K-Man

With respect to your attachment design, there is one holstermaker out there who claims to have a "design trademark" for it. However, research by competent intellectual property attorneys, and even the folks at the Trademark office, can find no record of it. The maker has been asked to provide proof of a registration or serial number, but has failed to do so. If you would like to email or pm me, I can provide you with the name of the holstermaker and you can conduct your own research in that respect.

I personally would not attempt it. With the use of veg tanned leather, and the basic shaping, dyeing, and finish, I just don't see how the gun is even going to come close to fitting. IMO, the only way it would work is if you made the holster out of a soft, fabric-type, material. What gun are you trying to make the holster for?

Those belt slots looked longer than that (1 5/8") in the pics. I use 7oz on my OWB holsters. I use H.O. veg tanned, and they split it to the 7oz level, as well as putting the moss finish on the flesh side.

Okay, you said to be brutal with the advice. Overall, you did a good job. - Slots for the belt to slide through appear to be too long. You need for those to match up with the belt size, i.e., 1.5 belt goes through a 1.5" slot. That way you do not have any slop or play of the holster on the belt, and when you go to draw the gun. - Your stitch line below the trigger guard area is too far away. Over time that's going to allow the gun to move somewhat while in the holster. By moving that stitch line closer to the trigger guard, you'll move it away from the belt slot. - The cut of the holster itself along the top line, in the area of the trigger guard, comes up a tad too high. I suspect that if you stuck your hand around the grip, you'd find your fingers running into that edge. That does not feel good to the user and makes one shy away from attempting to get a firm grip. You don't want that to happen. - The metal reinforcement piece on the thumb break needs to go on the backside of the holster. Just line it up the same way you did on this one. That will also prevent the potential of your thumb being scraped/cut on the sharp edges of that metal piece. With respect to the thumb break, make sure the retention strap comes down somewhat snug over the back of the slide. In a couple of the pics, it looks like there's some amount of space in there. Based on the pics, it looks like I could pull the gun out of the holster, with the retention strap in place, without too much difficulty. - With respect to the moulding of the holster itself, I would suggest a little more definition. Take a look at the side of the gun you're moulding and try and match the lines and contours a little more closely. Don't be afraid to apply some pressure of the leather against the gun itself. It isn't necessarily going to break the gun or harm it. The amount of retention on the gun in the holster is based, in part, on how much leather is in actual contact with the gun. The more direct contact, the greater the retention. In addition, by adding the definition lines, you present a more professional appearance IMO. That doesn't mean you have to do every little detail necessarily. It honestly shows you know what gun you have in the holster and how the holster fits around the gun. The appearance you have shown here would make me wonder what gun the holster is for and whether or not it would fit properly. Hope this information helps.

Was not trying to imply in any way that you were infringing on another's design, patented or not. Simply stated that this was a popular design of holster and there were many variations of it in the marketplace. Here's our version of it:

The design Lobo has made is a popular design amongst the custom holster-makers, and there are many variations of it in the marketplace. Best of luck to you, Lobo, with yours.

Did you sew that by hand or with a machine? Didn't you sell your Artisan 3000?

I've had the BOSS, the Model 5 by Neel's Saddlery, and the Artisan 3000. I would say that all are pretty equal when it comes to the customer service support. All stand behind their products. The Model 5 will serve as an excellent start for a cylinder arm machine, and with the capabilities it provides in cost comparison. I used one for over 2 years. In one instance with that machine, we made some products for a young girl who garnered first place in the costume contest at the Star Wars convention held in Indianapolis a couple of years ago. So, yes, you can make top end stuff with a relatively inexpensive machine. I use Artisan 3000's now and am fully satisfied with them.

Those clips at Comp-Tac are priced for the pair, not individually. Ohio Travel Bag does not carry anything close to the design that Comp-Tac offers. They only carry the more traditional type clips. I don't recall if OTB offers any that provide for flexibility in the adjustment of the cant of the holster. Suggest you contact the manufacturers of the holsters where you've seen the clips you like and ask them where/how to acquire the clips. Some holster manufacturers make their own, while others obtain them from another source.

Rawhide and Timd1159: Thanks for the info/link. Those were what I was looking for and have worked great. Much appreciate your help.

You can refuse to believe all you wish to. I knew the person it happened to. He flirted with the issue, and got caught. There's nothing that says the organization has to issue a cease and desist letter/order. I've known of more than one organization that has gone straight to court on this type of issue.

Have a customer who's sent me some high end alligator skins and wants a number of items made. This includes wallets and clutch purses. Does anyone have suggestions on where to get these from? I do not want the ones sold by Leather Factory, Springfield Leather, Zack White's, etc. I wish to get ones that you see in the better quality wallets and clutch purses. Thanks for your help.

Curt: Like you, I'm a disabled vet (retired now). Send me a pm or email with your name/address and I'll send you what I have duplicates of with respect to stamping tools, magazines, and other patterns. What branch of service were you in?

Sorry, I missed responding to your question earlier. The screw is an 8/32 screw with a hex head, 1/2" long. There is a two-piece locking device that I designed that holds the attached belt-slide piece to the holster. It's adjustable in changing the cant. So you can actually utilize this one holster and wear it from the small of the back area around to a cross-draw, simply by making the adjustment with the cant/locking device.

Thanks for the kind words everyone - much appreciated. Rhome - the knife case/pouch is a zippered pouch. I've got another one here that's a bit larger and has black hippo on it. I like it the best. Here's a pic of a knife and sheath I made. The knife is made from 440c and has black ebony as the grip material, also has some engraving on it at the end of the handle. The sheath is made from H.O. leather and is covered with ostrich shin/leg. Ken - the photography has been done by a gentleman up in the Nashville, TN area. His skills are exceptional and I have always been pleased with the work he's done for me.

Here's a couple of pics of some recent work I've done. I made the holster, the belt, and the knife case. The holster is made from H.O. leather, trimmed with shark. The belt is a double layer of H.O. leather. The knife case/pouch is covered with stingray. I use an Artisan 3000 and 618-1SC to put these together. I used Angelus dyes, and do my burnishing with a custom slicker run at 3600 rpms. Here's a pic of a 2nd Amendment poster that one of my holsters has been put on. We also provided the grips on the gun. (No one else has been able to make wood grips for that particular gun.) It's a Rohrbaugh R9S. We've been on the cover of shooting/gun magazines before, but this is the first 2A poster we've been on. We're in the process of making our own copy of the poster print.

Paypal is good, except for those of us in the gun/shooting industry. Ebay owns Paypal and they're anti-gun, so there's a fairly large group of customers of ours who won't use them for that reason alone. We use National Processing Company out of Houston, TX. I've been with them for about 5/6 years now. Percentage is less than 2% + .25/transaction fee for Mastercard/VISA. Discover and American Express are up around 3%. Chargebacks are $15/each. Monthly fee is ~$11.00. There is a minimum monthly amount that you have to process, but it's really, really low if I remember correctly (~$25). They have the equipment you can either lease to own or purchase outright. Transactions are uploaded via landline; they do have cell phone capabilities, but there's an extra fee for that option and it's hit or miss on the cell tower location in relation to where you are.

I don't think there's anything wrong with asking for help and/or a pattern, provided it's not proprietary in some form. I got a bit irked not long ago by a person who asked for advice on a number of aspects of holster making. I don't have a problem sharing most of what I know or directing a person to a source to get their information. What this person did though was take that information I provided, made up a holster very similar to what I offer and offered it for 1/2 the cost I sell mine for. They sell it on a very popular gun forum. Kind of made me think I was cutting my own throat. My perspective now is that there are those out there who will do that, but there are a far greater number who don't. I've gotten help from everyone I've contacted here on LW, without hesitation. I've asked for patterns, and drawings, and critiques. And I appreciate everyone's help.

You definitely don't want to use a reostat on the slicker machine. I have another Ryobi that I use for buffing the leather with horsehair brushes. I use a reostat on that, otherwise I'd literally be taking the dye off completely, rather than buffing off the residue. When pressure is applied to the brush, it slows the rotation. You would get the same result in an attempt to slick an edge (and you'd be there all day) with a reostat on there. I know that the vast majority of craftsman say to use nothing other than a ~1750 rpm rotation. I'm just here to say that you can do it with a 3600 rpm, and get the results that as a professional you want to achieve.

You might visit here: http://www.get-up-and-go.com/upholstery-forum/index.php. There's a wealth of information there, and the general population readily offers suggestions and help.

UKRay: My burnisher (Ryobi grinder) runs at 3600 rpms. I utilize a custom Weaver #9 on one side and a custom slicker that looks nearly identical to the wood burnisher Weaver uses on their slicker/buffer machine. I use water initially and later follow up with beeswax/paraffin wax. These are the results I get: and I don't spend but a couple of minutes doing it.... IMO, it's just a matter of learning what your machine will do for you.

I've used both W&C and H.O. The W.C. does not have the same firmness as the H.O., unless you order it that way from W.C. IMO, you want that firmness if you're making holsters and such. I've ordered approximately $30k worth of leather direct from H.O. in the last 3 1/2 years. I've sent back less than $300 worth. I've had no problems cutting or molding it. I make holsters primarily, and related accessories. The W.C. does better for tooling than the H.O. IMO.

TwinOaks: Thanks for the comments. The basis for my comments come from my own experiences, and those include having made 5000+ holsters. The XD line of guns is the most popular semi-auto we make holsters for. If a person is not concerned about the tight, molded, fit that the vast majority of customers are desiring in a holster, then you can settle for using one gun fits all type of holster. When you're talking about concealed carry, and the carrying of a loaded gun, then the perspective changes - or it should. That being that you provide the customer with a holster designed to fit that particular gun - period. There's lots of folks out there who can slap the leather together and call it a holster. As I mentioned earlier, you cannot put a .45 into one of my holsters molded for a 9mm. I know you can't do that either for kydex holsters from Comp-Tac. In fact, they don't even use blue guns for their molding - they use a genuine gun in the process. Same thing for Blade-Tech, the last time I checked. Same thing for the top tier leather holster makers. From my perspective, it's called quality control. The vast majority of my customers are pretty gun/holster saavy and know how a gun should fit in the holster. If it doesn't, they send it back. If that happens too often, you probably will lose them, and everyone they can tell, as a customer. It's that kind of quality control that contributes to the difference in your being considered just another leathercrafter/holster maker and someone considered knowledgeable in the making of a holster. rickybobby: With respect to your original question - the Springfield XD line; 3", 4", 5" 1911's, the new Ruger LCP, Kel-Tec's guns are very popular. The j-frame revolver (2") is also a popular choice.

Never mind....

There is a difference in the overall size, to include the width/thickness, etc. Each holster maker has to decide for themselves how critical those differences are in the proper fit of the gun in their respective holster designs. I know in a leather and all kydex holster that is well-molded to a 9/40 XD, the .45 version will not fit in it. Some holster makers utilize the larger .45 frame to mold all the XD models. Eventually that XD9 is going to start moving around in the holster, sometimes in pretty short order. IMO, that's not what you want to have happen. Slop in a holster may eventually create a safety issue. Perhaps if one had the time, they could query some of the top tier holstermakers and see if they utilize the specific gun to mold the holster or if they do the one size fits all method....