chiefjason

On the rack at 185-195 for 20-25 minutes. If it does not look dry enough I turn off the heat and leave it in the oven longer. Seems to work fine for me.

I was seriously considering it before it moved across the country to CA. I would love to be there. I'll keep and eye on it in case anything changes. I've gone back and forth with him a few times over there on holster questions. I've learned a lot just reading and looking.

Between my real job and building these, I've not had much time to post any pics. So I thought I would share some recent ones. A lot of new stuff for me. Third try is the charm on this one. First one I got the stitch line for the back belt loop and the trigger guard crossed up. Second molded too tight. The tall front site got me. On the plus side, I have a new holster for my MK II. lol Third was just right. This is for a Ruger Mk III Hunter. My first successful avenger. Sig P228- left hand. Second avenger. First thumb break. He wanted lightly molded and less retention in the holster. So no real detail work on this one. Since it's a buddy of mine I went all out and covered all the hardware on the back too. J frame IWB. Customer wanted clips. Railed 1911. And a two tone single mag.

Another vote for toilet bowl rings. It's what I make my wax/oil finish with too. And my burnishing wax. If it's too sticky and soft melt it 50/50 with paraffin and it gets more manageable. Which is also what the burnishing wax recipe is.

Still hand stitching. Getting a little faster at it. A sewing palm helps too.

Yeah, I started off with a price point on some things that folks could take a chance on. I've bumped my price up a few times as things changed; either material cost, postage, or just better reputation to market with. I'm mid range on my custom leather stuff. I've upped the price twice since I started. I'm higher than the mass produced stuff, and under the name brand custom stuff. It's a good spot for me right now. I'm not making a killing by any means, but it's extra money for me and the family. And I'm not in a great place to market high end work. Most of my leather work is local or on a two state gun forum. My reputation and word of mouth on the gun forum is driving most of my leather work. And a couple of repeat local customers. I figure I am gaining more traction for another price bump if I want to. But I'll wait until I need to use the bump to slow things down. I put out some early holsters that I cringe at now, and those folks have still told me it's the best holster they have ever owned. Perception is a funny thing.

I initially started just to make holster for me and my wife. Then I wanted a side business and have nearly got another full time job. Or at least a side business that takes almost all of my free time. Things got busy around Thanksgiving, and got ridiculous in December. Stayed that way until about 3 weeks ago. But I mainly do OWB holsters, so summer slows down anyway. Add vacations and people generally being busier outside and my orders slow down. But I had to reduce my ebay listings and bump my adds on local forums less just to buy time to keep up. So I'm not too upset to see it slow down a bit.

Hey, there is a snake getting ready to eat your gun. Just thought I would warn you. hehe I see you found our little corner of the net. Looks good. And as in most things, the maker sees all the flaws and the customer usually sees none of them.

I recommend neutral shoe polish as well if they want to shine it up a bit.

Personally, most of mine are built with a sight channel. Just the standard dowel on the top of the frame and mold it. But recently I've done a few for the micro autos and not used a dowel. The lack of a real front sight helps. And I just go easy on the molding on the slide side. Sometimes I find that a full sight channel on a small auto makes it easier for the gun to move around in the holster. A flat back can increase the chance of that since it is molded only on one side. But it's a small number of guns I would do that with, the Nano, P3at, TCP, maybe the LC9. Step up to a Shield or XDs and it's getting a sight channel.

Looks good. I've become a huge fan of the flat back holsters.

From what I gather, it's an alternative to something like sno seal. Oil to condition and wax for protection from moisture. I usually do 2 coats. Rub it on and heat on both sides then do it again with a little thinner coat. Dyed leather takes it very readily. It wil also darken some dyes, but that actually improves the look of my most popular color. Vinegroon is a little tougher and I have to heat it longer or use the high setting to open up the pores and take the finish. I started using it because I was having issues with resolene finishes cracking. It would turn a black vinegroon piece into a weird gray with white spider web cracks. I just double checked on Springfield and they list atom wax as a finish. I wonder if oiling it then waxing it would help? Just leave off the final resolene coat. Let the atom wax be the final finish.

If the leather is physically wrinkling, adding some oil to the leather before finishing might help. I was having issues with the resolene cracking. I switched to a 50/50 by weight mix of beeswax and neatsfoot oil. It turns into a soft oily paste a little thinner than saddle soap. I rub it onto the holster, then heat the leather so it soaks it in. The oil/wax will not crack. And it conditions the leather.

IMO, kydex clips are disposable items. Look on any of the makers on ebay, they don't warranty kydex clips. You can make them yourself, and I have made a few J hooks lately. J hooks take less abuse and are more likely to last than clips. But if you use them and expect them to last a long time, you may have some issues. That said, some of the other plastic clips come highly recommended. Mainly the Comp tac style nylon clips. IIRC Rob just picked up something similar to them. They are not cheap, but I have a buddy that is a CC instructor, carries every day, and swears by them. He would break kydex clips about every other month. He says he can't break the nylon ones. If you go kydex you need to go .08 at a minimum, and .093 would be better. But I prefer metal for over the belt clips, or leather loops.

I buy most of my clips from Rob at Bluegunstore. I use CLIP8-10 on my holsters that take 2 clips. I've not had any complaints about them.

I have yet to get a pull the dot or line 24 snap with a long enough post to use on 8-9 oz leather. That's been my issue. I ordered some snap parts from Dot, and the caps I got are no where near long enough for me to use. Anybody need 100 caps with short posts? Apparently, these are for fabric. I need to see if you can order different lengths. I may have missed that part.

I use 6/32 screw and T nut on line 24's and pull the dots. You can also use 8/32. The main issue is getting the screw where the head will sink into the hardware so that it does not interfere with function. Round headed screws can poke up out of the hardware and interfere with the snap seating correctly. I use flat head machine screws like this, but with a phillips head. http://www.mcfeelys....0130526171744:s I also use brad nail T nuts. They are the flat ones with holes. If you use the standard T nuts they will dig into the leather. I'm not opposed to the customer choosing those on their own. They tend to be a touch more secure and don't allow the clip or loop to turn on the holsters. But I'm not going to send hardware that is adjustable and pokes holes in the holster. http://www.lowes.com/pd_223649-37672-883043_0__?productId=3025380

For IWB straps, I tend to punch holes for them. For safety straps, I've been sandwiching them. Mainly because of where the snap is located and not wanting any metal inside the holster with the gun. If you sandwich them be sure to figure out your stitch line before you place the t nut. Can't stitch through metal. And stitching around it looks funny.

Since this thread has jumped back up I'll throw my newest one on. I finally made one for my G19. Man, I am loving this holster! Been wearing it as much as possible the last couple days.

Personally, I cut the back piece to the exact dimensions I want it. That is my guide for the finished holster. I just eyeball the front. The top is cut where I want it and I cut the sides long enough to compensate for molding and cut the bottom just a touch long too. I think adding the thickness of the gun to the edges should work. I also lay the gun down and get it where I want it on the back side, then lay the unmolded top on, flip the gun and top over and sketch out a guide for where I want the gun to be when I start molding. Another plus is that I burnish the inside before I mold, and reburnish it before I finish if I'm leaving the inside natural on the finished holster. When I mold the leather I mold it all the way to the table top. Then I put it in the oven to dry. You may need to put some weight on the "wings" so they don't turn up in the oven. When I start glueing I get the 2 pieces lined up where I want them. Then I draw a line around the back of the holster onto the longer front as a guide. Then I do the same on the inside. That gives me a guide to lay out my glue on the back. Then I glue, clamp, and let dry. Once it's dry I trim to shape, edge it, and lay out my stitch lines. After that I normally dye the leather before sewing it. It does not effect the glue. Even grooning and soaking is the baking soda bath is fine. I hand bone mine, so no thoughts on pressing. I also hand stitch mine. I'm curious about using a machine on these too. I finally made myself one. I used some local guys as guinea pigs on these. I am really liking it so far. I need to take some pics of the next one I make. I just bought a CZ83 so I'll probably do one for it next.

My personal rig is lined. But only because I wanted to try it. I don't build them lined. If I remember to do it, I'll pre burnish the inside with gum trag or water depending on how I'm dying it. If it is staying natural, I'll use gum trag before molding and touch up after. If I'm dying or grooning it, I wet it and burnish it a bit. I don't want anything inhibiting the dyeing process. I'm also getting more picky about what the back side looks like before I cut. Paying attention there saves a lot of hassle on the end of the process.

I just ordered 2 from Rob and hoping for the best. Customer pre paid knowing it might take a while. It's annoying, but at least I'm not completely on the hook for the cost this time. Makes it a bit easier.

I had one take 8 weeks recently. IIRC one took about 2 weeks. I've had them in 3 days if it's in stock though. In Rob's defense, I was not after him too much because it was a convenience order on my part. So I would let it ride for a couple of weeks then email him. I noticed today on his Facebook feed that Ring's seems to be taking longer to respond to some of his requests. His service is outstanding so I'll keep ordering from him. Some of this is simply out of his control I'm sure. FWIW, stay away from Botach. I've not heard good things about them. They are on ebay a lot.

Looks like bunkhouse is casting their own. I've been tinkering with it. Not terribly difficult, but not any cheaper if you just need one. If Rings carries it, I would just buy it. But I need a couple that Rings does not carry too. I picked up a Blackhawk for a Beretta 92 and it's well made too. Everything gun related is silly right now.

This one is done out of 8-9 oz and it's just single stack 1911 mags. The front was hand boned and glued to the back after it dried. 9-10 is really getting too thick IMO. 8-9 is pushing it. But I've not gotten around to buying lighter leather so I deal with it. Can't find a pic of the double stack. I think it was on my old phone.