byggyns

I agree. Make more. You learn so much more by making more holsters and making some mistakes for yourself. Even if you make the mistakes that others have warned you about, you can see exactly why they gave you that advice, how you made that error & ways to avoid it in the future. Of course, it's much easier on the ego to make those mistakes when they are holsters for your own weapons. Carrying pistols in your own holsters will also give you a feel for the way a certain design feels, so you can make changes to your holster design for different carrying conditions. One mistake that I made that I had never been advised against is regarding decorative stitching around a single layer at the opening. If I ever do it again, I will have to space the stitching farther away from the edge and / or use a larger stitch size. The way I did it made the leather roll over when I burnished the edge. ETA: I also wouldn't call myself an expert. I've only made a few holsters so far, but you really do learn so much more by doing it.

I didn't realize the old sheaths did not have a welt. The modern KBar sheath I have has a welt, but I haven't handled any older ones in the recent past. Without a welt, the allowance around the outside of the blade can be smaller, which makes more sense when you look at the picture above. The pic shows very little space between the blade & the stiching. I looked for my pattern that I mentioned above, but must have thrown it out at the end of the project. I don't think that I'll ever have to make a sheath again for a blade of that shape.

I'll agree with covering the trigger on a double action revolver. That's a safety issue in my opinion. On a single action, expose it as much as you want since it's quite hard to accidentally cock the hammer and then catch the trigger on something without noticing. With the rear sight, You can cover it or not, your choice. I've made holsters both ways. I prefer the uncovered sight, but some people like that leather wrapped around it. The way the sight is kind of running into the edge on yours isn't what I would prefer. It doesn't appear you have the issue here, but something to think about in future designs is the position of the grip vs. the belt. You don't want the grip in a location where you may accidentally grab the belt with it as part of the draw stroke. That's more of an issue for low-slung holsters. I figured that one out while making a pattern for a Mexican loop style for my Ruger Blackhawk.

If you have the knife only, it should also be easy to create your own pattern. Trace the knife, lay out your welt around the blade, Figure the length you need to double over and tuck behind the hilt. Customize from there as far as location of the strap for the hilt, the slight narrowing of the belt loop area from the blade area, number of and location of rivets, etc. I did one in a similar style recently (for a very different knife). I'll try to post pics when I get home today.

I like the Idea. I also think that the coordinator should be the one who choses the next pattern- that way there is consistency of project flow. It would also be helpful to those of us with less experience if there were a step-by-step build along available. The winner from the previous month has to do a photo or video build along for the next project- to be published after that winner is selected. This would provide a detailed reference guide for any new leatherworker visiting the site. It would also cut down on construction related questions as the year progresses. People will start to grasp the construction concepts after seeing so many different projects and how they get assembled.

If you want to stamp your own, there are tags that are sold for jewlery making that are designed to be punched. You can get a set of 1/8" or smaller letter stamps to punch them.

Were you able to buy the bladder, or is it recycled from another football?

You've already been told about the chrome tanned lining, so I won't beat that horse anymore. I personally have not lined any of my holsters. Just burnishing the flesh side with some water and saddle soap does pretty well for me. Having the gun (or a blue gun) does make the fit much easier. It still is possble to mess up your stitch line spacing with the gun on hand. The last one I made for myself was just a little too tight, and makes reholstering a bit tricky. You obviously can't do any molding without it either. That being said, I like the tooling and stamping you have going on. It looks great.

It depends on the level of use, but the plating will wear off. I have a belt that was made for me about 10 years ago at an amish leather shop (well before I started doing leatherwork). The nickel plating has worn off at the underside of the buckle where the billet moves through- leaving the solid brass behind. The plating has also worn off of the top of the snaps that hold the buckle end closed, leaving the bare steel. The other belt that I have with brass plated snaps has done the same thing on the snap heads. That buckle is solid brass, so no plating to rub away there. This is, of course the wear that happens over a long period of time on the only 2 belts I ever wear. Something that isn't used as often or as hard won't have as much of a problem.

I also collect fountain pens, both vintage and modern. Most of my collection is modern, but I've started into more vintage pens. I'm going to start acquiring the tools to restore old Parker Vacumatics. I've already restored several vintage Esterbrooks.

Loden may refer to: Water-resistant material for clothing made from sheep's wool, without removing the lanolin. It is usually green and used in Austrian traditional clothing. See Loden cape.So, after reading the wiki article on Loden Cape, I'm gathering that it's lined with wool.

Yeah, card stock & a T-square or a drafting triangle to get them lined up. Another method is to make a pattern with thin paper, mark holes on one side, fold it in half and mark the other side. Then transfer the pattern to the heavier stock to make your pattern last longer.

Nice work. Good looking pen also. Parker 51?

try this page: http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/workman1/vol1k.htm there is a good image near the bottom. The one nearer the top is not a good scan. and here is a picture of the detail you're looking for http://yellowstoneranger.blogspot.com/2010/06/uniform.html

The distance from the stitching to the edge of the leather depends on the thickness. I've heard that you want to keep it about the same distance from the edge as the total thickness- in your case both layers. My general distance for the holsters I make is about 3/16". That is equal to 12 oz. of thickness. I like this even when I'm doing a slightly higher total thickness- farther from the edge looks chunky to me. If you are using 2 layers of 8 oz., then 1/4" for your stitch line is exactly right with that rule. When I took a holster class @ my local Tandy (how I really got started in leatherwork), they said that you want a minimum of 1/4" from your belt slot to the stitch line (outer stitching or stitch line for the pistol)- more if you are also doing a stitch line around just the slot. Since this is a mag pouch, and not a holster I think you can reduce all of the distances a little as the strain will be less. As far as fitting the mag in the pouch, I haven't done the exposed mags. I like a mag pouch with a flap secured by snaps or velcro, so my design goes much higher on the mag than you are looking at. Stitching distance from the mag body will vary depending on the amount of molding, thickness of leather, and the overall thickness of the mag. The thicker everything is, the further out the stitching needs to go.

Thanks for the info. It does look great, especially for a project done after such a short reacquaintance with the hobby. By the photos, it looks like you did not use a liner. Is that accurate? I'm still in the studying / planning phase of making my own bag, hence the questions. I hope to soon be in the "acquire supplies" phase.

OK, how about the details? what weight & type of leather? hardware?

well, here is a link to buying rawhide lace: here I've never done it, but one youtube vid I watched showed doing a mexican round braid with it. Not sure if you have to wet the lace, but I wouldn't think so. With it being that thin, I think it should move the way you need while dry. However, I've never done any lacing- at all, so take my info with that in mind.

Excellent job! I've been thinking of making something similar. Your step-by-step record will certainly help when I decide to take it on.

Having just started myself, I recently did my first paying project. A friend had seen some of my projects & asked me if I could repair the binding & replace the cover on her Bible. Having only done basic construction of holsters & sheaths. I had no Idea how to do it. I researched binding books, created a plan, bought the leather and made it happen. I only charged her for materials. It was a learning experience for me, and I've already had multiple requests from others to do the same for them. Word of mouth advertising combined with social media does wonders to get your name around. I'll have to post the pics from that to the show-off thread soon.

There are lots of recipes online for a beeswax , turpentine, mineral spirits mixture for waterproofing. I haven't used that on leather, but it should work- it works on canvas well. I have used a mix of neatsfoot oil & beeswax. I mix it about 2:1 oil to wax by weight. I'll tune it by adding more of either if the consistency doesn't come out the way I want. By adjusting the proportions, you can get it to a thick lotion / cream consistency with more oil, or a harder paste with more wax. I've toyed with the idea of adding shea butter or cocoa butter to smooth out the texture. It will darken the leather. If you use a heat gun / hair dryer to help it soak in, the leather darkens even more. I'm not sure about longevity. I haven't been doing it long enough to tell for sure. The recipe for Fiebings Aussie leather conditioner is Wax, Mineral Spirits and Petroleum Jelly acording to the MSDS. 10-15%, 15-35%, and 55-70% respectively.

Hi all, I wasn't sure where to place this, but I figured it would get the most traffic here. I have an old piece of family history: a USMC flight jacket that belonged to my grandfather. It is from somewhere in the Korea / Vietnam era, so I'm not sure if it is horse hide or cow hide. Any of you with knowledge into military issue items from that time, can you shed more light onto what the leather used was? The issue is there is mold / mildew on the jacket and it is rather stiff & dried out. I recovered it from a closet in the old farm house before they tore it down. What would be the best way to clean the mold / mildew off of it and then oil / treat it to make it wearable again? I have a cousin that could fit it and he would probably like to have it. My thought was saddle soap to clean and some olive oil to refresh the leather. I know that neatsfoot would probably darken it more than I would prefer. Would this work, or should I look into other options?

Thanks for this info. I was not aware of that. Is this true for both leather and metal plate? I would think that it may make more of a difference with the harder metal plate. But, I am neither an anthropologist nor an archeologist, I just like history.

The upper layers should always go outside of the lower layers. That way as a weapon (sword, axe, mace, etc) is swung it will not catch on the edges of the pieces. Weapon swings are almost all in a downward direction (overhand). Typically, only thrusts come up from underneath. Underhand swings are not a very natural movement, and because of the muscle groups used to execute, are weaker blows. They also leave the warrior more open to counter attack.

You might want to talk that customer in to a cross chest / bandolier type of holster, especially with the longer barreled (9.5")model. I have an average length torso & a 50" chest and my 7.5" 44 mag filled up the front of my hunting jacket with a nylon bandolier holster. If I had the scope on it, it would be even worse. That is just a B F pistol.