George B

Thanks but I believe it is being handled already. I'll ask when I talk to him just to make sure. George

I'll eventually have to try my hand at it but for right now I'm just passing the info along. But your suggestion is a good one. The Al Stohlman book on holsters is what got me started doing gun leather. Thanks

I have a customer I am doing work for who lives in California and is in need of a leather carry case for his rifle with scope. He cannot find one that fits and asked me to make one, I don't do rifle cases. He has a cloth one at the moment and can send it as well as all measurements of the rifle to whoever does the case. Customer pays well and loves custom leather. Please PM me so I can pass on the info to him. A pic or two would help when I send him results. Thanks and feel free to ask any questions you may have. George

PM sent

Thank you for the kind words. All I do now are the sewn channels. Makes me feel strange having to form one. I had a customer order another Avenger who owns both one with and one without sewn channels. He said the new one has to be sewn. Told me it felt like the weapon came out on rollers with the sewn ones and he could feel the drag on the one with the formed channel. Same 1911 in both holsters.

I solved it by cutting down a large paint stirring stick from Lowe's. Then screwed it as an extension on my sig scorpion blue gun. I made it look just like the RIA full rail using a sander, dremel and elbow grease. The Sig has a flatter slide so I compensate for that but otherwise has worked well the couple of times I've used it. It also unscrews from the blue gun so I can still make the models with partial rails.

Just the nature of the beast. Steel meets leather and scratches, mars or damages the softer leather. Anodized steel clips while cheap have sharp edges and can not only tear up a belt but clothing as well. Powder coated helps quit a bit, they have smoother edges and surfaces but being steel will still scratch leather. I offer powder coated clips or leather strap with snap that goes over the belt and under the belt to snap in the middle of the belt, similar to what El Paso Saddlery uses. I charge accordingly depending on the materials, costs and time. I would be concerned that leather coating the clip surface would degrade the ability of the clip to hold when the weapon is drawn.

The holster pictured looks like it only surrounds the pistol below the front of the trigger guard, probably for speed of draw. If the safety were to go directly across the top of the slide the pistol would creep backwards and more than likely fall backwards out of the holster. The only way to retain the pistol with the design I see is the strap right where it is. If the holster enclosed the pistol like a typical Avenger it would not be able to move backwards or forwards and the thumb break strap across the top of the slide should hold it without issue. The only thing with placing the strap where it is in the pic, is that you have leather between your hand and the weapon. This may cause a problem drawing the weapon. I normally place my snap as high as possible on the slide when I make a thumb break safety. All the above is just my opinion and others may have a better understanding of thumb break safeties.

I guess this is one of those cases where the camera makes it look better than it should. If I had a G17 or 22 I would use it but I don't. I did throw it on ETSY with the title "Ugly Duckling" at a discount due to the finish. Customer very happy with the replacement I made him and had a good laugh when he saw the reject. Said he felt so sorry for it he was tempted to buy it just so it had a home. And yes, there is someone out there who will want this because it is different. That's why I'll sell it. Everything else came out good except for the finish so I have no worries about the quality of the leather or the build. I'll hang it from my sign display at the next gun show, someone will say, "hey how much?" I'll ask them what they'll give me and it will find a home. At least I'll get a good laugh out of it.

No idea what happened but everything happened wrong. Herman Oak natural leather and Fiebing's Golden Oak stain. Leather turned out looking like it was drug underneath a caterpillar D-9 dozer. Pock marks with ostrich like dimples and splotchy dye. Sprayed on the stain and everything went south upon wetting to form. Made the customer another from W&C russet. Was not going to finish this holster but there is someone out there that will want this "Ugly Duckling".

Really nice looking rig. Definitely one to be proud of.

Good advice on the separate address and if I lived in the city, or at least not a electric coop it would work. I looked into it with a separate meter when I built the shop/garage and the power coop needed a separate address for more than one meter at a location. The cost of the meter was more than I wanted to spend and the county really didn't see the need for a second address for a car garage. I gave up.

I do cross draw pancakes up to 25 degrees. Cross draw Avengers up to 45 degrees. With a pancake the distance between belt slots will grow with the angle making the holster wider across. I still use the ear with belt slot for my cross draw Avengers and have had no issues. Just make sure you have enough room for a good grip. I've attached a pic of one of my pancakes for a Ruger LC9. Hope it helps.

Where I am I still pay a tax on the raw materials I have shipped in from out of state and was told by the state that this is what must be done, on top of having to charge sales tax and then send it to bot the local and state agencies. I'm sure this is not how it is done in all states but here in Tennessee it is easier to pay it then deduct it and fight over it. Unfortunately all those suppliers I buy from submit to the state all of my "non-taxed" purchases so there is no getting around it. I am not an accountant so I just pay it and move on. And the last time I deducted my shop and all the amenities on my taxes as a business deduction I was audited. Not once, but three years in a row. Everything was correct and no adjustments made by the IRS, just a day each year out my work week and a lot of hassle. The first IRS auditor told me it was the "work at home deductions" that flagged me. stopped doing that four years ago and have not had a single audit. Just my opinion based on my overtaxed experiences. And. I still miss the good old days.

Websites can be great but I have had one for a number of years and very seldom do I get an inquiry or purchase from it. It does however give those ppl who want to check me out a place to land and look at what I do. I tie my ETSY store to it for purchase of items already made. I do not take custom orders from the ETSY site, too much time. I sell gun leather items and have found that local shows work best, especially when handing out lots of business cards. I also have cards at all the local gun shops and hardware stores. My number one local draw for customers. Have plenty of cards and hand them out freely. Yard signs can be helpful for those looking for you and can help locate you easily. Especially in high traffic areas. Aside from all the talk of permits and such there is one thing I learned from experience too consider. The TAX People! After a county tax person came into possession with one of my cards I was requested to conform to the local, county, state and federal tax laws. Being a one man shop this was an unexpected expense. Now I have to pay county sales tax, tangible property tax, internet purchases tax, state sales tax... you get the idea. Exposure can be a double edge sword. I kinda miss the good old days.

Mostly for me when I get too close to the belly and almost all the time in the neck area. And I've had it happen both with HO and W&C.

Had my up and down times with W&C, but since I have been dealing with Matt, I have nothing but good things to say. Havana brown will be available to all as a stocking color and Ordered a side in the Mahogany. Was told 2 to 3 weeks for the order due to the wait on the Mahogany. Hoping its worth it. Have both dyed and used the drum dyed leathers and now 90% of what I do is drum dyed.

I'm not a tanner, wouldn't want to try it. Not even for a holster order. That said, if it is something you are interested in doing just make sure you are paid for the time you are going to have to put in it. With customers that have special requests, especially those requests I have not done before, I have a minimum charge. The charge will cover one to two days of work, including leather, prototypes, mistakes and corrections. I charge what I would make if I was making standard holsters for sale. I like making new items but not enough to loose money. And I agree with what Lobo posted. He usually has a keen insight into these things and has more than likely seen it all.

When I started I built western saddles, the person who schooled me used 277 top and 207 bottom. He explained to me that it had to do with the backstitch and getting two stitches in the same hole without cutting the thread. When I use 277 top and 207 bottom I increase needle size on my Artisan Toro to a #230. For the last 4 years I have been stitching all my gun leather items with a 207 top and 207 bottom with a #200 needle. I have yet to have a stitch break and like the fact that the thinner thread makes the item the focal point and not the stitching. While searching for thread last year I ran across a chart that explained the thread sizes and when and how much the thread becomes the focal point of what you are making and how much. The larger the thread the more attention that drawn to it. When making tack or saddles I go up to the 277 to make the thread part of the saddle's look.

Montana horseman school ran for two months and cost a few grand when I went back in 2010. Dale has two or three rooms in the shop that are included in the price. And yes, he can teach you how to make saddles.

Good looking holster

Nice looking holster

You did good Dwight but how in the world did you keep it that color while working with it? Even with a new surface on the bench I can't keep natural totally clean.

I've done and will continue to do both, but I do a lot less dying these days. The cost difference is not enough to make me want to coat everything in the shop with dye overspray on a cold or rainy day. Drum dyed however, for my show items allows me to spend more time making and less time dying. For me that's extra time to make more items to sell at the shows. And almost all of the stocking items I have are single color, drum dyed black, dark brown and brown. And I find for me the drum dyed molds and details better in less time.

Yep didn't shave for this pic. Wife took it and decided I should use it. Of course after she forgets about it I will change it back. Thanks for the support, I really appreciate any help I can get. I didn't dye the inside of the brown one because it was the first one I ever made with the sewn sight channel, and honestly, I didn't think it would turn out. The same for the tension screw, I wasn't sure how it would work out for retention with the sewn welts added to the pattern. Turned out I didn't need it. I will however add one to the 1911 models I make for gun show sales since every one I put into the holster fit a little differently at the muzzle end of the barrel. It will just make it more sale-able to more people. I started using a different style throat reinforcement after noticing that on the larger panel style reinforcements the front sight had to cross more stitches when drawn. And, the larger panel types really didn't offer any advantages. (In my humble view). Once again, thank you. George