MoRoadglide11

Hey Double, I use a Techsew 5100 SE. It's an aggressive machine and does have a lot of presser foot pressure but, is adjustable from the top of the arm. Upper and lower thread tension is also adjustable and sometimes I have to adjust thread tension and presser foot pressure, depending on the weight of leather, and the size of needle and thread. Some cowboy boots tops are thinner than others but I've yet to come across a boot top that couldn't take the punishment of presser foot pressure. My machine has a deeper throat compared to yours but, I suspect your machine is a beast as well and can do the same work mine does. Mine is the same machine as the Cowboy CB 4500. My hope, in the future, is that I will supplement my current machine work with a lighter duty machine that is less aggressive and can do finer, more intricate work.

Hey Double, Thank you!....You're right!...the decorative piece you refer to is the yoke at the top of the boot vamp at the front of the boot. I do this on purpose because when people look at my holsters...some don't recognize that its a cowboy boot they are looking at in a different form. Cowboy boot tops are a work of art to me and I love re-purposing well cared for boots into something useful and unique while preserving the original design stitching. I do this process with all of my holsters. I use I hand made patterns from Lexan sheet so I can see through them when I'm laying out a holster. The base material is Herman Oak that I join the cowboy boot to so I get a fully lined holster with some decorative stitching as an added bonus. A lot of leather workers hand tool...which is an art in itself and I've done my fair share. I found my niche in adding cowboy boot to holsters, magazine holders, guitar straps, rifle straps, and other crazy ideas I can come up with. I will be coming up with other projects this year to add to my product line up so long as I can keep finding nice cowboy boots.

Damn!!!...you guys just gave a diabolical idea....a custom Yeti (or Yeti knockoff) cuzi covered up in cowboy boot top!....thanks guys!...you rock!!!....talk about creature comforts!

VERY NICE!!!.....very professional in looks and craftsmanship....I am sorely impressed with your work! Just know though....you'll curse your hand work until you get a machine. I build holsters....wouldn't continue without my Techsew 5100. It's a beast of a sewing machine and very aggressive but, it just punched though 5/8" of leather tonight like it was a drill press punching through a stick of butter. Mark

Hey Matt, I use Fiebings Dura Edge when I edge coat. I don't care for Fiebings Edge Kote. Dura Edge is far more durable than Edge Kote in my opinion.

Hey Matt, I line all of my holsters with veg tan...no matter what size, shape, or style. For me...it's all about protecting the investment someone makes in a pistol. It makes no sense in buying...say a Wilson Combat 1911...and holstering it in an unlined, cheap holster. Thanks for the question...I think it's important to anyone who owns an expensive pistol and wants to protect the way it looks.

Hey Guys!, Just photographed my latest experiment and wanted to share it with you. The boot I used, in this project, is a very dark gray (although it looks black in the photos) and is made by Nocona. I chose this particular boot because I could afford to use it as the "sacrificial lamb" in the making of a holster I've never made in this style. I still have the other boot to this pair waiting for another project to happen. My purpose in making this holster was to see how to skin a western style holster out in cowboy boot...and as you can see....I was somewhat successful. Building this holster has given me the knowledge that it can be done and has helped me in working out the bugs in my process. I was sweating bullets for a bit but, I think it came out ok and wondered what you guys thought. Your feed back would be greatly appreciated as this will determine whether this style of holster covered in cowboy boot has a chance in the western holster market. Keep in mind that this holster is not finished and is only a prototype...it still needs edge sanding / slicking and edge coating.

I burnish with Gum Trag first to get a baby-smooth edge. I use a dye marker with the color of dye I want to darken the edge. Then I use Fiebing's Dura Edge Premium Edge Finish...3 to 4 coats using a heat gun (until dry to the touch) in between coats. I use it on all my holster sets to include my personal holster sets. This stuff is tough and looks good on holsters to give the edges a professional finish but,....the downside is that it only comes in black or dark brown. Once the last coat is dry to the touch...the holster of magazine holder is ready to use....no waiting to dry overnight. I have yet to hear one complaint from any of my customers on edge coat failure.

Thanks Guys!!!.....I appreciate the feedback!!

Hey Guys!, This is what happens when you have wayyyy too many boot top scraps! I've just stumbled upon another leather project that I can use my boot top scraps for and might even be able to make a little money. This is the first of many I hope to build. Thanks for looking and please give feedback on this idea....any and all will be greatly appreciated. The photos attached show my first guitar strap but, there is one piece missing that attaches to one end....it has not been made yet...a final puzzle piece for tomorrow. I'll try to post a photo of the completed strap attached to one of my guitars.

Hey MarkCdub, I actually have a customer that had me build holsters from 2 pair of his boots. He got the first one...than he gave the other three holsters to his 3 adult sons. Each got something that oonce belong to their father to have with them.

Hey Mjolnir, The first couple of holster sets, I posted earlier, are mine....I personally have four sets that I've built for myself. I also build holster set for the general public too....I know there's guys and girls who own at least one Model 1911 and are not slaves to fashion!

Hey Guys!!, Yeah!!....I have a pretty good set up...an indoor shop and a garage shop. Both make a little money now and then. As for a shooting range off the back deck....HELL YES! I sit on 10 acres with so many oaks that I can't see my neighbors. The Lowe's work stations are great...storage drawers and some storage above the bench. I like them a lot...you can't go wrong. Oh...and I've beat on mine while setting my maker's mark with a dead blow hammer...so far no splintered table tops. The boots you see are my current inventory of holster making material. The sewing machine is a TechSew 5100...great machine...no problems. The scroll saw that you can barely see is what I use to cut out my patterns out of clear lexan. I spend a lot of time here during cold temps..then out in my garage during the warmer temps. The photo below is what I do in my indoor shop.

Hey Guys!, Ok...so here's where it all happens. This is one of my spare bedrooms. I would use my garage but, Truck and Harley would get in the way and besides...I do metal fabrication in there due to having another hobby (I play with 1 1/2" scale trains so I build train cars occasionally). I like using this bedroom as a leather shop primarily because it's an all weather shop...heated and cooled to my liking...and it's not a long walk to the kitchen or the shower. I'm single and live alone so it suits my perfectly. Basically...my entire house is a "Man Cave" and my entire property is "Man Land". What more could I ask for?

Thank you all for the positive feedback! I appreciate that because it lets me know that I'm on the right track and that people...including you guys as fellow leather craftsmen...can see the value and usefulness in a hair-brained idea like mine. I'll have a couple of new holster styles coming out shortly and will post them here in the future. I've included a couple more holster sets I've built recently. They are available on my Etsy.com page. If you would like to go and have a look...just go to www.etsy.com and type in "Boot Hill Leather Co" in the search bar on that page....minus the quotation marks. Thanks again guys!

Hey cradom, The stitching is sewn in all the way through the boot from the boot factory and is made of nylon. I burn the tails off.

Hey Calan, Yes...the body of the holster and magazine holder is cut from Herman Oak leather. Cowboy boot leather lays on top of it...which is the part that you see.

Hey Stetson912, I actually introduced my first cowboy boot holster to Lisa about 3 years ago. She actually liked the idea and showed the photos, I e-mailed to her, to some of her students. Lisa is very talented and I would love to learn the art of boot making from her. Here is another set I built. This set comes from a pair of Nocona boots made from Kangaroo hide. This pair was already 18 years old when I acquired them. I researched this pair through Nocona, because they keep an archive of all the boots styles they've produced. Someone took real good pair of this pair. This holster set took one boot from the pair. The holster made built from the front of the boot top and the vamp. The magazine case is built from the backside of the boot top and the counter. I still have the other boot waiting to be built into another set.

Hey All! I'm new here and wanted to show off one of my personal holster sets. This set is my favorite of the four sets I own. This set is built from a pair of Tony Lama Black Label boots that are made from Kangaroo hide and stitched up real fancy. I own my own little tiny, one man holster making business and build these holsters from cowboy boots I pick up online, or from trips to second hand shops. This year will be my year to add two more holster styles...a cross draw holster, a holster specifically for six shooters, and guitar straps....all decorated with cowboy boot leather just like the holster set I have pictured. I see the stitching on cowboy boots as a work of art so I'm very much in to this type of leather work. I build my holster sets primarily for Model 1911 hand guns but, I've been known to build holster sets for other makes and models of hand guns. I hope you all see the uniqueness of my holster....it took me a couple months to work out the bugs, acquire the right sewing machine (Techsew 5100), and find cowboy boots that were just right for holster making. All that said...I welcome any and all feedback from you. By the way....I've been an amateur leather worker for 40+ years and have been working on and trying to perfect holster sets and my skills for the last 3 years. You can see more of my work on my Etsy.com page by typing "Boot Hill Leather Co."(minus the quotes) into the search bar. Thanks for looking and have a great day!