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I see that BlueGuns has a Springfield 5" Railed Operator dummy - are the overall dimensions close enough on the Springer that I could use this to form a Colt 1911 5" Railed holster with detail boning? Or is there a better dummy for the Colt? I haven't done any railed 1911 holsters yet and want to make the most versatile dummy purchase if possible.

Very nice! Extremely clean looking.

Nice looking holster! I was amazed at the difference when I started using H.O. instead of the Tandy hides.

Thanks! We're on the same page - I almost bought a d-ring and a snap clip with the snaps on both ends, but I got the vibe my boss was pretty hooked on the way his current holster for his blank gun works. If it were up to me, I would have definitely used a d-ring and would have added a belt loop so it could be worn either way.

Looking back at it, there's no reason I couldn't have extended the attachment point further south to allow for a larger gluing and stitching area, and also widened the overall width of the strap another 1/8" or 1/4" on the snap-ring side.

Yeah - I stressed over that snap attachment for a while, and in the end this was the best I could come up with. I was trying to make it match (for the most part) the design of another holster he has for his blank pistol (for competitive field trails with his bird dogs). The other holster used copper rivets, but I didn't want to mess with that (and I don't have any of that stuff). I ended up going with a 5/8" strap, folded over and sewn. It's a pretty solid connection so far.

My boss came to me a while back and asked me if I could make a holster for his new S&W Governor .45. He had something specific in mind - he needed something that could easily clip onto his saddle, and didn't have any need for a belt slot. My first design incorporated the belt slot, but when I brought him the paper template to try and sell him on the idea (basically a western holster with the clip/buckle also included), he said he didn't really think he'd ever carry it, so he asked me to remove it. He's the boss (literally)! This was my first time with vinegaroon - I think it came out pretty well overall.

Chuck - it's interesting that you oil while the leather is still wet. I've always assumed "water and oil don't mix" carried over into leather work too, so I've never wanted to oil while the leather is still wet after forming. Can I ask why you do it before it's completely dry? Not having to wait could shave 12-24 hours off the overall build time...

Yep - agreed. And if you are dying your edges too, make sure you dye all the edges prior to assembly, to include the top edge, otherwise it'll be hard to dye later (Avenger holsters are an excellent example).

For those that stumble into this thread wondering the same thing, I'll mention that I shipped a 5" 1911 holster to a customer and didn't realize my pattern didn't quite extend high enough up on the trigger guard. For most of my holsters, it was okay. But for this particular item I shipped out, I didn't get the gun seated far enough in the leather when I formed it, leaving too much of the trigger exposed. Top it off with the fact that he had a "Short" trigger, and the front face of it was visible when holstered. I didn't notice it when I built it because I have a "Long" trigger, and didn't pay enough attention to it. The customer contacted me shortly after receiving it, asking if I could make him another one - I was happy to, and thankful that he'd brought it to my attention. All that being said, the most important thing that came out of our conversation was that IDPA would disqualify the competitor if the trigger is exposed. He's an IDPA competitor, so this holster wouldn't fly for him.

Looks great. I'm personally a big fan of accent thread colors. Yes, they're concealed and no one is supposed to see it. But that doesn't mean we can't go out of our way to make them look nice. Besides, some of our holsters might end up in an open-carry state.

Here's my opinion... For all 1911's - get the Cocked & Locked, and get the extended thumb safety too (as in, I'd buy the 5" Loaded model instead of the 5" GI model). You might also want to pick up a spare ambi-safety and drill a hole in the dummy to install the right-side thumb safety for left-handed holsters (assuming you add a sweat shield). 1911 - 5" 1911 - 4.25" (can also be used for 4", 3.9", and 3.5") 1911 - 3" (can also be used for the EMP) Regarding the above EMP comment - I do not specifically recommend it, but I have had a bunch of people order my 3" holsters for their EMP, and they've been very happy with the fit. Yes, the EMP is physically smaller in a couple dimensions, but it doesn't seem enough to matter in a leather holster. Glock 17/21/31 Glock 19/23/32 Glock 26/27/33 Springfield XD40 Sub-Compact Springfield XD45 (Which I believe will also fit the XD9 and XD40) S&W M&P .40 4.25" S&W M&P .40 3.5" Don't forget to buy magazines too if you plan to make mag pouches. Where possible, I'd buy actual mags instead of dummy mags - that way you can actually load a few rounds into the magazine so the mag pouch is formed around a loaded magazine, instead of an empty mag.

I airbrush Fiebing's Pro Oil dyes straight out of the bottle. I have not airbrushed their regular spirit dyes, but don't see any reason it wouldn't work the same. Anything with the fluidity of milk should airbrush just fine.

Not sure this is in the correct forum, but I don't think you want to used waxed thread of any kind in a sewing machine. I use 277 American Efird thread in mine and have not had any problems.

Hi CrotalusCo - We've all been there, so you're in good company! Your holster looks pretty good, and you've received some good feedback already. If I were you, I'd raise the belt slots up a bit, which will lower the gun on the belt, helping to keep it from flopping outward. I would also suggest that you cover the muzzle - it may fit fine right now, but once that leather starts to soften up, it could very easily snag the bottom edge of the holster and make it difficult to draw the weapon. If you have access to a belt sander, or even a drill press with some sanding drum bits, I'd work on smoothing out the curves of the leather prior to stitching. Once your leather has nice, clean lines, you can use something like wing dividers to scribe a stitch line around the edge of the holster. I would probably avoid curving the stitch line inward (towards the trigger guard) at the top of the holster. From an aesthetic standpoint, I'd probably add a groove to the top and bottom edge of the holster.

I actually ordered a frog skin from Springfield. I didn't see it listed on their site, but when I called in the rest of my order, I asked if they carried it and was happy to hear they did.

It should be noted that when ordering from W&C (assuming you are buying their 8-10oz hides), the areas that are 8oz will likely have a more fuzzy flesh area than the 10oz areas. On my last order, I had them split it to 8oz, and it made a world of difference.

Waldermac - isn't it annoying when you have your eyes set on a particular machine and/or budget, and these guys come along and tell you to save a little bit more and buy X machine? Well, let me tell you - they're right!! If you are looking for a machine for hobby work, that's one thing. If you plan to sell your stuff, then I'd certainly recommend stepping up to one of the better powered machines with triple feed mechanisms. My first year of making holsters for others - I could have completely covered the difference in cost in just a couple months and it (a powered machine) would have made life much easier. That being said - you can't get much more portable than a Tippmann Boss while still being able to handle the stress of working with heavy leathers. I have mine clamped to the corner of a workbench...

Great looking holster! I always like the black with white thread combination.

Wow - thanks Busted! That's a lot of colors... King's X - No, hadn't thought about dying my own thread. Can you dye an entire spool?

Does anyone know what color this thread is? This photo is from Brigade's website. I have brown, but it's much darker than this thread. I'd like to buy a nice dark red, and this brown - hopefully from the same supplier.

Honestly, I'd probably charge at least $30, maybe $40, but that's just me.

I use a round knife. If you look at my website, I posted a free "Hows it Made" video a while back (couple years ago?). It's embarrassing for me to look at now, but I had the hardest time cutting that leather (Herman Oak 8-9oz). Since then, I've learned a few things... First, I thought my round knife came sharp from Weaver. I was wrong... Sure, it was sharp (sliced my finger open as I was trying to remove it from the packing material), but the edge wasn't polished enough and had too steep of a grind on it. I spent hours on my diamond stone cutting the edge to a more shallow angle - it cuts much better now! It's probably a butter knife compared to some others here, but it seems to be working pretty well for me now. Second - it's much more difficult to cut the leather if you rough-cut the pieces away from the hide. Now, you may not have the luxury of a large layout table (mine is 3' x 8'). For me, I find it much easier to cut my pieces directly from the hide because I have more edges to hold with my non-cutting hand. Last, check out this video - it might give you a better idea about what "sharp" is...

I'm a one-man-shop, so it would push other orders further behind and I have a hard enough time juggling life and keeping up with existing orders. But, if someone emailed and asked if they could get it as quickly as possible, I'd probably try to honor that request. I wouldn't have a problem charging extra for the service if I decided to make it a standard offering - expediting charges are pretty common in most industries. Weddings, birthday presents, training classes - lots of reasons someone might be willing to pay extra for faster production times. Just make sure you charge plenty for the service, otherwise everyone will buy the "rush" option.

Good idea about the saran wrap... I've never been a fan of wrapping the entire gun with it while forming (might change my mind if my guns start rusting... LOL), but laying it over the sweat shield is a great idea C.J. Shooter McGavin - do you rince the lemon juice off? Or just leave it there and apply your finish right over it?