Big O

Should be beefy enough. I might've tightened up that belt tunnel a bit more, but then again, I've made them TOO tight and ruined holsters before.....

The stitching on the reinforcement piece looks like it's "wandering" quite a bit. Especially with contrasting-color stitching, I find it's best to make my stitching grooves DEEP to keep the stitches in line. They're an unruly bunch if you're not constantly smacking them around......

VERY nice! I'd love to see the back, to get an idea of how wide you made the belt tunnel. High-ride holsters need more stabilization to keep them from flopping outward from the belt, and MY solution for that is to maximize the area of leather sandwiched between belt and body.

I'm curious about what the roller is used for, and about what that is that's just below and to the left of it in the pictures.

Grrrrrrrrr! I knew there was a reason I never did the math! Where did I put that mental floss.......?

Ah, the ego is strong in this one...... ....and for good reason......

I've had good luck with dual layered 6/7 oz veg tan (tooling) leather. Beefy and rigid across its width, but still flexible enough along its length. As for the width, I'd match it to the holsters and mag pouches he's using. I hope you either have a sewing machine, or really really REALLY like your buddy, because belts take a LOT of time to hand-stitch.

I hope that some day, if I eat my veggies and say my prayers, I'll make holsters that look as good as those........

No, that's the distance you go out from the outline of the gun on your pattern. Let's say that your slide is exactly one inch wide. You'd set a compass or wing divider with the tips 5/8" apart, and follow the outline of the gun on both the slide-top side and the trigger-guard side, making a parallel line exactly 5/8" from the outline of the gun. Without a compass or wing divider, you'd take a ruler and plot points on the pattern that same distance out, and draw in the line by hand. The reason for the half-width of the slide offset is because two halves make a whole, and you have to allow for the space the gun itself will take up. The reason for the 1/8" extra is because you have to allow for the thickness of the leather itself taking up some space, and 8/9 oz leather is about 1/8" thick. That half + thickness clearance is what will allow you to fit the gun in the holster after it's stitched, and to remove it after molding, without the need for a winch or hydraulic press....... (If your stitching is EXACTLY right, there may be a need for some colorful language during the insertion phase. Just a wee little bit, though.)

Nice handiwork! Stitching and molding look good. Suggestions on design: - needs more clearance for fingers at the top of the grip/base of the trigger guard. - it'd look better if corners were rounded more, mainly around the belt slot. - belt slot should probably wider, especially if it's going to be used with a belt DESIGNED as a gunbelt and therefore thicker than the decorative waist straps folks buy at SuperMegaMart for $9.99. - bring the stitch line in a tad bit closer to the gun. - maybe bring the belt slot in a tad bit closer to the gun. Opinions vary widely on this one.

Zack White also has them, and lets you specify whether you want them long but thin (for belts) or wide but shorter (for holsters). The horsehide I got from Zack White was thicker/heavier, but that I got from Springfield seemed to have a tighter grain.

Brilliant!

Everything particle said. AND..... I'd make the sweat shield flush with the back and top edges of the slide, and extend about 1/4" down from the bottom, because it's going to shift a bit when translated from paper to leather. Also, I'd make the bottom edge of the holster flush with the end of the slide. For the grip clearance, make sure you have it on BOTH the front and back pieces of the holster. Don't forget the thumb vs. sweat shield clearance, either. There's no carved-in-stone rule that says belt slots MUST be either straight, or vertical, only that they allow a belt of a particular width to pass through both of them at the same angle. I'd consider angling that front slot to be closer to parallel with the top of the slide. This would allow more leather to be trapped between belt and body for more stability. Your designs have some nice curves to them. No corners. Sweet!

It's always seemed to me that packing a pair of 44's with straps that thin MUST be painful......

For thinner leather, I just use scissors. The $15 top of the line (for cheap crap) scissors at Wal-Mart will cut 2/3 oz veg tan like it was paper, 4/5 oz fairly easily, and 6/7 oz with a little effort and colorful vocabulary.

You've ALMOST got an Avenger design there. Why not step over the edge? Combine the rear belt tunnel and the front reinforcement piece into one wraparound affair. You might round the corners a bit more, and bring the stitching a wee bit closer to the edge. And move the sweat shield 1/4" back from where it looks perfect on the pattern, because it always automagically shifts forward about that far when you fold the leather over...... Also, my pet peeve: grip clearance. Looks a little tight. Nice job, though. I made my first holster for that very model of pistol. It was an abomination, and I wasn't happy with the 2nd or 3rd attempts, either. It's a tough one to get right, and unforgiving on the belt, either digging painfully into you, flopping around, or printing obviously against cover garments.

I "measure" the stitch length with the thread. What I do after that depends on the thickness of the leather I'm working with. Double thickness of 8/9 oz - 4X Double thickness of 6/7 oz - 3.5X 4/5 oz + 2/3 oz - 3X I generally end up with a little extra, but I prefer that to coming up short.

I use one of Spinner's cocobolo Dremel burnishers with water the first time and gum tragacanth after that. Sometimes, when my Dremel craps out and I'm too impatient to wait for the battery to charge back up, I use the side of a Sharpie marker.

My usual workflow is: Cut pieces Mark stitch lines and belt slots Punch & cut belt slots, stamp maker mark and any embellishments Edge Burnish Make stitching grooves Dye & let dry Glue & let dry Stitch Wet, burnish again, mold Force-dry in highly technical cardboard box and hair dryer contraption for 30 minutes Remove pistol Air dry for two days Touch up dye if need be Burnish again if need be, and apply edge dressing if I'm not satisfied Apply finish Air dry for 2 more days

After you burnish, are you finding a raised edge all along where you burnished, on both sides? I think I'm seeing that in the pictures, but it's hard to be sure. If so, you might consider getting an edger (pretty cheap, simple hand tool), and use it at some point before you burnish. It takes the "corner" off your edges, and makes it possible/easier to get a rounded edge.

I recently made a holster of 6/7 oz leather, lined with 2/3 oz leather. All veg tan. I liked the results.

Just go ahead and get a double shoulder of 8/9 oz. That way, you'll have enough left over to make all the holsters your friends ask for, too......

Been busy. Daughter's in the hospital.

Nicely done.

Looking better. I like the notch in the top edge of the holster where the top front corner of the grip scale is. With the Dremel, you're just about always going to have visible holes. I tried using a 3/64 bit, which minimized the size of the holes, but I broke a lot of needles that way. You should get another awl blade and give that a try again. The shorter the blade, the better. Less flexing, which can lead to snapping. The blade needs to be SHARP. If you have to apply a whole bunch of pressure, it's not sharp enough. I wasn't really satisfied with my stitch holes until I started using an awl. I like the symmetry of the stitch lines - the way they look the same on the forward and rearward halves of the holster. As previously stated, the belt loop section needs to be wider. It occurs to me that the slots need not be vertical. They can be slanted, Doing so would allow them to be closer to the pistol pocket. Edges: you're probably not too keen on spending a whole bunch of money on equipment just yet, so here's a tip: a Sharpie marker works better than you'd think as a burnisher. You wet the edge of the leather and then just rub the SIDE of the marker body (the plastic) rapidly back and forth along it, to press down the fibers and shine them up.