renegadelizard

i think im gonna have to start trying your method there of just doing the backs...im pretty excited..ive hand sewn 7 holsters since i ordered it, and everytime i stick myself i get this dreamy look in my eyes...thinking of the day its at an end...ive got 5 more lined up that cant wait on the machine...

Oh yeah, one more question for you...i try to edge my belt slots...have you/do you do this?...any pros/cons you can think of? Well, two more things I guess...how is the Cobra doing with the mod?...mine should be here any time now...

I havent had any splitting, but it sure does push and twist the leather like sheetmetal in a car wreck...Im using the cs osbourne and the slit i think is too narrow to begin with, especially punching through 16-18 ounce leather...i have a buddy making me a new slot cutter..1/16 inch walls, 1/2 tall..beveled on the outside to sharpen...5/16 X 1 1/2......im pretty anxious to try it out as i have stopped using the osbourne and went back to the old punch and chisle method..

1..I think oil dyes are just as likely to come off as alcohol dyes...bleeding though isnt really an issue...the issue is the dye pigment that has not penetrated the leather transferring off of the leather onto other stuff...two things here...one, buff the poop out of the leather after it has dried for at least 24 hours...this help immensely... 2. I finish every holster, dyed or not...this is a sealer to make it water proof/resistant...inside and out 3. I know quite a few folks here use resolene..most cut it 50/50 with water...I picked up a tip from Katsass and use mop and glow cut 50/50 with water...way cheaper and a bottle will last darn near forever... 4. I ve used a bit of horse hide and it seems to dye differently than cow..its almost like it doesnt want to take the dye as readily as cow..hopefully someone else here can chime in on this...

Hey Eric, Is there any specific reason you cut the slots while the leather is wet?...I used to do that and it seems i got alot of distortion when i tried it that way...Ive seen your holsters and you dont have any distortion, what is your trick?...

Once the leather is burnished, it will not accept dye as readily as unburnished leather...either dye your holster before you wet mold, or be really careful to not burnish the leather when forming....here is my typical process...i cut my patterns out, mark and groove stitchlines, dye, dry for 24 hours, buff leather, awl, sew, chamfer and sand edges, die edges and burnish, wet mold (apply neatsfoot oil while still wet), bake, edge, dry for 24 hours, add finisher, dry, add clear shoe polish, buff and done...As for the pattern books, i can help you there...i make my own..the most enjoyable steps for me is designing the holster and wet molding...

Jason, 5-6 ounce will be fine. Glue it flesh side to flesh side and it will be a great rig. Springfield leather sells single shoulders for around 30 bucks or so, and the customer service there is unmatched. Give Kevin a call and he will hook you up with everything you need and probably offer you some tips to help you get going in the right direction.

It was the best deal really. Great customer service and I got everything they make for it at a cost comparable to everyone else, plus the motor/servo mod.

I thought about that after seeing some zipper locks on OTB...but honestly, and nothing against any of you girls, but zippers on "satchels" just looks girly...i know, this from the man who made 2 pink holsters...lol...

Do yourself a favor...go to springfield leather company's website and order a Herman Oak single shoulder in the 7/8 or 8/9 ounce range...this is great leather for holsters....molding isnt hard but it does require firm fingers and I have found that a bone folder and a modeling spoon help out a lot as well..some of the guys on here also like a pear shaped stamping tool when doing the trigger guard area...

I ordered my Cobra Class 4 yesterday...with the new motor/servo fix, the learning curve should be a lot less pronounced...more control over speed should make it easier to learn..

Good call on the security issue...i was thinking elastic pocket for the gun....

lock, as in to keep kids out of it mainly...i think i found a place that has what i was looking for...www.hardwareelf.com they have a keyed briefcase lock...im going to try that...as for getting the gun out, it should pose a challenge as the opening will only be about 8 inches wide with the lock in the middle..the case will only be 2 inches deep or so, so it should be hard for a full size pistol to come out...added to this will be two coachmen loops on the sides of the bag that will accept a lock to secure it to the truck seat, so the bag wont go anywhere in a hurry....he though this whole thing out and i sorta had to stop myself from chuckling...but what the customer wants, to a degree, is what i'll make...as long as its legal and not dangerous.....i think he really wanted a man purse but didnt want to sound creepy asking for one...

Hey all, I have a customer who want a holster that really isnt a holster but rather a satchel that will hold a gun, mags and flashlight...i think i figured out how to do the satchel, the thing im not having much luck with is that he wants it to be able to lock...ive loked through ohio travel bags catalog and although they have several locks, i cant really wrap my head around the lock part...anyone got any pics or drawings even of how some of these locks work? i really want to stay away from the whole briefcase/combo lock...any alternatives? Thanks, Don

Hey Guys and Gals, I got a request yesterday for a holster that, well, isnt a holster...what he described is basically a satchel that would fit under his truck seat, hold a gun and a few spare mags and a flashlight. So here I am trying to figure out the best way to make this thing. My biggest concern really how the sides and bottom connect to the front and back...do you guys pre-shape that piece, or?...i know, its probably a dumb question but im a simple holster maker and this thing has me stumped...

Well, that answers a lot...lol...I havent been able to get horse to vinegaroon as well as cow...the horsebutts are hard jacketed, or holstered...basicall roller pressed at something silly like 30,000 tons...and they are quite a bit different than cow hide...and it explains the not so even look...but yourself a single shoulder of Herman Oak, in 7-8 or 8-9 ounce...it will cost you a whopping 30 bucks, twice as much leather as a 12 horse butt, and is really good quality...you wil be amazed at how much easier it is to work with....throw the fork back in the drawer...to get 6 stitches per inch without an overstitch wheel, use a metric ruler and space your holes every 4 mm..i will actually mark the pattern sometimes, and use it to pre mark my awl holes...especially iwb holsters where there isnt alot of glue space...good luck and keep at it...

I agree with mike on this to a point...im not John Bianchi, im not galco..i dont have shiny catalogs full of holsters...i do custom work...one offs for the most part...i do however keep my patterns and have recently had a few holsters that were a big hit..six orders in one day for one style...im currently filling those orders and i dont mind so much as i seem to get good results processing batches....but i wont sell wholesale...had a local gun shop ask me and i just couldnt see where i could package the value to the customer, profit for the shop owner, cost of materials, and cost of my labor into a wholesale scheme...my hats off to those of you that can do this...

For what its worth, i know making glock holsters are a real PITA, so my hat is off to you for doing it so soon in your holster adventure (read soon to be obsession)...and please dont take this critisism harshly...i learned a lot here by having a critical eye put to my work and by all the great people here who are willing to share their craft, so without further ado, your stitches look good,maybe a little long, i try to stick to 6 stitches per inch on holsters... i would add a stitchline under the trigger guard to eat up some of that dead space...eventually the leather will stretch some and it will start to sag...you could also add a retention screw there...those seem to be popular these days...(note...i love glocks but glock holsters suck...all of them..forming around the trigger guard is magic, and anyone who does it well is a witch and should be burned)...vinegaroon looks good, it might need another coat of neatsfoot oil, 50/50 mop and glow, and some neutral kiwi...lastly, i cant really see the edges all that well, but they look a little sharp....how did you do them? the only thing i see that makes me say huh?...is the little butterfly wings on the bottom...on an IWB i can see the purpose in this, especially a high riding IWB, but for the life of me i cant figure out why they are there on a pancake...was it something your friend requested for aesthetics?

im gonna have to take you up on that one...i could really use someone to either stop me from sewing my fingers together or to call 911 once i do...

I think it looks pretty dang good...give the horse hide a try next time...12 bucks for the but...you can cut a lot of reinforcement pieces out of one and my customers like the idea of something different...added value without added cost...

Unfortunately, i see myself doing this exactly while making a smart ass comment to my wife, something along the lines of "seriously hon, if a six year old in bangladesh can do it, how hard can it be...."..lol...thank all of you for the advice...i will do my best to bow to your collective wisdom...

Well, i done it...im semi-retiring my stitching pony in favor of a Cobra Class 4...cant wait to get it...my fingers are numb right now...six throat reinforcements, 80 stitches each....cant wait to get that lovely machine...im planning on using 277 top and bottom...any comments on this?..i see a few people that go 277 on top and 207 on bottom....educate me fellas, any tips and trick, anything at all to shorten my learning curve will be greatly appreciated...OHH, and Cobra Steve, if you are reading this, thanks again..you guys have a lot to teach the rest of the free market world...your customer service is top notch... Don P.S. Where do you guys buy your thread from?...im assuming bonded nylon would work the best...any forum supporters here sell it?

Good Job.....thats pretty awesome...Im working on getting a cobra 4...the leasing company said my business was too young too for them to help out..so im expoloring other options

I use a large reinforcement piece on top of the grain out side and integrate the clip into that, i usually use hore butt for that piece....the horse i get isnt real consistant in thickness, but i try to cut the piece out of the 4-5 ounce sections...horehide is great for this as it is thinner but very stiff...

I do mine right before wet molding..the vinegaroon soaks it, then the backing soda and fresh water rinse...let it dry for a bit, then mold...im sure there are other ways, but it kind of flows this way for me...also, after i mold and bake it, when it is still damp, ill go aheah and do my edges then..after the vinegaroon has dried, its hard for me to get good edges