Stetson912

That's possible, ideally I'd have some firmer 4 oz to make it from. That would hold up real well. I just used the essex because I had it. Idk like to draw up a tooling pattern and tool one one day

I feel ya, doesnt seem like a good system there. A belt loop could be ok, but not with this particular type of closure. Maybe with a sam brown stud or something. As you mentioned, for that type of carry your idea would be viable. This just isnt for that. It's meant to keep in a bag or the car or something. I do want to make foldover pouch style too at some point @SUP it is a classic pattern. Nothing wrong with it. I think id like it better stitching the corners down flat instead of rolling them inwards. Just quicker to make that way. And maybe some hidden magnets instead of this type of magnet closure

This was more fun. It has a magnetic closure and wouldn't be suitable for a belt, plus the leather is a little on the softer side. Ive also never seen anyone with an eyeglasses case on their belt. If we're to do a foldover pouch style. I'd add a clip to clip to a pocket

I had some horween essex in parisian blue that's been lounging in my shop for ages. So I made a glasses case. It was fun, im not 100% sure i care for this pattern but it still came out nice

@larry1096 I see your loop design. it looks more maneuverable than mine. Its narrower at the fold so you can move the "ears" out of the way. Ill have to tweak my pattern to reflect that. Looks good

Yup, it looks comfortable but I havent tried it on yet. Shame on me haha. If I wasn't in arizona (where wearing long garments is much frowned upon) I'd consider it for daily carry. I still could, AZ is open carry too. But I dont much care for broadcasting like that. Just me I suppose

Thanks, it is interesting and fun to make

Yes, the hardest part is stitching near the belt loop. My presser foot is realy wide, I should have swapped it out for mt left toe foot. The loop causes the holster to not lay flat so get some deflection sometimes. Probably my inexperience with my outlaw machine. Definitely going to try again

I like how this came out. Simple design but kind of unique. 1911 rhodesian holster in show brown. This leather is heavier than i like at about 9 oz. But it still works.

Thanks, it's a fun little thing to make too. It does use a lot of leather though. Rather, with it being one piece it requires a larger piece. But, if you make the loops separate and stitch them on, it would free up some space on the hide. But, Sticking with tradition ya know.

This is an interesting one for me. A unique design I haven't seen before and therefore had to figure out. Lou alessi designed this to be made from one piece of leather. It utilizes an 's' curve that creates an arch along the slide side. This keeps the mouth open and prevents collapse. Really a genius design, and one you seldom see.

That's looking pretty good. Leather weight is also a factor. I believe jason uses 7/8oz. As for retention, the trigger area and ejection port are the only places retention can be achieved with molding, so focus on those areas. The rest is, as you said, is more for looks

Jason is a great holster maker. His work is top notch. He does his molding by hand. Molding is an art form in itself. Learn leather has a video of him molding a holster in detail if memory serves. But, In a nutshell; proper casing, smooth tools, and progressive molding. Start with the larger molding tools and work down to finer tools as the leather dries. As it dries it holds more detail but be careful, if you slip thats it, leather is marked. Burnishing in my experience comes as a result of rubbing the leather with something that causes friction, like a wood handle or slicker that isn't completely polished and smooth. Popular molding materials are bone/antler, stainless steel, and smooth plastic. But really anything smooth is your friend. Look up Eric larsen (of hbe leatherworks) youtube. He has a few short videos of holster molding that are useful too.

Looks a bit chunky to me. I think it's cuz your leather is a bit on the thinner side. The second photo looks like your holes are getting blown out too, which can happen with improper needle feeding or overly large thread or dull stitching chisels. Thicker leather will allow you to seat your stitches better with more tension. I'd try .8mm or .7mm and see how that works for you.

You can use 8 oz for the panel then cut v the window from 4 oz and glue it on top. The skiving of the window panel reduces the thickness on the "wings" making it a bit cleaner and I think more comfortable. You need the 8 oz for the holster structure. I jmloke using the 2 layers of 4 oz laminated because it gives me a liner and is a bit stronger. You could take your 8 oz and make the front panel rough out and then the window on top, but then you would have to line the back panel or have a half lined holster hahaha

Thanks Sure! Postage may be expensive though haha Thanks!

I had used multiple layers. Both of these were made from laminated 4-5 oz leather to make the front and back panels. The front panel requires additional work obviously. I cut the window out, trimmed and skived the plug, skived the areas of the panel from the stitch lines to the edges, glued the plug in place, glued the caiman over the plug, then glued the window over everything and stitched it together.

Thanks. The caiman is a bear to work with. The snapping turtle was far simpler. Thanks. Fun builds. I Definitely like the snapping turtle and need to get some more of that haha

These were fun. Hope you like em.

Far from masterful but i appreciate the kind words, Brandon corral at swift hammer is a skull and metal wizard. He does things his own way too, you should look him up.

Thanks for the kind words and questions. This has been traded and I no longer have this card. I'll try and remember what I did haha. This is all carved, no lasers or anything. The eye socket texture was done with a modeling spoon as was most of the skull. I used a triangular beveler around the pom and trim and faded that out. I used a fine stylus to make the fur textures in the pot and trim as well as fabric for the hat. I cant recall what background texture I used but you can use whatever suits you. As for color, it's a trick i saw on youtube by kirill latypov. The whole piece is dyed black then painted with a thin layer of black acrylic paint. And the color is added by using a dry brush technique with acrylic paint. The cast iron is a result of gray over the black. Oh, and the pitted skull texture is done by laying coarse sand paper over the areas to texture and rubbing it in with a modeling spoon.

Thanks, it was fun Thanks, scales could be better. But live and learn I may ruin it with color next hahaha. Credit to stohlman for this one. Just followed his directions from his book. I'm thinking a sidewinder or sand viper next

Found this ole stohlman pattern and figured, why not haha. Scales didn't quite work how I wanted but over all not too bad. Pointers always welcome.

Awesome as always

Thanks