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jlaudio29

My First Gun Belt, And Matching Holster

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Finally got around to making a open carry rig for my Kimber Pro Carry II and a much needed gun belt.

This was my first attempt at making a gun belt. Its two strips of 7/8 glued together then Hand stitched... yes hand stitched.. took me 5 hours to stitch, Next time it will be quicker because im going to do 2 seperate stitchings for the top and bottom instead of one continous run where in on the first side i end up dragging through so much thread through every hole.

I made a few other mistakes along the way, the stitching on the backside isnt as straight as id like but that is the result of a few mistakes that will be corrected on the next one. I also ran out of die and really needed a second coat to have it match the holster exactally, its just a hair off, but the rig is for myself so im not worried about it, if it was for a customer i would have ran right out and go some more dye.

Well here are the pics. Comments and questions are always welcome.

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Looks pretty good, but I advise against cutting or tooling any design into the border areas of either holster or belt. It makes for a cleaner look. Also, just my personal preference on this one, but I think adding some antique or highlighter to the cuts would make them stand out more....be more decorative. As it is, it kinda looks like brown on brown plaid. Over all a very nice job, but you may want to carry the sweat shield a little higher on the next one to include the BTGS as well as the slide. Thanks for sharing your work with us.

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Finally got around to making a open carry rig for my Kimber Pro Carry II and a much needed gun belt.

This was my first attempt at making a gun belt. Its two strips of 7/8 glued together then Hand stitched... yes hand stitched.. took me 5 hours to stitch, Next time it will be quicker because im going to do 2 seperate stitchings for the top and bottom instead of one continous run where in on the first side i end up dragging through so much thread through every hole.

I made a few other mistakes along the way, the stitching on the backside isnt as straight as id like but that is the result of a few mistakes that will be corrected on the next one. I also ran out of die and really needed a second coat to have it match the holster exactally, its just a hair off, but the rig is for myself so im not worried about it, if it was for a customer i would have ran right out and go some more dye.

Well here are the pics. Comments and questions are always welcome/quote]

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Good morning jl, from the grumpy old man: Looks pretty darned good, but just a couple of comments. As TW has said, I prefer to see a more definite treatment around your decorative work, and one not cut into with your decorative cuts. More of a 'frame' for your enhancements. Just a simple cut, maybe 3/8" to 1/2" in from the outer edge and beveled down. I don't do much tooling anymore or I'd have a pic of what I mean. One thing for holsters however, never cut along the fold of the holster when doing this, just allow the design disappear behind the fold, and try never to make a vertical cut of any sort along that fold. I can't see your edges very well, but I also prefer to round over a bit more and burnish, sometimes with dye, to set the edge off to a greater degree. Something like the edges in the enclosed pic. I made a comment in another thread on my opinion of reinforcement on the mouth of a holster, especially a concealed carry holster, and generally I don't use them. They can be, and are generally IMHO, used as a visual enhancement to your work, but if used should be 'set off' a little more. In use, thay aren't really practical, IMO. The only reason there is a small one on my avenger style holster is that it is a nice way to finish off the belt loop (second pic) and not seem to be just chopped off. Over all, still a nice piece of work. Keep it up,. Mike

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Edited by katsass

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Thanks for the input, it is much appreciated.

jl; This is a pic of some work I did over 30 years ago..........while I was still learning (I'm still learning).........it isn't all that great, but it shows what I mean by 'framing' your work. A simple cut, beveled down, then your carving, stamping etc. inside of that, will set it off and display your work to it's best. . Hope this helps a little. The pic is not too good as it is a digital taken of an old 35mm print, and the piece was unfinished. Mike

018a-2.jpg

Edited by katsass

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Thanks, yah i understand what your saying, ill have to try some that way, i personally like the holster the way i did it, but i think framing could add a lot to it and im still learning so always open to suggestions.

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