vaalpens

Nice looking holster from Dwight. Mine is not as good, but it is probably good to share a picture. One thing I did not mention on my previous post is that one of the final things I did was to add the rattle snake once I realized that I had all this blank real estate. My holster also contains a welt to ensure that the gun does not go in to far. I also added some additional retention since it is used for hiking.

I have done one flap holster and it is one one my favorites. The key for me on the flap part was to never commit until the end to the shape of the flap. I have done a few mock ups of the holster and flap using paper and some foam until i had the transition from the body to the flap correct. This is the area by the back sights where the flap folds over the body. The flap shape was designed to a basic form, but then i still cut it out larger than what the final flap size would be. I then left the flap alone until I have assembled the body and putting the button or snap where I want it in the body, and obviously the belt loop. Once the body was assembled, i was able to put my gun in the body and then fold the flap over the body with the gun. This is when I made my final adjustments to the flap so that it lined up properly with the button, and was to my liking. The flap holster is something you design as you go on and make adjustments during the process. The flap holster will probably never be perfect if you design it while building, but it will be unique and you will cherish it as one of your favorites. Good luck.

Great looking holster and thanks for sharing the template. I have not made an Avenger holster yet, but will definitely try one especially now that you have shared such a detailed template. I don't have a Glock 17, but will probably adapt it for my P229. Thanks again for sharing your template.

Thanks CR for the information. I pulled down the eBook from Weaver. And a big thanks to Red for starting this discussion. It has helped me a lot since it gives me some additional leather purchasing options.

Bobby, thanks for the information and suggestion to reference you when ordering. Good to know that TR1 is being used since I only make holster for family and friends, no need for the expensive HO A/B. Looks like I am getting closer to my decision where to buy my next leather from. Thanks again for responding to my question.

I just called Oregon Leather in Portland and they have been very helpful. They indicated to me that they sell HO A and B, and also a tannery run #1 and #2 grade. The HO A and B have been quoted at $9.95 and $9.50 per side and the #1 and #2 tannery run at $6.10 and $5.75 per side. They don't sell double shoulder, but they do sell belly. Has anybody used the tannery run grades for holster making? Oregon Leather did indicate that you can request a firmer leather since some of these are firm and some are more supple.

Good looking Avenger holster. The only thing that caught my eye was the burnishing inside the belt slot. I use a wooden dowel to burnish the inside of my belt slots, and it seems to work fine. Try using a wooden dowel and see if it gives you a more even burnishing finish. Everything else looks great.

It seems that there HO side price is close to the price of Goliger, but it does not say if it is A or B grade. I am very interested to know if anybody purchased the Premium Veg-Tanned shoulder and made some holsters out of it.

Thanks red Cent. So are you saying the leather from RJF is acceptable?

Red Cent, All I can say is wow! It is a beautiful rig and I love the natural looking color. Can you share what weight, leather and finish you used?

Great looking holster Mike! The lace work came out great, maybe you should do more laced holsters. I just have a few questions regarding the design. Since this is a range/transportation holster, Is there a reason you did not go with a full flap for better protection? I have never seen one, but with the size of this revolver, would it have maybe made sense to incorporate a handle on the holster? Not sure how it would look, but at least it would be easier to carry.

Thanks for sharing your holster pictures and the history that goes with it. I was on a different continent in the 70's and did not even know what a 1911 was. I just love some of these old school holsters. What about the holster second row from the top, all the way to the right? It looks like one of the 70's 1911 type holsters, but then it has an old school look with the strap around it, like the old George Lawrence type holsters. The serialized Davis holster you have is a beauty.

Red Cent, What style of holster is that? I have seen a few pictures of the specific style and it look like it is only used for 1911's, and maybe for competition. Also looks like most of them are made by "M Davis". This following holster is similar, but without the welt. Do you know where to get the brass hardware for this style of holster?

Dwight, thanks again for the insight. I understand about the weight. I think I was looking for OWB, 1911, Rhodesian holster. It seems that most of the examples I have seen was for a 1911. I will probably go with a 8/9oz weight. The clip thing. I had some idea you were talking about the clip used to clip the holster onto the belt. Sorry, my ignorance again since I have never seen an example of a Rhodesian holster with a clip. I can understand how your method will work better, especially since the thickness of the leather is not always the same, especially if you start lining the holster. If I have a holster where it has to be folded around the gun, I would normally have some extra leather on the edges. I will then wet the area where it will fold, fold it and see if my measurements are correct. I will then glue and stitch and then mold. Mine is all one off holsters also. For the fold around type holsters, I normally like to use some foam sheets to mock it up. That normally gets me very close to the final measurements. Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my questions.

Dwight, the Rhodesian holster is also on my to-do list since Rhodesia is close to where I come from. I have already designed the holster, but I just need to decide on the best leather weight to use. What weight do you use when making a Rhodesian? One thing you mentioned in your directions is to ".....put on the clip...". What do you mean by putting on the clip? You also indicate that you mold it, hang it up to dry, and then glue and sew. I normally would glue, sew, dunk, put the gun in and then form/mold. Is there a benefit to molding first and then sewing?

Thanks for the link. I just looked through the patterns and found a free SIG P239 pattern. It is not a pattern for a 1911, but it is free. Thanks for sharing your pattern. I have not made an Avenger holster yet, so your pattern will help me a lot just to get started. What weight leather do you use for Avenger type holsters, especially for heavier type semi's like 1911's, SIGS etc?

Red Cent, hopefully the new batch of leather will be better. Thanks for starting this discussion since it has helped me understand that differences in the outcome from different leather, doesn't always mean that I messed up, even if the leather is from the same source. I know I have so many things to learn, but that is why I joined this great forum.

So it is just a question of how controlled you want your process or the stiffness of the leather. I just thought maybe I was missing something and should be looking into putting my holsters into the oven. The last thing I want to do is start using the oven and then my wife will start demanding that I do the cooking since I now know how to use the oven.

I am probably going to sound stupid and uninformed, but I am going to ask the dumb question anyway. Why do you need to stiffen leather by putting it in a heat box? After I have done all the gluing, stitching, forming, overnight drying, oiling, dying and whatever finish I put on, it seems that the holster is plenty stiff. Maybe I am just missing something or just don't have enough experience yet. I try and keep my leather holsters as natural as possible for longevity, but if heating the holster will help preserving the leather even longer, then maybe it is something I should also try.

Good job. The color and stitching came out very good. My only concern would be the stitching by the front sights. Is there enough stitching and glue area to hold the two pieces together in the long run? It looks like it could be a weak point. Maybe somebody with more experience can comment if that area will hold up or maybe separate in the future.

Thanks for sharing your process/recipe on how to get and apply the colors. Playing with different colors on leather is new to me and will require some experimenting and practice on my side. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

Great piece! I have been looking for design ideas for a holster I am planning on making as a naturalization gift, and I think I found it. I really like the flag design and how the colors came out. It is not bright and blends well with the leather. I would really appreciate it if you can give me a few pointers on how you got to the colors you have, and the well defined stars.

Rick, Thanks for the information. I sent a few messages to Roger yesterday, but did not receive a response. Maybe tomorrow I'll give him a call. I was actually trying to find out what the price on the double shoulder was since it is enough leather for what I do. The #2 grade will probably be good enough for me as long as the flesh side is smooth. Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my question.

I have used the method suggested by Katsass with 2x5-6oz pieces of leather. I really don't know if there are any wrinkles on the inside of the holster, but if there were, I'm not able to see it because you see the marks of the gun left on the inside of the holster. With the lined holster is is more difficult to put detail in when you wet form. This is not a problem for me because I don't like the excessive amount of detail you sometimes see on holsters. I still hand sew, probably because a sewing machine is not in my budget yet. Good luck with your first lined holster.

Rick, I see you are in Phoenix. I just have a couple of quick questions; 1) How much is shipping cost for RJF leather from NY to PHX? 2) It doesn't seem like they sell Hermann Oak leather. What leather and what grade do you normally get from RJF Leather? 3) Is the leather on par with Hermann Oak. Consistent thickness and a smooth flesh side? Thanks Charl