JoelR

It would depend on the tannage. Typical chrome-tanned leather is said to react with steel when wet causing rust - I have never seen this but will trust those who have. Some of the newer tannages may not. However, most upholstery leathers are stretchy and soft which is not usually good for a lining material. For free grab it up and use it for something else (I have ALWAYS found good uses for cheap chrome-tanned leather around my house) - cover your favorite ottoman, resurface the vinyl chairs with leather, make some vests, etc

Pig skin lining on just the strap portion. Looks more professional IMHO. Nothing for the user to loose and the pig skin will not wear through. Personally, I'd recess the socket as well using the french edger approach. Creates a much nicer look when snapped, again, IMHO.

Rings blue guns for Glocks are notoriously under-sized. I've seen them fall out of molded Kydex holsters. Last gun I did for a Glock 37, I wrapped the blue gun in 6mil plastic and the fit was just slightly tight but was able to break-in in a few days - I'll use two layers of 6mil next time. Same holster had the same issue that Shooter mentioned with the retention strap. Had to stretch it when I delivered it and had the owner put a piece of cardboard over the end of the slide and let it stretch for a few extra days. As soon as I got home, I added a piece of .93 Kydex to the back of the slide so it would not happen again.

Dry the holster with the gun in place and a belt through the loops while wrapped around a 5 gallon bucket. A little wool scrap behind the holster will keep it from getting a smooth spot where the leather meets the plastic.

First off, where did you get the HO? If it is not a #1, this may be why it is not a #1. Even leathers from the same tannery will cut differently. The two sides I am currently working with are both from W&C. One is Russet the other is drum dyed black. The russet cuts like butter, the black, not so much. I remember having a conversation with the guy I ordered from about "holsterized" leather so I really don't remember if I ask him to make the black with that addition but it is stiffer and noticeably thinner than the russet. Additionally, the black is a #1 while the russet was an overstock utility grade. Yeah, maybe I'm not being much help after all...

My experience: If your stitching is nice and close and you dry the holster without a dummy or actual gun in place, there is a good chance the holster will be tight. Many of the dummy guns are undersized and must be stretched even if dried with the dummy in place. Most recently, I had a holster made for a Glock 37 that was dried with the dummy in place. Knowing that there are some issues with the Glock dummys being undersized, I pre-stretched the holster by wrapping the dummy with 6mil plastic and letting it sit for a few days before delivering to the customer. The actual gun was snug but not overly tight, but the retention strap needed to be stretched a bit to work on the actual gun when it was slightly loose on the dummy. When I mold with a real gun and leave the gun in place as the leather dries, the final fit is perfect with no slop and a nice, reassuring 'click' when fully seated.

I appreciate the concern Particle. The carriers were created as a batch and were awaiting their final wet-forming. Yes, the finished carriers have been tested with a number of target 9mm magazines. The wooden forms are slightly undersized (try getting .1" precision cutting from a consumer level table saw) and leave the opening with the exact amount of tension I wanted. These are pocket carriers so even if loose it poses no problems and the one I have been carrying around for the last two months in trial mode has openings a bit oversized and causes absolutley zero issues in all tests. With the slightly undersized dummys left in the pockets while drying I found I could completely control the final retention. The first set I did when I started designing this carrier were done as you described with the actual magazines I would be carrying in them and the result was a very tight fit. I ended up reforming it leaving the magazines in place and got a much better fit, but the top round was being compressed and liked to jump out a bit when drawn quickly resulting in a hard-to-place magazine and sometimes a dumped round - possibly only an issue with Kahr magazines with their short lips. The dummy mags give enough room to keep the first round from compressing but not so much that the round can work its way forward and the retention is just right for the intended carry style. I'll see if I can post a pic of the dummys when I get home tonight.

I've thought of doing that. Problem is I have more money than time some days. Unfortunately, it rarely results in more profit.

Thanks for the suggestions. Ended up with two 2' sections of 1/2"x1" Poplar turning into 12 .45 magazines and 12 9mm magazines. Used the table saw to shave the width for the 9's and a 1/4" radius router to shape the tops and fronts. Not the most beautiful items I've ever made, but fully serviceable and they formed the first set of holsters perfectly.

At this point, 9mm only. Next batch will be 45. Both single stack. I'd be happy with 6 at the moment so I can mold at least 3 at a time.

I am making my first jump into a production run. Okay, it's only 10 items, but that's a lot for me. The items are double-magazine pouches so I need a number of dummy magazines to mold with. I have 2 that I cut out of some cut-off maple flooring that are slightly oversized. The issue with doing a bunch more out of wood is I really don't have the proper tools (read: a plane) to get stock wood the proper thickness. Anyone have any thoghts as to the cheapest and fastest way to get a bunch more? For comparison, I created 2 3D designs - one hollow and one solid - that would cost $14.28 (plastic) and $11.72 (glazed ceramic) respectively to have 3D printed by Shapeways that could be at my door in 10 days.

Yes, it is EWK. I have some of their tools but despise the look of their barrels. Revolvers are a little trickier than most autos since the barrel is usually thinner than the cylinder which can throw your stitch lines way off if using the measuring method. Lately I have been glueing the panels together sparingly, and doing a rough wet mold to establish the stitch lines. Others have luck using the measuring method and measuring the frame and barrel separately and adjusting each section of lines independently. If your lines are too close around the cylinder, it will be hard to bone tight to the cylinder. If they are too loose, the fit will be sloppy and will loosen up quickly. If I stitch a little too tight, I work the leather around the cylinder as best as I can by hand and then clamp pieces of hard rubber on all three sides of the cylinder while the leather dries to get a better looking fit. Once it is dry, I re-case (with a damp sponge - stick it in a zip-lock bag and allow to soak into the fibers for 1/2 hour or so) and bone the finishing touches.

Sure can. This barrel was made by CZ (who now owns Dan Wesson) but follows the standard style of the Dan Wesson heavy barrels. It looks identical to the original 6" which was made in the Monsoon plant. There is another company making heavy barrels which look awful (My opinion) - They are essentially just big rectangles.

My only concern with the setup is how low you have the belt positioned. Fully loaded, that is a heavy magazine and I'm afraid it will want to fall away from the body over time. Here is an avenger for a similar sized P97 I made a couple months ago (right-handed instead of left as ordered, so it just sitting in my 'done' bin collecting dust...). As to the white thread issue, I'm still trying to figure it out myself.

I would say it is all in the design. This is my pancake for my DW Model 15 with a 4" heavy barrel (It's mine so the fit-and-finish are not the best and it was the 4th holster I ever made and the first with horsehide so bear with me). I would, however, speculate these are not the ideal revolvers for IWB or even concealed carry. They are rather large.

Should have been more specifiec with my needle recommendation. 794D needles are designed especially for this purpose and are the needles I use when having to sew through Kydex or rawhide. The design of the diamond (triangular) tip helps to keep thread from breaking. Schmetz makes this type of needle and I believe that Toledo Sewing Machine company carries them (seeing as this was the needle that came installed on my 3500) and if they don't then they can be bought from Campbell Bosworth.

FWIW, I have the Cowboy 3500 and switch between 346 and 69 threads all the time. The first couple of times I made the adjustments it took a while but now I know the settings by feel and only need a quick once-over on a piece of scrap for final adjustments. I haven't tried it, but I would bet a pseudo settings system could be determined using a trigger-pull gauge or other similar tension gauge if you needed to change around a bit.

mishka: off topic, but the most mag carriers (and total spare magazines for use) you are allowed to have on your belt is two for IDPA.

As an aside, the patent # you generally find on the back of Safariland holsters is for the process of layering leather, thermal plastic, and vinyl with an epoxy binder and heat-forming. Originally granted to Bianchi, the patent has expired. The leather used in the last Safariland I had to disassemble was some sort of suede that felt like it had been oiled. So, I would say that if you can heat that setup to the proper temperature for moulding, you should be able to do it with vegtan. That being said, I'm not sure I would try this with a heat gun. I see posts from guys that say you can go as low as 190 degrees to soften Kydex. Wet leather will not like that temperature (trust me) but don't know how well contact cement and dry leather will fare.

I use 8-32, and grind down both the prongs and shank so that the shank extends through both the base and the strap. I also do as TwinOaks and sandwich them between two layers whenever possible. Personally, I don't trust the strength of a #6 screw and am still looking for small-headed #8 stainless steel screws so I can stop turning them down on my drill press. One of these days I'll do an abuse test on #6 screws and maybe ease my mind on their strength for this purpose. Strap sizes depend on the design of the rig. Generally I use between 3/4" and 1".

Earlier thread prompted this question. Been thinking of building a dedicated box but I'm not sure if I will gain anything as my fan dried holsters are pretty stiff as they are.

You can machine sew without cutting threads by using one size larger needle. I use a size 25 needle (making sure it is sharp) with T346 and have no problems breaking thread. For hand sewing, use a drill.

For temp patterns I only plan on using a couple of times I use card stock. If I find that they are winners and will be used more, I transfer them to aluminum flashing but you have to be careful that the edges don't scratch your leather when using them (or trace your pattern on the flesh side). Other alternative is vinyl flashing but it is a bit more expensive. The Aluminum is just something I have laying around. Both can be found at any home improvement store in rolls between 10 and 50 feet. If you want to get really fancy with them, once cut to size and you have a stitching line defined, you can use a thin bead of glue (hot glue works well as long as the template is treated carefully) to mark your lines and you can roll your stitch lines and anything else you want to mark out just like the craftool embossing sheets. Others use hard board, but I think it is too much trouble to cut out. Aluminum and vinyl flashing can be cut with a pair of heavy scissors.

If it were for a range gun, I would agree that the sleeve is overkill. However, the customer owns a heavy equipment repair shop and wants it to be a daily carry piece so ensuring the channel for the screw cannot be collapsed is critical to ensuring a clean draw at a moments notice. IMHO.

Thanks everyone. Not sure about the beer but I do recall Mr Evan Williams having some input... The mold for the Kydex was cut from a 2x3 and a table saw. It was wet-formed and then glued into place with Barge and has 4 stitchpoints that keep everything in place. Customer just received it and was thrilled with the fit and finish. In reality, the time well overtook the profit but this was the first order from a business card drop off at a local store so I wanted more to make a big impression than a big profit. Hopefully follow-up orders will make this worthwhile.