chiefjason

In a word, black. I carry the black edge up over the sweat shield too. What I do on my avengers is dye the outside edges black, side, top, bottom, and any two layer edges on the mouth. I leave the edge over the body of the holster it's standard color. Look around the strap on this one, the black runs across the top. Not quite what you are doing, but I think it would work. Just have to have a steady hand and go light on the dye. I just dab the dauber in the dye lightly.

And that is why I went to an oil and wax finish. I'm kind of like the grump above, lol. When I started off I thought I wanted to get that perfect, high shine look you see on a lot of holsters. After doing it a while, I realized I prefer the waxed finish instead. More of a subdued matt finish. That look says wear me. Shiny seems to say, gotta be careful with me. I want my stuff worn, everyday, all the time, and no worries about messing up that shiny finish. To each their own though. They both have a place I guess.

Depends on what you consider larger. Longer slide, yes. Frame width, identical. Grip size, longer. So a 9mm open bottom holster would fit the .45. Not as applicable in custom leather, but handy on the kydex side of my work. The XD series is the same. The difference is so minor that all the XD gear holsters are the same.

Springfield usually has some craftsman grade or other deals on leather. Scroll down to "Special Purchases." At this point, I just grab it out of a box. I've got a bunch. I like Hobby Lobby over all the big craft stores. But those grab bags have a lot of chrome tanned leather in them. That is a problem for certain things like holsters and sheaths.

To a point you can use denatured alcohol or Naptha. That WILL also effect how the leather takes dye in that area. I have also taken a box blade and carefully scraped it off the surface for small spots. This will also effect how the dye takes.

I used a poundo board as well. I set them with the same force as normal rivets. No damage to the jewels and none have come out. Are you setting them solidly or holding back? The poundo board lets you give them a good whack without damage. I ordered the small one when I ordered the rivets.

With the full length channel it's more important to catch the top edge of the slide so the gun does not move front to back. I've had it happen with smaller single stacks in kydex more so than leather. What I do is mold really well between the sight channel and the slide on the top side to make sure the top of the slide has something to rest on. It's probably even more important with flat backs since the entire pocket for the pistol is on the front panel. With a standard holster you have the pocket on the front and back panels. But I prefer flat backs now. It's good that you worked around the mag release. But if you end up making them for others, you probably want to expose it front and back. You never know what kind of mods someone has done, and ambi releases are an easy one for most guns.

I run the top of the belt at about the rear of the ejection port. About everyone that has one likes the way it rides, from an LC9 to a full size 1911. I do a full length sight channel on most. Pros, no drag on front sight. Cons, if you don't roll over the slide the gun can get looser. And be sure you are leaving the mag release uncovered. Can't tell from here, other than the front is over what would be an ambi release. I try to leave it open on the front and back.

All of my holsters are one off. I rarely have stock, and when I do it's to post or auction not sit around. 4 weeks is my lead time. I have a full time job and family too. So I need some time built in to loose a day or two. If things work out, I'll ship it as soon as it's done. But I give myself 4 weeks to buy some sanity too. I was getting ready to build a holster to auction. Got a text from a repeat customer this morning wanting a holster. I took the pre cut leather and started his today. Got it molded, glued, and trimmed. I'll get a lot done tomorrow probably. So I'm ahead of the game on his. But sometimes it's nearly a week before I even touch an order. It's always better to deliver ahead of time rather than late.

Depends on what you are doing. I managed to carve out a niche on ebay with holsters. I'm using that positive feedback on OWB hybrids to move some of my leather work at just over my normal price instead of the yardsale prices some of these guys ask. My hybrids are a price point thing, leather is take it or leave it at my price. Most of my leather holsters are sold on a NC gun board or locally via word of mouth though. So, if there is a local or state internet forum with an interested customer base get involved there. I was a member of the board before I started making holsters. So I had a good reputation and kind of leveraged that. Or if your work would fit into local shops talk to the owners. I've sold some and consigned some locally in one gun store. Ebay is kind of odd. It's really helped me. But I was able to fit into an open spot and move product. Other stuff, guys are nearly giving it away which makes it hard to compete. I refuse to work for free. IWB hybrids are nearly impossible to get into with all the guys racing to the bottom price wise. So, if you can find a niche that's not being filled or can do something no one is doing you can do OK. When I got in nearly no one was doing OWB. I can also move some IWB holsters for guns no one else has. I've got a buddy that uses Etsy, but I've never really looked into it.

I use dowel rods that are flat on one side, I sand them down. Pencil should work fine. You don't want it too high over the sight though. On the pocket pistols I sometimes leave the sight channel off, the front sights are so small. I use a couple sizes of dowel so that I can adjust for sight height. Any hardware store, or even craft stores, should carry a selection of them. And they are cheap.

I got into it to make up for work I was loosing with the economy tanking. Well, it was tanked by the time I took this job anyway. But things were good for a couple years. People need bread. Then it slowed down. I happened to get into making holsters for me, then a couple guys, then a gun shop. Started slow, but steadily got busier. It's been absurdly busy the last year. And my real job got busy when a competitor went under. So I got a double whammy. I could probably put full time hours into it, and nearly spend every non real job hour doing it. But I can't make up for the benefits of my real job. So I'm intentionally trying to keep things small. Sometimes it works, most times it doesn't. I'm making money now, been that way for a while. There is zero debt involved. So I could walk away, liquidate what I have, and still come out ahead. We initially invested a modest sum of money into materials. Spent several months making no real money, just reinvesting into tools and materials. About 8 months in I guess we started to get ahead. So, my best advice is do not go into debt. Not sure if I could handle the stress of the work and knowing I owed more than I might bring in. At this point, it's bigger than I ever really imagined. Still could not do it full time though.

I'm actually an artist by education. I've got a minor in fine art. It's a minor because I got tired of all the subjective BS and putting hours upon hours into something and no one wants to pay you for it. It's a tough way to make a living. And has a lot of parallels to leatherwork I would think. One of my best pieces ever is sitting just over my computer monitor. It took me 15 minutes to finish. There is a piece on the desk somewhere that is 1/10th the size and I have too many hours to count in it and it's not even finished. May never be. Go figure. A lot of folks are artists, just ask. Everyones brother, cousin, mom, spouse, or something can do exactly what you are doing. Put your stuff on display and they will tell you. It's a crazy world. Put tons of work into something and ask a low price, people will think it's cheap and not want it. Ask too much and you never sell it, unless you build a reputation that justifies that price. Because it's rarely the work that justifies it. Let's be honest here. An artist is only as successful as their marketing. Some of that marketing is about quality, but most of it isn't. If you can find the balance between work and what folks will pay you for something you might do OK and get to build that reputation. But there is also always a market for cheap stuff; made, priced, and sold cheap. Then there are the lunatics that appear to be giving their time away and selling their product at cost. BTDT. Not much past that now sometimes. I caught a great comment on another board recently from one of the best holster makers in the world. He said most holster makers have never seen the inside of another shop. They are self taught. We no longer apprentice in many industries. I know I fit that bill and judging by what I see for sale a lot of other guys fit that bill and don't pay any attention to the details. It's annoying to see that stuff sale. It's annoying to go into my local gun shop and see the mistakes on the production holsters he sells. But I just shake my head and keep doing my thing my way. I'll pass or fail on my terms. And what others are doing does not have to have much to do with that.

Sometimes the buyer just wants something that will do the job. I've sold 2 holsters recently that had set in my garage for months. One had a bad spot in the leather show up after dying. Or more likely, I missed it until I dyed it. Customer saw it and bought it for a training class. Said he would beat it up far worse that weekend. Next one was built for a bull barrel gun, but I got the inside dimensions out of whack and the front sight would catch inside the holster. The guy that bought that one had a shorter, non bull barrel. Gun drew just fine. I cut them a deal on the price, they got what they wanted, and I turned inventory into a little money. I've got another one that a buddy saw today. He wants me to finish it for him as a second. Sometimes the customers needs don't fit our ideas of what they need. So I always keep those seconds around for people to look at. I won't ship one out. But if someone looks at it and is fine with the issues, then we both part ways happy. And most folks have no idea what we look for in work. I'm such a holster snob anymore I annoy myself. Most people don't even look at them hard.

I'm currently using a rare earth magnet and a 1 ton press for double capped rivets. Works very well. Snaps, not so much. Punching holes works sporadically depending on the size of the punch. The main issue you will have with bolting anything on a 1 ton press is the throat space. There is not a lot of room there. 2 ton will give you more flexibility.

Are you guys just using the vacuum bags they use for clothes? I've seen some vacuum tables, but don't have the time to look seriously at them. I need to dig out the ones I bought a while back. Red, the foam from knife kits is worth the cost. If you look around they sell end pieces and mis cuts a lot cheaper. I need to order some more. I bought a bundle of end pieces and have been using it for about 8 months. I sell far more hybrids than I do leather too, so it's seem some hard use.

Another plus for the awl is it will make your stitches behave better than a round hole. You can buy replacement awl blades. I got mine from Springfield. I use my floor drill press to punch all my holes.

NY reloads. Nice. I'm not sure my wife would help me put that on though. Don't think I could do it myself. lol Something cool about a double holster.

If you are not using small rivets, that's part of the problem. If you are using size small, maybe try trimming them. I don't have a problem with the size small and 2 layers or 5-6. I also use several light taps to set them and start the process, then finish with a couple stronger hits.

Tim, I groove the leather for the stitches. I want them to be seen and look good. But, being holsters I want to protect the thread from as much wear and snagging as I can. The size was more evident on my black holsters. The 277 nearly disappeared. I could barely see the stitch. The 346 is much more visible to me at least. Maybe it's more noticeable in person, or maybe it's just me.

Timothy, Here is one I just sent out and a personal knife sheath I just finished. These are 346 Natural from Tippmann. I ordered it while trying to get an old Boss 1 up and running. I'm hand stitching with it until then. I do have to wax this myself. The thread that came with it appeared to be 277, no markings. I tried to hand stitch a bit with it but it just disappeared in the groove. As you can see, I need a thread that stands out for the contrasting stuff. Black on black is not as noticeable.

If you can find cocobolo wood it has a natural oily texture and works fantastically. My FIL made me several. I need to make one, or get him to do it, that will fit into my belt slots. This will work though, especially after you get them oiled or waxed up from use. As an FYI, I found that even the lowest speed on my dremel was too fast. My drill press runs the burnishers at a much better speed for my needs.

My local HL has a great leather section. It was on a blue card with the name "REALEATHER Craft Lace" and came in 25 yard lengths. It was waxed linen. I actually like it better than the 346 for hand stitching. But I prefer having a larger spool instead of all the waste I got at the end of 25 yards. This thread is larger than my 346 but smaller than anything I got from Springfield Leather. Found a link to it on the HL site. http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/brown-waxed-thread-710814/

Thanks Mike. I was looking more behind and over the hammer. If I get another one I'll likely find a different way to do it. Either your way, or figure out over the hammer. That front snap is easy enough. With a thumb break I would have to tinker with it to figure out where the snap would be behind the gun. I'm still figuring out the thumb breaks. I don't do many, but they crop up occasionally.

Before you go all out, take a large scrap if you have one and just try to wet mold it over a firearm. That should answer your question. And keep you from putting in the time to make an entire holster. It's certainly pressed on the back and looks a lot like the bridle I use.