Lobo

Randy: Thanks for your compliment. This holster design was about 40 years old when I was born, now I have 9 grandchildren and a great-grandson. I claim no credit for the design (Mr. Threepersons designed it himself, if the history is to be believed, and it was produced by S.D. Myres Saddlery for him); nor do I take any credit for the excellent carving work (done for me by a very talented artist). I will take credit for coupling the very well-known, and widely produced, Threepersons-style holster with the original carving pattern, based upon his original holster. I don't know of any other maker doing this, although dozens have made holsters in this style over the past century or so. I take a great deal of pleasure in delivering each of these holsters to a customer who values the traditions and influences that have made this one of the most successful holster designs in history. I especially enjoy recreating the original carving pattern (although I cannot do this personally, I have commissioned this work to be done by artists whose skills will rival any that existed in El Paso, Texas during Mr. Threepersons' life). As to Mr. Threepersons himself: well, he was known for cornering the cattle rustlers who murdered his father in a saloon and killing them all, after which he served with the Northwest Mounted Police and shot down a few bank robbers, then went after a couple of bad actors in the northwest territory during which he and his partner were forced to abandon their horses and proceed on foot due to heavy snow; his partner was killed in a gunfight, so Mr. Threepersons continued alone, carrying only weapons and subsistence, subsequently laying ambush at the cabin of the bad guys and laying them out. Later, Mr. Threepersons returned to the US, serving as a police officer and detective in San Antonio and El Paso, Texas. There were several noted shoot-outs, with Mr. Threepersons walking away from each incident. Mr. Threepersons also served as a Customs Officer and Deputy US Marshal, as well as serving in the US Army during General Pershing's punitive raids into Mexico during the early 20th Century. He volunteered for service in France during WWI, but was not called up for that service. Tom Threepersons was offered a contract by Hollywood movie producers, but declined because he didn't like them very much. A very interesting man, with a very interesting history, and a holster design that became the standard for American law enforcement throughout the 20th Century, and still popular into the 21st Century. Very interesting history on this design, and I enjoy making the original style and carving pattern available to those who share the interest. In short, I have made many hundreds of holsters, but I truly enjoy recreating the original Threepersons-style for those who appreciate it. Best regards.

Here is another Tom Threepersons-style holster, hand-carved in the original pattern (based upon Threepersons' personal holster, made about 1920). This one is for the 4" N-frame Smith & Wesson revolvers. Holster is made of 8-oz. Hermann Oak, lining is 3-oz. smooth calfskin, welt is 9-10 oz. (seam is 1/2" thickness). Finished with neatsfoot oil followed by Fiebing's Bag Kote and acrylic sealant. The carving was done by a very talented artist who does these for me (and my customers interested in the recreation of the original style and pattern). Guaranteed not to embarass the gentleman (or lady) wearing a highly-decorated Smith & Wesson revolver to a nice Texas barbeque party! Next post on the Threepersons' style: I am now completing an order for two matching carved Threepersons-style holsters for S&W 2-inch J-frame revolvers, commissioned as a Christmas present by a gentleman for his wife and daughter. Now, I'm thinking about how much money I wasted on jewelry at Christmas for all those years!

Just for the heck of it, I have posted photos of the two holsters produced. Pretty good mirror-image, if you ask me. Problem discovered on the evening of October 16, replacement holster ready for delivery on the afternoon of October 20. Mr. Customer is happy, and I have a buyer for the right-hand model now. Life is good.

I used shoulders for many years, but have gone over to sides for holsters (still using 9-10 oz. shoulders for belts and occasionally for very heavy duty holsters). As has been pointed out already, sides usually offer areas of lighter weight material, which I find handy for pouches and other accessory items. Whichever you use, purchasing from a reputable source and buying the products of well-known tanneries will keep you supplied with the materials needed for best results.

I believe that the alcohol-based (spirit) dyes do result in a more rigid piece, which many view as a positivie outcome. I do my dying by immersing the finished holster into the dye, and there is a noticeable difference in the piece after the dye has set and dried. I use neatsfoot oil on each piece, applied after the dye has set completely, and allowed to settle into the leather fibers for about 24 hours before final finish applications are applied. In my opinion, this provides two benefits: 1. long-term protection against moisture infiltration (water-resistant, not water-proof), and 2. a degree of flexibility in the finished holster to resist cracking. Neatsfoot oil can be overdone quite easily. I use one application and only one, then all surfaces are sealed with an acrylic sealant.

The welted seam consists of a third layer of leather between the outer and inner holster panels. In this example, the purposes served include additional rigidity of the finished piece, with an enhanced sight channel along the forward seam area, and the belt loops can be formed in tunnel-style permitting the holster to lie very flat on the belt with minimal material between the belt and body for enhanced comfort. This can be difficult to visualize, so I am attaching a photo or two.

When damp, leather can be damaged very easily. One would have to be extremely precise with each use of the awl and needles to avoid making errant impressions in dampened leather.

You may start forming at just about any degree of moisture in the leather. However, detailed forming and the boning process can best be done when the leather is relatively free of moisture. Wet leather becomes quite limp and resists any efforts to make it hold a shape or contour. Assuming that your finished piece is completely dry, try dunking it in cool to luke-warm water for 3 to 5 seconds, then removing it. Insert your forming piece (handgun or dummy gun) and start to do the molding by hand. It is likely that you can do the majority of the work within a few minutes, then the piece will need to air-dry for about an hour or more before you can begin detailed boning. If you completely soak the piece before beginning the process you might find it necessary to wait 12 to 24 hours before you can begin to form it to any level of detail. Everything depends upon temperatures and humidity in your location. I live in southern Colorado, semi-arid environment, humidity seldom over 15%. If you are in a more humid environment you may need to allow longer drying times. If your piece becomes too dry to continue the forming or boning work you can apply a dampened sponge to the surfaces, restoring a little moisture, and continue. It is usually best to do the detailed forming and boning work in stages, allowing some time between for the leather to shed excess moisture. Sometimes it is helpful to use a little heat to speed up the evaporation process, depending upon your schedule and needs. Experimentation and repeated practice will give you a much better "feel" for this aspect of the work.

With your description of the holster it would appear that the officer is carrying a handgun in a holster made for another weapon, especially given his comment about having trouble finding a holster. Sometimes this works, but it certainly not the ideal situation. Occasionally, a holster made for one handgun and used with another will actually interfere with proper operation of safeties or other features. I have seen shoulder holsters that ride vertically, horizontally, and upside down. Some have used springs for retention, some have used straps with snaps or thumb-breaks, and some have used elastic. None of those designs were what would be considered high retention models. If the retention strap can be forced over the hammer, it sounds like the strap is simply too long. Drilling out the snap and mounting a new snap at a position to hold securely might work. Even at that, if the holster was not originally designed and made for that model of handgun I would probably not make such alterations, just to avoid potential liability issues.

Be careful with the use of oils in finishing your holsters. Over-application of neatsfoot oil can result in leather that is limp and useless for the purpose. Also, neatsfoot oil will significantly effect dye coloration, making it much darker. I use neatsfoot oil on every holster as a means of long-term moisture protections as well as to provide a degree of flexibility to prevent leather cracking. I apply the oil once, and only once, as the first stage in the finishing process (after dyeing, but prior to any other finish application). I use a 1-inch paintbrush to apply a heavy coating to the outer surfaces only (flesh side will absorb the oil much faster, making it more difficult to control the application), as much oil as can be put on the leather without dripping off. The holster is then set aside overnight to permit the oil to "settle" (it does not dry, but will migrate through the leather fibers until it reaches a constant level throughout the leather). After the leather has fully settled, I apply Fiebing's Bag Kote which produces a deep eggshell luster while sealing the pores of the leather well. After the Bag Kote has fully set, I apply an acrylic sealant to all surfaces. Experiment on scrap leather with your dyes and oiling before doing a holster. Tan dye will become medium brown with oiling. Light brown dye will become very dark brown with oiling. Dark brown will become nearly black with oiling. So, enough about oiling. To achieve maximum stiffness and rigidity in the finished holster I can make a couple of suggestions. First, following the wet-forming process you might want to try forced drying, the use of heat to speed up evaporation of the water from the leather. This technique was used for hundreds of years to produce leather armor. Excessive heat is to be avoided, as steam can be produced which will swell within the fibers and can destroy all of your forming work. Probably around 125 to 140 degrees maximum should work pretty well. You will be amazed at the difference in the results, compared to air drying. Quite a few holster makers use a drying cabinet for this, which provides better control over the result. For the hobbyist, a hair dryer can be put to good use for the occasional project. I recommend against using the kitchen oven. Second, you can try using isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol for your wet-forming rather than water. The formed holster will completely dry in only a few hours (when the alcohol odor is gone you know that it is completely dry), and the result will be much more rigid than water-forming produces. You have produced a very nice product. I'm sure that a little experimentation and additional practice will see your efforts become truly outstanding. Best regards.

A very good customer, who happens to be a retired FBI agent, recently contacted me for a pancake-style holster to carry his Colt Combat Commander. There were two specific requests; first, the pistol is fitted with rather high-profile sights, so the sight channel needed to accomodate about 3/8" sight height; second, the customer was interested in the Hank Sloan style of hammer shield. Hank Sloan's design involved the Threepersons-style holster for revolvers with the outer holster panel extended upward to completely shield the hammer on double-action revolvers. This was done to prevent the hammer from snagging in the clothing. That style became pretty much the standard for FBI agents for many years. Having recently produced an Avenger-style holster utilizing a welted seam, I discussed this with the customer as an option for the pancake style. The welted seam permits an excellent sight channel on the pancake style. Mr. Customer liked the idea, as well as the tunnel-style approach to the belt attachment slots. So, the holster was produced and delivered. Holster panels were cut from Hermann Oak 8-oz. veg-tanned. Lining is kidskin (glove leather). Welts for front and rear were cut from 9-10 oz. for maximum sight clearance as well as aiding in the rigidity of the finished holster. Belt slots are 1.25" X 0.25" to accomodate the lined belt that I previously made for this customer. So, a couple of more ideas for addressing the customer's needs and desires. I am pleased with the results and may add the welted seam construction as an option on my pancake style production. Very little additional material needed, but the cutting needs to be quite precise and multiple stitching patterns are required to get everything assembled properly. I estimate an additional half-hour or so per holster produced.

Beautiful work! Thanks for sharing it with us.

8-9 oz. leather is a bit more difficult to work with, but delivers a remarkably superior result for many applications. Nice job on the forming and finishing. As to the squeeks, try a little baby powder or talcum powder on the belt attacment areas. That usually takes care of that. If it persists, try a little neutral shoe polish on the belt attachment areas, applied liberally, excess buffed off all surfaces. Best regards.

Sent an e-mail to Mr. Customer this morning to let him know that his new holster was ready for delivery. Mr. Customer responded enthusiastically, photos looked great! A few minutes later Mr. Customer noticed that his new LEFT HANDED holster had been produced as a RIGHT HANDED holster. Oh, well! Gotta tell you all, this getting old crap just ain't for sissies! Golden Years? My rosy red (you know what)! Remedial reading classes for old Lobo this week, guaranteed. Went out and bought myself a few "highlighters" to use on the order forms that accompany every new order into the shop. Nine little darlings (from 1 to 24 years old) now call me "grampa", One little guy (age 1) tries to gurgle something like "great-grampa". Life is good, here in southern Colorado, even if I can't get the wrong-handed customer's order right the first time around. Got my new eyeglasses the other day, bi-focals and all. Maybe that will fix all my problems.

Please note that this post is over a year old. I have all of my needs taken care of now. Thanks to all!

Excellent idea! That long stitching horse would be real handy for hand-stitching a belt. Thanks for sharing.

Hand-stitching a belt is a major undertaking, sir. After you do one I doubt that you will want to do another. I hope that you are doing it for yourself, because no one will pay you enough to do one for sale. Best regards.

Thank you, Mike. Very kind comments. I live in Pueblo, Colorado where we share much of the desert climate (very low humidity, very high summer temperatures); unfortunately today we set a record low temperature, and it has been pretty humid for a week or so. On average, if we were to receive about 1" less precipitation per year we would be officially classified as a desert region. My shop is on the banks of the Arkansas River, and I frequently see nothing but dust and a trickle of moisture from time to time. I have updated my website with this variation on the original style, and have already received an inquiry from a customer (to whom I shipped an original Avenger style holster just a few days ago). Fortunately, this customer recognizes the difference and has sent a new order for another holster in the new pattern, so the heat factor hasn't gotten me this time. Since this customer is a repeat customer I have offered him a good discount in exchange for his testing the new product and offering his comments. Being a retired cop, I have several regular "testers" for new products, but I see an opportunity for gaining new insights from another source here. Thank goodness for air conditioning in the American southwest!

WHOA THERE, PARTNER! Just got off the e-mail with a customer who wanted a Tom Threepersons-style holster in the original carving pattern (which I offer on my website). Mr. Customer wanted a pretty-much iron-clad guarantee that the finished product would be an exact duplicate of a photograph on the website. Mr. Customer balked at forking over a deposit on the order to cover the cost of the carving. I explained to Mr. Customer that each and every hand-carved holster is produced individually by the artist who does the carving, and that no two holsters would ever be exactly the same. I explained that the deposit was non-refundable because it was used to pay the artist doing the carving work. I also explained to Mr. Customer that I have 20 to 30 new orders per week and, while I genuinely wish to serve the needs of my customers, that I saw nothing but red flags ahead on this route so I would not continue on it. I even went so far as to explain the difference between die-cut, stamped, mass-produced products and genuine one-of-a-kind works of art (by by carver, not by me by any means). Getting kind of old and testy at times, I guess. Every now and then we all need to dodge a bullet. Best regards.

As for this use of a welt being my idea, I will only go so far as to say that I have applied an existing technique to a fairly common style of holster to achieve an end that I was interested in pursuing. Like so many other things that we see, something very similar has almost certainly been done by others before us. That said, so far as I am concerned, please feel free to go forward with your plan. I am sure that you will develop this concept further, which is a good thing in my opinion. This style of welted holster construction adds significantly to the time required to produce a holster (multiple patterns, additional pieces to cut, another stitching pattern, etc). This factor by itself will probably keep major manufacturers from using it, as additional time equals reduced profits in mass production and marketing.

I think that I shall never hear A poem lovelier than beer That golden brew they have on tap With golden base and snowy cap That foamy stuff we drink all day While all our memories slip away Poems are made by fools, I fear But only Bud can make a beer. LoboGunLeather, fueled by Anheuser Busch products in the pursuit of excellence. (Poetry is NOT my medium!).

You are not "picking at straws", sir. You are following a course of inquiry so as to protect yourself from unnecessary legal concerns. There are overly-aggressive LEO's, as well as prosecutors, who might put you into the position of needing a lawyer, a bail bondsman, and very deep pockets to support them. Why let that happen when it can so easily be avoided? Even as a retired cop I do not expect any public official to act reasonably, logically, or even sensibly in every case. Best regards.

OK, boys and girls, Mrs. Lobo consented to take a few photos. Don't let the sleek and debonair figure of old Lobo Himself get you all worked up, as I am happily married to the lovely lady who took these pic's! These show the holster described lying on a tabletop with my "shop anvil" (a 5.5" length section of railroad rail weighing something over 12 pounds) on top of it in the obverse and inverse position. The holster supports the weight with no significant distortion. The other photos show the holster with Kimber Custom CDP riding on El Lobo's sveldt and slender body, displaying the low-profile of the holstered package from several angles. Note that the "tunnel" treatment at the wing section allows for the cover garment to ride smoothly over the holstered handgun. I like this holster a lot. I wore it all day today, in multiple settings, in and out of the truck several times, and it is very comfortable in every respect.

I see your point on holster positioning (amount of distance to play with regarding the belt loop). My usual advice to customers is to have the belt loops relocated on new trousers so that they do not interfere with holster placement. I also advise customers to have a panel of lightweight canvas sewn into the linings of their suit coats and jackets to prevent "printing" of the holstered handgun. Just a few lessons that I learned during my years in law enforcement, carrying concealed handguns on a daily basis. For your law enforcement clientele, such modifications of their trousers (having belt loops moved and re-sewn) and jackets (installing panels to prevent "printing" of the holstered handgun), all of these modifications can make the clothing a tax-deductible business expense because of the (extensive) modifications required for business use. OK, I got away with it for years; advise your customers to seek the advice of a competent attorney or certified public accountant!

I will yield to your knowledge on this point of holster design history. Colonel Askins will certainly get the credit for the design, whether or not that is warranted. Mr. Bianchi's contributions toward marketing this style certainly made it well known (and that is not a criticism; John Bianchi is a legend in his own right). I will try to talk the lovely Mrs. Lobo into taking a few photos showing this holster gracing the slender and graceful middle-aged figure of Mr. Lobo (great-grandfather emeritus). We will see if the camera lens survives that exercise.