$$hobby

of course the lighter the leather, the more detail you can form/mold into the leather. on the flip side, it maynot be firm enough to hold its shape depending on how the holster is placed on the body. tightness of the holster on the gun is up to the user/function. if your intent is to use it in the saddle, field or in a auto, then i would put a retention strap on it somewhere. again, its all up to the end user. if you decide to put a $1k Colt in it, i would make sure it wont fall out. If youre putting an inexpensive gun in it and dont mind some dings, then the strap is moot. However an AD could be deadly. holster are personal items, like saddles, clothes or your mates. You or the end user will need to decide on whats best and how things are going to fit and its use. I like to use nylon thread since it wont rot. i use to use cotton all the time, but decided to move to nylon. you can use whatever color you want, its your project. i probably woulnt use anything smaller then a #138, but thats me. BTW. If these holsters are for your use, just make/finish it and use it. once you began to use what you make, you will have an idea on what you DONT and DO like for that particular gun/holster combo. Being able to make your own is a benefit and if you dont like what youve made, then you can make another one and so forth. Sometimes you just have to get in the saddle and go! one comment on your holster. It appears that you have done alot of forming of the leather to the gun (great job too!). The front sight sits taller on the gun and if you dont make provisions for it sliding in/out of the holster, it will have the finish wear off and/or the leather will wear a groove. If you have too light a leather, it could weaken the form. just my 0.03

welome

the only thing i can think of is to do a type of mold. casing the leather and then forming it around the mold.

thanks alot. the cartridge loops are a cotton webbing. the color isnt really white, but an off white. really, after working it thru the dyed leather, it has sort of an saddle tan tint. i found on my last rig, that the leather will corrode the brass rather quickly. so i thought that the cotton should be less corrosive at least until the cotton absorbes some of the leathers acid.

i belive there is a sticky/post by the system admin that covers holster making? I started making holster by using the book/craftool aid #40. "how to make holsters" by Al Stohlman. it covers pattermaking, stitching and such. Mostly for western style holsters, but you get an idea on how to make one. there are alot of books out there. another one that you may want to look for is: "how to make Practical Pistol leather" by J. David McFarland i have a new DVD. "Holster" by dusty Johnson. I got it for my sub to one of the leather journals. I havent looked at it yet. the weight of leather you chose, is okay. how long it lasts will depend on its use/abuse. i havet only done some light casing of the leather on the guns. my holsters are lined and it adds to the thickness so they arent as easy to mold.

If you could scan in the profile of the gun, then i thing that AutoCAD could work. at least it would be easier to enlarge the pattern w/o remaking it everytime. i use Inventor for some of my patterns, but just for my belt ends, tounges and buckle straps. I use Inventor since its easier for me. BTW, i also used it for some cartridge carriers patterns. its alot easier to use a patter then marking directly on the leather.

nice looking rigs. when i first saw some ray at my local leather supplier, i didnt know what it was. if you didnt know better, you would think it was man made.

i saw that Desantis is making a collectors edition "Duke" rig. it inspired me to make a rig for my Colt SAA 45. its similar, but i did some changes for my taste. My belt is different too and i made it to what i wanted. i tried using my new sewing machine on one of the carriers, but it just doesnt compare to hand. So i did the belt/holster by hand. in the center i made some cartridge carriers for a friend. if he likes them i will be making more in a couple different calibers.

thank you all for your replies, but the ID isnt the problem. im looking for a grommet/eyelet that will hold approx 1/4" of leather, but with the small ID. the ones i have will only do a couple layers of canvas or equivalent.....

Art, TIA = Thanks In Advance

hi all. im looking for some brass eyelets or grommets. I would like the inside diameter (ID) to be approx 1/4" and the grip to be around 1/4" thickness. if you know of anything or anyone that may have these i would appreciate the info. TIA

hi. here is a little rig i made for my Colt 22 SAAs. i used a full size pattern, photocopied it and reduced its height by ~20%. the rig is suede lined as are the holsters and its all hand sewen. the cartridge loops were fun too. i just made it to see if i could do it and see what it would look like.

i got longer posts from my LS, Oregon Leather. im not sure where they get em from.

ultrasuede shouldnt be a problem to find. like eveyone else has said, larger fabric stores should have it. If you plan on buying alot, i would look online. As far as our elastic, i have been looking for a couple years for the same material. however, the only one i know that has/uses is Ariet. i have repaired several half chaps with the elastic materil just like you and i want. I however, dont know where they get it from and or if its possible to buy any. i was looking at some girdle material, but to me its too light duty. If however, you were to double it up, it maybe strong enough to handle the task. good luck on your quest.

i was lucky to have a leathershop class in Jr. HS. but i learned most by books and trial and error. its one of the reasons why i buy all the books i can on leatherwork. sometimes you will get a different slant from different authors.

i was going to get a Mach 1, but i opted for the Mach 3. I can tell you that i love it and wonder why i watied so long to get a real machine to do what i wanted. My machine didint have any problems and worked right out of the box, once i got it assembled. Its not going any where with its wieght i can tell you. If youre worried about customs, dont. He takes care of that. the only small issue is that he usually doesnt arrange for shipment to your door. He makes the shipment to a local hub somewhere. If you want it to your door, the shipping will cost you more. Yes, if you can, test drive one. i strongly urge you to test drive as many as you can. I found that some of those machine dont do as the sales people say they will. If you know what youre going to be sewing, bring some sample material.

Spencer, I was in your boots earlier this year. I spent alot of $$ on other machines that didnt do what i wished, but was convinced it would do what i needed at the time. Then theres that project where you need that extra 1/8~1/4 " pressor foot height and the machine wouldnt do it. you can go with the inexpensive/low end model, but in the end, you will not be happy. If youre going to make saddle, since you say you want to, then get the largest capacity machine you can afford for that type of work. If you cant now, then save those pennies. You can always sew something lighter (within reason) on the heaver machines, but you cant do the reverse. also, theres no reason why you cant have more then one machine either. if there are any leather trade shows near you go to them and ask alot of questions like you are now. Also, make them demo their machines.

Theres a guy someone in central oregon that does the "hitching". i cant remember his name, but from what i rememer, hes well known. dont know what his schedule is like either.

you can use it for a lining, but i would check how well the gun slides on the deer skin. my first lined holster was for a Colt ACE and it head a tendency to grab the lining. one would think that the smooth deer skin would just slide on the gun, but it didnt. BTW, the Glocks arent blued, unless it was redone with the blue. Most OEMs GLocks are done with what i would call a "parkerizing", i forgot what they call it. also, since the lower frame of the glock is plastic, that may slide better over the deer skin, but in any case, i would try and see how well the gun sldes on the deer skin.

Those treadles are good machines. my cuz used them in her work clothing store up until they closed last year. she would use it to restitch carhartts and jeans when some customers wanted their overalls or pants shortened. if youre going off the grid, they would be worth their weight in gold.

i checked my osborne english strap end punches and noticed that the point will vary on them. i have a couple of weaver brand english strap end punches and they appear to be a bit more pointed, but i have fewer of them to compare to. you can try the other tool makers and see what they offer.

Like my mom always said: "You'll learn" also. Measure twice, cut once.

Do youself a favor. Get as big a machine as you can afford. If you cant now, save your pennies and do it later. i bought several machines w/in the last 20 years and always regretted not getting one like i have now. It will save you the heartache when you need that extra 1/8" pressor foot height, power, or throat. or, if you have a sewing repair/selling shop, look at what they have used. there are some nice used older machines that will outlast you and your next few generations.

a pretty women will get my attention more often then not. If shes on a horse, im hooked.

i havent used OTBs clips but i have used others that are similar. i got mine from my local leather shop and weavers. FYI. im not sure if it was the ones i bought, but i made a leatherman sheath with one of the clips and it destroyed 2 pairs of jeans. i was using the clip over my belt and that angled part of thec clip abraded thru the denim. now its fine. i ive use the nickel plate tube rivets.