Eagle Crest

I need help. I have tried to research this but i am amazed at how overwhelming and confusing this has been. I am looking to purchase a sewing machine. I make holsters and the majority of my work consistes of 8-9 oz leather i am looking for a machine that can handle the load. i know there are many options out there I am just looking for some direction from seasoned pros. I acquired a singer 241-12 in a trade recently and I know this machine will not work but it was basically given to me. I have roughly $1000 to spend. any reccomendations in this price range. Thanks

what gun is it for. looks pretty good but the sweat shield looks like its not going to cover much of the gun.

It's a good design. For what it's worth and I'm sure someone will disagree with me, I wait to stitch the trigger guard side. I stitch my slide side then I put the gun in the holster. I press the holster a bit with my fingers to get the leather close to the bottom profile of the gun. I then trace the profile. Remove the gun. Over stitch the line. Punch my holes and stitch. I have gotten good results with this and am always able to get the trigger side stitch line really close. As said before when completed you want the holster to be tight. I almost want to think it should be a bit tough to draw. When the leather moistens and stretches it can get to be too lose and can become dangerous. But that's just my two cents. I'm new to the holster business but I have carried a gun for over ten years. Also in respect to the strap for the thumbreak I initially had the mindset that the strap was there to hold the gun down and several of my straps were way too tight against the gun and would become distorted. The retention in the mold is what holds the gun in place. The strap is just extra insurance. A well molded holster should never even need a strap in my opinion. It's just the persons preference.

when i do my initial molding i have some high density foam i sandwich between. then I use a very advanced system to weight the foam down. I sit on the foam to add pressure. i know i know this is probably a bit to technical for some of you. lol i then just use a bone folder to get the detail. the curve of the belt tabs was just bent by hand then hit it with the hair dryer to lock in before baking.

This a holster I made for my first out of state customer

I appreciate the input. the leather im using is 8/9 veg tan. the strap on that first one does look like its cracking in the picture Im not sure why it did that in the photo but it was just a slight wrinkle. im still tweaking the thumbreak design. so hopefully that will not be an issue in the future. as for the reinforcement piece that was just inexperience. i have only done two with the reinforcement piece and havnt got it perfect yet. i will definintely take your advice about how far to bring it though. i know i still have a long way to go but I have impressed myself so far. I have made vast improvements in my edges after reading hidepounders tutorial. who would have known a piece of denim would make such a difference. i am very thankful for all of the tips and tricks ive been able to learn just from my short time on this site. Thanks.

im still new to all of this but as I was told I get better with each one. each time i make a holster i figure out things i could have done better. the two tone holster still needs a bit of finishing but i like the way the die job turned out. let me know what you think. Thanks for any criticism.

Thanks for the comments. Yeah I didn't intend to stitch the bottom but got a little carried away with my holes. I'm almost finished with my second one and I have taken a lot more time on this one Ill post it up in the next few days when it's done. Thanks again and I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can from you guys.

My name is Wesley and ive been browsing on here for a while so I finally joined. Ive been wanting to make holsters for a while and was finally able to get some materials together. This was my first attempt. it didnt turn out exactly like i wanted but for my first attempt I was happy with it. My second one is already shaping up to be better than the first so i am even more excited. I can definitely see how this hobby could be extremely addictive. Let me know what you think. Thanks another picture