dakotawolf

I'm not sure why I can't paste the info here, or even paste the link, but if you go to www.fiebing.com there is information on this. It's in the tips and tricks section. In short, mix Fiebing's leather dye (not oil dye) with neatsfoot oil. The ratio they state is 6% to 94% neatsfoot oil. I tried it and the color (med. brown) was much easier to control with a dauber. I imagine you can go stronger or lighter with the dye concentrations.

I have done one. It was for a Sig P226 with a Streamlight TLR-1 tactical light. I put a thumb break on it, and the front and rear stitch lines were just two parallel straight lines. The key, at least for me, was to put in a partial toe plug. It was the first time I'd ever done one. I had to dust off my Al Stohlman books for instruction. On this particular holster, I made the toe plug sit under just the muzzle (the light extended beyond the muzzle).

I like the color and finish. What method did you use? I assume that is saddle tan? How did you apply it to get such a consistent finish? It is really a striking rig. Machine sewn?

That stitch line around the gun looks pretty good. How many practice ones did you do to get it dialed in?

If I want a gun to slip in and out with almost no friction (e.g. a thumb break), I let the holster dry with the gun in the holster. If I take the gun out right after wet molding, the leather shrinks a little bit and friction is greater. Usually I take them out after about 2 hours of drying. Of course it depends on how much friction you have to begin with based on stitch line placement. As for where the retention on a revolver comes from, I assume the molding in the trigger guard, and just having stitch lines in the proper place.

The stitch lines on the CZ holster look spot on. I found a revolver a little tougher to calculate stitch line placement because of the drastic difference in thickness of the frame/barrel vs the cylinder. Like you said, put it in paper and study it. A friendly critique on the CZ holster: try not the change stitch line directions at sharp right angles (e.g. the one behind the CZ's trigger guard). I'm not sure if there is a reason rounding them, at least a little, other that it looks better. I've never seen a pro have squared off corners on a stitch line. When I draw my pattern it has right angles, but then I round them. Typically I hold coins up to the intersection of the lines and trace the radius just until one line flows around the coin and meets the perpendicular line. The size coin you use should become apparent as you study your pattern on paper with the gun next to it. And yes, I realize the revolver pic I posted earlier has some squared off looking stitch lines. Live and learn. 😀

Found a pic of the one revolver holster I've done. Notice the horizontal section of stitching in front of the frame? That it's what will stop the gun from sinking in deeper over time. The trigger guard on this revolver is much more rounded (oval-ish?) than on most semi autos would be.

The stitch line in front of the frame is like the stitch line in front of the trigger guard on a semi auto: it stops the gun from sinking any deeper into the holster. I've made about 20 semi auto avengers and one revolver one. I read old forum posts, and was able to get the revolver holster right on the first try. Maybe it was just dumb luck 😉

Have you made one for a revolver before?

My food dehydrator works quite well. It has a gentle fan, and I can set the temp as low as 90F and as high as 160F. I help some things along at 90F, but if I want to harden the leather (like in holster making) I set the temp at 135. Works wonderfully.

They all are very beautiful. The fifth one from the top caught my eye. Maybe because it speaks to my individual taste. I love that deep rich brown. How did you make that color, if that's not asking you to divulge secrets? The leather itself looks beautiful, what did you use?

One other thing, make sure you have enough room to get a full grip on the gun before you draw. I see you allowed plenty of room between the grip and the holster itself. However, since this is an IWB holster, the belt may interfere with obtaining a full grip. Yes, lowering the clip location might make it a little less balanced, and shift more weight above the belt. But being an IWB, I don't think lowering the clip would unbalance it too much since the belt is pressing in on the holster body. Adding some cant may solve the problem too, without changing the clip location (as in the pics Clean view posted).

I think 8oz is perfect. I've heard that using two layers of leather is the cat's ass (Katsass, get it?). Just out of curiosity, what weight leathers are you bonding together to get 8?

I have have a couple questions first: what style holster is this? I am assuming an in the waistband left handed holster? Secondly, make sure your holster doesn't cover the magazine eject button. Also, I find less than a half inch around most semi-auto trigger guards is better, usually s 1/4 inch or a smidge more depending on the thickness of your leather. I'm impressed by your graphic rendering; IMHO it shows you have the attention to detail to be good at this.

Doesn't really need it. The mouth reinforcement "for holstering" is kind of superfluous. It's a nice thing to decorate, but his wet molding and a little heat (like 135 F) will harden the collegen in the leather and make mouth reinforcement not completely necessary.

I forgot to add this photo to my previous post. This is the last thumbtack holster I made. The metal stiffener is not sandwiched. I've heard of people just using two layers of leather rather than s metal stiffener for the thumb break. I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know if it works, or retains rigidity over time.

This is my latest attempt at a thumb break hoster. It actually worked quite well, but could have been prettier. It's for a Glock 19. I figured the position for the thumb break in the side against the body (having a couple thumb break holsters to examine at the same time helped). I left the other half of the thumb break long so I could figure the length after wet forming and with the gun actually in the holster. On this one I choose to sandwich the metal stiffener between two layers of leather, and recess the snap. My thumb break hardware (stainless stiffener and black plastic snap cover/thing to protect the fun from rubbing on the snap) came from High Desert Leather (Google can help u fund the website). The last photo is my previous thumb break (Glock 26). The stiffener was not sandwiched. I much prefer the sandwiched look, and think it performs a little better, in that there is less bulk under the retention strap due to the recessed snap. This was a quick explication. I kind of glossed over a bit, but the photos should tell most of the story.

I still consider myself a novice to leather work and holster making. But I am glad to say I'm improving. I'm improving to the point I feel confident in the design and construction/durability of my holsters. I think I'm finally confident enough to switch from Tandy leather to Hermann Oak (never tried it, but there seems to be a consensus that it's high quality - usually). I made this holster from Tandy 7/8oz leather. I made it for a co-worker for $40. He seemed really happy with it. I'm particularity proud of the thumb break on this one (3rd one I've done). This is the first one where I extended the main belt loop leather up to the top of the thumb break (see back of holster photo), and then sandwiched the metal stiffener between two pieces of leather. I recessed the snap, which really streamlined the look. I had to improvise a punch for the snap recess: a 3/8 copper pipe cap was 'sharpened' and then hammered through before I applied the extended belt loop piece. I think the trailing belt loop could have been in towards the trigger a year more. I'm going to look for a little thicker thread. I used thick thread on the main belt loop and back side of the thumb break. I'm thinking something in between the two sizes I used would be better. The thin thread almost disappeared on the stitch line next to the gun. Speaking of the stitch line, I brought it in a smidge between the front of the trigger guard and the muzzle on my pattern (for next time). Any comments or suggestions for improvements are eagerly sought.

I still consider myself a novice to leather work and holster making. But I am glad to say I'm improving. I'm improving to the point I feel confident in the design and construction/durability of my holsters. I think I'm finally confident enough to switch from Tandy leather to Hermann Oak (never tried it, but there seems to be a consensus that it's high quality - usually). I made this holster from Tandy 7/8oz leather. I made it for a co-worker for $40. He seemed really happy with it. I'm particularity proud of the thumb break on this one (3rd one I've done). This is the first one where I extended the main belt loop leather up to the top of the thumb break (see back of holster photo), and then sandwiched the metal stiffener between two pieces of leather. I recessed the snap, which really streamlined the look. I had to improvise a punch for the snap recess: a 3/8 copper pipe cap was 'sharpened' and then hammered through before I applied the extended belt loop piece. I think the trailing belt loop could have been in towards the trigger a year more. I'm going to look for a little thicker thread. I used thick thread on the main belt loop and back side of the thumb break. I'm thinking something in between the two sizes I used would be better. The thin thread almost disappeared on the stitch line next to the gun. Speaking of the stitch line, I brought it in a smidge between the front of the trigger guard and the muzzle on my pattern (for next time). Any comments or suggestions for improvements are eagerly sought.

This is kind of a late response, but I use my food dehydrator for things small enough to fit. I can set the temp (90 to 160) and it gets mild air circulation. I set it at 130 degrees . It's been working great, and no, it doesn't turn leather to jerkey (if you don't leave it in there for days LoL).

Thank you for your response. I think I will politely tell him I'll have to pass. All my riveting needs are being met with a hand riveter and maul for the foreseeable future.

I put an ad on the local craigslist for leather tools. I have had good luck so far. The most recent response offered the tools in the photos below. Can anyone help me figure out what they are. I'm guessing two of them are arbor presses. I wonder if the presses are compatible with craft tool stamps? The other two items, that sort of resemble pliers, I have no idea about.

Looks good to me. Maybe it's the photo, but make sure you make enough space to behind the trigger guard to get a full grip on the holstered gun. I notice the tight space in that area the most on the Glock 19/23/(whatever the 357sig one is) one the most.

Beautiful burnishing on the outside edges. What is your inspiration for the design?

When I was managing the pics in my gallery I deleted the two photos on the first post in this thread. I have added them below. On the new holster (not these) I loosened the stich line on the trigger guard. This allowed me to mold a little more detail inside the trigger guard. The one in the photo below was stretched tight like a drum; I pushed and pushed but it did no good. I also covered the trigger guard more on the newer version as well as moved the stich line in closer on the dust cover area. I made the trailing wing about 1/8 of an inch longer. The lower edge of the belt slot still got a little closer to the edge than I had intended. I used a drill press (1/4 bit) and a razor to cut the belt slots. I'm not happy with them. I think I wanna try making the EMT electrical conduit belt slot punch. As far as the holster functions, it's perfect. You can vigoursly shake the gun upside down and it don't even wiggle, but the draw is not too tough (little more resistance than a Fobus holster if that helps). I'll be happy to deliver it today and collect my $30.