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They look more curved in your photos - I guess it's just the reflections & lighting? Thanks for the links!

Nice looking gear! Can I ask where you're buying your buckles?

No less "real leatherwork" than a "real photographer" using a digital camera! Looks nice - good work! Do you own your own laser? I've been eyeing them a bit lately, but dang - they're expensive!! A few people here have posted some awesome stuff they've lasered - wallets, bags, etc. Heck, I did a journal cover a couple/few months back that I drew on with a permanent marker, and colored with artists markers. Sold it on Etsy for $70 with a $4.95 B&N journal inside!

Awesome - thank you sir! Now I don't have to buy two $30 Sig mags...

Hi Liberty - I assume you're talking about loops similar to the ones on the holster below? If so, they're very easy to make, once you get the sizing right. The easiest way is to: Cut a strip of leather the width of the desired strap - probably around 1" wide, and the thickness of the leather you'll be using - somewhere between 6-8oz. Cut it 6-8" long Fabricate yourself a belt blank (ask the customer how thick and wide the belts are he wants to build for - probably 1 1/2" wide and up to 1/4" thick) Dampen the strap in the middle of the blank so it's easy to fold and form Place the belt blank over the fold line, then bend the strap so it folds nicely around the blank, then let it dry a bit so it holds its shape Place your snap hardware on the strap to determine where to mount the hardware. I suggest leaving at least 1/8" to 1/4" clearance from the top of the belt to the edge of the snap hardware - any closer than that and it can be hard to snap (particularly with directional snaps) Mark the center of the snap where you'll punch your hole for the snaps Punch a small hole the diameter of the snap cap eyelet post Install the snap For the end of the strap that is against the holster - trim the strap so the centerline of your radius (half your strap width) is the centerline of your snap For the end of the strap that is facing outside (the end not mounted to the holster), I suggest leaving a little tab to hold onto which will make it easier to unsnap (gives you something to hold onto). Note the holster shown below does not have that extra tab - I am adding it on future builds so it's easier to un-snap. I suggest at least 1/4" extra for the tab. To do this, just move the radius away from the centerline of the snap 1/4" or more, then trim the end of the strap If you're happy with the end result, flatten the strap and transfer the measurements to your pattern material, then cut out your pattern If you're not happy with the end result, transfer the measurements, make the necessary adjustments to the pattern, then cut out the revised pattern Using your pattern, go ahead and make yourself another strap just to double check the pattern, then adjust if necessary If you're going to making very many of these, I'd suggest buying a press to install your snaps. If you're going to be overwhelmed by hundreds of these things, also consider having a clicker die made and having the parts clicked out. I would also suggest making circular leather washers out of the same thickness leather. These help the holster slide down over the edge of the pants better without the strap pinching the pants. If you want to edge and burnish them, make them the same diameter as the width of your strap. If you want to save time, make them 3/16" to 1/4" narrower so the sharp edge of the leather won't be visible. If you go this route, you only need to dye the edges to match the edges of your straps. If you choose to edge and burnish them, you'll probably need to dye the whole thing to match the rest of the strap.

That looks great! I've been wanting to try natural with airbrushed accents, but haven't gotten around to it. Looks cool! Good luck selling it - I'm sure someone will be proud to own it!

Thanks to Denster for listing his kit a couple years ago - this is the kit I use based off his list. http://www.adamsleatherworks.com/vacuum-press/

I'm adding the Sig P938 to my lineup. Before I go buy a pair of magazines for it (be it dummy or real), I'd like to ask if anyone has any idea if my Kahr P9 magazine will work for forming P938 mag pouches...?

What kind of dye are you using? I ran into a similar problem, and I was using Fiebing's Pro Oil dyes. I was using Resolene as a resist. When I tested it with Tandy's Red Waterstain, it resisted just fine. It resists antique just fine as well. But, when I airbrushed the Fiebing's dye over it, it didn't work out so well...

That looks great! Very clean looking holster. I like that waterstain color.

I love tutorial videos! Bring em' on! CountryTrash - I really like the Tandy Pro Waterstains - very easy to apply and the coloring is very consistent. But, it does affect the surface a bit, making it absorb water differently. Oil doesn't absorb as quickly, etc. I had to soak my holsters a bit longer than normal for the water to absorb enough for forming.

Yeah, I need to buy a press too. Are you using the directional PTD snaps? If so, are you slicing a tiny slot for the protruding tab to stick down into the leather to keep it from turning? I use an alw and pierce a hole. Otherwise, the snap doesn't sit flat on the leather. I suppose I can try dampening the flesh side right before I set the snap. Not sure what the correct method is.

My customer posted a few photos on another board. I'll go ahead and post them here since it shows the gun inside the holster. Looking back at the photos, I probably could have lowered it maybe 1/2".

I appreciate the comments everyone. The customer has had a chance to wear the holster for a couple days now and absolutely loves it and says it conceals very well. His only complaint was I used too thin of leather on the straps (6-7 oz). I think I didn't get the Dot snaps hammered home enough, so it was a little difficult to snap closed. Now that I've learned that is a problem with the snaps, I'll pay more attention to make sure I hammer the crimp down enough.

Here's an IWB holster I just completed. It's stained with Tandy's Pro Waterstain "Red", and airbrushed with Fiebing's Pro Oil "Black". I don't know about y'all, but I'm glad there are customers out there that still like to add tooling, even though the holster is concealed. Yeah, I know - I need to buy black hardware. Here's another holster I just completed for a local guy. Not sure what the model number is, but it's for a S&W .45ACP revolver. The tension messed up for some reason, and the bobbin thread wasn't pulling up into the leather for about half of the stitching. I ended up pulling out all the stitching at the very end and re-stitched it - that's why the thread is different colors (same thread, just 'cleaner' since it wasn't discolored by the previous steps). I have to admit - I'm not a fan of revolver holsters that are detail molded. They're a pain in the rear!

Awesome! Thanks mojoe!

Thanks CTG - I will keep my eyes out for that product. They show Lowes and Home Depot as suppliers, but I didn't see any on Home Depot's website. I'll check next time I'm in either of the two stores. Regarding the slower drying - the Tandy stuff is the same way. Not prohibitively slow, but definitely slower than the solvent based products.

Weldwood is toxic - looking for a non-toxic alternative to the Barges I've been using since I do most of my work at night with my garage door closed (to keep the bugs out of my garage - attracted to all my shop lights. Leatherweld isn't a contact cement, and keeping pressure on my holsters (particularly my avengers) isn't really a good option, so I'd rather not use a product like that. I do really like the new water-based contact cement form Tandy - but would love to find an equal alternative that isn't so dang'd expensive if anyone knows of one.

Not really sure - the guy at my local Tandy said it was a new product, just hit the shelves. I'm not sure what "Bianchi" used, but I know he talked about a similar product on his video. The Tandy guy said it came out of Italy... I paid around $56 I believe after my discount for 1 liter. Ouch! http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/Leather-Cement-Glue/Water-Based-Contact-Adhesive/2532-04.aspx

Anyone tried it? I bought a bottle of it and really like it so far - curious if anyone else has tried it yet? The price is friggin' ridiculously expensive... Like, stupid expensive. But, I really like that it's non-toxic and quite easy to apply. Bonding strength seems pretty good as well.

Do you have enough to line it with the same 6-7oz leather?

I agree - it definitely seems more responsive. I have AdBlock running in Chrome, so I'm not aware if there are banner images up top currently, but those previously were a HUGE part of the delay when loading a page - adding a couple seconds or more to the load time. One thing I'm beginning to miss is when I click on a link to view a post, it takes me to the beginning of the thread. Previously, it would take me to the newest post that I had not seen yet so I don't have to navigate through several pages of posts to catch up and find where I left off... Perhaps there is a setting to enable that feature I haven't found yet?

As someone who's seemingly built a lot of websites recently, and built (and then again) rebuilt my own website from scratch due to a hacker, I can appreciate all the hard work that goes into making and maintaining a website. Thanks to the leatherworker.net team for all the work you do to keep this international community alive and well! I love the "New Content" menu on the left - A LOT!!

It seems you've created the first sewing machine capable of Morse Code! Did you try calling Steve yet? Just curious what the problem was (since I can't read morse code...).

Springfield EMP