Bronson

Fantastic, as always, Bronson

Kydex is a pretty forgiving material. It forms at relatively low temps and can be shaped and re-shaped many times. Give it a shot, it doesn't take too much practice to start getting good stuff. Bronson

I've been using the PVA Tanner's Bond because in the quantity I buy it's actually the best price/oz. Once it's fully cured I have to use two pairs of pliers to pull the leather apart, and it's still not what I would call "easy". I can also thin it with water and it doesn't stink. Bronson

That is one beautiful rig. Bronson

Normally I would have been interested in at least two of the guns on Jeff's list but finances being what they are I have to bow out. Good idea though. Bronson

I have a 1.5 inch slot punch and honestly the thing is such a bear to hammer through two layers of leather that I've been using it to mark the slot and cutting it out with an xacto knife. It is also just barely wide enough for my gun belt. I've recently purchased a 1.5 inch wood chisel and I'm hoping it will be easier to cut the slots with the round punch & chisel method. It will also give me the freedom to easily have longer or wider slots as needed. Bronson

with Monica Bronson

Your holsters always have such a nice clean look to them. Thanks for posting. Bronson

Oh no! I guess I better stop open carrying. Bronson

Oooh, me likey. Bronson

Knifekits.com has several styles http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/index.php?cPath=41_56 These are 1.5" wide and quite sturdy http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/product_info...roducts_id=1323 They also sell Kydex sheet in various thicknesses so you can make your own http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/index.php?cPath=41_54_136 Bronson

I kind of like it actually ...even before I read the backstory Bronson

Thanks for the kind words everyone. The people here are great and have really helped and inspired me. I felt the same way about just having the snaps, hence the upper tab. And of course you, and anyone else who wants, can use it. Bronson

Ok, this is my first successful Avenger style holster. For some reason this style gave me fits but with some help from some posts here on LWDN I was finally able to pull it off. Here's the twist. I really like holsters that snap onto the belt since I go places where not having an empty holster on my belt is a good thing. I wanted an Avenger style but had to come up with something that would allow me to remove the holster without having to get half-undressed in a parking lot or in my car. I also wanted the holster to completely cover the rear sights. I sometimes open carry and I've found that if the sights are not covered I end up scratching my arm on them. I came up with a system that seems to work. It allows easy on/off, is stable, and stays in place during the draw. I purposely didn't do any research to see if other makers had already come up with something. I wanted to figure it out on my own so if it's similar in design to something that already exists it is purely by coincidence. Holster is for a Bersa .380 and is made from 6/7 oz leather with the mouth reinforcement and front & rear straps rough side out. Dyed with Feibing's Mahogany spirit dye and finished with Tan Kote. Sorry about the blurry pics. As always, comments are welcome. http://www.flickr.com/photos/29310638@N07/3667530182/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/29310638@N07/3667529004/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/29310638@N07/3666726549/ Thanks everyone. Bronson

Looks very nice to me. Bronson

I used toothed lock washers and they seem to work well. I picked them up at the hardware store but here are two common types. http://www.wclco.com/Lock_Washers/Toothed_...ers/lw21-22.php http://www.wclco.com/Lock_Washers/Toothed_...ers/lw23-25.php Bronson

Careful with that. If you heat it too much, too quickly you'll end up with very hard brittle leather. Bronson

Holy Cheese Scott. Those are truly beautiful. Bronson

Thanks Carl, that's good to know. Bronson

Doesn't the 7 spi overstitch wheel correspond to the 1/8" four prong diamond punch? I can't remember right now and am away from my workbench but I think that's what I was using. Over the course of building the holster you'll be spot wetting it a few times. Grooving, marking with the overstitch wheel, bevelling the edges, burnishing, forming, etc. I usually avoid water spots by re-moistening the entire holster before I dye it. I don't know how others are doing it but that's what's working for me. Yup. Sounds familiar What helped me was more practice. I glued up a bunch of scrap pieces and practiced punching them. I did the same thing when I switched to using the diamond awl. Wasn't an option for me since I don't have a drill press so I just had to get better with the punches And by the way I'm just finishing up using the last of the leather I got from Tandy. That stuff really is junk. Boomstick pointed me to this leather from Zack White which I'll be ordering soon. I'm new at this whole thing and would take just about anybody elses opinions/advice here on LWDN over mine .....just so ya know. Bronson

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I just started using a stitching awl instead of the four prong punches. It takes some practice but I already like it better than the punch. The Al Stohlman book on handstitching (already recommended) will cover how to use and maintain your awl and much much more information. How are you laying out your stitch lines? Bronson

There's a few types of T-nuts HERE Bronson

Did you heat it at all to dry it? I was getting very rigid holsters because I was using a hair dryer or heat gun to dry my holsters because I was impatient. If you heat it too much too quickly it'll get very rigid and brittle. Bronson

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29310638@N07/3570809468/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/29310638@N07/3570808484/ Sorry about having to link you to the pics. When I put the photo URL into the box to load it into the post all I get is a red X with no pic and the file sizes are too large to directly upload them. Anyway, I wanted a pocket holster for my Kel-tec P-32 that could do double duty as both a front & back pocket rig. This is the second holster I've sewn using the stitching awl instead of the diamond punches. To be honest the stitching on the first one was nicer but it ended up in the scrap pile for other (stupid) reasons. As always comments are welcome. Thanks, Bronson