Peterk

I have used airbrush on Eco-Flo and Angelus dyes on my holsters. I only use daubers on accent pieces on my holsters because the over-spray is harder to control. Dauber uses a lot of finish to achieve an even look without streaks. Have not tried the dunking method, mostly because I'm not producing holster at a high enough number to warrant a dye purchase that big.

Finally a good picture of the hidden slot design! I had an idea how they were made (stitching, holes, etc.) but have been looking for some good pictures to confirm design ideas. Thanks much and ditto on how you got the stitch lines so close?

Hey that second pic in your original post looks like the one you made for me! :D Glad this is working out great for you Scott! I have tried using this tool on a drill, a bench grinder, and by hand, and the drill is working out the best because the grinder turns too fast, and hand power is too slow to do anything to the leather. My drill is operating at about 1250rpm which is still not fast enough so I am contemplating getting the Fantastic Leather Burnisher and adapting this tool to it... That will come later when funds are more available. Thanks again Scott! Great tool! Peter

not many chances to use holsters here in California, but my friend was still very happy with this. He will use it on trips to Vegas or Utah.

I use Angelus spirit (alcohol) dyes exclusively now and it penetrate into the leather so it does not rub off. I rub the inside of my holsters down with Gum, then coat with Resolene and no problems so far. When I used to use Eco-Flo water-based dyes it would rub off on both sides so I changed it.

Hello all, Here is a set I just finished for Kimber 1911 Full size that I will surprise my friend with for his birthday today... Sure saves a lot of money being able to MAKE presents yourself. It also makes the present more meaningful as well... Let me know what you think. Thanks, Peter

Thanks... Not afraid of reading quality material like I get here.

I roughen the flesh side and it glues very well to veg-tanned leather, but I did not roughen the skin side because that is the side that showed and the side I'm having trouble with. I will try to roughen the unexposed parts to see if that will help with the gluing issue. Thanks!

I will try another contact cement. I know Barge does not do it, and the contact cement from Tanners Bond doesn't seem to work on the embossed leather either (on the skin side), but yes I will certainly sew as well. Still need to figure out how to mark holes for sewing when the embossed leather is on the outside so they are even. When they are inlayed it is easier to mark stitch groove on the veg-tan leather.

DCKNIVES, If you don't mind, what weight leather do you typically use for front and back when you have inlays? The veg-tanned leather I have for holsters is way too heavy (I believe) for inlays so I am looking for suggestions. I have a piece of 2oz allegator pattern embossed leather that I am looking for uses so it doesn't just sit there. The problem I have with that piece is that it doesn't glue well to anything since I believe the embossed side is glazed.

Thanks Luke!

Thanks Luke! If you don't mind, the retention piece looks like it was part of the bottom, or back of the holster piece, like the belt loops correct? If yes, did you draw in that extra piece in your pattern? Just wondering since most retention straps I've seen are sewn in after the fact.

Hello all, Having only made one semi-successful knife sheath ever, I am looking for ideas on what I can make next. I just got a customer who has two knives he would like me to make sheaths for, one is a field survival knife, and another is a rather large (understatement!) bowie... I have seen some generic sheaths online but I'd like to see what some of you have made (post pictures and specs) so I can get some ideas on construction, and attachment (to belt). Oh and since some sort of retention will be needed for both knifes, I'd like some ideas on that as well. I've ran some thoughts on retention through my head already but nothing really working out. Thanks! Peter

Yes L'Bum you are totally correct! I got my directions mixed. It is upon reholstering of the weapon that the molding behind the trigger will affect. I will edit my previous post as not to confuse anyone. Nevermind... Couldn't seem to find the "Edit" button on my previous post...

The new Angelus dyes will compliment your holster skills and make your holsters show and feel better. I've currently only tried Jet Black, Cordovan, and Coffee and love all three. Let me know if you find any other interesting colors. By the way, what leather (weight and vendor), and boning tool are you using? Am still trying to figure out how people get those deep indentations in trigger guards like yours. Only common thing I've heard so far is the use of quality leather from the likes of W&C and Hermann Oak, which I have yet to try. Thanks!

Be sure to post here your accomplishments! Would love to see and hear how the Angelus did for you.

1) The first airbrushed coat dries in less than a minute, if that long. By the time I finish spraying the back of the holster I can go back to the front to spray the subsequent coats. Weather/moisture may have something to do with that (I live in California) but even on humid days (we're talking maybe 10% humidity) it dries quickly. Never had it run on me either. This stuff is awesome! 2) Have not had a holster go limp on me with the application of wax. I usually only apply two coats, and use a piece of wool (synthetic or real) to polish it between the time I finish and before a customer picks it up. I used to apply Neatsfoot Oil to my holsters as well and have heard horror stories about holsters going limp with too much oil... Those guys must have soaked their holsters in oil overnight for that to happen because I have not had that happen to me. Your holster will hold if you apply thin coats of wax; you don't need much.

Looks great! Looks much cleaner than my third one, especially the belt slots! As someone here told me when I first started, don't do any molding/boning behind the trigger, as I see some indications that you may have done some on the front of the holster. If it is just a camera playing tricks then no worries. I did molding on my first Makarov holster and while the trigger is probably 7+ lbs., I can understand the concern of molding behind the trigger upon drawing the weapon. Just my 2 cents. Again, nice holster!

Forgot to mention, prior to spraying or apply any dye, I would load a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and wipe down the holster with it, then apply dye after it has dried (it dries very quickly). The rubbing alcohol helps to get rid of the oil from your hands and such so you won't have uneven spots, and "opens the pores" of the leather so the dye can be absorbed faster. Don't know if it actually does open the pores on the leather but I figured since it works on human skin (leather), it probably works about the same for animal skin/leather. Good luck.

Shooting at full strength straight from bottle, I will need about two coats to get even coverage, because they get absorbed fast into the leather. The full deep color won't show up until the second, or sometimes even third coat (for bleached leather). Because Angelus penetrates into the leather, I no longer have the problem I had with Eco-Flo where I can easily scratch the dye off even after curing overnight or days after. Use a wool dauber loaded with Angelus, dye a sample piece of leather and look at the cross sections. This is what I did the first time I got some Angelus... You can see how much the dye soaks through, and it increases with every application. Like I said before, I get a good 1/16" penetration and that is plenty good enough for me.

I tried wearing it around a bit and find it comfortable even sitting down, so glad this design worked.

Few more pics:

I started with Eco-Flo and Angelus was night and day. It soaks through the leather a good 1/16" so I don't have to worry about dye coming off as before. Spraying with airbrush makes quick work of apply the dye. I've also tried wool dauber but you would have to lay on a pretty heavy coat in order to get rid of possible streaks. I just discovered a new trick to even out the Angelus spirit dye, and that is to load a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol, and lightly go over the dyed holster with it. While it will pick up some dye, it will mostly just work the dye around and even them out and works beautifully. Good luck.

That was made with Tandy stock... They were having a big sale, I didn't have enough money, I didn't have time to wait for leather to ship to me, etc. all contributed to this Tandy leather purchase. Only way to buy Tandy leather is to go into the store and hand-pick the leather. They don't have good stock to begin with, not compared to W&C and Hermann, but once in a while you find out that is bearable. It'll be hard to go back to Tandy after I try the likes of W&C...

That is the Angelus Cordovan and Jet Black dye, with Angelus Perfect Stain Shoe Wax in corresponding colors as top coat . I buy them here: http://turtlefeathers.net/text/angelus/dye.html. Cheapest pricing I can find so far on Angelus dyes and shipping is fast.