Haystacker

Glocks seem to be the worse offenders. When I first made them, I had to make sure I broke the holster in. Otherwise customers could not draw the pistol. Yikes. Made me look real bad.

Holster making is addicting!

Good job!

Looks pretty darn good to me. The only area of concern is the stitch line around the trigger guard. Should be up a little closer to the trigger guard. With time yours may allow the pistol to seat too deep. You could always put a screw in the area and claim it is a retention screw. Check out the post that Denster made about patterns. Follow his guide lines and the next holster will be perfect. I like the color. Looks perfect to me. Molding looks good. Geez. Hard to believe this is your first holster.

I am truly impressed. You have talent.

Shoot me a PM if interested in this pattern.

Markush, What a great job. If you want to tighten this holster, just add another stitch line. Before you make your next holster, make another copy of your pattern. Then trace in the stitch line a little tighter, using your holster as a guide. Then cut out the stitch line pattern and use this when you make you next holster. all of my patterns are two pieces. The outside and then the inside stitch lines. I hope the pictures help explain what i mean. Again, looks great. best regards, Jeff

Stunning. some of the best detail work I've seen.

It works, and can work well. Takes a lot of trial and error to see the limits. Free. Try some scrap pieces and see what you can do. Biggest advantage is it is not flammable.

Leatherweld works great. it is not the same as the contact cement. Follow the instructions for use. For instance both pieces have to have glue and you attach while the glue is still wet. For best results, I use a weight on the holster and let the glue set up. The warmer your shop, the faster the glue sets up. I have tried to separate the leather after the glue sets up. The leather actually gives, not the glue.

I'm not sure how to tighten up your holster. You can try remolding. After wetting the holster, let it sit for a while. Try molding when the holster is almost dry. Follow the lines of the pistol with a sharpie or something like that. The other thing you may consider is a retaining strap. Hi ride holsters are challenging. The higher the revolver is on the belt the harder it is to keep the gun from wanting to tip out at the top, above the belt line. On your next hi ride revolver holster try using a little more leather above the belt line, like the one I attached. Just keep in mind you don't want to interfere with the firing grip. I guess you realize, at this point, holster making is addicting! Best regards. Jeff

I have made a couple of paddle holsters using two 7/8 pieces glued/sewn rough side out. So far no problems. These are for range holsters for folks that do not wear belts. I was curious if anyone else has EXPERIENCE with leather paddles.

Denster. Looks awesome. I prefer OWB. Never could get comfortable with IWB. Looks like you came up with something in between that would work very well. Nice job.

Excellent. have you ever made one with a leather paddle?

Nice job. I like the revolver holster too. It looks like you have a good pattern. Well done.

Those look great. Denster, How did you achieve the great looking color? Is this drum dyed leather or did you color it? Thanks, Jeff

Thanks for the tip. I think I will give it a whirl.

I like it. I think I will have to try horse hide also.

Nothing yet. I should bug Ring's. But i think it takes a lot of emails to get them to make a blue gun.

Hammer guard is just something to keep the hammer from digging into the wearer's body. Cross draw really makes this a problem. I thumb break would work in the same manner. The difference is a thumb break provides a level of retention, a hammer guard is just on an open top holster. The thumb break is just preference. For folks that want to carry while doing activities like riding or hiking, they may like the retention of a thumb break. Some folks that carry concealed for self defense don't want the extra anything (thumb break) that may interfere or hinder that quick access to the firearm.

One thing I forgot to mention about the leather weld. I put weights on the pieces after i stick them together. Usually about 30 to 40 pounds. I let it sit like that for about an hour. For belts I use a long metal ruler and then add weights on top of that for the length of the belt. When I first saw the John Bianchi western holster makng dvd's I noticed he used a white glue form Tandy. I tried 2 different brands from Tandy. Only the Leather Weld gave me the results I liked.

I've tried to separate two pieces of leather that had leather weld. Glue held. The leather actually separated. Leather weld works good on gun belts. The problem that you may have is the leather weld has to be wet when you stick the two pieces together. On large belts that can be tricky. I really started appreciating leather weld after talking to a saddle maker in Sheridan. HE believes something is causing the poor health problems of old saddle makers. HE supposed it could be fumes from contact cement. (respirator can fix this problem) Also, I heat me shop with wood. Flammable fumes are my biggest concern. Everyone has what they like. I have had good experience with the Leather Weld. Jeff

Leather weld works great. Just follow the instructions. Make sure the glue is dry before wet molding.

Not sure how much help but I will try. The holsters pictured are pancake holsters. Basically the sight channel is built in with this design. Most folks want as much cant on the cross draw as they can get. I recommend a hammer guard if your revolver has a hammer. Making the stitch lines is about the same as an automatic. I do go a little closer around the trigger guard. One thing is if you go too big you can always run another stitch line and make it look like you meant too. If you add a lot of cant keep in mind the firing grip. Cross draw revolver holsters are a little more forgiving on the firing grip since the belt slot pulls into the body giving more clearance. I don't have any pictures of the avenger style cross draw. The sight channel is easy enough to mold into the holster with this design, especially with revolvers. Just tape a dowel on the top of the barrel when you mold the holster. I am not sure about women specific holsters. Still trying to figure that one out. I just made a paddle holster for a lady that does not like to wear belts. It is an avenger style with neutral cant and can be worn strong side, appendix or cross draw. (If it works, she will be testing it for me). Let me know if you need anything else. I can send you a copy of my j frame holster pattern if you need it. Just send me an email to haysholsters@hotmail.com. Good luck, Jeff

Good job.