mliebs8

I'm trying to get a Tnut through a leather band but I can't seem to make it work. I'd like to know how it's done and also if Chicago screws would work for interchangeable belt loops. Any information would be greatly apprecaited.

I think it looks pretty decent myself. I would probably open up the muzzle end, cut down the body shied but that may be difficult without a bobbed hammer, and round the edges a little bit. Being a hardcore 1911 carrier myself, I would also try and extend the holster a little to keep the trigger area totally closed off. I will say one thing though, it definately looks like the holster is going to conceal it. How do the Chicago screws work?

I'm using 7/8 for the body and 6/7 for the reinforcement and the belt loops. I think the cost of the WC leather was well worth it, the leather moulded well and made a huge difference in the overall appearence of the holster. I tried dyeing a few holsters and they never really looked right, that doesn't mean it can't look good it just means I couldn't dye the leather right. The belt loops are held on by the snaps and so far it seems pretty secure.

The leather is 7/8 and 6/7, the 7/8 has more undyed backing than the 6/7. I didn't do anything before I cut it but the second piece was easier and I did cut it from the other end so maybe that made a difference.

Jordan, The bulge is from a piece of dowel rod that I use between the sights, I put the dowel rod against the rear sight and cut it down to go over the front sight. The bulge is there because the front sight sits deep in the holster and it has an angle on it so the dowel rod pretty much started there. From the few holsters I've made the dowel rod makes a great sight channel on everything I've tried so far. On the loops I've been building everything in 3 pieces with the strap being one of them. I tried doing the belt loops and reinforcement in one piece but I didn't like the way it turned out. I really like your last project, the pattern cutout was really nice, I actually started taking more time and fine tuning my patterns after you posted.

The problem is that the backing seems kind of hard, it crunches when I cut it. I cut another pattern today and it didn't seem as bad as last night. I've only cut unfinished leather so far so I don't really have anything to compare it too. I love the leather though, it's definately a couple of steps up from the last stuff I had. For some reason I was under the impression that drum dyed was dyed all the way through but oh well it is what it is.

I really like this leather, it seems easier to work with that the previous stuff I had.<center>

Well I went ahead and moulded the holster today and a few things are different from the Weavers I used previously. 1) Soaked the leather for 10-15 seconds, it should have been about 5-10 2) Put it in the press for 1/4 of the time as usual, detail turned out really nice but the holster was a little wet 3) This is the only leather I'm going to buy from now on, big difference in quality from the other stuff I bought I know I'm still new to this but the difference in the leather is pretty amazing. My wife who is my biggest critic was shocked at the difference, good leather does make a difference.

Ok I received my new leather a couple of days ago and at first glance I thought well it looks ok but nothing special (I'm still new to this). So today I was excited to get home from work to make another holster and here's what I think so far. The Bad: Cutting this stuff with a head knife is like cutting concrete with a butter knife, the backside is very hard. The backing was not dyed black all the way through, I had to dye the back before I could glue the holster together. Same thing with the edges, I had to use dye when I burnished them. The Good: After cutting the pattern out the leather felt very soft and flexible. The edges sanded down really easy and very smooth. Seems to be easier to work with because it's so soft and flexable. Don't have to worry about dyeing it. The stitch groover ran through it like butter. I'm only half way through with the project but so far I'm pretty happy with the leather. I'll be moulding it tomorrow so we'll see how that goes but to be honest, it's pretty pricey but I think it's going to be well worth it. On a side note I started using Weavers nylon thread today and it seems to be quite a bit better than the original that came with my Artisan 3000. The Artisan 3000 is a great machine by the way.

I like it alot, it looks like it's well built.

I'm using a press, I bought a 20 ton press from Northern Tool and had some plates made for it. I also bought some of the gum rubber sheets from McMasters, I'm using two on top and two on the bottom. I know what you mean about sewing, I had one yesterday that I hit the gas pedal by mistake. I'm just glad I didn't sew my fingers to the holster. I'm really excited about getting the new leather, I'm only going black for now but I have some color samples coming with it so I'm sure I'll end up with 2 or 3 colors. After my sewing mishap yesterday I started using the machine without shoes so I can get a better feel for the pedals because their so close together. I've had a couple that I sewed too close to the trigger, one worked but the other ended up going to the landfill.

Here's a couple of pictures of two holsters I just finished. I'm really looking forward to the drum dyed leather to get here so I can see how they look dyed. This weekend I was bored so I just finished moulding 7 more so I can finish them up during the week. <center> <img src="http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k56/mliebs8/DSCN2024.jpg" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"><br><br> <img src="http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k56/mliebs8/DSCN2023.jpg" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"><br><br> </center>

I think they look good, I really like the stamping. As far as the dyeing goes I finally gave up, I ordered some drum dyed leather and it will be here next week. Everytime I tried to dye one ended up having to put a few coats on which pretty much turned it black.

They look kick ass, nice work!!!!

I like that alot. What is tan kote?

I can barely turn my computor on but if you go to photobucket it's fairly easy. Just create an account and try posting them through there.

I like it, I like the contrast also.

Right now I've been using 7/8 but think I may drop down to 6/7 for the main body. I bought some 8/9 but when I compared it to my professional made holsters I could tell it was way too heavy. The 7/8 is moulding pretty good but I'm thinking 6/7 would be easier to conceal. I carry all the time and a holster that's too bulky is a real pain to wear.

Here's a couple of holsters I finished to day. They are for a Glock 26 and the one with the dual straps had a mistake on the banding so I had to go with dual straps to make it work. This holster making is addicting.<center> <img src="http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k56/mliebs8/DSCN2018.jpg" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"><br><br> <img src="http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k56/mliebs8/DSCN2017.jpg" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"><br><br> </center>

I'm actually using 277 for both right now but I planned on using 277 and 207. It seems like the backstitch is too thick but obviously I'm wrong. Do you think I would have a problem using 277 and 207?

Thanks for the comments. I ordered some black thread and I'm going to use a little smaller thread for the backstitch also. I was also thinking about ordering some drum dyed leather so I could just finish the holster and have it look a little better, does anyone know if it's worth it or not. I tried dyeing a couple of them and the only good thing is their concealable holsters because the way they looked dyed was pretty scarey.

I have a hard time with the stitch lines also.

I bought the Artisan 3000, and believe me I'm like a bull in a china store with it.

I just finished this one and changed the design a little bit and I didn't dye it I just sprayed some sealer on it. I'm getting the hang of the sewing machine a little more but it's still difficult to sew are corners and get it straight. I'm having<center> <img src="http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k56/mliebs8/DSCN2013.jpg" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"><br><br> <img src="http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k56/mliebs8/DSCN2011.jpg" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"><br><br> </center> fun though.

Good deal, thanks for the help.