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was wondering if anyone uses resolene as a holster finish. i am using a drum dyed black W/C and have issues with bag kote not sealing properly. was wondering if resolene has problems cracking or coming off. Tony

i have found in my earliest holsters, that if i molded the trigger area too deep that when the holster bent around the body the back side of molded trigger area pushed in even deeper to the trigger causing it to bind when drawn. keep in mind when molding the holster to the gun that sometimes less is more. just my two cents. Tony

thanks for the comments everyone, and nicely done Big River. love seeing the improvements. Tony

you are ahead of the curve, Ade. your edges look great! Tony

very nice work Particle. nice to see the 8/9 oz used. i use the same weight in W/C and find it makes for a much sturdier and nicer looking holster. Tony

it has been a year since i made my first holster. i thought it would be fun to see the difference a year makes. i have heard others doubt their abilities after only a few tries. but i am here to tell you that if you just stick with it your leatherwork WILL improve. my first ever holster was for a walther PPK and was made from a tandy single shoulder in 6/7 oz. stitching was done by hand. it was finished with supersheen. my latest holster is for a 1911 Springfield and was made from W/C 8/10 oz. it is dyed with fiebings pro mohagany. and finished with bag kote. the stitching is done on my Cobra class 3. Jbird has been a real inspiration to me with his airbrushing. so i tried my airbrush for the first time and did the edges in black. looking forward to another year!!

thanks Frank, i wanted to get it in brown but was worried. i'm making my first holster with it now. will see how it comes out.

has anyone purchased drum dyed leather? i just received my first drum dyed black side. it is taking forever to rub the excess dye out. i have oiled it and it is still coming off, alot. any suggestions? thanks Tony

i'm hoping someone can help me. i am trying to find the plastic/nylon rivet type protectors that go into the back side of the line 24 or dot snaps on the holster thumb breaks. it acts as a protectant keeping the metal of the snap from rubbing against the gun then snapped. anyone know what these are called and where i can find some? thanks Tony

Very nicely done!!

here is a side view. i use kydex in the paddle and backing area of the holster. then bolt them to eachother. makes it pretty sturdy.

don't get alot of requests for open top holsters. this is my first with a Walther. holster and paddle are both W/C 8/10 oz russet dyed with feibings pro oil black. finish is Feibings saddle lac. Tony

i would go with the Cobra. i love mine, and Steve's customer service really is the best. i have heard some horror stories about Artisan, even though i have never delt with them myself.

is what i do is lay the holster cutout flat and place the support piece on top, making it fit exactly to the flat holster. (no conpensation for the bend) then i glue and sew it. once that is done i fold it over and glue and sew the holster together. it will feel hard to fold because the support piece wants to force the holster back open due to the lack of trying to compensate for the bend with the suppoort piece. but this is the purpose of the support piece, to keep the holster from wanting to collapse when drawing the gun. i have not had any problems with bunching at the fold this way. Tony

just started my collection today with the glock 27. i figure to try and buy one each month. we'll see how it goes. if anyone has a reliable and or inexpensive dealer let us know. always looking for the lowest price and best service as are we all. lol Tony

very nice fit! that is one of the reasons i recommend this style of holser....holds close to the body and doesn't collapse. i may not have noticed the the trim sveldt body you were referring to....but were those beads of frost i noticed on the can budweiser????

very nice job. i make this style of holster regularly and pretty much tout it more than the others. the only problem i can see is by making the tunnel on the wing it reduces the amount of distance to play with regarding the belt loop. i have found that some people like to wear it a bit back or a bit foward. either way you're on the right track with it. i also have been putting the support around the mouth even when using 8-9 oz W/C. just mainly out of habit.....dont know if its really needed.

wow, looks good, i really like the looks of that finish. Tony

do you put any other protectant on it or does the mop n glow mix keep it protected? Tony

very nice. do you have any problems with it cracking at all, like the some of the other acrylics? Tony

very nice Mike. what did you use for the finish. i like that mellow glow. Tony

Great! another machine to have to buy.... my wife ain't gonna be happy. lol

thanks Eric. yeah, i wouldn't know how to stitch that other stuff with the cylinder arm machine that i have....i would probably have to do it by hand. Tony

Hey Eric, are you wanting to make the accessories that you are showing in the pics or the duty holster itself? i have made a few duty holsters and have used my Cobra class 3 machine which does an outstanding job. i see some of the pics you are showing of the accessories. they may pose a problem with a traditional machine on the edges. maybe someone else knows more about using the machine for that.....i'm not that good yet lol. if you want to check out leatherpros.net i have some pics in there of my duty holsters i made with my machine. Tony

i've had my Cobra class 3 for several months now and it is running like a dream. i am only kicking myself for not buying it sooner. Tony