chiefjason

Nice looking stuff. Did not expect the Cutco knife in a sheath though. There's got to be a story there.

I made a couple of tuckable loops for a holster with line 24's. The guy I gave a set too loves them. I can't keep mine snapped. But the two snap on holster I have made worked great. I ordered some pull the dot insides planning to use my black outer pieces and they won't work with each other. I'm a little annoyed with snaps currently as well.

The blue guns are molded with the mags inserted, so they appear loaded and ready to go. Magazines need to be ordered separately. I have not gotten into the mag holder game much, but it's starting. I'll need to figure out if I'm going the blue mags or just buying real ones.

Yeah, great service. I've been happy with them.

I do mine for a minute or two. No real hard and fast time. There will be some bubbles at first, by the time I pull the leather out they have pretty much stopped. I just want it to penetrate a bit and stop the groon from working. Then I rinse it off in the sink. The one thing I do different than the link suggests is that I let the leather dry for 24 hours after the groon, baking soda, water rinse is finished before applying neatsfoot oil. Then I let the oil dry 24 hours before applying my sealant. I use a 50/50 solution of mop & glo mixed with water. I was having problems with my finish when I oiled right after grooning. If I let it dry 24 hours between steps I don't have the problems.

The baking soda bath neutralizes the acid in the groon. Anything I have read says this is an absolutely necessary step. I use 1/4C baking soda to a gallon of water. One of the risks of not doing a baking soda bath is that the leather may actually fall apart over time. It also seems to make the black darker and deeper. And it does seem to help a bit with the smell. Scroll down to ChuckBurrows post here, great info. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=25481&st=0&p=160796&hl=vinegroon&fromsearch=1entry160796

My vinegroon process recently has been to groon, let dry for 24 hours. Oil, let dry for 24 hours. Finish with acrylic finish, let dry 24 hours. Second coat of acrylic, dry 24 hours. It also fits well with my work schedule. There is nothing quick about it. But I was also having finish issues and the drying time seems to have solved those. Generally, if the groon is grayish looking it will blacken up with the baking soda wash then again with oiling. I usually notice more gray as the groon gets older and there is less of it. Initially, it goes jet black pretty quick. And it seems that a fresh baking soda bath produces the best results. I'll use the bath for several holster before replenishing. But if it goes too long you start to notice the black is not as deep. And I always have a quart of groon "cooking". That way I can replace it or combine it, and I don't run out. Good looking work too.

I remember you recommending that before, but I already had these on order. And there certainly are some soft spots on them. I ran into a few. Hopefully this one works out well. I'm hoping that layering it helps offset some of that stretch. I'll post a pic later in another thread. FWIW, since it's the second belt I have made it kind of is a mock up. I don't plan on making them with any regularity. Hand stitching a belt is A LOT of work. I know you know that as well. If I make another one I will certainly look into the stirrup strips and I do appreciate the info. I probably should have asked before I ordered. Story of my life. lol

I just finished my second belt. This one was for me, finally. I wear size 40 pants and initially tried a tandy belt blank from Hobby Lobby. Not only was it too thin, it was too short. So that went to my wife. For me I ordered 5-6 oz Hermann Oak tooling bellies from Springfield. I was not too happy with the thickness of 2 of them back to back. It was close, might have worked, but I did not want to do all that work on something that "might" work. So I did what any self respecting DIY'er would do. I tinkered and improvised. My belt is 2 layers the entire length with the ends skivved, and from just in front of the hips it has a 3rd layer running around the back. I had to skiv the 3rd layer to get it to glue correctly. But it seems to be plenty stiff now. I wore it last night after I finished it and have it on now and I love it. If you are ordering the bellies they are plenty long enough for belts. If you are ordering leather and expect to make a belt from it you will likely have to talk to someone to get what you want. I entered directions in a web order trying to get the leather cut to make a belt. The leather was cut, but was not nearly long enough on the cut side for a belt my size. Lined 5-6 oz is what my holster is made of too. Plenty stiff. Works great.

It seems to be more dense. Lighter horsehide is as stiff as heavier leather from my few dealing with it. But it squeaks sometimes. And that just drives me nuts. More than half of the horsehide stuff I have made squeaks. And most of the guys I know that have horsehide stuff have some that squeaks.

I have a local gun shop that has bought a few and has a couple on consignment. And I am going to look into a couple more in the area. So far it's not worked at all aside from the first 4 the LGS bought. I hope that changes. All of these are leather/kydex hybrids too. They just are not moving around here much.

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Gonna have to remember that one for sure. Thanks.

Josh, I see what you are getting at. I think if the trigger guard had ended up where I wanted it, the excess would have been taken up as well. I probably need to do some more measurements. I've been using 1/2" space around the gun for the pocket. It seems to be fine everywhere but in front of that trigger guard. Any tighter on the other ones and I don't know if I could even get the gun in there. Basically, it goes in OK but stops even short of where it is there. It got there by hammering the leather over the gun. Maybe I need a bigger hammer. lol Thanks for the input guys.

Yeah, the Glock gives me some fits on that trigger guard. I've tried tapping on the back of the gun to seat it and tapping on the bottom of the holster with the back of the slide on a table. Tapping on the holster seemed to do better, but that gap on the bottom is still too big. And I'm not surprised much with the j frame since it's the first shot at a revolver. The dimensions are not as even as an auto so I figured there may be some problems. That one could use some tightening all the way around. Going to tweak the pattern for later. I think that little Model 27 is about the tightest fit I've gotten so far. I was starting to wonder whether it would be too small.

Well, I got my first official request for an all leather holster recently. I've since had another. Till now I've either built them just for me or built it and hoped it would sell. I had a guy ask me to do an IWB for a Glock 23. I modeled it off of the last holster I built for my G19, but modified it to take clips. The customer requested clips to make it easier to remove. So here it is. Hermann Oak 8-9 oz leather, vinegroon, and hand stitched. I already had an OWB started for a J frame revolver. First leather revolver holster for me. With the barrel length I went ahead and did the pancake instead of open bottom beltslide. Looking at the picture it certainly would not have hurt to have moved the stitch line above the sight in a decent amount. Note to self, tighten that up next time. This one was really interesting. An old German police pistol that a buddy of mine bought. It's got both FNH and CZ markings along with a small eagle and swatstika above the chamber. He asked me to make a holster for it. I was originally supposed to make a holster for his 1911. He managed to score both the Model 27 and a 1911 made in 1919 from the same guy. Some guys have all the luck. Oddly enough I had a holster for the Kahr CW9 laying around that I was not happy with. He stuck the 1911 in it and it actually fit fairly well. He took that one too. He's happy so I'm happy.

Nice. I am part way through stitching my 2nd belt. This one is mine. My wife got the first one because the blank was too short. That Caiman looks good. I've not worked on anything other than leather yet.

My way less than scientific way of doing things. If I have multiple requests I'll try to get it. If the holster they want will cover the cost, I'll get it and figure on taking 2 holsters to make money. If it's really popular I try to get it. I REALLY lucked up and my local gun store got a blue gun for the Shield before they were available. I managed to borrow it a couple times and make up about 15 hybrid holsters, mostly OWB. I have 2 left. I sold a bunch before anyone else could really make them. I'm considering buying the next possibly popular gun that comes down the line and getting a jump on that one. But that will be a while. I'm also doing this in my spare time, what little I have. And it is really more than I expected. My main problem is that since I am pricing low right now to build up a name, it takes 4-5 OWB holsters to really see a profit on a blue gun. And you win some you loose some. The Kahr PM9 is a big seller right now. I borrowed an LC9 and sold enough that I went ahead an bought the blue gun too. But I have a Walther and the SR9 that are not looking real promising. Oh, and I have bought all of mine from RMB and the service has been great. I just got the XDs in today and started some holsters tonight. And another thing I was told early on. Don't plan on making any money the first year. It's not too far off. Almost everything I would consider profit has gone back into tools, blue guns, and other supplies to make things go smoother. But I'm selling them and having fun doing it.

My last section of HO had some really difficult areas to cut. Makes a really stiff holster though. But I have been using some of the craftsman leather and expected some oddities. And those of you using the utility knives might want to look into a fillet glove. I wear it on my off hand when I cut and when I edge. I managed to edge a big chunk out of my finger a couple weeks ago. Like these. http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=rapala+fillet+glove&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4627198047&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=19992928221749333636&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_667kh5iuu_b And glad to hear I'm not the only one stropping and re sharpening utility blades. I don't feel like a cheap skate now. lol

Leather punch and cut to connect them for me. You just have to be VERY careful. And like was mentioned earlier, cut from each end to the middle. Then sand with the dremel. I need to look into some chisels since it seems to work well.

I made one for my wife, then for myself. Talked to the guy at my local gun store. Made a few for him. Posted pics on a local gun board. Sold some there. Some on ebay. Word of mouth is starting to pick up. I've only been at it about 6 months but doing better than I expected. Although it's seriously cutting into my fly fishing. lol I'm mostly dealing in OWB hybrids. Popularity is driving those. But I did get my first order for custom leather and I'm finishing it up. I'll post pics when I'm done. Until now all I had done was build a holster from a gun I own and hope I could sell it. Not really the best way but I moved a couple like that. If anything, I'd say I'm getting my name out and moving holsters with price point. I'm selling them much cheaper and including shipping in the price. I can't say I'm making a lot of money doing it like that. But you gotta get your name out somehow. Once the name is out there I may be able to work in more margin. And all this is in my spare time, so I can afford to play with price a bit more.

Yes, I noticed that. Particularly on the buckle end. I was not planning on lining on the buckle end. Just doubling it over. Now you have me reconsidering the other side as well. It makes sense. You already have 2 layers with the belt buckled. And the tag end does not take any weight. Lined from just in front of the hip to the other side, say 10:00 to 2:00 would do the trick. And seeing as Springfield was backordered on something and my order shipped late, I've got time to consider a few more options. Although the leather I have coming in the longest strip is 5-6 and planning on doubling it. Though I could likely get a strip of 8-9 that was long enough for that shorter lining. Might have to break out the calipers when it all gets here. Or make two. This is why I really like this site. Best info around. Thanks.

Very pretty. I'm waiting on some leather to start my second hand stitched, lined belt. My wife's was a success overall. But learned a few lessons I want to try on mine. Mainly, I need to learn to skive leather. Her belt is a touch difficult to buckle. oops.

9MM, .40, and .357 sig Glocks are the same dimensions, other than slide length differences. .45 is certainly bigger.

First, thanks for the comments and advice. I always like reading through it and I sift through what I find helpful. To clarify a few things. I have several styles of holster I rotate through for my G19. I love the hybrid beltslide holsters that I have been making lately and can generally conceal those in just a t shirt so I wear them often. I have a tuckable hybrid if I REALLY need to make it disappear. This holster is mainly for wearing around the house, quick trips out, or mainly for being able to ditch the holster in the truck before getting to work. I'm no fan of jamming a gun between the seats and prefer to wear it till the last block or so when it goes in the lock box. While this holster does not ride as tightly to my side as a belt worn pancake or beltslide; I can throw a t shirt over it if I need to in a pinch and it does not print as bad as the last one I made. So, to sum it up I grossly overbuilt a holster that I need to be able to remove just to prove to myself that I could. I'm not sure I will be doing too many more lined holsters unless it's for family or someone is willing to pay me more for my time. This one took a long time to do. I'm always interested in seeing other stuff so I need to look up that Lobo holster.

I like the look of the extra leather, but time will tell if it works well. That was one of the first thoughts I had when I put it one. It looks good but that's a lot of material to hang on something. Honestly, this thing was easier to mold than I expected. The Hermann Oak leather is great to work with. But then again, stuff like the slide line is just added on, not molded. I tried to get the take down divet molded a bit and could not get anything worth pursuing. But working around the rail, trigger, and ejector was easy enough. I've got a little more room there than I intended. I plan for safeties and a solid grip. But I would have liked to have gotten the trigger guard in a bit deeper. Although, with the thin leather around the front sight I would have taken a chance that the sight might be poking out a bit. Should have cut that a bit more generously. Always things you could do better next time. I've been wearing it a couple days now an absolutely love the way it wears. A vast improvement over the first one. I catch myself reaching down to adjust the strap back on since the old ones used to slide off. Not these. I like the way you handled the diagonal snaps and matching angle on the straps. Nice touch.