Big O

For belts and holsters, using 8/9oz leather, FORGET about diamond chisels. I tried that. Broke two of the Tandy 4-prong diamond chisels (made of pot metal, apparently) before I gave up and started drilling holes. Then katsass schooled me in the merits of diamond-shaped stitching awls, and I got one, and once I got comfortable with its use, I'd never go back. As for belts, I've made ONE. I'll probably make one or two more, for myself. I wouldn't want to try it as a commercial venture, though, because it takes HOURS and HOURS to HAND-stitch a belt. Think about it. 40-60 inches of belt, stitching on both sides, 5-6 stitches per inch. That's at least 400 stitches. And you need about 4 times the length of thread as the length of the work. You spend most of your time pulling the thread through......

TexasJack, its a Ruger LCR (a revolver), not a Ruger LCP (that teeny-tiny semiauto). A pocket holster might work for a big guy like me, wearing baggy trousers. Probably not so much for a younger female fashion slave.... Wayward Shrimp - concealing a firearm requires some compromises for most people. You can either choose your firearm and build your wardrobe around it, or choose your wardrobe and select your firearm based upon it. You don't wear a gunbelt, and have chosen a Ruger LCR. To ME, this seems to call for a lightweight shoulder holster, constructed in such a manner as to place the revolver in one of two natural hollows - either just below the armpit, or just beneath and to the outside of the breast. This, of course, would require some sort of cover garment - a vest, a sweater, an outer shirt, or a loose primary shirt. Mind you, I am making several ASSUMPTIONS here. I am assuming that you are hesitant to change your wardrobe, that you are small in stature, and that you are not willing or able to select a different firearm. You MIGHT consider a paddle holster, but that'd put the body of the holster outside the waistband necessitating a longer cover garment, and the weight of the pistol and holster would still pull the waistband down. If you decide to go forth with the IWB holster with clips, I'd recommend wide clips to maximize the grip on the pants, and not doing any detail boning of the leather AT ALL, because more retention would be the LAST thing you want without a belt to anchor the holster to. In my younger years, I cared about being fashionable. At this age, I don't much care. I prefer to carry full-sized, full-powered handguns, and am willing to commit any fashion crimes necessary to accomodate this. I tend to carry in OWB holsters at the 3 o'clock position, under shirts that could have been made by Omar the Tentmaker.

I have NOT done this, but others here have, and have posted about it. What they generally seem to do is to wet-mold the front piece before stitching the pieces together. It seems to me (again, I have not done this) that the way to do this would be to draw the pattern for the outer piece, making your inside stitch lines the FULL width of the handgun away from the drawn outline, cut your leather, do your molding, and then use the front piece as a template for the back piece, if that makes sense.

So......for your very FIRST holster project, you went out and did a SHOULDER holster, AND a mag pouch for it? You don't even know how to SPELL the word "can't", do you? LoL Looks GREAT for a first holster. Even a 5th or 6th.

Greetings from "Nebraska's Hot Spot"!

Do you have a picture of the back of that holster?

On the inside of that belt tunnel, where we can't see in those pictures, is there by any chance a slot cut out so that it can be placed over a belt loop? I ask because just about every holster I wear spans a belt loop at some point, and I actually find this to be a GOOD thing. It just seems to lock the holster in tighter.

Nice! I made one too, for myself, but it's nowhere near as nice as either of yours.

I'm told those are both a little oversized and a little soft for molding. Haven't had any personal experience with them, it's just what others have said.

Here's a photo of a pattern I just drew today, for a Glock 17/22/31 pancake to be worn behind the hip:

I just made a belt for my wife. Probably overdid it. 8/9oz cowhide backed with about 7 oz horsehide. Might just be the last belt I ever make unless I get a sewing machine. That's a LOT of stitching!!!!!

I spent two days and $25 at a gun show back in October. Had plenty of Glock 17 and 1911 holsters. Nothing sold. Had ONE order for a holster and magazine pouch. Back in December, one of that guy's friends contacted me and ordered a holster. Just a few days ago, a friend of one or the other of them called me and wants to order three holsters. So......seemed like a waste of time to begin with, but I'm experiencing a snowball effect.

I've had good luck using Fiebings Leather STAIN and diluting it with either neatsfoot oil or denatured alcohol. Then I use one of those disposable foam paintbrushes and apply it to the leather. I apply it quickly, and keep brushing at all different angles - vertical, horizontal, and both diagonals, in turn. I tried Fiebings Pro Oil Dye, and it soaked in so fast I couldn't really brush it around. My solution to that was to swear off of it and go back to the stain. But airbrushing or dip dye might work, too......

Pancake holsters are probably the EASIEST type to make your own pattern for. All you need is: File folder or other stiff material pen/pencil ruler compass (optional but helpful) scissors pin/needle/other sharp pointy implement My procedure: draw belt on material place pistol on top of belt lines at the height/angle you want to carry it trace outline of pistol measure width of pistol draw your stitch lines at a distance 1/2 the width you just measured away from the pistol pick locations for belt slots along the belt line and outside the stitch lines, and mark them in draw the outline of your desired holster shape, outside the belt slots cut out the shape That's your pattern right there. Now, put it on top of the leather and trace the outline. Flip over the pattern, put it on a different area of the leather and trace the outline. Cut those pieces out. Put the pattern on top of each piece and use your pointy thing to stab through the pattern into the leather in spots to mark the locations of the stitch lines and belt slots. Done with the pattern.

That is one beautiful holster! If it's not perfect, it's damn sure too close to call.

Tough to change it once it's sewn. The cut I'd make would extend beyond the stitch line. This is something that pretty much has to be done in the design stage. Here's an example: 3/8 actually sounds about right for belt slots. I have a tendency to "wing it" and just use whatever size punch looks right. I punch out holes at the top and bottom, and then take a 1" wood chisel and put it just inside the edge of one hole, line it up with (toward) the edge of the other, and cut that slot. Then I slide the chisel down that slot and line it up with the edge of the other hole, and finish the cut. Repeat on the other side, and you've got a near-perfect slot.

More clearance for the grip. Make the belt slots a little wider. Stitching looks GREAT, especially on the left side. Got that whole symmetric thing going on....

I like the way you lay out your stitch lines, and your no-nonsense molding.

I think the design for the IWB, the way you folded the leather over from the bottom, is just ingenious. Looks like you're using thick waxed nylon thread (like I do - Nyltek), but you're not cutting grooves for your stitches, so they're just sitting there on top of the leather and going every which way. I use an adjustable stitching groover for the stitching around the edges, and a freehand stitching groover for the stitching along the outline of the handgun. They are some VERY inexpensive tools, and are well worth buying and using. On the holster for the Glock 36, there's not enough clearance to get a grip on the pistol while it's holstered. It also doesn't look like there's much of a sight track molded in, which raises the ugly possibility of the front sight snagging on the holster during the draw. On the magazine pouch, the belt slots look very narrow, and uneven. I cut mine out freehand with a utility knife to begin with, too, with the same results. I bought a set of round punches, also dirt cheap, and now punch out the top and bottom of the slots with a punch, and then connect-the-dots with an ordinary wood chisel. MUCH more consistent, functional and attractive. You'll want to buy a "poundo" board for this purpose, to keep from dulling your punches and putting holes in things you don't want holes in. Most people find rounded edges more attractive than square corners, and curves more attractive than straight lines.

Here's something I've been wondering, and it seems like a dumb question to ask, but.... How do you dye just PART of the leather for something like this?

The full firing grip also applies to the sweat shield. Nice looking work. I actually like the look of the dye job, intended or not.

The top portion of the holster is typically reinforced to ensure that the mouth of the holster stays open when the pistol is removed, thus facilitating easier reholstering. Especially for appendix carry, I'd recommend a sweat shield - a portion of the leather that protects the rear portion of the pistol from the oils of the skin, and the skin from the sharp edges of most pistols. I hope it's for a SMALL pistol or revolver, no bigger than a subcompact Glock or J-frame revolver. Too long a barrel or slide, and that carry position gets real uncomfortable, real quick.

Personally, I want mine to stay open. If I need to use the gun, I want it back in the holster when the police show up. I don't want it on the ground, I don't want it stuffed into my waistband like they're used to seeing with scumbags, and I DAMNED sure don't want it to be in my hand -- whether or not I'm wrestling with a holster.

I've considered making a similar rig, but with the magazine in front, and for a completely different purpose. Basically an off-side (left-handed, for most folks) holster for a backup weapon, AND one reload for the primary weapon.

I bought a Taurus PT1911 as soon as they came out, while they were still offering the "teaser" prices.... I've put a couple thousand rounds through it so far, and the only problem I've had is that the slide stop sheared off on the inside at about the 500-round mark. I replaced it with a Wilson Combat one, and haven't had another problem since. Can't wait for them to make a Commander version.