Big O

Wow! Elegant blend of modern and traditional construction!

Here's a photo of a template for an Avenger design for a 4" 1911 you could tinker with.

Doug, don't make the mistake of lumping me in with katsass and Lobo. They're the experts here. I've only been doing this for about a year now. ....and most of what little I've learned, I've learned from them and others right here on this forum. I've got MUCH more experience in using holsters than making them. So, if there's any conflict, listen to THEM instead of me. I started out using a 4-prong diamond punch, then went to drilling holes with a Dremel, and finally caved to Mike's advice and started using an awl. There's a learning curve there, but once you get on top of that curve, it's the easiest and BEST way to make the holes. Also much quieter. At least until you make a neat, diamond-shaped hole in a finger......

I think there won't be enough leather.

The craftsmanship looks pretty decent for a first try. Stitch line is impressively close around the trigger guard. Not sure what you're using to make the holes. Diamond punch? Leather looks like it might be a little thin for the main body, and the dye looks splotchy. Eco-Flo? The biggest problem I see is the design concept itself. Looks like you EXECUTED your concept very well, but it's the design part that has a fatal (LITERALLY) flaw. You've made a small of the back "cavalry draw" holster. About six inches into the draw sequence, you'll be taking aim at your right kidney. Try flipping it 180 degrees longitudinally, so that the butt of the pistol is up, not down. It's nearly as concealable, and both easier to grasp and safer to draw. I've recently discovered that the Avenger design can be fairly easily modified into an SOB holster.

I've had good results by casing the leather before grooving, and making two passes.

I dye before stitching or molding, and use a hair dryer. 3 feet from a cardboard box for drying.

Nice! There's nothing wrong with "simple". That's a nice, CLEAN holster, and if it's not perfect, it's too close for me to call. The stitching and the edges look immaculate.

I've bought double shoulders from Springfield Leather and Zack White, and sides from Waterhouse, all with good results. The sides I got from Waterhouse were very consistent, and the flesh side was very smooth. I had one shoulder from Springfield that was a little rough inside in spots, but still serviceable. Shoulders are probably best for consistency of thickness.

In order to calculate that, I'd think you'd have to keep track of how much of each liquid it takes per piece. Might not be worth the time and effort. Think of it this way: with every step in the process, you're adding more time. The value of the liquids will never eclipse the value of the time, unless there's some new gold- or platinum based finish I've not yet heard about. So.....maybe just focus on the additional TIME? I make holsters, and I guesstimate that only about $10 worth of materials goes into each one.

Personally, I like detailed molding, even a little inside the trigger guard. ....but seeing the trigger ITSELF show up in the molding gives me the heebie-jeebies.....

Looks outstanding for a first try. Stitch line's a bit off at the triggerguard, but that takes a bit of trial and error, mostly error, to get right. Now: when are you making a holster for your backup piece? I KNOW you've got a backup piece, because you're a belt-and-suspenders kind of guy......

I used to use a Dremel to drill holes, but either the holes would be too big and stand out like a sore thumb, or they'd be too small, and I'd break needles and end up with puckers at every single hole. On the plus side, the high speed of the Dremel resulted in no "gopher mounds" as you describe. I resisted going to a diamond awl for the longest time, but once I got the hang of it, I don't see myself ever going back, except maybe for belts. I do all my stitching in my recliner, while kinda/sorta watching TV. The average holster is good for 3 episodes of 24.

I like the design. It occurs to me that if you had a "wing" at the rear, like you do at the front, it'd be a "tuckable" IWB. The grip clearance right at the rear of the trigger guard looks a little tight to me.

Mine seem to redraw stitch lines on my patterns when I'm not looking......

Vegetable-tanned leather, at least 6/7 oz and probably 8/9 oz. You can use rivets, but sewing connects the ENTIRE length of the sheath edge. It'll need a welt along the blade edge side, so the blade doesn't cut the thread. Search around the site. Plenty of good resources here. In addition to the occasional tutorial, I've found a LOT of good ideas just from photos.

I've just been mixing it half and half with water, and brushing it on using a natural fiber paintbrush. Then I hang it up to dry.

.....and it's not so much that I'm perceptive, as that I've made that very same mistake.....and more than once. LoL I can tell you other things NOT to do: - use the oven in your kitchen to heat-treat your holsters after molding. You know that 150 degree setting? It LIES! - set a hair dryer one foot away from your holsters for the same reason, and leave it alone for 30 minutes. Same result. Try 2.5-3 feet instead. - use a Tandy 4-prong diamond punch to make holes in 8/9 oz leather, doubled up. The tool won't even last one holster. - use a 1/16" drill bit to make your holes. - use a 3/64" drill bit, so the holes will be smaller, then PULLLLLLL your needles through with pliers. - not sharpening your awl frequently. If you're clenching your teeth, you're doing it wrong. Sharpen it, already. - use a Dremel cutting disk to cut leather. WHAT is that SMELL?! - cut belt slots freehand, using a utility knife. - SOAK your holster in hot water for 5 minutes prior to molding, and start molding immediately. Yeah......THAT will work..... - use a whole BUNCH of neatsfoot oil. Don't worry. It'll dry......sometime before you retire, hopefully. - use straight Resolene as a finish. Apply it using a foam brush. - not listening to the Grumpy Old Man the FIRST time. Okay, well, maybe that's not a mistake. Some folks just gotta touch the burner....

I also use a Dremel, with a cocobolo burnisher made by another guy on this forum. I need to look him up again, because I want at least one more of those... As for the stitch line, when I'm feeling meticulous about it, I use a compass to draw the stitch line on my pattern, and follow the outline of the pistol exactly.....making sure to mind the curves. Set the compass to 1/2 of the slide width, PLUS the thickness of the leather. Put the pattern on the leather, mark the holster outline, cut it out, then put the pattern back on the leather and poke holes along the stitch lines, into the leather. Then just follow the line of holes with a freehand groover, using a ruler to keep it straight on the straights. When I'm not feeling meticulous, I mark spots about every 1/2" or so using a ruler, to get the spacing, and then draw the lines freehand. The rest still applies.

Looks good. Pretty sure you already know what the problems are, and are frustrated by them. Seems like the main problem is miscalculating the stitch line right where the top front of the trigger guard meets the dust cover, making it too tight to get the pistol all the way in. That section, maybe 1/2" long, was pretty much the ONLY thing that kept the stitch line from ending up PERFECT, from what I can see. It also resulted in the back of the slide sticking out past the sweat shield. The sweat shield, by the way, is getting a lot closer. Who knows? Maybe both of us will get to the point where we can both absolutely nail it every time..... Stitching looks good, edges are pretty much like mine. If there's anything wrong with the dye or finish, I damn sure can't see it. Looks GREAT. I really really really like what you did with the reinforcement piece. Artsy. Looks highly functional, too, based on the last couple of pics. ,,,,,,and, uh, yeah......about that last pic........I thought that *I* was just barely removed from Cro-Magnon man........ LoL

They both look great to me. The stitch lines are very good, especially around the trigger guard of the black one. I'm thinking the first one probably isn't an IWB. I can't wrap my head around how that would work. On the black one, it looks like it could use a bit more grip clearance at the rear of the trigger guard. My fat fingers certainly wouldn't fit in there. I'm thinking you haven't applied a finish to them yet, especially the black one. If you have, consider another coat or two.

Wow, that's a BEAST! Nice work! Especially like the tooling.

Those are some very, VERY nice holsters! I do, however, see that the magical shifting sweat shield has claimed yet another victim.....LoL It took me awhile to learn to factor that in. Same thing with shifting the rear belt slot down about 1/4" on Avengers.

Every holster I ever bought from any of the big, production line, cookie-cutter outfits came in packaging, or with a paper, that had half a Bible's worth of warnings on it, and every single one of them said to break the holster in using an UNLOADED firearm...... In today's society, rmhovis, there is liability attached to anything that anyone does.....or doesn't do. I say be careful, think things through, and if you're still worried, get some liability insurance.

Well, it did for me, but I was also using super glue gel at the time. LoL