woodandsteel

I really like the design of that holster! Great lines!

That looks great! How did you attach the snap loop... T-nut? Did you use a screw through the snap base? What size? I'm trying to figure out the best hardware solution for that style of loop.

Gorgeous! What weight leather did you use for this? What did you line it with?

Thanks! I used 4/5oz leather for the front of the holster and 8/9oz for the back.

This is a holster I made for a client to test out some design features for me. It's the third holster I've made, and is based on the second one I made, which I've been carrying for the last few weeks. I used Fiebings Pro Oil black dye, and coated it with Resolene, then Tan Kote (both applied with a sponge brush) and finally Sno Seal. This is my first time using the oil dye, and I like it! Still not sure about resolene (hard to make it look good without an airbrush). Will tan Kote seal against moisture the same way? Overall, I'm pleased with it.

Thanks! Looks like we're into some of the same stuff: Holsters, guitar straps and tooling!

Well, I've been lurking around here for a little while and finally took a stab at making a holster. I used what I've learned from reading here (and particularly the video Particle has on his website http://www.adamsleatherworks.com . It's a great how-to primer!). Though it could definitely finished better, and I'm open to any critique, opinions and advice, I'm pleased with how it turned out. As is my usual modus operandi, I wanted to have it right away and couldn't wait a week or two to make it to the nearest Tandy store, so I used off-the-shelf supplies from Hobby Lobby ( a craft store with a very minimal leathercraft section). I bought an 81/2x11 inch piece of tooling leather. It wasn't very heavy, I'm guessing it was 7-8oz thickness? Since this was my first leather project, and since the holster would be worn inside the pants, (and since I was in a hurry) I decided not to dye it. I cut the loops/reinforcement piece before I realized I wanted to have the loops smooth on the outside, but there wasn't enough leather to redo it. I used a sharp pick tool/awl from Lowe's to punch the stitch holes and then saddle stitched it with waxed thread, using two needles. When trying to wet form it, I got it too wet and it stretched too much, so I baked it in the oven at 170 for a while, then let it air dry overnight, and used a hairdryer in the morning. I hand burnished the edges with a shop rag, water and candle wax. I couldn't find neatsfoot oil anywhere yesterday, and everything is closed today (and I wanted to have the holster ready to use at the range today!), so I used melted candle wax to seal and burnish the outside, and left the inside alone for now. Could I use wax on the inside as well? Will it react with my stainless finish? What would you recommend? All in, I probably spent $30 on supplies and tools for the project and about 6 hours. Not terribly bad for my first project.

Very nice! Really impressive carving! Making Tele pickguards is one of the ideas that got me interested in leather work. I have one I cut out of an existing pice of tooled leather, but I want to learn to tool my own. Did you glue it down to tool it? It sort of looks that way from the picture. Are you going to coat it with anything to stiffen it or harden it to prevent pick wear? What weight/thickness of leather did you use? I'd love to see it on a guitar and see how the thickness affects string height/playability.