JoelR

I'd have to agree with kfiretwo with regards to safety...

Got feedback from the purchaser. Turns out I need to remember to teach others how to measure their firearms when needing specifics. Their firearm has a 4" barrel and not the 2" barrel I designed the holster for - they meaured from the frame and not the forcing cone. Forturnatly I designed it so the barrel could exit the bottom of the holster. They say they are fine with it (the owner's wife was the one who asked me to make it as a gift to her husband), but I'm not satisfied. Gives me an exchuse to make another holster for this frame. To this point, my holsters have been single-piece hides. I'd like to play around with two-layer next but I have noticed that the holsters I have made for myself show scrapes where the sharp metal rubs the hide - specifically the slide release and magazine release of my 1911 in my tuckable flesh-side-out holster. I assume this is normal... Anyone have any recommendations on what types of leather to use as the liner? Kevin had recommended some 2oz calf he had to pair up with the 6-7oz I am using now. Thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks for the tips. I wore the holster and the draw is what "I" like in a holster - Initial hard resistance with a sudden release. Unfortunately I do not own a J-frame so I could not try it with the real thing. Right now I am essentially making holsters for people at cost so someone else is paying for my practice supplies (and a little extra to cover the cost of supplies for my own holsters - so many guns, so little leather...). The dye is some ALL-IN-ONE from Tandy. Bought it on a whim and liked the color on a small single speed-loader pouch - don't trust the sealant properties though. This is my 5th holster (an M&P 40 slider, a tuckable for the M&P, a similar holster to this one for a COLT 1911, and a tuckable for a COLT 1911). Only other items I have ever made out of leather was a Tandy knife pouch kit (20 years ago) and two speed loader pouches to practice stitching and play around with some super fast access designs for IDPA legal pouches. Both pouches are dyed with the same dye - go figure...

Parachute Equipment Corp carries black. Not sure if they are the same as 'government black' or even DOT. Their minimum order is $25 which gets you 32 sets. here is a direct link: http://www.paraequip.com/index.cfm/product/496/pull-the-dot-snaps.cfm.

This is the first holster I have made for another person. I'm generally happy with the design and the edging, not so happy with the boning and color quality and so-so with the hold-open strap design - I was looking to make something a little different. The dye was appiled with a brush after assembly which may be the reason for the non-uniformity. The finish is resolene and a little too shiny for me. I like the water repelency the resoleen adds, but am not too fond of the shiny appearance or the plasticy feel. Maybe airbrushing next time will limit some of that. All stiching was done by hand. Comments\suggestions on how I can improve? Sorry for some of the pictures - cell-phone camera.

Do you still have the calf or pigskin for sale? Is the pigskin veg/chrome/split? How much are you looking to sell them for - I'd need 1 or the other but not both. I'm looking for a decent holster lining leather.

WOW! Ask and Ye shall receive! Thanks all. I have yet to get Al Stohlman's book, but it is on my to-do list. I'm winging it as of now... I just stitched a section (half of a tuckable 1911 holster) and scrapped off as much of the wax as I could. I noticed that the thread did not hold together as well in the eye of the needle after I did this so maybe I was a little too thorough...

Thanks all. I do not have a problem with it unraveling as I stitch. The unraveling was from me forcing it through the small, oblong eye of the needle.

Thanks for the advice Steve, but I should have been more specific. This is for hand sewing. The last loop I did I removed as much of the excess by running the full length of the cord through a needle to scrape as much off as I could and then rubbed the rest off by running it over some denim. It worked, but the cord unraveled some when run through the needle and I felt compelled to retwist it before 'burnishing' it with the denim.

I picked up a new roll of thread from Tandy. It is the Tejas waxed thread they sell in 4 oz spools. The issue i have is the thread is LOADED with wax. I can run the thread through an egg-eyed needle and scrap off a lot and if I don't do this, it ends up in my stitches and I have to pick it out when I'm done stitching. I know I saw a post about how to properly prepare thread prior to stitching, and I think it mentioned suggestions on preparing even pre-waxed threads, but now that I want to read it in detail, I can't find it. Suggestions/pointers/obvious observations?

Just wanted to follow through with this thread to it's completion. Kevin sent a new double shoulder as promised with a postage-paid return sticker for the old and a personalized note. New skin is exactly what I would have expected from an A/B graded skin. Couple of minor imperfections but lots of very nice leather. The leather takes water very well, cuts beautifully, and has a good stiffness to it. Thanks Kevin!

I got a chance to talk to Kevin, and as expected he was a stand-up guy. He's replacing the hide. I'll make sure that next time I order a hide I call the order in and give them the info Art suggested.

Thanks for the info Art. I hope I didn't come across as bashing Springfield as that was not my intent. I just don't know enough to know what I don't know. Stating that 2/3 is unusable is probably exagerating. I have some flesh-side-out IWB holsters this was primarily to be used for and it should still work if I seal the hair side before sewing it all together. Not having worked with but one other piece of leather (Tandy belly) I really didn't know what to expect or really look for.I had initially thought the light lines I was seeing were simply minor bunching from having the leather rolled up. But they are definately scratches and do go through just the very surface of the hide.I'll give Kevin a call and see if I can learn a thing-or-two more.

I ordered my first double-shoulder from Springfield a few weeks ago and am just getting around to using it. I took advantage of their current Bargain Roundup Double shoulder (http://www.springfieldleather.com/storefro...?idcategory=479) At 3.99/sqft it seemed like a good way to get into some leather that is better than the Tandy I had used previously. Upon unrolling it, I noticed that there appears to be scratch marks all through the center portion of the leather. I thought nothing of it thinking they were simply superficial until I cut my belt strips. They are not superficial and essentially take out 2/3 of the leather as usable. Is this common with AB grade? Do I really need to go to A and above to get usable shoulders for belts?

I took a look at the board I am spraying my airbrush clean against and noticed that the board has a 'natural leather' hue to it where the excess Tan-Kote has been sprayed. So, could just be the sealant adding a hue to the final color that I am seeing. I'll try some of the other suggestions that have been offered and see what I get. My next big project that involves dying is a gun belt for myself...

Acidic Silicone, as found in home improvement stores, can also be used as a mold making material. I've found GE Silicone I in the clear formula to be the easiest to work with. I've been told that Silicone II also works but have not tried it. The key is to 'inject' water into the silicone solution to promote curing. It's a cheep substitute for two-part silicone and not as durable but you should be able to get a couple of uses out of a single mold. I don't remember the exact ratio, but I mix about 15 drops of glycerin and 5 drops of acrylic paint to about 4 oz of silicone. A 1/4 inch thick mold will completely cure overnight. If it's not curing fast enough, retry with more glycerin. The glycerin adds the curing agent and the paint is supposed to help you visually see that everything is mixed properly, but I have found that the paint helps in curing as well. Your piece to be molded should be completely protected as the acid in the silicone can do some funny things to metals - and I don't mean in a good way. The silicone can be thinned with Zippo lighter fluid (sorry, forget the actual fuel this is) at the cost of making the final mold more brittle.

ps0303, The holster is wet-formed before the vinegarooning process. The straps were baking soda soaked for about 5 minutes. The holsters have not been. I did rinse them pretty well, but they still smell heavily of vinegar so obviously there is solution still in the leather. It was suggested by the local Tandy worker that the vinegar could be reacting with the Tan-Kote if that is where you are going...

I'm still a noob at leather-working, so if this is a 'common sense' thing, just smack me in the back of the head... I've completed my third holster. This is the second holster I have dyed with vinegaroon and both have a subtile brown shade to them after top-coating. My finishing process is as follows: 1) Immerse in vinegaroon for 2 minutes. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes for the chemical process to take place and thoroughly rinse. Allow to thoroughly dry (a few days in front of a fan). 2) Treat the entire holster with Lexol leather conditioner. At least three applications rubbed in with a soft toothbrush. (Don't know why I use a toothbrush. It was just handy the first time I did this and seemed effective so I have continued that way.) Allow to fully penetrate and 'dry' 24 hours. 3) Buff the surface of the leather to remove any oxidation that may be present before final coating. 4) Apply 3 to 4 layers of Tan-Kote with an air-brush, allowing to fully dry between coats and giving a good buffing. I'm guessing the issue is with the Tan-Kote. I have a few straps that dyed with vinegaroon and conditioned but did not seal with the Tan-Kote that are still jet-black. Any thoughts? I'm thinking of changing to Resolene to see if there is a difference...

This reminded me of another material I recently thought about - silicone rubber. Anyone have a silicone sleeve on a cell phone and try ripping it out of your pocket without pulling the lining out with it. You could probably find cheep materials from a place like Big Lots or any other surplus type store. Even the dollar stores around here sell some cheep silicone cake molds.

Yeah, I've prety much resolved myself to vinegaroon for black as well. Now that I've let mine age, it produces deep black even before adding conditioner. Will the NF oil work as a sweat barrier on the human side of the holster?

Tac, The stuff you are talking about is simply foam, they make another material that is more like fabric. Of course, it's more expensive too... Stuff meant to line tool-boxes might be worth considering as well (well, not the stuff that is simply black shelf liner with all the puffyness and holes). It's like a soft rubber mat material and is pretty durable. At least it's held up to me tossing my tools into my toolbox drawers from 10+ feet...

Sounds about right to me. Of course, in the world of custom you can always taylor to specific pockets and the like but the holster will outlast the pocket it is made for, hands down... Tac, ever try the stuff they sell at home improvement stores to keep throw-rugs in place as a holster backing to keep it still in a pocket? Don't know how durable the stuff is...

See, now I knew I would miss something not having owned one - +1 on keeping the firearm in a static position. Can't go fumbling around trying and find the grip when you have to draw.

This is my personal preference as an experienced handgun owner and daily concealed carrier not as a leather worker (as I have very little experience in that aspect). I'm sure others can add more. 1) First consideration is printing. The firearm shape must be reasonably hidden by the holster and be a recognizable shape. Carrying in a pocket, the holster will print. If it does not look like a wallet, phone, checkbook, etc. it MAY draw attention. I consider this a safety issue - the guys with the guns get shot first in a SHTF scenario - but it could be a law-enforcement issue as well depending on local CCW laws. If the holster works for jeans back-pocket, it should work for every other pocket. Obviously this is dependent on the firearm itself. I personally would not try to rear-pocket carry a snub-nosed revolver, but I might a KAHR CW9. Also, consider why the user is carrying a pocketable firearm instead of a fuller-framed firearm. Is it just for comfort and simplicity, their dress at the time, or are they carrying in an environment that a firearm may not be welcome - all the more reason to fully hide the shape and make it look like something it is not. Take into consideration that the user will be doing normal activities. If the holster is hidden well when standing up, will it hide equally as well when sitting down? If designed for rear-pockets, is it going to poke out? If designed for loose slacks, the outline better look like a wallet or phone when sitting down. 2) Retention of firearm. With the corners of the holster sticking out, they will bump into things if carried in a loose pocket. If the firearm is not held in place with a reasonable amount of force, the firearm will dislodge. 3) Retention of holster. If you have to draw, you have to draw in a hurry. A holster that comes out with the firearm makes the firearm unusable until the holster is removed. This adds precious seconds to the draw. Additionally, if you have to rip the holster off after you have drawn with your non-draw hand you have MOST LIKELY done two things: 1) exposed a portion of your body to the muzzle-end of the firearm. 2) forced yourself to shoot a very small gun, single-handed in a high-stress environment. Additionally, if there is a possibility that the holster will be carried in a breast pocket, you can't have the thing falling out every time you bend over to pick something up. 4) Grip. As with all holster designs, you need to ensure you can get a positive grip on the firearm before drawing. This means that the covering must be stiff-enough to conceal the firearm shape, but flexible enough to bend out of the way when I go to draw. For these micro-compacts, getting a good initial grip is a necessity. There is very little weight to hold the firearm down during recoil so a bad grip could do anything from throwing off your initial shot, to causing the firearm to fail to cycle properly, to knocking the firearm from your hand. 5) Overall Size. This kind of goes with 1 and 4. If the entire outline is too large, I'm going to feel uncomfortable using it. Yes, it may not look anything like a firearm printing in my pocket, but I know it is and tend to project that. Many others will feel the same. Additionally, the cover must be designed in a way that there is enough overlap of the firearm that I can easily get my fingers between it and the firearm when I go to draw. Too much of a cover with too flimsy of a leather and it will eventually roll over the butt of the firearm. Too short, and I'll waste time trying to feel for where the butt ends and leather begins so I can get my fingers between the cover and firearm. 6) Not really about the firearm holster, but something to consider: Extra magazines. Micro compacts don't usually hold too much ammo. It's always comforting to have an extra magazine or two in another pocket. Just floating around, trying to get a good grip on an extra mag to do an emergency reload sucks and in a real hurry, any extra magazines in the same pocket tend to come out with the first. Also consider that extra magazines that ride in the same holster as the firearm are not easily accessible (try reaching into your right pocket with your left hand and pulling a pack of gum out quickly). I've personally never owned a pocket holster - I prefer a tuckable and have never really owned anything I felt was small enough to carry in a pocket - but these are the things I would look for if I ever did.

Well, I made the mistake of showing off my first attempts at holsters at my last range session and now have two requests to make holsters. Being a novice, I'm assuming the price was the swaying arguement more than the quality. That being said, the holster that is to be emulated is a tuckable pancake-style that I stitched with the flesh-side out for better holster retention during draw and comfort. The leather I've been using and the only leather I have experience with was a belly bought from Tandy. So, since others are paying for the leather I am going to buy something that is hopefully higher quality - a double-shoulder from Springfield that they have on sale (3.99 AB grade). For anyone who has designed a flesh-side-out holster, how did you finish the flesh side? Specifically, did you find it necessary to sand the leather smooth and slightly burnish it? Additionally, since the smooth side will be against the firearm, is there a need/benefit to add a liner? I didn't worry about it on the holsters I made for myself since the finishes of my firearms don't really show holster-wear but these new holsters will be for blued 1911's so holster-wear would be an issue. Thanks for any and all advice.