Josh Ashman

Very nice Larry! Great job!!

Ah ha! Seeing the backside tells the story for sure! Very nice Billy, thanks for sharing!

Looks good Billy! I'm curious as to the what the straps by the ring are for. Is there a use that I'm not thinking of? or are the decorative? All the best, Josh

I think you're on to something Dwight! In my quest to get "away" from the thumb safety I might be making the problem worse! Next one I try Instead of going away, I should go up and under it. All the best, Josh

Hey Larry, I know just what you're talking about! The problem seems worse when the pistol has an extended thumb safety, GI style aren't quite as bad, at least not for me. I've tried moving mine "up" towards the top of the slide as shown in the pic below. Another option is to leave the thumbreak off and put in a retention screw at the toe of the holster near the end of the barrel. I've not messed around with an EMP, but I would imagine that they have even less room to work with as they are a scaled down 1911 in very rough terms. Good luck getting your pattern nailed down. Josh

Good looking work all around Forester!

Good looking holster Rohn! Nice job!

Heck of a good looking saddle Billy! I have no doubt that it'd hold up to any use thrown at it. I'm curious in what world a rawhide covered wood tree with post horn, flat plate double rigging real sheepskin and what by all rights looks like top quality leather and hardware isn't considered sufficient. I certainly understand taking the stance that lightweight trail saddles may not be up to the task of serious or even semi serious work. That is a sentiment that I agree with and I suspect that most here do. What I don't understand is how the conversation came up while looking at your saddles which are not what I would consider to be light weight trail saddles at all. All the best, Josh

Nice work Eddie!

Thanks Steve!

Hey ChiefJason! No glue on the loops needed. I cut the strap slightly wider than the slot and with my bag punch (CS Osborne) and 5/6 leather the 2 thicknesses of leather are thicker than the slot is wide. I also dampen the backside of the loops and hammer them flat after lacing them through. For anyone curious about this, I leave the cartridges in the loops, run a sponge over the backside and tap them off with a shoe hammer while just holding the belt. All the best!

Thanks Double Daddy! Thanks Jake! Thanks Dwight! I appreciate the kind words! It's funny the things that a person can be patient about! I don't think anyone that knows me would suggest I'm particularly patient and yet when it's time to tool leather I suppose I am. I do know that when I get in a hurry is when I make mistakes, so I try not to rush it too much. Thanks Eddie! I'm sure Bob's book will be wonderful! I miss seeing him post on here. He's a great source of knowledge and seems like a genuine good person. Thanks Bobby! I've done a few of them and have been pretty happy with how they've turned out. It's a little disturbing to go rolling and twisting up the skirt to get it shoved through the slot, but you do what you have to. I also fret about getting the holster body mauled through the slots on the skirt so maybe I'm just a worrier Thanks JMcC! The holster and cartridge belt pattern is mine. The carving pattern for the flower is from a Tandy wallet pattern I bought years ago. I've re-purposed it and customized the leaves and vines as much as my feeble drawing talents allow. As the black antique, Fiebings makes both a paste and a liquid acrylic, this is the liquid acrylic. I use it quite a bit and most people seem to really like it. It's probably my most requested color for tooled work. All the best everybody! Josh

I remember that tutorial as well, I'm sure it'll get you started off fine! Good luck with your project! Thanks OldNSlow! I'm not near as good as I'd like to be at carving, but it's fun to mess around with. All the best! Thank you sir! Thanks! I think the black antique turns out nice on carved leather too! All the best!

Thanks Gary! I've tried sewing them and running them through 2 slots as well as running them through 1 slot (like this rig) and while they are all OK the 1 slot method is my favorite so far. Works for everything from .22 to .45 as far as I'm concerned. All the best, Josh

Custom order finished up this week. 10/11 HO except for the cartridge loops which are 5/6 and Fiebings black antique. Progress pics; Finish pics;

Very nice Steve! Great work!

Nice clean work, great job!

Thanks for the info Ken.

I read in a saddlery book (I think the Harry Adams one, but that's off the top of my head) that the difference between "cowhide" rawhide and "bullhide" rawhide was that one had been split while the other had not. I wasn't sure that I bought this when I read it, as I doubt that they run raw hides through a splitter. I've never worked in a tannery, so I don't actually know. I do know that when I worked in a butcher shop we never sorted the hides out, although if we had they would almost exclusively be in a "steerhide" pile. Just random thoughts that this conversation brought to mind. Ryan, you might look into Bowden trees. They are not as nice as Timberline or Quality Mfg's but the ones I've got from them have been fine. Cost is about $300 last I checked. All the best, Josh

Thanks JK! Thanks Dwight! This one happens to be mine and I simply couldn't be happier with the GP100! I strongly recommend them! And they are fun to build holsters for! Thanks GeorgiaPine! I believe it's the Pro Oil, although despite the name it is alcohol based like the "regular" dye. It's been a while since I purchased the dye and have long since put it in a different container so I couldn't say for sure. All the best, Josh

Sounds like a great idea Chris! Glad to hear it's working out well! All the best, Josh

Thanks Chris! Agreed that a coat of oil over the dyed leather really adds to the "richness" and "depth" of the color. I think it also helps even out the "splotchyness" so often associated with Fiebings light browns and tans and puts back into the leather some conditioners after being dyed and cased. I try not to overdo it with carry gear that I want to stay rigid but I still give them a little. Have a great day as well!

Thanks BikerMutt!, I'm a big Ruger fan too! Gary, I use "velum" printing paper which I buy by the roll on Amazon. It's relatively cheap, 3' wide by as long as I want for larger projects and handiest for me, you can see through it. Being able to see through it is a big deal for how I make my patterns, which mostly involves having them folded on a "centerline". The process I used for making this pattern is almost a step by step of the one Al Stohlman provides in his book on how to make holsters. Granted, Al's book is outdated having come from the 60's (or whenever it was he made it), but the principles are the same. I'll also add that when I draw a pattern I mostly shade a huge area then erase what doesn't look like the line I want. I envy people who can draw smooth flowing lines in one try. I'm certainly not one of those people. Good luck with your pattern and holster! Josh

Thanks Alpha! and yes sir, that is light brown. Thanks Gary! and yes sir that is my own pattern.

Just finished up. 8/9 HO main body with a 5/6 HO reinforcement. Fiebings brown dye cut with alcohol, a little NF oil and M&G cut with water for a top finish. The edges got some black dye once they were pretty slicked up. Have a great day!