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Did you look at their product search feature? They also have a PDF product catalog that's easier to scroll through. http://www.blueguns.com/images/catalog08r.pdf Regarding cost - if you have an account, it's probably much cheaper. But, my total cost for each blue gun I've ordered from Rings was about $61. I believe they charge about $15 for shipping... ouch!

http://www.blueguns.com/ Call the number at the bottom of the web page. If it's for holsters, tell the guy that the blue gun will be used for holsters so they'll leave the final finish coat off that will transfer onto the holster. You can request a "blue" gun, or a "black" gun. If you'll ever post pics of the holsters on ebay, go ahead and get the blue gun, as they have a strict gun policy - you can't have any part of the firearm shown in the pics, but dummy guns are okay.

How did you get the start/stop of your pattern to end right at the corners? Looks fantastic! And do you mind sharing your finish technique? Did you apply any neatsfoot? Or just a sealer? I'm doing a natural IWB right now - wasn't too impressed with my previous natural finish.... Yours looks superb!

LOL - Thanks Bruce - I was just looking at your recent Glock post and thought the EXACT same thing about your holsters! You make some fantastic looking stuff! I'm afraid to booger them up with tooling, so my hat's off to you! Maybe I'll give it a try one of these days...

Looking good! Wish I had a good IWB like that when I had my XD .40!

In case anyone is interested in building their own holster press, I just happened to stumble upon this Press Screw on the Rockler website. Price: $18.99 http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1108 It would be used to build a press similar to the attached.

The clamp that Oldtimer posted is probably available at your local hardware store. Look here for more models to give you an idea what you're shopping for. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21273

Hi Luna Slim - thanks for the compliments! Yes, the extra layer on the outside is a stiffener. It's not really needed for OWB, but I kinda like the way it looks having it on there so I usually prefer to add it - just because. That's a neat idea to include the take down tool in the holster. Be sure to show us if you decide to add it!!

This one puzzled me, but the holster is from one of my favorites - BrigadeGunleather.com - they have a lot of photos of each holster, and you might be able to find some different views to give you more insight into how it's assembled.

I recently ordered two blue guns directly from Ring's, and told them on both occasions that the guns would be used for holsters. One came with the final finish, the other did not. The one that came with it - I simply poured a little denatured alcohol in a pan, put on some latex gloves, then took an old tooth brush and dipped it in the alcohol and proceeded to brush the finish away. It was VERY easy to remove, though quite messy... I was actually surprised at just how easily it came off.

If you're looking for a mobile cart (to perhaps roll into the center of your garage or shop for access to all sides - or if you twist your wife's/husband's arm to help you with a project), I highly recommend Norm's "Work Table and Clamp Cart - Item #0207" at the New Yankee Workshop. I recently built one (didn't buy his plans, just looked at his picture), and I'm very happy with it. It's very sturdy, and makes an excellent work surface. However, I wouldn't recommend tooling on it - it's not solid enough and it's very loud to hammer on. Here is mine - note that I added a lower shelf to store rolls of leather. It rolls very easily, and it's very easy to lower to lock it in place so it doesn't move around.

Indeed - Chuck, that looks absolutely superb! I've only handled buckskin a couple of times (sample pieces mailed to me from a (now closed) tannery. I was surprised at how soft and flexible it was - I can't imagine having any problems at all with wrinkling from shrinkage. But, it definitely makes sense to dye prior to assembly, thus further eliminating any of those concerns.

That looks great! Love the color and tooling.

Fantastic! And I 2nd or 3rd or whatever - the snap on cartridge loops are a fantastic idea!! Very nicely done!

Have you tried loosening the bobbin tension? Mine was way too tight from the factory.

Thank you K-Man for your input. With all due respect, It sounds like you have a pretty large operation with a great deal of output and holster-making is your fill-time job. A press and related dies is a pretty obvious need in such a large operation. I don't think anyone is saying you absolutely don't need a press - but, at what point do you personally feel it really become worth the significant investment in money and storage space? 5 holsters a week? 50 a week? I'm not discounting your comments at all - but there has to be a line somewhere as to when one might justify such a purchase. That line is in a different spot for each of us, and much of it depends on our time available to devote to the operation (hobby?). I still hold down a full-time job from 8-5, have a side CAD drafting job that randomly gives me work in the evenings, and 3 small children. When I can, I try to make time to work on holsters. Some day I'd like to make holsters full-time, but private insurance is dang hard to get these days.

Thank you Lobo for your response - it is greatly appreciated. I'm (obviously) pretty new to all of this, and had never thought about making any particular pattern work with several guns. It's pretty obvious to me now, but I had always planned on having a file cabinet full of patterns - one pattern per gun, per style, etc. I had never really given much thought to buying a clicker press (because of the cost, and the amount of dies I'd have to buy). You're most certainly right - it doesn't take long to cut a pattern by hand, and it would take a really long time to cover the cost of a press and the related dies. Hearing the amount of stuff you're outputting without a press certainly puts the mind at ease regarding the "need" to buy one. I'll tell my dad to buy some more leather and blue guns instead of a press... Thank you again sir for your response.

The Tippmann clicker press is about $1,600, and the dies -not sure how much they cost but I'm guessing at least $50. You can get the dies from Tippmann, but I'm not sure who else. I tossed around the idea of buying the press from Weaver- the manual hydraulic version. It's much cheaper. My dad offered to contribute some funds to help get me rolling with a press, but I'm not sure I'm ready to pull the trigger yet. It doesn't take too long to cut the pattern with the round knife.

Thanks everyone for the comments! BigRiverLeather - I used gum tragacanth to smooth the interior (was already pretty smooth to begin with), then two good coats of Satin Sheen. Once I recover a bit from all of my purchases lately, I'll have to get a maker's stamp made...

I read somewhere - I think it was on a description of the Bianchi dvd that he talks about how to get more than one gun out of a particular pattern - my guess would be slightly oversizing it to fit 2 or 3 guns slightly smaller than the largest of the bunch. Did that make any sense at all? Anyway, one of my hesitations with getting a clicker press is that I'd have to guy a die for each holster style, and each gun that I make a holster for. But, reading Bianchi's description got me to thinking. While I can't get a die that works with all the 1911 patterns (due to the length), I could probably get one that worked with a 3" 1911, Kahr P9, and maybe a couple other similar size/shape guns, and then simply tweak the stitch line to fit the actual gun. In the case of a 5" 1911, I could probably cut the pattern with the 5" die, then trim down the excess to fit the 3" gun - the hardest part of cutting the pattern is around the top sweat shield anyway. Can anyone provide any insight into this approach? Can you really get 2+ different guns out of any one clicker die?

Very nice! The heart is a cute touch. Can I ask what the flap at the muzzle end is supposed to add to the holster design? I've seen several like that from various makers - my guess is that it helps stabilize the holster to prevent wobble, but I haven't delved into the realm of IWB yet. Or does it simply provide a larger surface area that rides against the body to minimize pressure points?

Shipped off this little pancake today for a 3" 1911 with Crimson Trace laser grips. My previous 1911 pancake pattern needed a total overhaul as the top cut line did not work with the CT grips. Plus, the sweat guard looked a little odd. I think this one turned out a little better. It's a good starting point for the other sizes since I only need to add more length now. Plus, the design matches the Avenger style I've been working on lately. Got in a bit of a hurry to finish this, as I had to deliver it at noon today and was running short on time - one of my boning tools got away from me and dug in a bit under the trigger guard. Didn't really notice it at the time, but I think the lighting is making it look worse in the photo than in real life. The blue glints you're seeing is from the sunlight coming in through my garage door - I shot this under fluorescent work lights, so the color temp was a little off on the sunlight highlights. My first attempt at the pattern was WAY off. Scrapped it and started over with a fresh sheet of paper, and ended up with this. The next time I build this holster, I'll tweak the stitch line around the trigger guard and slide to bring it in tighter. Probably the same could be said at the top of the slide too. The customer specifically wanted the option to carry C&L, and/or safety off (hammer down, chamber empty). Thus, I formed the recess for the safety to accommodate both. I need to figure out a better way to form the sight channel, while still maintaining adequate retention on the top of the slide. It's pretty difficult with that big reinforcement piece. Guess I might need to explore a stitched sight channel - can't add that much difficultly to the assembly process. 8/9 oz Herman Oak Fiebings Light Brown oil dye - airbrushed Natural thread color Neatsfoot Oil 2 coats of Satin Sheen Light coat of wax On a side note, can anyone tell me any downside to using satin sheen for the final finish coat? The guy at the Tandy store said he doesn't recommend Resolene over black, as it doesn't provide a heavy enough coat. He said since it's just a top coat, it eventually rubs off, whereas Satin Sheen actually soaks in for better protection. Thoughts? Personally, I hate the tacky feel of Resolene. It grips the gun too much and squeaks too much on the belt, IMHO.

Hi JeffGC - have you seen the video I posted showing my (general) workflow to build one of these holsters? Go to my website in my signature, then click on "How's it Made?" - it's about 22 minutes long. I haven't been cutting a stitch groove where I will actually be stitching. But, I do cut one where I will NOT be stitching. It's too difficult to line the groove up on the backside of the leather with where the needle will penetrate the leather, and the Boss does a pretty good flushing the thread with the surface of the leather.

Wow - that looks fantastic! Love the color!

This is just a general comment, and is in line with what UKRay was saying. When I go to the grocery store and see some person handing out sample products (cheese, crackers, dips, etc.), I usually avoid them. I'm always afraid they're going to try to make me buy their product, or at a minimum, I'm going to have a piece of trash in my hand that I don't know what to do with as I've already moved on with my shopping (with a tooth pick or plastic cup in my hand...). Along that same line, if I'm walking down a row of booths and see some guy demonstrating the latest wizbang product, I figure they're going to want a volunteer to demo their product, or they're at least going to start asking questions. I feel obligated to listen. I hate to be rude and just walk away and show that I'm not interested, so I'd rather just avoid that display to begin with. Now, put that vendor/demonstrator at the back of the booth, allow me to slowly take interest in the product on my own terms, at my own pace, and I'll likely become more involved than I would have otherwise. It's on my terms, not the vendor's. Another thing that bothers me is when I feel like I'm being shadowed - like the vendor feels like I'm moments away from steeling something. Give the customer some breathing room - that's my (minor) input to this thread... :poofan: