katsass

Like Twin Oaks, treat the edges as a single piece ...... after stitching it up. Something like the welt on this holster.

FWIW from the old grumpy guy; I have found that there is no 'standard' way to construct a women's holster, they all seem to be different from one another.I suppose one thing they do have in common is that a higher riding holster seems to work a little better than one that rides lower, anyhoo, this is my standard style of holster for a J-Frame Smith. This happens to be one of my personal carry guns and is a left hand strong side pouch. It is easilly modified to be a cross draw, high ride, right hand, drop style, etc. Mike

FWIW from the grumpy old guy; I do just as particle does. It has worked out to be about the most fool proof way of doing it for me. Mike

You done good. Mike

Grumpy old guy here: IF in a real pinch, you can find all of the dimentions for the shooter in question on-lne. From that you can make a minimal wooden dummy that will work. The dummy ain't pretty, but it will allow you to mold the thing.... no boning however. Basically all you need for an auto pistol is the length, height and width of the slide and the width, shape and location of the trigger guard. Don't need the grip. An EXACT sized photo copy can be made with a little playing around with size option on the copier.... so that a patern can be drawn and assist in locating the trigger guard on the wooden form. I've done it on a couple of occasions with good success ....... the customer paid for the extra work. Mike .

My suggestion is; learn the ins and out of basic holster construction first ..... then go on to things like lining, inlay etc. Too much too soon usually becomes frustrating .... and often ...expensive. Mike

OK Nick, you done pretty damned good. I'd like to see the shooter in it though. So you needed to add a line of stitching....OK ...... it doesn't detract in appearance, in fact some folks actually make 'em that way on purpose. I hear a lot of 'it's hard to get on', and 'hard to take off'. Well frankly IMHO, I don't really care if it takes a bit of time to put on or take off ..... as long as that sucker is solidly where it's supposed to be when I REALLY need it. The only time I have considered a full holster to be any sort of problem was waaaay back when, and one of those 'morning after the nite before' things, when one becomes VERY intent on getting to the 'facilities' in a real hurry. Mike P.S. OK, I now see the gun in the holster, and yes, you need to cut it down some at the grip and to make sure you get the leather off of the mag release.

triage, FWIW from the grumpy old man; your choice of needle size is a bit too small, I'd go to a #0 or a #1. In needles the bigger the number, the smaller the needle, when you get to zeros, the more there are the bigger it is. I'd kinda lay off on picking up too much stuff at first, but would start by picking up Al Stohlman's book "How To Make Holsters". It will give you a good rundown on what you'll need, and give you a lot of valuable info. The pics may be sort of out-of-the-past, but the info is all good. Welcome to the world of messing with dead cow skins. Mike P.S. Remember, If you ask any three of us a question re: leatherwork, tools, application etc, ....... you're likely to get four differing answers.

Caffy, Since I don't usually read the label anymore, it may not now indicate that for a less permanent adhesion, place the items together while the cement is still wet. It used to indicate that. Thanks for the compliment on the holster. One thing on doing inlay, you need to edge, burnish and dye the inside edges of the 'window' prior to gluing the inlay to that piece of leather and then stitching in place. Good luck. Mike

FWIW from the grumpy old man; I make most of my holsters from two pieces of 4/5 or 5/6 oz leather bonded together on their flesh sides. This gives me a smooth outer surface along with a smooth inner surface. For an inlay, I simply cut the outer piece to provide a 'window' under which I place the inlaid leather. The inlaid piece is cut over-sized, glued and stitched to the outer piece, then then the whole thing glued down to the inner layer. Easier done that said. A picture of an ostrich shin inlaid 1911 holster I did recently. It's done with two layers of 5/6 oz veg tanned shoulder. I use Weldwood contact cement, (red label) applying a smooth, even coat to each piece, allowing to dry per the label (15-20 min), align the two pieces and stick 'em together. I then roll the entire piece(s) with an old wallpaper roller to ensure full contact and then ........ let it cure for 24 hours. Never had any of the stuff come apart, even after wet molding. Been using the stuff for over 40 years. Mike

FWIW from the grumpy guy, I also vote for a poor grade of leather. I only use good quality shoulders for holsters. Once in a while I'll use backs for historically accurate rigs, but I have seen chunks of belly leather that do that sort of thing. Mike

The leather you are showing looks like just nice clean veg tanned with a finish on it ..... maybe just a touch of oil, but if so, not much, but no dye at all, something like this little holster. Mike

FWIW from the grumpy old guy; I hand stitch most everything. I primarily make holsters, but do make a few western rigs, and some smaller items for trap and skeet shooters. I feel that good hand stitching will set off an item as being a bit more on the custom side of things, and since all of my stuff is specifically designed and made to order, hand stitching is just part of the deal. Also, there are times that a machine just won't do as well as hand stitching, such as the welt on this holster. That welt is damned near an inch thick to stitch through .... 4 layers of 5/6 oz. and 5 layers of 8/9 equaling ...... something equalling around 60 oz. Mike

OK, FWIW from the old grumpy guy; Twin Oaks has just about covered everything except for two points IMO. First ... Get Al Stohlman's book 'How To Make Holsters' , it's inexpensive and has pictures and info that you'll be able to use from now on. Second ..... Slow down and take your time. Mike

MERRY EASTER EGGS RAY!!! Ain't dealling with the public ..... uh ..... interesting? Mike

FWIW from the grumpy old guy; I use only Weldwood Contact cement. The original stuff, not the gel formula. I use little to none of any of the stuff from Tandy. I make holsters from two layers of leather bonded together on their flesh sides, and have never had a problem with Weldwood. The way I do it is to bond the two pieces together then roll with an old wallpaper roller to ensure full adhesion and contact, then allow the piece sit and 'cure' for a day before proceeding. The time you wait for the cement to cure is something many overlook, as most folks want to 'git-r-done' right NOW. I feel that the curing is an important part of working with a good contact cement, and NOBODY really expects old folks to do ANYTHING in a hurry anyway. Mike

FWIW from the grumpy old guy; I do the same as Dwight, with the same weight of leather, and 3/4" width on the leather loops. Almost all of my western gunbelts are lined. (I don't think an 8th of an inch makes much difference in the loop width, and it's a hell of a lot easier for my old eyes to line up on my strap cutter.) Mike

FWIW; from the grumpy old guy. I ended up using the little 1" diameter hard felt buffing wheels for rotary tools. like the Dremel. They are firm enough so that I get a good straight edge and hold quite a bit of dye. They also can be reused ...... same color only. I don't know where to find small squares of 1/4" thick firm felt, (and I have tried) but after starting to use these little things, I gave up looking for what we used to be able to get easily. OH, also be sure to use rubber gloves. Mike

Well, I can't say anything about Leather Balm .... never have used it .... actually have never seen it. As to vinegaroon; it's actually a mild form of ferric (or ferrous, not quite sure which) acetate, which chemically reacts with the tannins in the leather to turn the leather black all the way through. In that respect it is not a dye per se. The only effect it has on the leather (to my knowledge) is to make it somewhat more resistive to water, that is, in addition to making it black. It is my understanding that blackened items from the 1600s have been found that were processed with vinegaroon, also called vinegar black, so if there is any other effect it doesn't seem to be destructive. I do not and will not use much from Tandy anymore, so I can't speak to that either. Hope what little I've said about vinegaroon helps a bit. Mike

Well, all dyes have particles of color in them to produce the desired effect. Some have smaller than others or more or less than others, but all black dyes have them. Actually all dyes have them, but USMC Black, has a LOT. Using it, (or any black dye) most find that after drying, one must buff the living hell out of the object dyed in order to remove as many as possible of these particles from the surface prior to finishing. Don't feel that you did something incorrectly with your black dye, it's just the nature of the beast. I wore black dyed leather holsters supplied by the Dept.I worked for for 35 years. EVERY time I got a new one, there was rub off on my uniform ...... and these were from BIG commercial outfits. The only way I have found to completely exclude this from happening is to use vinegaroon. Mike

Sorry that I didn't see this sooner. The awl that I use the most is 1/8" wide, tapering for about 1/2" to a very sharp point. The blade is all of 1 1/2" in length. The blade is sharpened about 1/4" up from the tip. I use #0 and #1 needles. Mike

Along with what Russ said, it works a little easier if the lining leather is a bit lighter in weight, but I make all (almost) of my holsters from two layers of 5/6 oz veg tanned. I use a good grade of contact cement, put the two pieces together and roll them flat with a heavy wallpaper roller to ensure bonding. Allow to sit for at least 24 hours prior to proceeding. Very seldom do I get any bunching. Also, I use only shoulder leather and make that big fold-over only when the leather is wet. Mike

After reading several posts by Katsass about the 50/50 mix of Mop & Glow and water, I decided to give it a try. I will say that application is about as fool proof and simple as it can be. I just put it in a normal spray bottle. Spray a light coat on, let it sit a few seconds, then wipe off the excess with a paper towel. No bubbles, no streaks, no tackiness........... I apply 2 to 3 coats this way, letting each dry before the next. The final finish isn't glossy like when using Resolene. It's has more of a matte luster appearance. I really like it. I think the leather looks more natural, and it's 100% easier in the application and "baby sitting" department. I can't comment on durability, but I've read somewhere that Katsass has been using it for 40+ years, so I'm sure if it wasn't durable he would have noticed by now. Steven, Thanks for the kind words re: my 'poor man's Resolene'. I usually follow up the application of Mop and Glo with a coat of neutral Kiwi shoe polish. I rub small amounts into the leather by hand ... no applicator, just fingers. The warmth from my hands seem to get the wax into the leather better. Polish to a low gloss with an old washcloth. It allows the leather to still look like leather ... not plastic as so many products do. Mike

OK,from the old grumpy guy; I've read many of the replies here and have a few comments. First off, I learned to stitch leather from an old WWI Cavalry soldier (that gives you an idea of how old I am) and it sounds like many of you feel that stitching leather should be almost as simple a Granny sewing an apron .... it ain't. Many want their stitching to go as quickly as hand sewing cloth ... it won't, but will speed up some with practice. Good stitching requires attention to detail, concentration, and patience. It also requires a good, sharp awl. (notice that I totally ignore the use of any sort of punch) The only alternate way of making holes for stitching, that actually works well, is the use of a Dremel type tool to drill your holes. Now, many folks will use a Dremel type tool to drill their holes for stitching. To the purist, this is heresy, BUT it can be done with good results ..... if done properly. The biggest mistake is to use too large a drill bit. Most will start with a 1/16" bit, find that they cannot pull the thread through by hand, and go bigger. If you are going to use a drill, best results will be had by using a 3/64" bit to make an initial little bitty hole hole. Follow that with an awl to make each stitch. It will allow you to insert your needles, after opening the hole with your awl, and pull them through with a small pair of pliers. NOTE; If you can pull the needles through by hand, your hole is waaay too big. After the first needle is pulled through and the thread is pulled tight, you insert the second needle from the opposite side .... either on top of, or below the first thread. It is necessary for you to do each stitch exactly the same way each time, to have good even stitching. As to why I indicate that the second needle must always go over or under the preceding thread, just make three stitches, making sure that they all either go one way or the other. Now, make the next stitch the opposite, followed by a couple done as the original ones. That one stitch will stand out because it is different, and a final go over with the overstitch will not rectify that. Now, you should be using a stitching pony, it will allow you to build speed and uniformity in time. Poke your awl, stick the needle in, pull through and back towards yourself, inset the second needle ..... on top of or below the first thread, pull through and pull tight. Go on to the next hole. I suggest this method if drilling holes because, in time, you will be able to graduate to just sticking the awl into and through the dimple made by the overstitch which marks the stitch placement, and not need to use the Dremel and dinky drill bit. Some have mentioned something about crossed needles ........ frankly, you'll never get good stitching that way. Now, these are the ramblings of a grumpy old man, that has hand stitched everything he's made for over 50 years. Take from my comments what you will, you didn't pay a dime for them.To me, good stitching will enhance your project and show off your abilities ... poor stitching will also reflect on your abilities. Good stitching takes time, practice and effort ..... just as anything worth doing does. An example of my stitching done with an awl and pliers. Mike

Vikefan, Personally I think you will be better off with the more original 'Adjustable Stitching Groover" (the pro thing is rather new). I bought one of the new 'Pro" models, and found that it was VERY easy to slip with it. The older style has the cutter on the little extension, where the new 'Pro' model has it on the handle end. It seems easier to me to control the handle end and keep it down on the edge of the leather and allow the little cutter to do it's thing, rather than trying to keep the gouge down on the leather and allowing the 'guide' to stay over the edge. It may be that I'm more used to the old style, but I'm also left handed and every tool that is, is built for right-handers so I have to work things out in my own way anyhow. The new one is just sitting (out of the way) on my bench, mostly unused after some initial tries. And yes, it is easier to make your groove and mark the stitch length prior to running your edger. I must sand all edges early on because I stitch ALL cut edges, and even fold my holsters over and align the main seam edge, tack it down with a few spots of contact cement and sand it so that front side and back are even. I then cut it apart, lay it flat and run my groover. After stitching I run my edger. Mike