wizard of tragacanth

I had some kind of problem making this post. The text for this pic is in the next post.

I don't know if I am really helping here but fraying is an unavoidable part of the process. I have used twisted linen thread more than synthetics and I don't know if this applies to braided thread. Anyway, I find it is best when it is moderately to heavily waxed. This keeps the fibers together better and makes it slide through the leather with less damage. Additionally, it is highly advisable to stretch the thread before sewing. Again, this is for twisted linen. My favored way to do this is to hold the waxed thread, one end in each hand, loop the thread over a door knob, keep firm tension on the thread and "saw" back and forth from one end to the other. Does that make sense? Optionally, you can hold one end and run it through your finger tips of the other hand, squeezing and pulling but this can make a twisted thread, bunch up. I sometimes have to use jeweler's pliers to pull the needle through the leather. nick

Jason, thanks for posting that. Looks good. I think rough-out is especially good for a pocket holster, for obvious reasons. I also like the full coverage. That button-tab that you put on it is a cool design element that makes your holster stand out from others. When I made my pocket holster, due to habit, I cut the leather for grain side out. Since it was a slightly asymmetrical pattern, I had to leave it that way. Jeez! Oh well, next time... maybe. nick .

Beautious! Well executed. Must have been a challenge to get through all of those layers. How did you make the holes?

Jason... please do post a pic of the etsy holster. Would love to see it.

Hilarious... and kinda creepy! nick

Looks good Yin. I love the tooling, though I know nothing about tooling... never done it. There is something glaringly missing though... your maker's mark! Try to get that on V3, okay? nick

Jason, that is a real nice looking holster. Hope I'm not repeating myself but the P365 is not too big nor too heavy to pocket carry. However, I guess that depends on the person's build and type of pants that they wear. I made a pocket holster for my P365. The gun and holster fit nicely in the pocket of my Lee jeans (regular fit). I am 5'10" and 180 lbs. It rode comfortably, even when sitting and driving, and it was nearly invisible. I didn't need to worry about printing though because I always wear long, un-tucked shirts. The only problem was... I could not draw from it. The opening of the pocket was too small and made it into a monkey trap. If I had a full firing grip on the pistol, I couldn't pull the gun out. It doesn't work too well drawing with just a thumb and index finger! Carried for 5 years IWB, now 10 years OWB. Thought that I would try pocket carry but looks like I am staying with OWB... unless I buy a different style of jeans. nick

Is the stamp plastic or metal? If it was metal, did you heat it up first? nick

Here is an example of burnishing both before and after assembly. The tan reinforcement had to be burnished on the bottom edge before assembly and had to be sanded and burnished on the top edge after assembly.

Oh yeah... looking much better here. Yes, I said sanding block but of course, a spindle sander performs the same function. I use either one, at different times. The steps for each process can vary depending on several things. Sometimes you will have an edge that is impossible or difficult to burnish if the holster were already assembled. In that case, you have to burnish it before assembly. Any edges that meet should be sanded after the holster is assembled and then burnished together. You said that there is a gap in the leather but I cannot see it in the pic, so I cannot comment on it. Did you use an edge beveler (aka edger, aka beveler) before sanding and burnishing? At the top left of the pic, where the leather goes over the sights, it looks like there is a "burr" there, like when sharpening a knife. Beveling knocks off the corners of the leather so that this doesn't happen. So, edge first, then sand, then burnish. Where edges meet, you will only edge the grain side because the flesh side needs to be flat, to make it look like one piece after burnishing. When sanding two-ply edges, make sure to get all of the glue off or it will spoil the look. It appears that your inside stitch line could/should be closer to the gun, as close as you can get it. After a while, the glue will release and the fit will become sloppy. The glue is really mostly to hold the holster together while it is being stitched and to make the edges a solid unit. The stitching is to keep the gun in position where it should be. You are really doing well... keep it up! nick

This is a very good point that no one had mentioned. For hand stitching, you want to buy waxed thread or wax your own. nick

Hey... that looks much better! I'm nit-picking now but in this pic, the curved edge of the holster, going around the stitching, looks a bit uneven. It's not a smooth curve. You could still fix that. Use a sanding block to smooth it out. Try something in the range of 120 - 150 - 220 grit It won't take much at all, just a few sweeping strokes. You will have to re-dye the area, probably. Use a q-tip. I can't see the edges of the holster but it looks like they may not be burnished. Burnishing is not necessary but it does add a professional touch. Search this site for "burnishing the edges of a holster" for details. Did you put a finish on this holster, or just buff it? nick

Oh... I like that knife. The knife and sheath make a good combo... kinda primitive/barbarian looking. I like that. I'm glad you showed the knife! I really, really like it. nick

So, you need a snap with a longer post that will pass through thicker stock? What are you using now? Are they Line 24 snaps? Tandy Line 24 snaps have a 5/16" post. Is that enough? https://www.tandyleather.com/en/search/?sSearch=line 24 snaps nick

Did you vigorously buff the leather after dyeing to get all of the residue off? That could be a problem if you didn't. For the next iteration, instead of using two pieces of leather, use one long piece and fold it under the knife, then mold and stitch it exactly as you have done here, then trim off the excess. Haven't done this myself but it seems like it would work. nick

Are there two sides on this holster? Just kidding! It looks okay for a first effort... way better than mine did. I wouldn't even show my first one. It would look better with the tape off of the gun and maybe a nice background. Since I mentioned backgrounds, I wonder how others feel about the backgrounds for pics. I like both workbench photos, with tools around and I like more "set-up" type, with a nice surface of some type (more like a catalog pic). nick

Looks good but we have a tradition here. We like to see both sides of the project in order to really see what is going on, and we like one pic with the knife out, beside the sheath, because we like knives! Also, it doesn't hurt to give the specs on your project... weight of the leather, color used, finish, etc. Not at all necessary, but it is appreciated, I think. I appreciate it, maybe others do too. nick

This could be relevant to your purchase if you hand sew. #346 sounds like machine thread, which I know nothing about. I believe that most, if not all machine thread is left-twist. I also believe that if you sew right-handed with a left-twist thread, it has a tendency to "unravel" as you sew. I could be totally wrong about this. Some one will straighten me out on this, I hope... nick

Well, here are my thoughts on that... The good news is that the color is Black, so you can get away with things that you may not on lighter colors, but don't dunk the whole thing in a tub of water. Is there any Resolene on the flesh side? I hope not. If there is no Resolene on the flesh side, you can use a sponge to dampen it. It doesn't have to be crazy wet. If the color is affected on the grain side, you should be able to dye over it without a problem. In the future, top-coats should be the last step in your process. I'm sure that other people will chime-in with their advice. Welcome to the forum. You can learn a lot here. Have fun. nick

Tandy advises to use water for dilution. https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/eco-flo-waterstain nick

Frodo, you are not weird at all... you are imaginative and creative. That is a nice effect and I think that it fits your style, quite well, actually. nick

The Harbor Freight Arbor Press is rated at 1-ton and may work with a cheater-bar. The A-frame shop press definitely has the power but I just don't know how you would modulate the pressure. With no feedback, you can't know when to stop. It would work for cutting dies of course. For stamping, maybe you could rig up a dial gauge that would tell you when the press has been moved half a millimeter? I don't know. I like Matt's solution of the heated press, however, it sounds pricey. The Tandy version is $500 but I'm sure there are cheaper ones out there. nick

Many of us own a version of that one, obtained from Harbor Freight. I use it for my 1" maker's mark. Don't know how well it would work for a 3" stamp. It may work but you would have to make sure that your leather is well cased and you would have to really lean into the press with all of your weight... I'm guessing. You may need to go with something more beastly, like a 6-ton shop press. The problem with the shop press is that you have no feel for how hard you are stamping. The shop press is only about $20 more than the arbor press. HF has frequent sales, so if you are not in a hurry, keep an eye out. Oh, and If you are on their email or snail-mail mailing list, I think that every month they will give you a coupon for 20% off of any one item. https://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-a-frame-bench-shop-press-1666.html nick

I like it! Years ago, a guy on this forum, made a holster with sort of a "granite" looking texture to it. I really liked it. He had pressed the leather into a sidewalk IIRC. Tried it myself, but I couldn't get the same look. Didn't have the right type of sidewalk, I guess. One time, I embossed some leather using a piece of canvas, to give it the look of fabric. My technique wasn't perfect but it worked to some degree. I will be trying this technique again. nick