Shooter McGavin

Sorry to revive a dead thread, but would anyone be kind enough to post some examples of stitchwork that has been done on the Tippmann Boss. maybe a few close ups of how the stitches themselves look front and back. Im seriously considering buying one this weekend after only a month of building holsters, but cant find anywhere that shows the actual stitch work it does. Thanks in advance! Dan

Thank you for that idea. I searched around and found all kinds of different exotics for sale. Appreciate it. Wow! I looked at their website and have a feeling I'm going to go broke when I call them tomorrow. They have so much stuff! Any idea if their Double Shoulder #2 (p/n 13-067) is a good quality for holster making? I've been using Tandys "normal" stuff and doing OK, but the flash side sometimes leaves something to be desired. Also, that 10 dollar horse butt has me interested. I wouldnt mind trying to do a horse butt holster. Thanks a bunch for that suggestion.

I'm looking for like 1 square foot each of ostrich, shark, elephant. I dont need a whole hide. Is there anyplace online that sells these items as such? Many thanks

Wow. Stunning. Your work there makes me wish I had a Remmy 700 and a horse to show it off with.

I like the color. What is done afterwards as far as finishes? can you oil it, apply acrylic sealers, etc? Im going to pic up some vinegar and steel wool after work tomorrow and maybe by this weekend I can give it a try.

I need a size 0 grommet, or an eyelet, that will work through a double thickness of 6/7 weight leather. Does such a creature exist? I m having no luck Thanks! dan

I've been using these. http://www.tandyleat...ature=Product_2

Only 2 replies with photos and already this thread is full of sexiness. Staying tuned. Love these classic styles.

Im just nit-picking now, but the SF designation is for "short frame" The difference is from the backstrap to the trigger, it has about a 5mm shorter reach than the standard model. Some of them have ambi mag releases. Some of them have picitinny rails in lieu of the Glock rail. Everything else is the same. 10mm and .45acp have the same cartridge OAL. The biggest snafu when building a 21SF holster will be the rails.

I'd love for you to share how you get your stitch lines so tight to the gun. Its a battle I'm still fighting.

Not bad. Not bad at all. Are you new to leatherworking, or just holsters?

For holsters, I started with a single shoulder of 7/8 leather, the Tandy stitching kit, an Exacto with #11 blades, and a #4 edge beveler. Chemical wise, at the minimum, you will want a bottle of dye, a bottle of sealant, and maybe som Gum Tragacanth. But be careful, before you know it you'll have a collection of tools and consumables that will take up at least 1 workbench worth of area.

Thanks everyone! Gives me some ideas to experiment with.

G20 is the same physical size as the G21, uses the same sized mags. G29 is the same size as a G30, and uses the same size mags. For all practical purposes, the 20/21 is the same gun with a different size hole in the barrel. Same thing for the 29/30. Yes, Im a Glock freak.

Actually, you can see the same sort of thing going on in the 1911 holster that is set as my avatar. I promise you that the lines that run at an angle to the frame of the gun were entirely parallel to it before the holster was molded. PS. I know my spacing between the pair of stitch lines leaves something to be desired. This was like my 3rd holster and I still hadnt obtained a freehand groover yet. It was tough to try to follow a line with the standard offset groover.

I'm having trouble grasping the concept of getting perfect stitch lines along the guns profile. I always end up with either too much space between the gun and the stitch line, or not enough. In some cases, it's a combination. Of course, I can always revise the stitch line on subsequent holsters for the same gun, but there has to be a better way to get them right than trial and error. Currently, I trace the gun outline then go about 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch outside of that line to establish my stitch line. This is my most current holster. As you can see, the forward edge of the trigger guard butts up nicely to the stitch line, while the other lines of the guns profile are quite a bit inboard of that. Not to mention, the leather has a tendency to reshape the threads as it stretches to allow the gun room in the holster. It's hard to pre-plan for that. I guess I'm just a bit aggravated and looking for some input from more experienced leather workers. Thanks, and have a great new years!

Agree with the previous posters. I have a totally usable, but not quite up to my standards, subcompact Glock "Avenger style" holster that I made as a trial and error piece. I cut some corners, did some things out or order, skipped a few steps. While absolutely functional, it's ugly and misshapen, and will go no farther than my holster box for emergenmcy use by myself or my wife. Thought about selling it for half price, but that kind of bad publicity isnt worth selling it for 4 times normal price. JMO of course.

Ya I noticed it too but didnt say anything, being a noob and all. But ya, it appears that the trigger would almost be actuated while inserting a gun into the holster you have pictured. Because of the molding behind the trigger, the "path" for the trigger is actually narrower than the trigger itself.

I've dip dyed using the Tandy water based Coal Black. I've also used a spong to apply that dye as well as any other I have used. But only dip dyed with the black. Cut, stitch, wet, form, dye, hotbox, edge kote, sealant. Always in that order.

Pancakes are pretty easy. I use a straight edge ruler and a protractor, but you really dont even need the protractor. Draw a vertical line in the center of your paper, and also a horizontal line in the center. If you want a 15 degree cant, measure out 5 inches front and back of your center line, then do perpendicular to that like 1-5/16 of an inch. Go up in front of the gun, and down behind. Strike a line between your marks, that will give you your 15 degree angle. Draw another line 1.5 inches down from that line and use that as your "belt line" ( adjust width for whatever belt youre using.) Then place the gun with the top edge along your vertical center line, and slide it up and down until you get the position you desire relative to the "belt line". Trace the gun onto the paper. Then space out from your traced gun 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch (depend on gun thickness) and draw another line. That would be your stitch line. It should look like the gun, only bigger. After that, start drawing the shape you want for the holster. Get creative and find something you like. Make sure to leave room for, and around, your belt slots. Then start cutting and stitching the leather. Form, dye, and finish as you please. Heres an example. This is actually for the holster thats currently set as my avatar. The pencil lines are really light, and to add to the confusion, I moved my "belt line" down from my original location. There are 2 stitch lines along the length of the gun because I did 2 lines of stitching for that one. Hope this helps some. Its late and I have a feeling this wont make much sense to anyone but me.

I have someone wanting a leather holster with a paddle as well but dont know where to obtain the paddel from. Im tinkering with the idea of making a wooden form and and using boiled leather to form the paddle. That stuff gets as hard as a rock when you get it hot enough. I ruined a nice holster to discover that

Beautiful work. May I ask what type of tool you used to obtain the texture featured in photo #5?

I can dig it. Nice work.

Whats the advantage to this design over a standard pancake holster?

If I read your post correctly, you are applying neatsfoot oil AFTER the dye? I havent tried rubbing anything with oil yet but I'd like to give it a shot and want to make sure I do it right. Thanks!