BigK

Thanks for taking time to look. It probably wouldn't be hard to dye your thread with the same color as you dye your leather. I wonder how well thread holds/keeps dye compared to leather. Maybe someone more experienced will jump in and answer that. To be honest, I haven't tried. For my personal taste, I like the contrast of a white or black thread on a brownish leather item.

that is amazing...how long does it take you to complete one (start to finish)?

Very nice, indeed! The leather looks really supple and textured. What did you use to finish it? The welt is VERY clean. Mine was not, which is why I chose to hide it with lacing.

Nooj, I love this style of holster and yours looks great. I've been wanting to make one for my Ruger SP101 for months, but getting the shape right is slowing me down. If you don't mind me asking, I'd appreciate hearing more about how you got the shape right. The initial piece of leather looks nothing like a holster until you get it folded. I can only imagine that it must take quite a few trials and errors to get the shape right or did you find a template somewhere (if so, where?).

Thanks guys. I wish I had more time to do leather work. I envy folks who do it for a living or for side income. They develop skills/talent much faster than I can hope for. I barely have enough time to spare to claim it as a hobby. This is only my 5th or 6th "project" so far, so by the time I get around to the next project, I find myself nearly re-learning half of what I knew.

Tat2, I am sorry I managed to miss your response somehow. I guess I quit checking or them after a few days. Anyway, thanks for the feedback. I got a little lazy on the edges on this piece, especially that particular flap. I had skived it down a little to help it bend over the top of the blade. That made it too flexible to do a good job on the edges, since I don't have a sander or grinder or whatever. I couldn't hold it still well enough to use sandpaper, plus it was too gritty to smooth it any way. Excuses aside, I'm not real good at dressing edges. I've tried the plastic burnishing tool from Tandy and I must be using it wrong. I keep bending the leather instead of compressing the edges. I want a drill press and to make one from wood, like I've seen in some videos.

Thanks Ray, I never did make another. This one is working out pretty good despite being a little sloppy. The thing I like the most is being able to push the lighter up from either corner instead of a cutout in the middle (which, btw, is harder to sew). Worse yet is the ones w/ closed bottoms, since you're pulling it out by the lid each time. That's gotta do some wear and tear to the hinges. Anyway, thanks for taking time to look and for your kind words.

I decided to try making a belt pouch/case to hold my zippo. I put this one together this evening (3 hours including drying) just to see how I like the design, so forgive the sloppiness of the edges and all. I was just going for a proof of concept initially. That's why I used soft leather for the front piece, so I wouldn't have to case and form it for this prototype. In case you're wondering, I used medium cap rivets and glue to secure the bottom strap against the inside back after skiving it down to allow the lighter to slip in/out. I used the same to secure the top strap to the outside back under the over-folded belt loop. Despite trying my new embossing wheel I got for my overstitch wheel, I was kind of rushing myself. I'm thinking of making another in black using the same pattern and more time/effort. Before I do, I'd like to know what some of you think of the design, so I took some pics of multiple angles. Any suggestions to improve the function, shape, and/or would be appreciated. Also, how in the heck do you dress/burnish the edges on curves like the front piece has and what do you do when the leather is too soft to work the edges?

Darn fine craftsmanship, I'm jealous.

My father-in-law brought me his raggedy old hatchet with gouges all up the sides and knicks in the blade. He asked me to make him a leather cover for it, so it wouldn't get banged up in the tool box of his truck. Needless to say, I bit my tongue and said sure. I cleaned it up with a brash brush and some WD-40, smoothed out the gouges, and polished it with my Dremel until it shined like new. Then I reprofiled the edge to get the knicks out of the blade and sharpened it real good for him. I mean why bother putting lipstick on a pig, right? I'm not crazy about the snaps on the back and bottom, but he didn't want the kind you slide the handle through and I don't like the kind that only cover the blade instead of the whole head. So, this is what he got... He liked it and practically accused me of buying him a new hatchet, since he couldn't believe it was the same one he dropped off. It's always good to keep the in-laws happy.

Thanks y'all. I'm having trouble keeping the large surface areas from getting marks in the leather. Seems like no matter how careful I am, b/w the time I dye them and the time I finish assembling a piece I manage to get scuffs, lines, or scratches. Am I just being careless or is there a trick to this?

A friend showed me some pics of his girlfriend's cigarette case to see if I could repair it. They cannot find a replacement that fits 100's only regulars. I thought it would be easier to make another than to take this one apart. She wanted an untooled replica, which is good, since I haven't gotten into stamping/carving/tooling yet. It was a good opportunity to try my hand at airbrushing the dye. Here's what I made her: I sewed a "tube" to hold the lighter and riveted it to the side of the case. I also riveted the flap holder too. This is also my first try at sewing a mitred edge. That was tough! Anyway, I'd love some opinions, criticisms, and suggestions. I'll try to post some more angles this evening.

There are things about this one I like better and things about the older/cheaper one I like better. The old style has the cutter on the arm, which is bad and it has no optional attachments (that I know of). The new one has a better cutter and comes with a creaser you can use instead to leave nice lines w/out removing leather. The bad thing about the new one is the curvature of the guide arm. It doesn't ride perfectly straight along the edge of the leather. In fact, when working with 7 oz leather or thinner, I've had it skip up onto the leather, ruining the whole piece of leather. At least with the old one, the barrell that you use as a guide was perfectly straight/perpendicular. It rode better along the edge of thinner leather, IMHO.

Thanks for the kind words about the forming and all. Like I said, this is my first try at forming. It wasn't as bad as I thought. I used someone's suggestion about a chapstick tube and a sharpie as forming tools, since I don't have a bone creaser. I didn't even notice that I made the darn thing backwards until you mentioned it Lobo. Good catch, BTW. The worst part is that I know better too. I just laid the mag down backwards when I formed it and didn't think about it. I won't make that mistake next time, thanks for pointing it out. 'Too short for IWB' is a HUGE understatement. I tried it on yesterday and it won't even stay put long enough to even try sitting down. In fact, with the snaps fastened around my belt there's only 1.5" to 2" of mag behind the belt. Good catch guys. As much as I hate the wasted time put into this piece, I learned some valueable lessons and about forming, edge burnishing, the importance of thinking more about design, and that I can make straight stitches if I slow down and try hard (even though I don't have a stitching pony or a machine ).

I carried it in my front pocket enough to be sure it rides okay and stays in when I pull the mag. It's not awful, but the shape could be a lot better, though. I'll test it IWB this weekend to see if it holds up as an IWB pouch. Having some issues to look for will help me be more critical and realistic, thanks guys. I suspect it will try to roll over the top of my belt and pop out when I sit down. I think several of the issues you guys noticed are a result of me trying to make a dual-puorpose pouch. It can't really be long enough to ride low and still fit in my pocket and it can't have the optimal shape for pocket carry and still work right as an IWB. Even if it works okay, I'm gonna make another IWB mag pouch next and follow your advice. BTW...can you both elaborate on how I get back to back snaps at the same attachment point (what holds them together) and how the t-nut suggestion would work?

Katass, I found this VERY interesting. I guess I never thought about what fumbling to reholster says to the GP about your overall proficiency. Good read, too.

I wanted a magazine pouch similar to the PMC by Pocket Concealment Systems. I also wanted an IWB magazine pouch, but don't like to put a metal belt clip on something so narrow/tall. So, I compromised and came up with one that will do both. Before this, I made a couple of belt keepers for keys, a bracelet for my son, an overly simple belt pouch straight out of a Stohlman book, and a couple of speedloader pouches. I'm still very new to leather work, but find it very satisfying and fun. This is my first attempt at forming leather. I'd sincerely appreciate a critical eye and some suggestions/critique. Don't spare the rod, I have tough skin and am eager to improve. My eye notices the mars on the surface the most and the fact that the straps were made from scraps and need to be replaced. What do you see? IWB/Pocket mag pouch Side of IWB/pocket mag pouch removeable belts straps by Kevin Durham, on Flickr

I just finished a Versa-Max style IWB magazine pouch with removable straps for optionally carrying in the pocket instead, I wish I could say the process is transferable for your needs, but it's not. If I ever have to pull this mag out of concealment, I'll be 15 rounds into trouble and couldn't care less about the mouth closing up on me. I gotta hand it to Milt Sparks, though. It's a great idea for a holster. Good luck and please post whatever you come up with...sounds challenging.

I wish someone had a magic pill for your specific situation, but there doesn't seem to be a good cure for what ails you. IWB almost demands a belt for anchoring the clip or attaching straps with line snaps. Pocket carry requies looser fitting pants than I've seen most women rockin nowadays. Front or rear pocket carry will aslo require a long enough shirt to cover the bulge, which is tough in warm weather. Don't even bother trying an ankle holster, they'll get ya killed (trying to unholster in a hurry is tough AND it can hang on brake/clutch pedals when driving or make you trip and fall). Marine MP seems to be onto something with the belly band. I haven't tried it, but an LCR is light enough and I hear they are cofy. I hate to recommend it, but off-body carry is also an option. Putting your revolver in a fanny pack is best, since purses are the first thing snatched. Whatever you choose, I'm glad you're packin' and hope you find something you like. Rethinking that belt gives you the most option, but I'm sure you already realize that.

Here's a some pics of my "prototype" model. I'll dye it British Tan, this weekend.

Gregg, This is "Think About It" from TGO. I have a pretty good one and some pics of it, but I'm not where I can upload them. I'm gonna shoot you an email for now and come back and upload them later. I hope that's okay.