first win a bid on eBay or use the eBay "Buy Now" option that allows you to purchase eBay items immediately without going through the bidding process. You will know that the item is ready for payment when you see the "Pay Now" button appear next to it on the "Bids/Offers" page that can be found through the "My eBay" link at the top of most eBay pages.  If you want to change the shipping address, you can use the "Change shipping address" link to provide a new shipping address. If everything looks correct, you should press the "Continue" button to move ahead.
Summary: Get the item ready for payment. Press the "Pay Now" button next to the item that you want to make the payment for. Confirm your shipping address. Verify the payment amount and details such as shipping cost and tax as well as the total cost. Choose PayPal as the method for making the payment. Use the login information of the PayPal account that you had linked to log in to PayPal through eBay. Reconfirm the details of the order such as the shipping address and payment amount. Press the "Confirm Your Payment" button to finalize the PayPal payment process.