JLSleather

for a phone? A case, or a belt holster? One I'd use like a 4/5, the other perhaps a 6/7.

I tried em in the 80's, but didn't care for 'em. Coulda been I just got bad ones, who knows - never tried em again. They were advertised as basically indestructable, stay sharp forever. Those I bought weren't that sharp when I got 'em, and I don't like having to FIX a tool BEFORE I use it.

uh... okay. Any interest in tooling designs or instruction? Guessing if I upload a bit different style of holster I'll have to also change the directions a tad . That would take considerably longer, so ... This one shows a G27, tooled, monochrome colored, with safety thumb break strap and full lining. Tools used were added to the pic for a conversation round here somewhere a while back.

isn't that eco-flow stuff more of a stain? ah - no mattter. you'll get a jillion different comments, some more logical than others. For a baseline startig poing, if you git that fella tellin' ya ta dye only when facin' east and standin' with weight on the left foot... run away the #1 way to ensure good results with dye is to start with good leather.

well, that seems extreme but I maybe should get some these "NOT 5050" patterns digitalatized ...

yup. the tighter you bend it, the tighter you bind it. Seem like somebody around here once posted some pdf's about howta makeyer own, in different ways, including comparing '5050' and "flat back" pattern makin'. Dummy even gav it away free...

yup - the etsy shop is 5050. Look like this if you use brown dye and brown caiman hide those have been BIG for years. Personally prefer the "curved pancake" style myself. Those 5050 builds are simple to make, and you could cut front and back from the same cutting die, so they're popular as all. Issue was, as a rule the tighter you cinch the belt, the more friction on the pistol - which I don't like. Folks talk about "breakin em in", but they just mean stretchin' em, mostly. At some point, the holster no longer retains the pistol when you take it off, and the holster gets replaced (maybe thats why holster makers like em?). You can make a 5050 KYDEX holster without that issue, cept it's gonna protrude more and be less likely to conceal. And forming the front over the gun on a table or bench, allowing to dry, then sewing, DOES work, and works WELL. But the TIME involved in that doesn't lend itself to getting the numbers out, unless maybe you have thousands of square feet of bench. Robert, while he was with us, did this well as ANYBODY, and made some genuinely beautiful pocket holsters in teh process (Sig Sauer sent him their logo stamp to use on the holsters they ordered). I should find that picture of what I think is probably the BEST looking leather holster I've ever seen - designed and made by Robert, who taught me a good bit. BACK to the point.... These "curved panel" holsters have the same retention in your hand as they do on your belt. Tightening the belt doesn't tighten the holster (well, I suppose if you sucked the belly in and HAULED on your belt, maybe a little?).

I like makin' that one in exotic stuff too. Haven't done it in dog yet, but I got one askin' fer it This some mottled grey elephant and black shark hide.

SOME FOLK (not me) say it should be DOUBLE 8/9 oz, and though I don't care for that, there IS the advantage of being able to use it to pull your truck out the snow if you git stuck Mine are generally a 'standard' belt is about 12 oz leather - 7/8 lined with 3/4. And 1 1/2" wide. We usedta make 'em 1 3/4" wide, but most jeans makers started making pants loops smaller so that wouldnt' fit most. In teh end, "standard" is what you decide to make 'em. Most my holster patterns assume a 1 1/2" wide 12 oz belt. Biggest one I ever did was a 2" wide belt, about 13/14 oz, for this BIG fella with a 54" waist who wanted to carry TWO Ruger revolvers with 10" barrels. Oh, yeah- and I like to use an OVAL punch for the adjustment holes, and I leave 6" past the middle hole to the tip, and I fold the buckle end over and leave 3 1/2" of fold (skived to just under half thickness at the end).

that's what I was thinkin' too. as a rule, i cut strips 10" longer than the waist size. And by waist size, I mean what they actuall measure, not what they SAY they are. Even at 52", that's a 42 belt, which is a LOT of us.

Two more points here - http://www.usacuttingdie.com/ folks make a decent die, always arrives sharp and ready to use (sadly, not everybody can say that). Having said that, no matter where you have dies made, adding holes (or slots, or whatever) is going to increase the cost exponentially.

Yup, formed in a vaccuum bag with a "blue" gun. That works also. I prefer to do it the other way so I can cut like 4 er 6 er 10, glue and sew, form 'em as they are ordered. Just saves time, and ensures that when a customer comes back for another, or his buddy sees it and wants one, the next one is just like that one (though not identical). The purpose of that video was actually that "fade" thing SO MANY were on about for YEARS. LEather workers will take turns claiming the invented it, but Gibson Guitars made that big decades ago, calling it "sunburst". Guys were taking turns making HOUR LONG videos about it, so I thought somebody might benefit from seeing it done in 3 minutes That said, I can't find the pic of THAT holster... can't keep em ALL. But this is a G19 done the SAME WAY, but with a reinforcement panel. From this you kin prolly tell that it's not "flat", its actually curved BEYOND flat to a natural curve. This is assembled and sewn before forming.

I would get a stronger press. Harbor freight sells em cheap, and they're solid. I got one round here is.. I think 6 ton (?)... small enuogh to put on a bench. Big enough to cut your wallets. Mine used mostly for small holsters, mag pouch parts, drink coasters.... I'd have to look up the "sae" formula for press tonnage, but it would involve the cut length... so a 4" x 4" drink coaster would have a 16" cut length. You're talking about more than twice that. I'd do it WITHOUT the stitching "holes", becuase I do not like stitching HOLES. YEars ago, Tandy sold those little "kits" (which I HAVE used on occasion) with holes - and it sucked Doesn't look right with thread OR lace, and weakens the project too much. But yeah - you can emboss with a press as well. I use it for my "maker stamp" and also for small dies pressed into drink coasters.

Well, no. Actually those holsters are made from patterns, much like other patterns. But the front piece is wider than the back panel, so if you glue it where ya should, then stick it together on the outside edges lined up, the curve forms in naturally. You can kinda see this in an old video I made forever ago... using a "curved panel" holster and a "pancake" mag carrier for the same gun, kinda two birds with one rock type instruction (actually was about something else, but I still think it's worth the 4 minutes ).

I DO NOT LIKE that "ant-streak" junk. Its nothing you did, I just hate that JUNK. Always looks to me like what's left behind when the puddles dry up after a rain. I've tried half a dozen variations of it, and they all suck Occasionally, I get somebody who specifically ASKS for that stuff, I think because somebody else talked about it. So I have some on the shelf, but I apply it only with a finger tip, exactly where I want it, and more than once I've thrown it out because it got old before it got used up. With the design you have there, I would completely eliminate that border at the top of your pic - all three of those straight lines, just don't include them at all.

Stamp_Maker.pdf This comes up time to time, so I put together this list - probably been a couple years ago? I had mine done by am, and I see the link changed a bit since, now https://am-leathercraft.com/collections/custom-leather-stamps-usable-hot-and-cold Great quality, great pricing, ...

that was gonna be my question ... ifya hadda nuf room ta grip onit. otherwise, I'm gonna say that's not a terrible "first" at all

I like the rigs ,but I didnt' realize they were closed. Only thing this needs is the slots dyed.

might could be the pic is a bit too small. that's not half INCH, that's HALF OF THE THICKNESS OF THE FRAME & LEATHER. So, assuming your frame was 1/2" thick, and your leather was 1/8" thick (exactly 8 oz), that's 5/8", and half of that would put your stitch line 5/16" away from the gun drawing. Keep in mind, this is a "starting point" - I have been known to alter the design like 4 times before i'm happy with the fit and land on a pattern. Not to sidetrack too much, worth mentioning here that this is the importance of the leather thickness. If you're molding the leather over the form (or gun, or whatever you're using), you can use whatever weight leather you want, then trim when it's formed. When cuttnig from a pattern, you need to use close to the weight of leather that the pattern was made with, or adjust the pattern to suit different leather thickness. As in... If the pattern says use 7/8 oz leather (mine usually do), I sometimes use 4/5 lined wit 3/4 without altering anything about the pattern (4.5 + 3.5 = 8 oz). If somebody asked for that same rig but in 10 oz leather, I know I'm only moving the stitch line HALF THE DIFFERENCE, so (2 more oz = 1/32", and half that distance is only 1/64"... so I just mark down the outside of the SAME LINE and It'll be fine). Start talking bigger thickness changes than that, you'd want to start kicking teh lines outward on th pattern. Im'a send you a sketch of the shield .. maybe save you some time. Use it, or pitch it, or whatever -- up to you.

4 layers of 6/7 is GREAT for self-defense. Ya dont hafta shoot nobody - just hit em witda holster Okay, that's enough, I'm done there. GOOD to see the new guys jumpin' in both feet. That said ... I thik you gonna find it's tough to get a good grip on the grip .. might remove some leather in that area. As a rule, I start by drawin' the gun, then draw a line about 5/8" away from the bottom of the grip - more for hands bigger'n mine, maybe abit less for the mrs. ANd as you would suspect, the position of the slots matters. Higher the slots, the lower the carry. Each his own there... Is that the shield you was talkin' bout?

correct - same thing. Difference then, is that the kydex will remain in the position it was cooled in (until/unless it cracks), whereas the leather is creating "air space" you don't need and dont want. You really only need a 'site channel' that goes a bit beyond where the muzzle end of the slide clears the narrower part of the holster. You didn't show us the other side of the "dummy", but I assume that a mold for kydex has had the port filled in as well to prevent molding into the port. With a leather holster, this is more 'optional' - and I only mention it because that's about how high your "site channel" needs to be. yup, that would do it. That will let the gun slide into the wet leather easier I would guess. This is a Sig, but shows the point pretty well. You can clearly see where the dowel/channel stop. This was "high enough" to let the slide clear into where the holster opening widens, and will vary depending on the model. Course, if you're driving the dowel from the bottom, all a guy gotta do it tap it up until you get the height you want and let the rest stick out.

most mid-size pistols I like 7/8 Sometimes I make that happen with 4/5 lined with 3/4, or two layers of 3/4, etc. The 6/7 lined with the 2 put a guy real close. Keep in mind that your pattern is cutting the OUTSIDE of teh holster, so the thicker the leather, the tighter the fit will be with the same pattern. (I've had guys pay for patterns, says right on it use 7/8, and they got mad because their 9/10 holster was far too tight ) larger pistols a bit heavier leather, smaller rigs lighter leather. 'just winged it' is how ya learn it -- keep that up.

The link will take you to the double mag - and if you let me know you're going, if you're purchasing the double mag, I'll INCLUDE the single mag with it. Oh, there's an "avenger" style holster for the shield 9/40 also no problem. I don't get here all the time these days, but I'll git to messages as i find 'em.

Agreed. Until it becomes more like a job I may have something you'll like... and if you got a caliper I'll check some dimensions and make any adjustments if needed. If you're going to form with that yellow gun, I'm gonna recommend you cut or sand off the rear end of the "slide channel form". I like to bevel it off so it's a bit of a ramp - exact angle doesn' t matter, but about 30ish shoud be fine. I've colored the part i would remove. BETTER YET - I like to take it all teh way off, gouge a groove down the center of the slide. Then wet the sewn holster, shove the dummy in there, and then drive a dowel (or pencil, whatever) UP from teh muzzle end. The round stock will track right in teh groove, keeping it in the center, and will stretch the leather ONLY where needed - not change the fit of the whole thing. NOTE that when using this method, I use a dowel with that same bevel on teh high end, and you only want it to go as far as it needs to go. Using your gun as example, you only need a site channel until the frame clears the low end of the holster, or basically the dowel can stop about the bottom of the port Obviously there's a redesign of the trigger guard since that previous design, so that will matter. A slight change would make that cosmetic detail stand up, which would be nice. Does your gun have that aggressive rail? Your holster pic suggests it might. When forming, I would "pad" that rail with some package tape, or similar - just to keep the leather from forming INTO the rail. But I do make a "curved panel" for the older style G19, which may be more along the lines of what you're wanting to do. Look a bit like this....

I DO I have a pattern for the shield that is a 'curved pancake".. which I greatly prefer over a "flat back". Basically a manipulation of a "pancake" holster design, only the front is cut LARGER than the back (inside) panel, and sewn with a bend already in it. And I also have a design around here sumares for the mag, and a double mag.