FiftySix

I bought a new awl from Tandy (against my better judgement). The new tool has replaceable "blades" and comes with four different ones in the package. While it certainly doesn't go through the leather "like butter", it DOES go through. So it would appear my first awl was simply awl-ful to begin with... Thanks for the help guys!

TwinOaks - GREAT reply! Thank you! And your right - my wife will kill me. I believe I will "attempt" to take this one back (might even mention this thread) and order a better set of tools. For such a simple device it seems to me it should work without having to remanufacture it. Besides, I don't even own a toaster oven...

I take it I should NOT have been able to bend the blade back to "straight" again either... And yes, I much prefer to spend my money once. In looking at other Awl threads it appears CS Osborne, Bob Douglas, and Peter Main are 3 of the top brands. I can find Osborne in several places, but it appears the other two are special order only. Will I regret going the "easy" route and picking up an Osborne at Tandy?

This is the one I purchased... Tandy 1 & 1/4 Blade Stitching Awl Yours look MUCH more solid than mine.

Well, they say the only stupid question is the one you don't ask - so here goes nothing! Being brand spanking new to this hobby I hit the local Tandy Leather Supply for hide and a few tools. Now the goal is to make a holster, so I picked up books, patterns, leather, straps, dye and assorted tools - all of which I have no idea how to use. Sounds like a recipe for disaster huh? At any rate, I actually had a good time creating a pattern to fit my pistol and I've got the hide for the first one cut out. I'm now ready to try a tool or two and here's where I hit a snag. The Stitching Awl "recommended" to me by the staff at Tandy is their 1 & 1/4 in blade unit that doesn't appear to have interchangable blades. So I go to stick a pratice piece of leather with the tool and it might as well have been a rock, cause the blade folded over like a cheap pocket knife first try out. So now I've got a 90 degree blade tool I don't think they even offer and I'm thinking the darn thing isn't even heavy enough to make a decent paper weight. So I "reshape" the blade and get it back to something akin to straight and attempt to figure out what I did wrong. In looking at the tool it becomes painfully obvious that the red plastic cover for the blade is only there for looks - cause there is no edge on the blade that I can see. Matter of fact I'm pretty sure this tool - as delivered - would be safe to run up and down the stairs with. In other words - it ain't gonna punch nothin'. I now realize the "tool" isn't ready to use out of the package, so I'm off to Home Depot for a sharpening stone. With sharpening stone in hand I attempt to put an edge on the blade and then repeat the "punch" process, only to find the blade still will not go all the way through without extreme effort. The leather is 7/8 oz and I'm only trying to get through one layer of a test scrap. But I still can not get the awl blade through the leather without using extreme pressure. It "starts" the punch but then hangs before exiting the other side. My guess here is that the blade still isn't sharp enough, but I polished the blade for quite some time and while I'd hesitate to do open heart surgery with the tool it "ought" to go through one layer of leather. So what am I doing wrong?

Coming from what I consider to be an expert, it's worth a lot! Thank you! Those guidelines will come in mighty handy on the next cut out. BTW - I've got your Cartridge Belts pattern set waiting for me to finish the holsters. I'm liking the Ranger style for this project...

I'm thinking this is the ticket... Thanks!

I went with the Stohlman pattern. Once cut I folded the sides together and then used rubber bands to hold the shape so I could test fit the 45. It's tight - very tight. For grins I tried my Ruger 22 as well. On the smaller gun there was plenty of room (maybe too much). Next time I think I'll go with your suggestion and give the sides an extra 1/8" for the 45 off the Stohlman pattern - I think that would be just right. I may need to add a filler to the trigger area on this one to create a bit more room.

I fully expect to make mistakes and to create atrocities that will never see the light of day. However, I also see no reason to start a project that has no chance for success. Using a pattern "should" produce a usable product - assuming the pattern is correct to begin with. Which if I recall was the original question I posted. BTW - is there a pattern for this "scrap bin" thingy you spoke of. I may need to make one of those as well...

And I'd counter with the fact that I value my time and don't want to waste it needlessly. I believe the saying is "measure twice, cut once".

Thanks rdb. That's exactly what I was looking for. On a hunch I decided to try to "draw my own" using the pistol itself and a sheet of paper. I creased the paper down the middle, then set the pistol on center, then layed it over and traced the outline. Using some online instructions I found I then moved out 3/4 of an inch to create the acutal holster pattern. Much to my surprise, the new pattern was actual SMALLER than the one from Stohlman (which of course made it much smaller than the one from FO Baird. As a result of this I'm fairly certain the original pattern from Stohlman will produce what I'm after. This "first attempt" will be unlined using 7/8 weight leather, which to my way of thinking suggests the pattern doesn't have to be on the large side as the overall thickness is going to be less.

OK, just getting into this and fixing to cut some hide. I purchased the Al Stohlman "How to make Holsters" book and read it from cover to cover. I then took paper and traced the pattern I liked best, then modified the length to fit my gun (.45 Colt Uberti Cattleman) as the "in book" pattern (page 24) was for a 7" barrel and mine are 5.5". When I finished the paper cut out it looked thin, so I wrapped it around an old holster I have here at the house the pattern did not go all the way around. But the existing holster is WAY too big, so I figured it was cut large to begin with and the paper pattern I cut is likely right. When I wrap the paper pattern around the actual gun it looks like it's going to be a tight fit, but it does look doable. So, before I cut I decide I need a few more tools (dye, No. 3 Edger, and a skiving tool) and I pop into the local Tandy shop. While there I decide to pick up the F.O. Baird "Buscadero Belts & Holsters" pattern set (mainly because I'm still unsure about my paper pattern cut out). When I get home I overlay the paper pattern I cut from Al Stohlman's book over one of the patterns in the Baird set and the difference in width is rather dramatic - at least 1/2 inch in some places! Which brings me to my question - are the patterns in the two sources acurate or do they loose out in the printing process? While I have enough leather to "make a mistake", I don't want to invest the time in hand stiching if the pattern isn't right. Comments?

Thanks for the welcome! I promise to be more active in a few days. Right now we're at the end of tax season and I work for an accounting firm. YIKES! Worked Saturady, skipped Sunday - then put in back to back 12.5 hour days. Today we got out at 7, but now I'm doing my own taxes...

Just checkin' in. Found the site while doing research on holster making. I jumped into Cowboy Action Shooting a month or so ago and have been aquiring the necessary firearms for the past 6 weeks. The pistols have arrived but the 'ole bank account is pretty depleated, so there's no room for fancy store bought holsters. Thought I'd take a stab at building my own - so here I am! The "family" has been in the leather business for quite some time, so I can get help if I get totally lost. Round these parts we refer to Yoakum, Texas as the leather capital of the world. Now I'm not here to argue if that's true or not, but my mom's side of the family all hail from those parts and most all of them have worked for Tandy, Circle Y, or Double D at some time in the past. But since I'm the type that prefers to try it on my own I'll see just how deep the creative juices flow in my veins!