Matt Alsaker

The only leather I have ever used is natural strap veg tanned. I have a belt my wife bought me about 15 years ago that I would like to make a new one of. I'm not not sure how it happened, but I've made it to the last notch on the belt. I don't know what type of leathers are appropriate for making a belt. I know it's hard to tell from the photo what type of leather the existing belt is, but does anyone have a guess? It does not feel or look like veg tanned. What type of leathers are appropriate for making belts? Thanks for your feedback.

I'm not good at it, but I prefer the antiqued look. The belt looks really nice as is though.

I applied antique paste again and then went to seal with 50/50 Resolene. It lifted again. I know you do a lot of work with an airbrush, is that how you are applying the Resolene? I don't have the ability to spray, so I apply the sealer with a sponge or dauber. On the other leather pieces I have antiqued, after the antique paste I used tan coat or bag coat (let it dry) and then neat lac both applied with scrap pieces of sheep shearling. I haven't seen any holster makers recommend this, that procedure was from a saddle maker. I don't have enough scrap sheep shearling laying around to keep using it every time I antique something. Thanks for your help with this. I'll have to keep playing around with it.

Well...here's the attempt at antiquing the holster. Most of the antique lifted, so it didn't really work out.

I've only antiqued a few items, never a holster. I'm wondering at what point in the antiquing process I should fold the flat leather around the firearm to make the body of the holster? I have my template cut and carved the design. The antiquing process I've used before is: oil, neat lac, antique, tan coat or bag coat, and two more coats of neat lac. I've only ever done this on leather that I intended on keeping flat, not folding it around a firearm. Should I complete then entire process before folding the leather around the firearm or is there a better time in the finishing process to fold the leather? I've also only ever finished holsters with Resolene (50/50 with water). Is the process mentioned earlier enough to seal the holster, do I put Resolene over the previous process, or is there another way I should be doing it? I've got the template cut and the design tooled, then I got nervous and figured I'd better ask before I destroy the entire thing.

LOL...I could barely figure out stitching this thing one time around, but I completely agree it would look better if it was uniform. The design / construction method was taken from the 1911 Anniversary Pack that Will Ghormley put out. I think it was called the "Hugger" style. I made several modifications to the back plate, the most obvious was the elimination of one of the two front belt slots. The holster was also modified to accommodate a Glock 17. It seems like I'm making a few of these each month for people I work with. I'll take some photo's of the process for the next one I make.

A friend of mine from work asked me to try sewing on this pattern, instead of the traditional tooling. My lines got a little funny in spots and the thread got a little thick where I had to double the thread ends over themselves.

Eric...thanks for the informative posts. Abram...I've only recently started trying to make a magazine pouch also. For me, Glock magazines are some of the toughest because of how thick they are. I haven't been able to get a double magazine pouch figure out, but am pretty happy with the single pouch pictured below. I set the snap for on the back while the leather is flat, fold the leather over, stitch from the top of the curve (on the bottom) to the top opening, then heavily case the leather, force the magazine into the case, fold the belt loop flap to the back, let it dry, then do all the finishing work. I stitch straight lines (don't have to worry about angles for the stitch lines). Eric's quality is much higher than the stuff I put together. I'm more of a rough carpenter, he does the high end finish work.

I'm trying to make a single magazine pouch for my Glock 17. I'd like to put a snap on the back for the belt loop, so I can take it on and off with the belt in place. I tried two different methods, see attached photos. On the first method I tried stitching two pieces of leather together, wetting the leather, then forced a magazine between them, and then tried to mold around the magazine. I could not get the magazine all the way to the bottom - I should have realized that would happen ahead of time. I also don't want the tabs off on the slide, I want something slimmer. So I tried a second method, molding a piece of cased leather over the magazine, then stitching a piece to the back. I like how it turned out better, but am looking for thought son getting a belt loop on the back and for making the pouch look more professional. The slim pouch in the photos has no finish on it. Any other thoughts on making a magazine pouch would be appreciated.

I recently started using denatured alcohol to change the ratio, but since I'm new at it take this with a grain of salt. I used Fiebing's medium brown and tan. I started with a 4:1. That worked perfect for the tan, but was still very dark for what I wanted with the medium brown. I took the medium brown to 8:1. It was a big improvement, I'll probably try a 10:1 down the road. One of the other issues I had was the leather. When I started testing to see where my color was at, I used some scrap leather from Tandy. When I went to make the holster, I used Hermann Oak. Put the test piece and the holster side by side, the color was very different. I'm starting to even keep the small pieces of Hermann Oak scrap around to test one. Good luck, let me know what you settle on.

I recently stopped using leather from Tandy and ordered a couple sides of Hermann Oak "B grade" from Springfield Leather. I've been poking around on Hermann Oaks and Wickett & Craigs sight. I don't need and can't afford to buy 10 plus sides at a time directly from Hermann Oak, but might try a couple sides from Wickett & Craig. When looking at options...what does moss / pasted flesh mean and is it worth paying extra for? What does sanded / buff flesh mean and is that worth paying for? I'm guessing what I ordered from Springfield Leather had none of these things done and I had no issues with the flesh side. I generally make holsters, knife sheaths, and wallets. I also noticed on Hermann Oaks website that they offer Tooling & Carving, Strap, and Holster leather. I assumed these were all the same veg tan leather, but noticed on their Holster leather they do not offer moss or pasted flesh. Is there a difference in these leathers from Hermann Oak? I've only been working with leather since last fall, so thanks for helping a new guy out.

Does anyone use low VOC products when making holsters? I've been using Fiebings Pro Oil Dye and Tanners Bond Contact Cement. My wife became concerned with the fumes, particularly with the contact cement. I bought some Fiebings Leathercrafters Cement - the white Elmers glue looking stuff. I'm wondering about the long term durability of using this type of glue instead of good old fashioned contact cement. I've never noticed fumes with Pro OIl Dye, but have thought about trying Fiebings Leathercolors (low VOC). Anyone have experience with these products when making holsters? Am I wasting money using them and will I not be happy with the long term durability of the holsters?

Ron...regarding the skirt fillers....The skirts are thin, probably only 9/10 oz leather. The fillers were even worse, probably only 5/6 oz leather. My wife did not want to mess around with getting skirting leather and making new skirts, but I have some 8/9 oz leather laying around that I was going to use to make new skirt fillers. I was going to glue them into place, skive them so they are smooth, trim and burnish the edge along the original skirt, glue on the sheepskin (had not thought of using rubber cement, thanks for the tip), then use my Cobra Class 4 to sew through the holes on the original skirt into the filler and sheepskin. Does that sound like it will work?

Thanks guys for the responses. I purchased one 10 sq ft sheepskin. It's a 15 inch saddle and the skirts easily fit on the piece of sheepskin. I've read a couple different thoughts on head of the sheep to the head of the horse and head to butt. I got my hands on a copy of Dusty Johnson's video, he does head to head. I guess I hadn't made up my mind yet on which way to go. My son is going to ride in the saddle on a small Arab mare we have. The mare has a really swayed back and developed her first ever saddle sore on her left hip during a long camping trip last fall. I read somewhere the butt of the sheepskin is the most dense, so I was going to put that toward the butt of the horse. This is a different saddle than the one that gave the mare a sore and we got a new saddle pad to help with the swayed back issue. Guess I'm leaning toward head to head at this time.

My wife picked up a couple old saddles at a local swap meet a few months back. The saddles needed some TLC, they were in relatively good condition, and they were basically giving them away. They needed some of the stitching fixed around the stirrups, on the fenders, and on the cantle. I stitched the stirrups and cantle by hand, then did the fenders on the Cobra Class 4 that I use to make holsters. On one of the saddles, the sheepskin needs to be replaced. I removed the skirts, cleaned everything up, and ordered the saddle shearling sheepskin. I should be able to use my Cobra to put the sheepskin onto the skirts, well maybe? I'm guessing the sheepskin has to be on the topside as I feed the pieces through the machine. That will mean I can't see the existing stitching holes in the skirt to line them up. Can I stitch with the skirt on the topside and the sheepskin on the bottom or am I just dreaming and will I be stitching this by hand also? Afterthought....I've been riding horses with my wife for 15 years. I've never owned a saddle with real sheepskin, they all had the synthetic stuff. I'll only buy saddles with the real sheepskin from now on. What a difference.

Took Shooters advise...played around with the thumb break...and had the friend who I'm making it for give me his thoughts...here's what I came up with. I moved the snap lower (I'm going to have to get some pieces of stainless steel to reinforce the thumb break on the back side) and designed the strap so I could mold it over both the left and right safety. My friend is going to have a couple other guys wear test this one to get me some additional feedback. The thumb breaks are sure a pain. The entire holster was supposed to be the nice dark brown color the back plate is. I used a high density sponge. The holster body did not dye as nicely, so I let it dry then went over it with black. This weird almost mahogany under tone came out, which looked kind of cool. Until I wet the gun to mold it then the color developed this effect that looks like cracking. I am use Fiebing's Pro Oil Dye. I'm going to stick with black for now until I can practice getting the dye on more evenly.

Shooter....thanks for the feedback and pictures. The pictures really helped. I'll modify my template and give it a shot over the weekend.

Very nice and thanks for being willing to share your knowledge. I appreciated the feedback you gave me on the 1911 thumb break. I'm learning as I go and soak up as much as I can off this forum. Again, awesome holster and thanks for the help.

I built an IWB holster for a couple friends of mine who are police officers. One of them asked me to build a concealment holster with a thumb break for his Springfield 1911 Operator. He carries the handgun locked and cocked (this is important later). The department he works for requires a thumb break when carrying on or off duty. This is the second design for this holster that I came up with (modeled after one of the patterns from Will Ghormley's 1911 pack). The first holster I did was awful. The thumb break (on the snap side) kept disengaging the safety. So I did a new thumb break and I no longer have that problem. However, there is limited room on the rail of the handgun for the nice level spot to put the snap for the thumb break since the safety is on the side. On the right side of the handgun, I just molded the safety into the strap for the thumb break. On the snap side, the snap rests on top of the safety. So far I have not had issues with the safety disengaging again, but having the snap rest on top the safety doesn't seem ideal to me. Anyone have any suggestions?

What's the difference between Fiebing's Leather Dye and their Pro Oil Dye? I see both are alcohol based. Currently I put on dye with a dauber or sponge, but would someday like to airbrush. I've been using Pro Oil Dye, somewhere I saw that was the way to go. Is one of these two better than the other? Can I airbrush either of them? Also, I was just checking Fiebing's website and saw their low VOC LeatherColor Dye. Has anyone used that? Is it water based?

I put this question up on the dying / finishing forum, but thought it might be more appropriate here. I have made a few wallets, knife sheaths, and holsters. I've always used Super Sheen for the final coat to seal everything up. A friend, who's as green at leather work as I am, convinced me to try Bag Coat on my last knife sheath. I preferred the finish to Super Sheen. I don't know what the difference is between the two produces. Is one superior to the other? Can I use Bag Coat on holsters and wallets? Thanks...

I have made a few wallets, knife sheaths, and holsters. I've always used Super Sheen for the final coat to seal everything up. A friend, who's as green at leather work as I am, convinced me to try Bag Coat on my last knife sheath. I preferred the finish to Super Sheen. I don't know what the difference is between the two produces. Is one superior to the other? Can I use Bag Coat on holsters and wallets? Thanks...

Dwight gave me the following suggestion when I had the same question: 1. Tool the leather then let it dry completely 2. Put the holster together (stitching, edging, etc. 3. Lightly dampen the inside of the holster with a rag, not the outside 4. Force the gun into the holster 5. Gently mold the holster with your hands and fingers, no boning tools Molding tooled leather is tough, but I have been very happy using this procedure. Matt

Thanks Dwight. This processes worked really good.

Silly question with a simple answer I'm sure......I've tried making a couple holsters with some basic designs I carved onto them. When I wet the leather to mold it around the firearm, the tooling gets destroyed. Should I be sealing with an acrylic sealer before I wet the leather to mold it? My carvings aren't great, but the few details I do get carved in I'd like to see on the holster once it's molded. Thanks