malabar

Lobo, If good information from a longtime professional in the business is "annoying," then I hope you go right on annoying us. <g> 90% of my holsters are made from dummy guns, but there's no doubt in my mind that the best bet is to work from the real thing. But there are too many fracking guns out there in too many variations. Part of being a professional is knowing guns well enough that you know what you need to produce a particular holster. This becomes more and more of a challenge as the market continues to expand. We can make holsters for about 80 different models. That sounds pretty good, but it doesn't begin to cover the market, which is about 500 handguns. The photo below shows a holster for a x-frame I made for an out-of-area client. The only x-frame I could borrow had a longer barrel, so you can see the barrel sticking our of the holster. But it worked fine and the customer was very happy. tk

Red, thanks for the guidance, it's much appreciated. You do beautiful work! tk

AAAARRRRGGHHH! I've already got five XD blue guns, and the only one I ever need is the XD/s. The new XD/2 models have slimmer, redesigned slides and different grips, which mean they won't fit in holsters for the older models. curse them! tk

I understand that you love doing this -- and it shows in the beautiful detail. But most folks would sell a plain, unadorned holster like that for about $150. I would think you'd need to sell a beautifully carved holster like that for $300 or so, for it to be profitable. I realize that's not where you're coming from, at least, not yet. tk

Done. I'm sure that will give me a good start thanks tk

Red, many thanks. just what the doctor ordered. It's got all the requirements listed. Ever made any of these? Love to see your designs and hear your advice. tk

That's an interesting question. There are competing ideas. Generally speaking, you see two different styles -- wider, thinner straps, or narrower, somewhat thicker straps. I use the narrower straps because I find it easier to make them adjustable. But I'm certainly not saying that's the best way to go. tk

That's just lovely work. I'm curious: What do you charge for that kind of decoration? tk

One of the guys from my local gun club has commissioned me to make him a cowboy fast-draw style holster. Of course, I've NEVER made one of these before. Any advice from the experienced? How much negative cant should I build into it? What material should I use for the shield? Love to see some photos of those y'all have made. tk

A couple of radical thoughts.... There's two types of "molding"-- functional and decorative. Most of the molding you see in modern holsters from the big companies is more decorative than functional. In other words, it contributes little or nothing to retention. I've heard various experts opine that "most of the the retention" comes from the ejector port or the dimple in the trigger guard. In my opinion, if that's true, then you're not making the rest of the holster properly. But it's also true that retention is the affected by different features on different type of holsters. A pancake holster exerts grip on a pistol differently than an Avenger-style holster, which is different still than an Summer-Special style holster. But I've not seen any well-designed holster in which the ejection port was a key to proper retention. If you do depend on the ejection port, then you will lose your retention as the leather wears. From my perspective, I typically do mold-in the ejection port lightly, but only for decorative purposes. tk

On more modern designs, you adjust the angle of carry by adjusting the lengths of the front and back straps. Modern shoulder holsters typically have pivots that hook to the straps, so that it can hang freely regardless of the length of the straps.

I'm not a big shoulder holster maker, but I do them now and again. Stohlman's design is a little dated. It would benefit from the use of modern hardware, a thumb break, a counterbalancing mag pouch, greater adjustability and belt stabilizing straps. The design I developed borrows heavily from many others, but my clients seem to like it. tk

Not innovative, but pretty. From the knifemaker's website. Quick disconnect, horizontal pouch in horsehide and croc.

Billy, Your workmanship is exquisite! Do you mind my asking how you charge for such work? Is it based on an hourly figure? One thought: It's no longer considered a good idea to leave the trigger exposed on a carry holster for a revolver. tk

Nice workmanship! tk

Eaglestroker, Cool concept. Always thought the belt was a great place to hide a knife, but haven't seen it executed well. Glad y'all are working on a new innovation. I have a client who is crazy about these belt buckle knives. The B&W photo is below. The problem is that they're not high quality. I've made some nice leather belts for them and adapted the sheath-in-the-belt idea. They're pretty, but not good knives.

Nice results. You must have good technique. tk

One of the knifemakers we do some work for gave me the little knife shown below and asked us to come up with something unusual for it. This is a small knife -- palm sized - -and he wanted a horizontal sheath for it. What we came up with is a design that locks the blade into the sheath without use of a strap. The circle of leather at the mouth of the sheath locks into the cutout on the handle and holds it securely. To release the blade, just press the circle with your index finger and slide it out. Don't think I've ever seen one like this before. tk

Very nice. Nice sheath and nice knife. tk I like how well it is matched to the holster. Traditional elements blended with modern. tk Red, Lovely workmanship, as usual. But it IS unusual. Would you tell us a little more about it? tk

Jack, that IS interesting. Never seen anyone try that before. Thanks for sharing.

Sam Andrews is a master of the craft, but this issue with chrome-tanned suede is widely known. Don't know what Andrews is using for his "suede."

I've never been satisfied with the results I've gotten from any of those techniques (you may have better technique than I do), that's why I prefer drum-dyed leather. When I need a custom color, I'll spray it. I've gotten some OK results by first applying an even coat of neatsfoot oil, then applying Angelus leather finish over top. But you have to do that on the leather pieces before you put them together. tk

Rory, very nice! Clean lines, good workmanship. Dwight, I like your improved design. Gook thinking. tk

The leatherwork is very nice. I'm sure he's pleased with it. A couple of thoughts on design.... -- Can't tell from the photos, but this is a welted design, correct? Have to have a welt for the edge to ride against in that style of sheath. -- I'm doubtful that the metal clip will be an adequate means of attaching it. I can forsee it popping off in certain situations. The only time you'll commonly see metal clips used for attaching knife sheaths are for boot knives, where the knife is lightweight, and there's little chance of anything knocking it loose. I'm also a bug fan of quick detachable gear, but a better approach would be a flap of leather with a couple of one-way security snaps on it. Those clips can also scar up leather belts. -- You'll find that the security strap works better if you move it down on the handle toward the cutout that forms the finger guard. That will lock the machete more securely in place. -- Also, be wary using snaps and rivets in leatherwork for guns and knives. The metal from the snap or rivet should never touch the metal from the gun or knife. It's not just about scratching -- if it gets wet, it can electrolytically etch the blade over time. -- Lastly, when you set rivets, make sure they are as flush as possible to the surface of the leather. If they stick out at an angle, they can scar up the leather belt. tk

There was a fellow posting on here some time back about the high-end alligator belts he was making (or was it croc?). For the prices he was charging, he didn't want to stitch because he thought it looked inelegant. So he took a lot of time to thoroughly bond the gator to the liner with leather cement. Said it worked just fine. BUT... a holster is exposed to a completely different set of pressures. Moving the gun in and out forces the layers apart. You don't have that kind of pressure with a belt. tk