katsass

Great looking work.....I'm partial to really well done inlay work. Mike

Bill, I've done the same thing....back a while ago when I got in a hurry. I never used a heat gun on leather again. In OK I expect that your humidity is a bit higher than here in the Mojave desert, and things dry a bit slower for you. I spent some time around Memphis many years ago and I would have had real problems working leather in that kind of humidity. I have just the opposite problem when working leather now. We are having a late winter here, and a surprisingly wet one....almost 8 inches of total rainfall this year. Our humidity is sitting at 26% right now, but the forecast is for wet weather in the next few days, over a large area that includes us. It really only means clouds, wind and cooler temps. Humidity may climb to mid 40s. In summer (my prime leather working season) we tend to run a humidity level in the low teens and often down to single digit percentages but, too many newcomers are moving in and the overall humidity is climbing slowly. In the summer I usually get the needed drying in about 1 to 1 1/2 hours of sitting a molded holster outside. I then have to shoot it a couple of times with Neatsfoot to replace the oils lost in the process. Mike

To get a "sunset" finish I use a cheap airbrush system from Harbor freight. Actually I use it for almost all dying and finishing.Complete with compressor and airbrush it ran about $60. That was with their "Quick Change" airbrush. The brush comes with 6 bottles (I think) and you can switch from one color or one product to another without having to clean the brush. I use Feibings Pro Oil Dyes, neatsfoot oil and an acrylic finish thru the brush before cleaning up all the used bottles. With a little practice you can get the effect you want pretty easily. Enclosed are pics of the rig and a custom holster with what I think you want as a final effect. As you progress in ability and needs you can easily upgrade to a more adjustable (expensive) brush.Mike

I'm a little forgetful...as to buffs and wheels. I buff most things by hand with old t-shirts EXCEPT black dyed. In that case I use a soft cotton wheel on a variable speed drill. That should change soon....I'm brewing some vinagaroon as we speak (write). That stuff doesn't bleed, thus eliminating the need to buff. Mike

Ray, I use the one described by Twin Oaks....about $60 from Harbor Freight...including compressor. The brush itself is not as adjustable as a more expensive one but the quick change feature allows one to change between products and/or colors without the need to clean the brush. A little practice and you can produce quite passable results. Later you can add a more adjustable brush as your abilities and needs progress. The holster was dyed and finished with the rig shown. Mike

Frank, I have thought of doing something like that for a few years now, having done a few projects in which the edges are sewn inside out then turned so as to produce a nice 'bound edge. Since I couldn't figure a way to turn a holster inside out ....I gave up. You have produced a fine looking product!!! I'm quite sure it increased the consumption of adult beverages during the production stages, I know it would have in my case. Mike

Hi Cat, this is the spray rig I got from Harbor Freight. The air brush is cheap enough to get 2 sets, and the nice thing is that you can quick change from one substance to another without having to clean everything first. Not as adjustable as better ones but they have worked well for me for quite a while. For around $60.00 total, it's not a bad setup.

Although not an exotic, this is a holster I did for a friend as a practice piece prior to doing something similar with rattlesnake skin. It's for an old S&W target gun with very custom grips. Mike

Jeff, I have made a number of holsters for J framed Smiths. All have been for off-duty or plain clothes wear by LEO's. None of them have wanted a retention strap and all have been quite satisfied with my simple design for this sort of use. Here's a couple of pics of my latest J frame holster.....left handed in this case. Just something to think about. Mike By the way, all of these are made with two layers of 3/4 oz veg tanned leather, bonded flesh side to flesh side and saddle stitched all around.

Sorry about that..........50/50 Mop & Glo and water......... My mind moves faster than my two fingers when typing. Mike

Well, I also am not enamoured with Resolene. I (believe it or not) use a 50/50 mix of "Mop & Glow". Yep, the stuff for floors. I found out about it a loooong time ago when I was out of the old Tandy "sheene" stuff and started experimenting. I have used it almost exclusively ever since. It's an acrylic, milky liquid. It shoots well thru my airbrush and only produces that 'plastic' finish if you overdo things. I just mist it on my work, let it dry for an hour or so the mist it once more and let 'er dry overnight. When dry you can hit your project with a little wax and buff it out also if you want. As to interiors, I use two layers of leather on almost all holsters. Usually 3/4 oz. or 4/5 oz. depending on the size and weight of the gun. I glue (with a good quality contact cement) the two pieces flesh side to flesh side., then use just as though it were a single thickness of leather. This gives a nice, smooth interior that I treat just as I do the exterior. This little Schrade skinner is one that I have had for over 30 years......the sheath is about 25 yrs old and was shot with Mop & Glow way back then. It has seen a lot of use over the years and the finish seems to have held up well. The little pouch for the M-36 was made about 5 or 6 month ago and also shot with Mop & Glow. Mike

6guns; I made my first holster in 1959. That holster and belt are now long gone, but the lessons I learned in it's construction are still with me. You have started along a path that can bring great satisfaction and a few headaches. A path that can keep you thinking and learning. This and other forums has taught me and fostered new ideas ever since I found them. Good luck, and keep it up. I'm not young, but I can still do a fair job on working with leather. Here's a simple steel challenge rig for a 1911 I did a few month ago. Mike

Leatherhead; I agree with Dave, on the 1911 holster the wings are way too wide and the gun sits too high. I don't do too many pancake holsters anymore....just because I don't get much call for them, but I have made many in the past. The butt of a 1911, like most auto's, when loaded will most likely want to 'lean' out away from the body due to the weight from the ammo in the magazine. Sitting it lower will add to the comfort of the wearer and the security of the gun. The balance point on 1911's is fairly high so the belt loops should be cut higher up toward the butt of the gun, this will stop the muzzle from riding into the wearers hip. Lay a ruler over your belt loops and you will see that the top of the belt will be at about the front of the trigger guard, it should be up about the rear of the trigger guard for safety and comfort. As to the holster for the Vaquero. The skirt holster, sometimes called the 'Mexican flap holster', started showing up in the mid 1870's. It was a working holster, very utilitarian although many were decorated with carving and tooling. All originals that I have seen set the gun very deeply in them, the trigger guard is fully covered but the body of the holster is frequently cut deeply to expose just the top of it and a little of the trigger. The belt loop, formed by the skirt, was wide to allow the holster to be moved on the belt for comfort and to get the gun out of the way when performing some jobs. The speed holster for single action revolvers made it's debut around the early 1950's, the result of western movies and a big interest in speed shooting of the western six-gun. I can remember watching Thel Reid (spelling?) and others in speed draw competitions in Big Bear, CA and outside of Wrightwood, CA. way back in 1953. That style of holster is basically a molded tube of rigid leather (many times over a metal form) that allows the front of the trigger guard to rest on the top of the sewn welt, with the hammer, all of the trigger guard, and much of the cylinder exposed. It was designed to sit as firmly as possible on the belt in one location only. Frequently the toe was tied down to the wearers leg for stability. A very fast holster, but not a very practical one for carry. Almost all I have ever seen or made had a hammer thong or strap to retain the gun; it's really a necessity in this type of holster. Your design has, sort of, melded the two designs. On your design I would definitely add a hammer thong for retention, and add a 'filler' to widen the welt where the trigger guard rests on it. Form the body of the holster around the front of the pistol frame, as this will aid in retention to some degree. Please don't think that I am 'knocking' your work, I'm NOT. Your workmanship looks good , it's just that I have made the same (and many more) mistakes myself. If my advice can help you build a better product, without the time and lost leather I spent, I'm glad to do it. You may want to look at "How To Make Holsters" by Al Stohlman and, for some history of gunleather you might find "Packing Iron" by Richard Rattenbury fascinating. I'm right at twice your age and I still learn from the many fine leathersmiths on this forum. Hope this helps some, Mike

Treed; beautiful work! The classics are always the best. Mike

Cazador, Let me say that I have seen a number of people attempt to work with exotic leathers on holsters. A number try working with inlays and others as you have done. DC Knives was the first person I've seen that produces fine inlay work, and you are the first that I have seen that does this type of work properly. All prior exotic skin holsters I have seen do not appear to be completed.....something is missing. Yours, on the other hand, has a good amount of contrasting leather, skilfully textured; a fully finished edge, nicely laced; accompanying and matching mag pouch, and a good holster design. GREAT WORK! Keep it up. JMHO Mike

Hilly, I don't quite understand what you are going to do. I don't think I have seen a forend cover such as (I think) you describe. Maybe a pic would help. The only rifle stock covers I have seen or done were like this I did back in the '70s. I did a total of 7 for this customer over a period of 2 or 3 years, and they were probably the most difficult jobs I ever did. On these the leather is bonded to the wood and is not removable. These are the only pics of them I have......digitals taken of old 35mm prints so disregard the quality. The first ones were taken during construction and the job is not finished. All of these I did for the same man were on M-70 Winchester's. I did one on a SMLE two piece stock and here is a finished pic of it. Mike

Take a look at Al Stohlman's "How To Make Holsters" available thru Tandy. They show a shoulder rig and how it fits and adjusts. Hope this helps. Mike

Good morning James, A good friend gave me 2 full sides of old (15+ years) 9-10 oz veg tanned a year or so ago. There were some mold marks such a you have as well as about a dozen mud-dauber wasp nests (empty) on the edges. I found that a good wipe-down with a 50/50 of rubbing alcohol followed by a complete cleaning of the leather with saddle soap worked wonders. I didn't do a whole side with saddle soap but wiped them both down with the alcohol/water mix. I then cut the leather for a project and saddle soap it well, rinse it, allow it to dry and go to work. Here is a pic of a soft-side shotgun scabbard made from some of that leather. Impefections don't hurt a bit depending on your design and the use the project is intended to be put to. Hope this helps. Mike

Correct........Fiebing's Saddle Tan and Med Brown. Thanks for the kind words. Mike

I'm by no means an airbrush 'artiste' but I find this little rig from Harbor Freight to work well for me. The compressor holds at 30 lbs and has no pulsing evident. The airbrush is not as adjustable as a more expensive one (it ran about $8.00) but it is a quick-change, syphon type in which the tip doesn't get dirty, the bottle's nozzle does. That way you can blend colors quickly. The whole rig cost me less that $90.00 and does everything I need to do with it ..........for now. It'll do this sort of dye work and shoot finishes or oil too. Hope this helps. Mike

Particle: I have to agree with Boomstick. I always dye my leather prior to assembly, then oil and let dry. I do very little boneing, mainly just work the cased leather by hand after assembly and prior to finishing, but I also allmost always use two layers of leather in my holsters, that way there is a smooth inside to them . Mike

I have never built a holster for a light or lazer mounted firearm. The closest I've done was for a Colt "Target" model .22 rimfire auto with a see-thru red dot sight. The guy wanted something he could use in small-bore "steel challenge" matches, and this is what I came up with. It balances well on a (later made) 2" belt. The customer is tickled pink........me, I'm not too sure. Mike

1.) How are the pro's bonding the kydex and the leather? Gluing? I've tried searching and am not having much luck, other than finding out it can be a difficult proposition that to my knowledge only one major holster maker (Tucker) has solved completely, and that he is very proprietary with his method (Can't blame him for that!). I just have a hard time believing no one else has figured this out. Also, will running a stitch through kydex eventually cut/wear out the thread? I've seen a post from Steve at COBRA that his machines will sew through Kydex, but is it even advisable? I could just see the Kydex being very hard on the thread. Hi DMR, re: the above. Years ago I did a total of 7 leather covered rifle stocks. Most were for M-70 Winchesters although there were two odd ones, the first was a little Marlin .22 (just to try things out) and a Lee-Enfield later on. I spoke to a cabinet shop and used what they used to attach (bond) Formica (now 'plastic laminate') to the wood underlay. At that time it was a 'contact' type, green goo called "GRIP". Was great. You might check with a local cabinet maker or shop for what they use now 'cause GRIP went the way of the Dodo bird because of the solvent base it used. Hope this helps a little. Here are a couple of pics of two of the stocks. The M-70 stock is not completed, this was taken just after the bonding of leather to wood was completed. The Lee-Enfield is still going strong, no separation after 30+ yrs. The pics are digital....taken of old 35mm prints so I appologise for the quality.Mike