Double Daddy

Very nice work, Mr. Colt! A beautiful guitar deserves a equally beautiful strap and you have definitely accomplished that! Love those Martin guitars, too!...any idea of its vintage?

Nice wallet.....appreciate the time you spent on the tutorial, as well...most helpful!

Nice belt, Joe...color and edges. I especially like the riveted-on keeper...when compared to screws and snaps, rivets lend sort of a "bespoke" feel to the belt.

While I've done a quite a few things over the years (welding, finish carpentry, masonry, refinishing, retail)....for nearly the past decade, I've worked as a project engineer in the correctional equipment & construction industry...basically, I design prison & jail cells as well as other "secure areas". I got into leather working as a hobby after graduating from college (B.A. History & Political Science) to satisfy an artistic itch and learn a new trade...can't have too many! When I'm not in my office or at my workbench, I'm enjoying life with my wife and twin daughters (thus my LW.net "handle")...

Sharp work! I especially like the "full" boning detail on the 1903 that's in the pancake holster...nice touch!

Thanks for the replies, y'all! I've thought about a paddle design but just figured a clip-on or snap-on would be easier for someone of my experience....but I guess any skill's gotta start somewhere, right? Any pointers/tutorials you might recommend to get a fella headed in the right direction? Paddle source? Make my own?

Still hammering away, trying to learn this stuff. A special thanks to Particle (Adams Leatherworks)...I encourage any one eager to learn to also go and subscribe to his premium videos...they've been a BIG help to me over the past few weeks! Anyway...here's a couple fresh ones off my bench for a few side arms I had lying around: First, an IWB in Dark Brown for a Makarov 380, with a little border stamping and a FOMI clip that has since been replaced with a 1/8" black Kydex of my own design...the doggone FOMI clip kept breaking...L&L, I guess. Then, there's an Avenger-style OWB in Saddle Tan with white thread and basket weave tooling for a classic S&W 645. Immediately obvious with this one is the fact that I've GOT to get a belt loop punch :-) All of these were sewn on my Cowboy CB3200...still learning it, obviously, but its an awesome machine at a terrific price. As always, Thanks in advance for the insight! Chris

Hello everyone! I'm looking for some input regarding an OWB holster that either clips on or snaps on. The goal is to make it quick to take on and off. The pro's/con's as I see them thus far are: the snap-on is slower on & off but would likely be easier on the garments (belts, pants, etc) whereas the clip-on would be quicker on & off but the metal clip might be harsher on the clothes. I've done a bit of scouring on LW.net on this topic but nothing too specific has turned up. As you can see from my post count, I'm a green-horn "newb" (LOTS of looking/listening/reading, not much talking)...any wisdom to be imparted would be appreciated! Chris

Thanks for all the input, guys! I'll keep pluggin' away at it...correcting as I go, thanks to folks like y'all!

Thanks, Dwight! I noticed the stitch line "drift"...particularly forward of the trigger guard under the dust cover...I've made the necessary adjustments to my pattern to avoid this in the future. I used approx. a pencil sized wooden dowel as a spacer for the sight tunnel...the handgun in question (a stainless Springfield Mil-Spec GI) had a tall sight with sharp corners...I know that some wear is inevitable but I didn't want it to excessively chew up the inside of the holster if I could avoid it. Any suggestions? Thanks again, sir, for your insight...and blessings to you as well! Chris

Hello All! I've been prowling around, in the shadows, on these forums for nearly the past year, gathering knowledge here and about...what a great community of craftsfolk! And always very willing to help us upstarts and rookies as we begin our own journey in this trade. I am most appreciative of the moderators, powers-that-be and professionals at LeatherWorker.Net for maintaining and contributing to such a powerful online resource...many thanks! Anyway...I've been studying and practicing and observing along the way and finally got a few things off my bench and ready for some critiquing by more seasoned eyes than mine. I purchased one of the new CB3200 machines (ol' Cowboy Bob @ Toledo Machine was MOST helpful!) but an unforeseen medical detour put me off track from using it for a while...all of these items are hand sewn. Hoping to get back at the machine in the next few weeks so it can earn its keep. Please let me know what you think. First, is a Dark Brown IWB holster for a 5" 1911, stamped border & white thread, with a 1/8" Kydex clip and matching snap-on double magazine holder. Next, a wrap-around style knife sheath in Dark Brown for a Buck brand gut-hook blade hunting knife, stamped border & white thread. Finally, a cheap flea-market/pawn shop knife gets a decent looking sheath - I actually used scrap veg-tan leather from a safety harness, dyed black and stamped with a tri-weave to hide all of the scuffs and scratches. Sorry if the pictures are out of sequence with the description...I'm still kinda new to this whole forum/post world thing! Chris EagleWoods Leather