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I have been asked to make two holsters - black, and brown - for a 3" Kimber 1911 with Crimson Trace laser grips. The only 1911 I have is my Dan Wesson CBOB 4.25" (Commander), and I don't see any 3" blue guns. Anyone have any suggestions on how to produce these two holsters for this gentleman?

I've gotten pretty good response from my first couple of holsters that I've posted for sale, and want to make more. I probably have a couple dozen buyers just from posting photos on the 1911 message board, and I'm having a hard time keeping track of all of the interested parties. Some responded directly in the thread, while others private messaged me, and yet a couple more clever folks found my email address in my profile and contacted me directly via email. I'd like to create a web page to take orders. My thinking is that I'll build a submission form where the user can enter their name, email, then select what item they want from a drop-down list. Once they hit submit, I'll receive an email (probably setup a special "orders@myholstercompany.com" email address to keep my inbox organized. Then, I simply build each order from oldest to newest emails. Once the order is complete, I send the buyer a PayPal invoice for credit card payment, and ship it once payment is received. OR, I could incorporate a PayPal shopping cart, which wouldn't be too complicated since I won't initially be offering very many products - keeping it slim to start with. What do you pro's do? How do you handle orders for stuff you don't have an inventory of?

Well, I took some advice and decided to dye the leather prior to assembly. I'm not really sure which way I prefer. The leather didn't end up as even as my previous version, as once the leather stretched after I inserted the gun, the stretched areas became considerably lighter in color. However, it did make the leather a little more resistant to damage from fingernails and stray tool marks... Plus, I kinda like the mottled, rustic look, as opposed to the perfectly even dye jobs. Decisions, decisions. I sold the holster at the beginning of this thread within about 24 hours via my CHL message board. Then, I posted pictures of that same holster on the 1911Forum and already have at LEAST a dozen interested people. LOL - I was afraid to post on the 1911Forum because I knew there was such a large audience and potential for sales, but I did it anyway, and I'm glad I did. Looks like I'll be buying a machine sooner rather than later. Now I just have to figure out just how to market these things. I hate to become just another holster maker that's backed up for months on end, but I guess that's not such a bad thing... I always hoped to make one at a time, and post them as I make them on message boards, that way people could see pictures (like below) of exactly what they're buying. On a side note, anyone know what that spot is on the leather on the front side above the slide, just below the reinforcement piece? Before I dyed the leather, it was a lighter color. After I dyed it, it got much darker than the surrounding area.

Gary - that's a beautiful box! Let me give it some thought. At a minimum, I might like to find out where you got some of your hardware. I'm sure I'll have some questions as this thing unravels... Thanks for the offer to help!

I could foresee myself going over 3/8" if I ever decide to make knife sheaths. There is a Consew206rb-5 for sale close to me, but I'm not sure it'll handle thick enough thread for nice looking stitching on holsters... It's $650, plus I'd still need to add a servo motor and speed reducer.

My wife and I have been going over this very question. I was sold on the Consew206rb (or similar) route, but decided I'd rather have something that could handle thicker thread. The Boss is appealing right now, being that it's on sale, but the throat depth has me a little worried. I posted my latest holster for sale on my state's CHL message board, and got very good feedback and interest in my holster. One buy was even willing to hand over his $1,400 (MSRP) revolver to build a holster for it. That being said, my wife sees the potential to make a little money at this hobby, and is willing to spend a little more. It would be a stretch for us, but I think we could consider spending up to about $1,500. Still aren't sure how much all of our doctor bills are going to be for the new baby, so we're reluctant. But, if anyone knows of a good machine for less than $1,500 that would serve me well for holsters, belts, possibly some bags in the future, lemme know...

Ahh - thanks - forgot about the Leather Cases books. That's a great resource that I have yet to add to my collection...

My mom has really gotten into researching her ancestry. As such, she has a huge stack of 8.5x11 paper that's about 6" tall, and growing. She doesn't want to separate out the paper into various binders (for example, one binder per branch of the family), and prefers to keep it all together. I asked her if she'd like to put it in a box, and she said she couldn't find one that was sized for standard Letter-size paper. So, I have a few woodworking tools at my disposal (another hobby of mine). I was thinking I could build a wooden box, then either create an inlay of leather on the top of the box with some nice tooling, or go all out and wrap the entire box, inside and out with leather. Has anyone done anything like this before for something this large? I figure it needs to be fairly sturdy, thus the wooden box as a core, but I'm open to suggestions.

I used a dual-action air brush attached to my Craftsman air compressor with a regulator. Worked very well. It sprayed resolene without any problems.

You know - there is some very good information in this thread, as well as many other threads on this forum. We really need a sticky with information such as this, because it is a very common question with very expensive answers.

Very nice looking!! Welcome!

Thanks for the compliments everyone! This is the first time I've used resolene on a holster. How long does it normally take for the resolene to fully cure, and the 'tacky', 'grippy' feeling to go away? Or do you normally have to rub a little talcum powder on it to get rid of the 'squeaky clean' feeling?

Well, here it is. What do you all think? I would love to see some good video(s) of someone boning their holster. I've seen the tucker videos, but they're not very high quality. Good info though. On my next holster, I would like to line it, and dye it before assembly. Hopefully I can get a stitcher soon... I'd also like to get more defined details in the boning.

Katsass, that coloring is the cat's meow! Nicely done! I LOVE those colors. Mind if I ask what color(s) you used? My guess is the regular Fiebing's saddle tan.

Are these motors 'plug-n-play' for the majority of table bases? Or do they require special brackets to adapt them to the table?

Well, here it is thus far. I started out by airbrushing it with Fiebings Pro, but the area around the trigger and the bottom of the slide did not take dye well - it was too heavily burnished by the boning process, and the dye simply pooled up on the surface. I don't know if it's from the Tandy 'Oak Leaf' leather, or a boning effort gone bad... After rubbing it down with a dauber for a heavier coat (hoping to get penetration into the burnished area), I finally put it in a zip-top bag and poured in the dye to slosh it around for about two minutes. I still need to burnish the edges, and apply the final finishing coats, but overall I'm pretty happy with it thus far. For those that have never used the Pro dyes, this stuff really is better than the regular stuff... Every time I go back to look at the holster, the dye seems to even out even more. The heavily burnished areas seem to be coloring better as the hours pass by. However, it does take much longer to dry. Several hours after dying it, the holster still has a very strong chemical odor. And, in case anyone is wondering, I did burnish (with water) the edge of the reinforcement piece before I attached it to the holster - it's fraying as a result of me rubbing down the dyed holster to remove the excess on the surface. Not sure what's going on with the dye at the stitching around the reinforcement piece. I was thinking of posting this on my state's CHL forum - anyone care to suggest a fair asking price? It's for a 1911 Commander 4.25" barrel.

Thank you Larry - I certainly enjoy doing this, and hope to make a little money at it. My wife and I just had a baby, and my wife is staying home with this one, so we need to replace her income. Don't know if I'll have any luck at it, but it's sure fun trying!

Hello all - I'm working on another holster, but this time I hope to sell it to recoup some of my leather expenses and prepare for buying another hide. I'd like some input on how I could improve my next one, or even how to improve this one if it's not too late. Sorry for the low quality photos - shot these with my phone on the way out the door this morning. Is the burnished / darker area normal? I ran the holster under the faucet for a few seconds until all surfaces were wet, then sat it on the counter for about 10 minutes. I still haven't figured out a good way to shape the trigger guard. I think I can bring in the stitch lines a little closer to the gun - my previous attempt was much too tight. I brushed on a coat of neatsfoot compound last night to the outer surfaces, and was planning on dying it tonight with Fiebings Saddle Tan Pro dye. Tandy didn't have Bag Kote, only Tan Kote. I asked the salesman if they had anything with a more dull finish than the Tan Kote, and he said Satin Sheen. I didn't think a water-based product would work over the oil dye and neatsfoot - someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, can anyone offer any further advise on how to improve my hoslters? I'm hoping to buy a sewing machine at some point in the very near future to speed the process up and start making and selling holsters for the guns I have in my collection. For reference, this is my previous attempt and what I'm hoping to make this one look like...

Okay - having just gotten back from Tandy, where I held in my not so graceful hands the new Tandy Damascus head knife, I must now say It may be a laminated steel, but it's really hard to tell. The layering pattern seems to stop shy of the blade, right where the edge is ground down. If it were true layered steel, you'd still see the wave pattern carry all the way to the edge. Perhaps it's nothing more than a chemical etching process. Maybe it really is layered/laminated steel, with a REALLY thick center layer - but if that's the case, what's the point?

I wonder if something like this might work? Fiskars Single Hole Punch - 1/4 Rectangle http://www.fiskarscrafts.com/tools/t_hand-punch-14-rectangle.aspx

Beautiful work!! Indeed, thanks for allowing us to see your progress on this one! If I may, how to you make sure you stamping starts and stops seamlessly once you've worked your way all the way around the circle? Do you just eyeball it as you approach the 360 degree mark, or do you actually work it out on paper first?

I took the pics before I read your post, but I'll go ahead and post the pics anyway - just in case anyone stumbles across this thread and wants more information. As you can see, the shoulder area is suede (front and back), double stitched. The narrow portion of the strap is a single layer of leather with the rough backing exposed, single stitched for aesthetics. The keeper is stitched to carry on the aesthetics, and the ends of the keeper are riveted together with small brass rivets. The strap is adjustable with a large hole spacing, and is secured with brass Chicago screws. The sling swivel is a basic variety, available at your local firearms supply store. The next two pictures show that the shoulder portion is actually three layers - two suede layers, and a center piece of the same thickness. One layer of the suede is skived away to aid in folding the end of the strap. Again, secured with a single Chicago screw. And finally, you can see how the center layer of the shoulder strap is skived away on the opposite end and the single layered belt portion is also skived down - the two skived pieces are overlapping and the suede continues on another inch so it can all be secured with stitching. All in all, there is nothing special about this particular sling. However, I personally feel it's one of the nicer ones I've seen because of the suede and double stitching. The majority of the straps you'll find in the big-box stores only have single stitching.

I saw that email come through while I was sitting in the bleachers at my son's b-ball practice. Not a day goes by that I don't search for leather working videos on Youtube during my lunch break. Glad to see these are some pretty lengthy videos, and not some 1:30 "expertivillage" videos, or some dude answering "the 15 most common questions" about leather crafting.

Dan, I didn't make the sling - my step-dad bought it back in the mid 80's when he purchased the rifle. But, the narrow portion of the sling has adjustment holes just like a belt. Instead of a buckle, there is a single brass chicago screw - remove the screw, install the sling swivel and adjust the length of the sling, then reinstall the chicago screw. The other end also has a chicago screw - remove the screw, install the sling swivel, and reinstall the screw. The narrow belt portion is skived down to a thin taper, then stitched between the wider layers at the shoulder portion. I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow if I can.

Can you post a picture, or link to one on the internet that shows what kind of sling you're looking for? For a common/basic sling, you should only need a pair of sling swivels (available at your local sporting goods store), and a couple of chicago screws, and maybe a couple of rivets. This is my sling - if you would like more details on how it's made, let me know.