malabar

You were too quick for me <e> the first pics were ginormous, so I resized them and reposted. tk

This is not the kind of hosletr that I typically do, but it wa for a buddy who just bought the mare's leg. I made the holster out of some horsehide I had that had a very nice marbled figure. Turned out pretty.

"Cowdex," I like that. I have a couple of clients who really like that stiffness. I get that consistency by wet-molding plain veg-tan and then dipping in vinegaroon. Most folks seem to prefer a less rigid holster, which I get by using drum-dyed Herman Oak. This stuff is softer still. Yeah, it's more comfortable, but I think it will be too soft for certain kinds of holsters. tk

Thanks for clarifying that. I'm assuming the the "regular," uncolored horse butts from Springfield are "hardrolled?" tk

The horsehide I normally use has a much stiffer feel to it, but it is still beautiful. I've got a huge holster for a mare's leg on my bench that has a body of marbeled horsehide. Gorgeous stuff, like curly maple. tk

Springfield Leather had advertised some drum-dyed strips of horsehide for belt-making, so I got a couple -- but they are utterly unlike the other horsehide strips I've used. They're not at all suitable for belts -- extremely soft and flexible, doesn't even smells like like horse, has that gentle leather smell like a good handbag. So as an experiment, I made an IWB holster out of a piece for one of my SIGs. Not sure how well this holster will stand up, so I'm just going to have to try it out for a while. But everyone who sees it, rubs the leather and says "oooooh!" Not only is it pretty, it has a feel unlike any holster I've handled before. So does anyone have any experience with this stuff? Is this what they call "soft-rolled" horsehide? Anyone have experience making holsters from it? tk

Quite right. No cutting tool works unless it's properly sharpened, and the weaver tool works well for the round edgers. I've got tandy and osborne and they both work just fine when properly sharpened. tk

First things first: Your stitching and fitting look good, and it sounds like you've got a good procedure down. Nice workmanship, and I like the like the idea of using the snaps to mount it. Two things I would work on: First I would make them a little deeper, to grab more of the mag (look at the length of the ones shown in Shooter's photo). Second, you've got an issue in the lower left corner where the leather bulges and you lost the stitch line. That "toe" forms whenever you have a stitched corner in a fold-over design. The solution is to cut the round further up the left side and then stitch all the way up the cut. tk

5/8" for everything. tk

It probably would. BUT...... That's wider than the strapping I typically use. And the wider it is, the wider the leather reinforcement strap has to be, and the harder it is to bend. And it makes it harder to use for smaller holsters. tk

That's what I use. tk

Metal throat reinforcements must be glued to the leather reinforcement strip when it is flat (before the metal is bent). The assembly is then glued and stitched to the main body of the holster and it is sewn together flat. Once the inner and outer pieces are sewn to the reinforcement strap, the reinforcement strip is then bent into shape, and the holster is stitched into shape. tk

Very nicely done. Good edges, clean stitching. The buckle appears to have some texture to it -- but that could be the photo. You would probably get more feedback posting in the holster forum. Where did you get the sharkskin? tk

If you guys are using these enough to contemplate buying them in boxes of 100, I would strongly suggest that you search out your local wholesale bolt supplier. Mine order them for me at $47 per 1,000 -- that's 4.7 cent apiece, instead of the 40-50 cents apiece at my local hardware store. Same thing with the pan head #6 crews I use. At the local hardware store, they are 45 cents each in black phosphate. From the bolt supplier, they are 10 cents each -- in stainless. tk

Thanks for the advice. You're probably right -- it's too heavy. In my prototypes I've used 4-5, and that seems about right for this project. It's a belt-mounted pouch for a small handgun, so it needs a little more body than a regular purse, but I want the look of a high-end purse. The problem with what I've been using is that it doesn't have the look or feel I want. tk

That's good intelligence. THANKS Art! I'll talk to them. tk

Anyone have any thoughts? I've found this stuff... https://hidehouse.com/products/index.html?Category=HBAG&Product_ID=221 At $175 a hide, it's not cheap. And it doesn't tell me whether it's veg tan or chrome tan, etc. Maybe better question is, what would YOU use to make a high-quality, pebble-grain handbag? many thanks tk

I've found the finishing process to be the most challenging part of leatherwork. I've tried dipping, airbrushing and brushing with varying results. I've started using drum-dyed leather for my black holsters. First, start with good quality leather that has an even consistency, so that it absorbs the dye evenly. Dye the leather at the start of the process. Airbrushing gives great results, but the leather is only coated on the surface, so it scratches easily. A light coat of neatsfoot oil helps make for more even absorbency, but can change the color. I dip when possible, and use foam brushes when it's not possible. I use Fiebings alcohol-based dyes, and cut them 50% with denatured alcohol. Building up in light coats enables me to blend the dye strokes more evenly. The cotton-wrapped-in-fabric dauber is an old woodworker's technique. Never tried it on leather, but I mean to. tk

BTW: In my first post, when I referred to "Lift-the-Dot" snaps, I was referring to YKK's directional snaps, and not the genuine Lift-the-Dot devices. My error, sorry for the confusion. tk

I can't find Pull-the-Dots for anything like that price. When I last ordered them from Scovil, I paid $12.80 for 100 studs, 22.30 for 100 sockets, and 31.75 for 100 caps -- but they were the black caps, and they are more expensive. That's more like $66 per 100. And you still need the tee-nuts to mount them. tk

Pull-the-dots are the originals and are more widely available to folks in small batches. I've noticed that a lot of the major manufacturers use Lift-the-Dots, I assume because of pricing. I've used Pull-the-Dots, ordered them both from Springfield and direct from Dot Fasteners. You can sometimes get a better deal ordering from a reseller, rather than direct from the manufacturer. But most resellers don't stock the black ones. tk

That is gorgeous work. Thanks for sharing your techniques. I can see how sewing would not be a good option for that material and I'm not sure how else you could make that kind of belt. But I'd worry about how well it would stand up to the rigors of use as a gunbelt. Is this the first one you've made this way or do you have others in the field like this? I think it's both smart and ethical to discuss those issues with the customer as you did. tk

One of the things that is nice about the Lee Valley sander is that the belt doesn't have a guard on it, so you can use the top roller for sanding the edge of a holster. That keeps the little flap from forming. But for belts I find it better to use the table and let the belt sand across the edge. They make a leather belt for it that's great for honing utility knives. They cut much better with a quick touch up. I use the drums for sanding into tight arcs. tk

I have drums that can be mounted in a drill press or my foredom. But I do most of my edge sanding on this..... http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=44884&cat=1,43072 tk

I've seen something like this on some horsehide holsters O made. Did not occur with the unused horsehide, only with a couple of the holsters that had been waxed. I believe it was the wax precipitating on the surface of te leather, but I don't know why it happened. tk