malabar

Folks, My normal gig is gunleather, but I have some ideas for purselike holsters for women I'd like to try out. I've been working with my usual stock of vegtan and upholstery leather, but it does not seem to have the right "body" for what I have in mind. The veg tan becomes too stiff and the upholstery leather is too limp. What I'm looking for is the kind of pebble-grained leather that Coach uses for their handbags, probably 6/7 oz. Does anyone know what it is or where I can find some? many thanks tk

what is this belt used for? tk

Actually I saw this with couple of holsters I made with horsehide from Springfield leather. I believe that the wax I used precipitated out of the leather and caused a kind of milky, waxy coating. It didn't happen with some of the holsters, and none of the unprocessed horsehide was affected. tk

John Bianchi made a great set of DVDs on making western holsters. You can find them online. http://gunvideo.com/pgroup_descrip//5426/?return=%3ftpl%3Dsearch%26search_val%3Dmaking Might find them for less on an auction site. tk

Sword collectors' shows are great for that kind of stuff. And he might try this site..... http://www.guntoartswords.com/ tk

Marcel, that's a lovely piece. the carving is tasteful and skillfully-executed, the design is good. The workmanship is first-rate. I'm sure your friend will be very happy with it. I assume your an experienced leatherworker? where are you located? Tell us a little more about it -- how long did it take to make, what kind of leather is it, how is it colored, any special problems making it? A couple of things you might look at for the next one. When you attach the buckle billets to the body of the holster, your stitch lines cut across the leather and your carving. Layout your design to avoid that next time. And it's a better technique to attach a buckle using a Chicago screw (also called a binder post). That way, it's easily replaceable if necessary. I like the look of the twin restraining straps on the holster. And there is nice attention to detail in the tooling. But it would be a cleaner look to use center-bar buckles instead of heel-bar buckles. Then you don't need the keepers. If I were doing a piece like this, I would have lined the belt and the holster. That's a huge investment of time when you're hand-stitching, and I've got a machine, so it's easy for me to offer that advice. But first-rate rigs are generally lined -- it increases the durability of the belt and makes is stiffer to give more support to the weight of the gun. And you've done fine work here, and it deserves that extra step. IMO. If the holster is not lined, try something like Aussie conditioner or Gum Tragacanth to smooth down the flesh side of the leather that will press against the gun. Bravo! tk

I started collecting edged weapons when I was a kid, so I know a little bit about this stuff... First, it's not a samurai sword or nihonto. It's a WWII military-issue sword or shin-gunto. I'm not an expert on these things, but $1,500 would be on the high end of shin-gunto worth. There have been isolated cases where family blades were mounted as gunto, but it is highly unlikely. Regardless, I would leave it alone. Nihonto are restored by experts. Gunto were machine made and generally not restored. The rule of thumb with these things is that the more original they are, the more valuable. Anything you do -- regardless of how well you do it -- will make it less valuable. Your friend should get the sword identified by type, and then search military collectors sites for a leather-covered scabbard in better condition. tk

Yeah, I didn't mean to sound critical. I don't like straps, but I can't think of another way of really securing it. tk

Lugers have to be one of the most challenging pistols to fit properly into a modern concealment holster. There's just not a lot of pistol to mold. You can't mold tight onto the barrel because of the towering front sight. And besides, it's round, so it doesn't give much grip anyway. The midsection is narrow, and it's very heavy at the back end. Canting the gun in the holster would certainly give a bigger cross section to grip, but I don;t know if it would help much. Glockinator: Is that a strap on yours? I suspect that's the pragmatic answer. Anyone else tackle a Luger or Ruger Mark pistol? tk

Amen on all counts. When I got my Class 4, I thought I would immediately start cranking out great stitch lines. But it didn't happen that way. So I got my wife, who is a skilled seamstress, and loves sewing machines, and told her to stitch the darn things. She didn't fare much better. Stitching heavy leather isn't much like other sewing. And practice makes perfect -- and I'm far from perfect. Back when I was doing a lot of woodworking, I used to go to trade shows. They would always have folks there doing demos with tablesaws and and bandsaws that were like magic. To make a long story short, these guys impressed on me that a huge amount of the magic involved knowing the machine inside and out, and having it tweaked until it ran like a Swiss watch. I think leather stitchers are the same. And that takes time (or a great mentor). tk

If you drop a stitch, you can cut the thread a few stitches before it and a few stitches after it, melt the ends of the threads, and then overstitch. I think casing before you stitch would cause a mess -- the presser foot would chew up the surface of the leather. Stitching close to the edge is easy with a little practice. Cut or press a line along the edge and SLOWLY stitch the groove. The trick is to keep tracking where the NEXT stitch will go. After a couple of dozen, things will start to move faster. tk

just beautiful! tk

Dremels are great tools. I used one of the old heavy-duty models so much that I actually wore out the bearings on it. But a Foredom flexible shaft tool is a far better choice for leatherwork. You get far better control over the tool, foot-pad control over speed, and the ability to use mounted points, burnishers and cutters with shanks all the way up to 1/4 inch. They are more expensive, but you can often find one used on Craig's list for about the price of a dremel. I got mine at a yard sale for $25. tk

Lovely work! Very Coachlike, indeed. What kind of leather is the cream-colored body, and where dd you find it? tk

I think that would be much preferable! tk

They also say that every animal has enough brains to tan its own hide. Ever try that? It's nasty..... tk

Interesting. I would have expected that to be a screw mount. Never seen a mount like that on a piece of brass before, but then, I don't work with historic hardware, either. I'd be interested in hearing the answer, too. tk

Stunning! Beautiful carving on a top-flight holster. The kit gun is a fine little gun and this makes a superb home for it. tk

A couple of thoughts...... You need to more fully enclose the trigger guard. That sort of angled cut across the top plate of leather generally doesn't serve very well. Take a look at the profiles on other similar holsters and you'll see what I mean. I understand you cut the back plate large because you think it will increase comfort, but it creates other issues. For one thing, it it interferes with getting a good grip on the gun. You actually have to work your thumb in between the leather and the gun, and that can be tough. For another, the leather back can press against the mag release and cause the mag to pop loose. That's why almost all designs like that have strategic cuts in the back. I would make the outer edges of the top plate match up with the outer edges of the back plate. Makes for a stronger design. Pick the holster up, and turn it upside down. If the gun falls out, you don't have enough retention. Is the back plate two pieces sandwiched together? That's a good idea on a holster of this type. You've clearly put a lot of thought and effort into the design. It looks a lot better than MY first holster did <g>. tk BTW: The use of clamps is clever. Besey makes some inexpensive, hand-sized ratcheting clamps that have a variety of uses in making holsters.

Nice workmanship! I like the pattern. On the next one, you might consider moving the retaining strap down flush against the guard of the knife. It prevents the knife from accidentally backing out of the sheath. Not very likely with a well-made sheath, but it can happen. tk

If you want a graphic logo, start by listing images that have a pertinent meaning to you or your business. If you come up with some visuals, I can photoshop them into an oval logo that's suitable for making a stamp. tk

I neither clip the prongs nor grind down the length of the t-nut. When setting my t-nuts, I use enough pressure to push the prongs up into the leather and make the base flush. That helps to ensure that the nut is firmly anchored in the leather and will not turn under torque. I punch the holes in the strap the same size as the holes for the t-nut. For IWBs, I use two t-nuts for each strap. The ends of the t-nuits become indexing pins for the straps and keep the straps from twisting under torque. tk

Very nice work! The slings really interest me. What is the function of the little loop on each one? tk

The photo's kind of small to make much out. Could you post it larger? tk

Beautiful work!. One thing you might think about for next time is using two tee-nuts t attach the straps. That prevents the straps from twisting and loosening up over time. tk