Bingo

I popped my latest one into our big oven at about 100 degrees (I guess...?) after it had dried naturally for about 18 hours. Seems like it got a lot of the ambient moisture out and made the leather stiffer than air drying would have. I think I'll stick it in again right before I put the tan-kote on so I get all of the ambient moisture out.

I was wondering about the screws - I have an IWB that I bought with screws, but I had no idea how/where they were connected.

What oz leather? -thanks

Ah, that's good thinking. Thanks Regis.

Two more holsters...the OWB was for someone in Pittsburgh. I also have a question: how do you all attach the belt loops for IWBs? I cut out two strips of leather - for the loops - and then drilled through the holster and the loops. Then I stitched the two together. It holds up, but I think there could be a better way. Thanks all.

Wow, those are awesome! How did you get so much definition in the leather for the Beretta?

The way I glue is I set the gun on top of the inside piece of leather (for a pancake holster). Then I outline the gun with a pencil and just basically glue in the outer areas, leaving a space of about an inch (could probably go smaller) between the gun line and the glue. I figure without the constraints of the stitching, I can mold the leather perfectly over the gun, and have a tighter, more defined mold. Then I can drill the holes and stitch as close to the gun as possible. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the closer you can stitch to the gun, the more durable the mold will be and the tighter the leather will hold the gun. It'll also look aesthetically pleasing as it'll follow the mold outline perfectly (or as near perfect as I can do it). I hope that makes sense. How much space do you leave between the glue and the gun? Thanks, all, for the responses.

Does anyone do this? The first two holsters I made, I stitched then molded. I'd like to mold it first so that I can stitch along the lines of the gun more accurately, and get the stitching as close to the gun as possible. I use Beacon 527 glue, and it says it's waterproof, so I'm thinking the glue should hold. I'm wondering what the experts here think. I also wonder if it'll be more difficult for me to make thread holes, as I use a drill press. I guess I could just raise the leather up to the drill bit? Thanks.

Thank you for the tip. I was wondering if I should form before stitching. I just wonder if I'd be able to get the gun into the dry leather - it was pretty tight even after it got wet (haha, that sounds wrong). Also, short of a holster press, is there any other way to form it?

Let me know what you think. The one thing I have a problem with is how I didn't make the stitching follow the lines of the gun around the trigger guard. Oh well...I learn as I go. I'm much happier with how the edges turned out.

Those look great.

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I burnished the edges and I'm impressed how a little gum tragacanth and a plastic boning tool can make the edges so smooth. I'm going to put the 'tan-kote' on tomorrow to finish it up. This stuff is fun. I'm already working on my next holster (in the drawing stages): another OWB pancake holster for a S&W 65.

Thank you for the compliments. 7-8oz shoulder. Hand stitched. I used a drill for the holes, but I'm thinking one of those 4-prong punches would be easier except for around curves where I'd need a single punch. It took me 8-10 tries to find the right sized drill bit...settled on something right around 1/10"...the thread was thicker than I thought.

Let me know what you think. The one thing that'll be corrected on my next one is the placement of the belt slots. One side is too close to the edge, I think. It'll probably hold up, but it still bothers me. Still needs the tan-kote protective layer. -Thanks.