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Looks great! Love the color and the thread color.

Hi Holly - sounds like you've already found what you're looking for. I just wanted to add to what Wiz said about the Tippmann Boss. I have one, and love it, but it's not realistic for the amount of sewing you're doing on a particular piece. It looks like you need both hands to hold and maneuver your items, and the Boss doesn't allow for that. Plus, with as much stitching as you have on those example pieces, you'll quickly tire of the Boss' manual operation and be wishing you'd bought a powered machine.

Fiebing's Leather Sheen and Tandy's (Eco-Flo) Satin Sheen are both entirely different products. Leather Sheen is wax-based, while Satin Sheen is acrylic-based. Resolene is also acrylic-based. Satin Sheen is "water repellent", and Resolene is "water resistant" - at least that's the way the respective companies market their product. Resolene is much more glossy than Satin Sheen. Fiebing's has two versions of Leather Sheen - an aerosol and a liquid. The liquid description specifically says it's water resistant, while the aerosol does not.

I've seen some people state that oiling prior to dying helps the dye absorb more evenly. Personally, I airbrush my dye, which makes it much easier for me to apply an even coat without a bunch of streaks. For your current project, I might suggest oiling first to see if that helps you get an even coat of dye if you're not airbrushing it on. Then, make sure to use something large that can apply dye over a large, even area - something like a sponge cut to a square, just slightly larger than your strap so you don't waste too much dye, but large enough to cover the entire width of the strap so you can move from one end to the other in a single stroke. If you're specifically talking about holsters, I'd oil at the very end - just prior to your finish sealer coats. I tried oiling early on, and didn't like how the leather seemed to be oozing oil out as I was forming the holster to the gun. Plus, since I place my holster in the oven immediately after forming (like many makers here), I need to oil it after it's completely dry - so I'd be oiling the holster twice. It's easier to just wait till the end to oil it.

Glock21 - I don't know if you have any interest in making holsters (as your username might suggest), but strictly sticking to your current leather project's line of discussion.... I would suggest you pick up some Neatsfoot oil at Tandy the next time you are there. Adding oil to your project will darken the color of the leather (deepening/darkening the dye color), and keep it nice and flexible for many years of disciplining.

I recently acquired the Bianchi western holster DVD series from another forum member. I was surprised by his oiling method, which basically consists of wiping a liberal amount of neatsfoot oil on the holster & belt, letting it soak in, and then doing it again, and again, etc. I can't recall off-hand if he used Prime, or Pure neatsfoot oil. He said you can't oil it too much, as each coat of oil basically acts to seal the pores in the leather. Now, this was for western holsters, not tightly molded daily carry holsters, so maybe that has something to do with it. Most people on this board (in the holster section) say all you need is a single coat on the grain side, and some say not to oil at all. I would tend to lean towards the more cautious side and only apply a single coat to the grain side, but I love the depth of color you get with a good coat of oil. Bianchi also said to NEVER use heat to dry a holster. I always use heat right after forming because the holster isn't firm enough otherwise. Would love to hear some more input from the seasoned pro's.

Looking good! Glad you found the video helpful. Love the 'flame' design you added on the front-side.

Thanks Jeff - nice looking holsters! Can I ask how you formed the indention in the trigger guard? That's a technique I haven't quite figured out just yet.

Fast forward to 6:00 and you'll see how I applied it.

I appreciate everyone's input, and will take it all into consideration when I start making it again tonight. I also agree about the reinforcement on this style not really being necessary. I probably get 1 order out of 20 that doesn't want the extra piece, so I figure as long as people keep ordering them, I'll keep offering them. Personally, I like the way they look - that little visual detail, but agree it doesn't help much unless it actually wraps the mouth of the opening more like the Avenger style. Lobo - I agree with your comment in #1 about the accelerated wear if you crimp down the top of the cylinder area. I think I will focus my retention efforts in the trigger guard, and leave it at that. Marine MP - I cut, dye, sew, then form. If you'd like to know more, here is my basic workflow: Cut my pieces Mark the stitch lines Tool if necessary Groove Edge the stuff I won't have easy access to later Dye Burnish the edges of the reinforcement pieces Glue the reinforcement pieces on the body Sand the edges flush Edge Stitch Glue the front face to the back face Sand Edge Stitch Apply maker's mark (Dampen specific area with a sponge, then stamp - much easier to do this prior to actual forming) Wet form Dry in oven at about 135 for about 40 minutes Air dry overnight Gum Trag the interior Dye and burnish the edges Oil the grain side and let rest for 12-24 hours Apply finish and let dry Apply 2nd coat of finish and let dry

I've used Satin Sheen quite a bit, and had great results with it. This holster has two coats of satin sheen and I applied it with a damp sponge paint brush. Brush it on, keeping the entire surface wet so it has plenty of time to penetrate, then wipe away with the same portion of a paper towel which helps to eliminate streaks.

Katsass -thanks for the pics. Do you get plenty of retention just from the friction fit? Or did you do any boning on the back to lock the gun into the holster?

Thanks fellas for the input. Dwight - The leather is Wicket & Craig 8-10oz. I was thinking about dropping down to 6-7oz on the reinforcement piece with my next attempt. Am I correct in saying you focus your retention in the trigger guard area? What weight are you using on similar lightweight revolvers?

Hello all! This is my first attempt at a S&W J-Frame holster. I've made one California Slim Jim for a Ruger Single Six about a year ago, but otherwise - this is my first real attempt at a holster for a revolver holster. Anyway, I have a question and was hoping I could get some guidance... Please ignore the quality of the boning (or lack of) and the unfinished edges, etc. This was a mock-up more than anything to test the pattern and see how the tooling pattern came out (needs adjustments too). As it stands, this holster has excellent retention - it's not too tight, but won't fall out if I invert it and shake it. The cylinder on my S&W 642 has fairly sharp edges. As such, I'm not sure if I should mold the top edge of the holster around the top edge of the cylinder, or if I should just leave it loose up top and focus the majority of retention inside the trigger guard. I slightly pressed it inward, and now the cylinder is scraping up the interior of the holster a little. I've seen a lot of holsters that are tightly formed on the top, so I know it's not out of the question - but perhaps those particular cylinders have relieved edges? If it's tightly molded, do you then have to flare the top edge of the holster back out so the mouth of the holster doesn't snag on the forward edge of the cylinder? If anyone has example photos of revolver holsters that don't have retention straps, I'd love to see them. I was too lazy to get out the big camera, so these were just taken with my phone.

That's a great idea Rayban!

That annoyed me too. It's a very nice looking bag, and I debated fixing the image size and re-posting it, but didn't, and instead found another way to view it. If you click+hold on the attachment, then drag it up to your web browser's URL (web address) bar or "New Tab" button, then release - it should open the attachment in a new browser tab.

Looks great! Did you notice a big difference in the molding between the Herman Oak and Tandy leather?

Looks great! Can you tell us more about where you actually got the leather?

The reinforcement piece on my Avenger-style holsters comes down quite low. When I form holsters with 8-9 oz leather, it can be pretty difficult to get a good, form-fitting wrap around the upper portion of the firearm. Thus, shorter 3" barrels CAN tend to be a little looser than I would prefer if I don't manage to form that double-layer ~1/4" thick leather. Lately, I've gotten a TON of interest in EMP holsters. While I don't have an EMP, most are interested in buying a 3" 1911 holster for their EMP. Yes, I'm aware of the notable size difference, but people want me to build it that way anyway and everyone has been happy with the fit. My question is - what weight leather do you use for a 3" 1911? Would you stick with 8-9 oz? Or drop down to maybe 6-7 oz? What if you knew it was for the EMP which is a good bit lighter in weight?

That's 277 top and bottom, and I believe it's Natural color (maybe White, but probably natural). I ordered it from Tippmann Industrial.

How are you applying the dye? That will make a huge difference on the resulting final color. With my workflow (airbrush, mold, dry, oil, seal), that's the color I get with Herman Oak natural leather, and (always) Fiebing's Pro dyes applied with 3 airbrush coats. This holster was dyed Light Brown, Antiqued with Dark Brown, assembled, formed, oiled, and then finished. The discoloration along the stitch line is from the leather being sealed prior to the antique - it made the water absorb so slowly into the leather that the color migrated a bit. This holster was dyed using Saddle Tan, minus the antique.

Nicely done! Would like to see more pictures of that 1911 holster! I recently picked up a Sig P238 and need to generate some patterns for it - I see you have one yourself. Cool little pistols!

My motor is not protected from dust. I just try to keep the dust away from the shaft. But, I didn't build this setup - it was given to me and it's been working just fine. If you wanted to build a setup like that, I'd just build the top in two pieces - a left half and a right half. Make the hole in the top slightly larger than the shaft on the motor, build your box around the motor, then attach the top pieces that fit around the motor shaft - that should be enough to keep the majority of dust from getting down into the motor. And of course, you could always build a dust collection system into it as well, but that's just more noise. Since you'd be building your own setup, you could just as easily flip the motor 180 degrees so it's oriented like a drill press - and if the box was enclosed on three sides, you could attach a vacuum to the back of the box to help suck up some of the floating dust particles.

I used Satin Sheen on my holsters and was very pleased with how easy it was to apply. I took a damp sponge paint brush, dipped it in the Satin Sheen, then brushed it on liberally, going back over the holster as I went along to make sure the entire holster stayed damp - this helps it to soak in, and also keeps it from drying too much. Then, with a folded paper towel (that I folded up before I started applying the satin sheen), use the same spot on the paper towel and wipe down the excess. The Satin Sheen will transfer to the paper towel, dampening it - as you rub over the holster to remove the excess, you will also be smoothing out the finish and removing some of the streaking. Let it dry completely in front of a fan, then repeat the process again. I usually followed up with a light airbrushed coat of Resolene, but it probably wasn't necessary. I don't think it overly matters what you use to apply the stuff - just so long as it's a little damp to begin with. The last thing I'd say - don't over work it. Apply, remove the excess as noted above, then hang it up to dry - don't get consumed with trying to wipe away all the streaks, or you'll just gum up the whole thing. I used Satin Sheen on the holster in my 'how's it made' video on my website, and I show how I applied it in case you'd like to see it.

I think something like K-Man's or 50YL's approach is what you're after. Those big motors are powerful, and quiet. There is usually a motor repair shop in most towns - swing by and check them out and tell them what you're after. I have a large motor mounted vertically in a home-made table - the drill chuck is mounted directly to the motor's shaft. I haven't really paid attention to "how" - my father-in-law had it laying in his storage building and just gave it to me last summer. I keep a sanding drum mounted in it to even my edges. It's very quiet, and VERY powerful. I'm sure you can get a much smaller motor that will work very well for you. Personally, I use a bench-mounted drill press that I bought for like $99 at Lowes. It works okay, but can be a little noisy from the belt wobbling around. A direct drive is probably your best bet - especially if you can put a speed regulator on it to slow it down if it's always burning your edges.