Sixer

I finally picked up a 1 1/2" oblong punch last week. I thought it would be a major time saver when making the belt slots on my OWB holsters. Although it seem pretty sharp to the touch, it still took almost a dozen wacks to get it to punch through 6/7 oz. Herman Oak. I've gotta be doing something wrong, just not exactly sure what? I'm using a poly hammer that's probably too light, and pounding on a 1" thick board with a couple layer of scrap leather between the wood and my holsters. Any suggestions on using this tool more effectively? Thanks

I use veg. tanned leather as well. Hand dye everything, but considering the dip dying. One of the best purchases I made early on was a pair of shears for cutting leather and other heavy materials. They handle up to 8/9 oz Herman Oak and go through 6/7 oz very easily. I can't remember the brand name, but I bought them at "Michael's" ( a local craft store ) for about $25. Definitely worth it

Just curious to find out what some of you use to bone the details into your holsters? In the short time I've been making holsters, I've always used the end of a Sharpie marker to make my lines and capture the details of the gun while wet molding the holster. I've had mixed results thus far. Some guns are easier than others... The first picture of the M&P holster turned out pretty good IMHO, the second pic of the HK holster left a bit to be desired. For those of you that do most of the details by hand, what is your preferred method of forming and detailing the holster? Also, I've seen a number of holsters that have a neat, and nearly perfect oval shape in the trigger / trigger guard area... I really like the looks of it! Any suggestions on what to use for that result? Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Thanks for the replies! I was really over thinking this one

Hi! I normally spend my time making holsters and sheathes. I recently started making some simple bracelets and cuffs for a few friends that requested them. Normally I just apply some Feiblings Oil based dye with a cotton cloth or t-shirt.... I was hoping to save a little time by dip-dying some of the smaller pieces of leather. I don't have a big operation going so most of my dyes are just in the little 4 oz bottles. I'd like to try dip dying but it seems like I would waste a lot of dye... How exactly do you guys / gals go about your dip dying? Thanks

Great info guys! Can't wait to give some of these methods a try and see what happens. Thanks for all the help

Thanks Pete, Maybe that's where I'm going wrong... I've been sewing the two sides together before I do any of the boning, just like I would with and OWB or IWB holster. I guess I never thought to wet mold / bone the holster side before sewing the two sides together! I'll give it a shot.

I just picked up a new little Kahr P380 and decided to try my hand at a wallet holster. The result was not quite what I had in mind My biggest issue is trying to keep the back side of the wallet holster FLAT. No matter what, when I attempt the wet molding and insert the pistol, both sides of the holster end up bulging out. Could anyone give a few tips on how to wet mold a holster on one side only? Thanks in advance!

Hey there! I have a few friends that asked me to make them some simple leather bracelets... at least I thought it would be simple I am using 5/6 HO leather in 1 inch strips, but I'm having a hard time finding hardware to finish these little things. Any suggestions on where to look for small clasps, buckles, etc. that would fit the bill for a bracelet? It seems like everything I've ordered is to heavy or clunky to be comfortable on a bracelet. Ideas or info would be appreciated! Thanks

Thanks for the help! I have a few holsters that I'm making for myself over Thanksgiving break, so I'll give both the rubbing alcohol AND oven treatment a try. (Not at the same time of course ) I'll let you know how they turn out and which method gives me the best results. Happy Thanksgiving!

Just like the title says... I'd like to get my holsters a bit stiffer than what i've been able to accomplish thus far. Not rock hard... but I've handled a few cowhide holsters from other commercial / custom makers that just feel more solid or rigid. Any ideas or tips? Thanks!

Excellent point on the size and comfort factors... While working on a pattern for this project I kept thinking "man, I would never wear this!" Too much leather and to big to be really usefull. Thanks for the suggestions, I will definitely talk to him again about the design. I'm thinking we'll give the handcuff + single mag pouch a try and see how that turns out

I have a few friend in the Acadamy right now and a few have requested a holster that holds a set of handcuffs and two 1911 magazines. I've worked up a few ideas on paper, but was interested to see if anyone might have any ideas or experience (specifically with handcuff holsters) Any pics would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

Hey guys, I have dabbled a bit with OWB revolver holsters but cant quite seem to get them like I want. I'm working towards something similar to Galco's "Fletch" style holster. To me, the revolvers are more difficult (and less fun) than making a holster for a semi-auto. Just my opinion I'm going with an open top for a Ruger GP100, slight forward cant, high and tight. This is one I made for a friend (did it for free, so I decided to play around with some snake and see what happened). I think it turned out pretty good for my first try at inlaying, but the actuall fuction leaves much to be desired. My biggest concern is re-holstering. Anyhow I would be interested to see some of yor revolver work. Thanks! ETA - I apologize for the GIGANTIC pics! I'll try and fix that when I get home.

I'm no expert, but it sounds like it may be chrome-tanned leather. From what I've heard and read, you may want to stay away from this type of treated leather if you're working with knives or guns. I think this type of leather is more apt to corrode metal after a preiod of time. I could be wrong though, hopefully someone with a bit more experience will chime in

Ok, I'll give it a shot... If I was making that type of IWB holster I would use a loop that could be snapped and un-snapped. I would use a "strap cutter" to cut out a 2" - 3" loop (you don't really need a strap cuttter though). From there I would probably punch a hole in the holster and strap, then use a "t-nut" and screw to secure ... Well I tried, lol, but this is harder to explain than I thought. Here is a pic of how I would do it ETA - Not my holster, just a random pic from the internet.

Thanks for the help guys! I'm working with veg tanned Hermann Oak. I will give it another go... and hopefully have pics of nice SMOOTH and GLOSSY edges to post soon

Ok, so I've read all of the stickys and tutorials on burnishing... but for the life of me, I cannot get that smooth, slick, rounded edge on my holsters. Here is my current approach - - cut the leather with shears - 60 grit sanding drum in a drill press to even the edges - bevel the edges with a #3 or #4 beveler - follow up with 220gr sand paper and then some 800gr - dye the leather - burnish the edges using a wooden dowel chucked in the drill press and Edge Kote or Gum Trag (this is where my problems start... I've got the drill running at approx. 3000rpm and I try to burnish the edges in the same direction that they were sanded. ) I can do this all day... the edges end up flat and I still can't get all the little fibers to lay down. I've got to be doing something wrong. It's driving me nuts! I will try and get som pictures up soon, but until then any advice is welcome

Glock 17 = Glock 22

Nice work! If I may, how do mark your stitching holes when working with that type of trim?

Those inlays look great. I actually have a few pieces of lizard and some others that are big enough for something like a pocket holster. For $15 there is a lot to play around with. My thoughts where to use the smaller pieces of "exotics" on the mouth of the holster... maybe gluing it to the reinforcement piece, or if thick enough, using as the reinforcement piece. Either way, I'll get some pics posted as soon as I can ge something worked up!

I recently picked up a bag of mixed exotic scrap from Springfield Leather. Although I have no idea what kind any of it is... it definitely looks neat Anyhow, I'm looking forward to trying some of this exotic scrap on a few holsters, and would love to get some info and pictures from you guys. Show 'em if you got 'em. Thanks!

Thank for the input Dave! After I posted this, I did a little research and found that it wasn't nearly as easy as I thought. Like you pointed out, just getting a patent would be more money and hassle than it's worth... especially for something like a holster. Oh well, now that my dreams of owning a patent are crushed :D I guess I'll have more time to refine my leather crafting skills, lol. Thanks again for the help

I had one of my RARE moments last night where a little light bulb went off in my head and I thought... "hey that's not a bad idea!" So I got to thinking about this particular holster design and what it would take to get some kind of a patent for it. It's relatively simple but I can't seem to find anything like it. I'm not sure if it's even worth the trouble, but just out of curiousity... has anyone here ever submitted a unique design for a patent? Maybe it's a dumb question, seeing as I just started working with leather a month or so ago. Nonetheless, I always enjoy "outside the box" ideas and thought I'd see if anyone else has experience in this area. Thanks!

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing. I wish I could have found a video like yours a few weeks ago when I was just getting started Very helpful and informative... not to mention a sweet holster as well.