badhatter1005

I use a cutting board and a mat. I will tell you about the cutting boards having bought one from Tandy. And please don't think that I am disrespecting Tandy because I do a lot of business with him. However I got one for a quarter of the price off of eBay same size and what seemed to be the same material as a replacement. It works absolutely perfectly. I do like the mat as well and just like the others on here I bought mine at Jo-Ann fabric. I think hobby lobby sells them as well maybe a little more expensive. Depending on your needs as to which one you will use. I do not recommend using a mat for punching holes with hammer punches. But the poly cutting board is good for keeping blade cuts and scratches off of your surface.

I agree with Dwight that the sun tanning works really well with leather. I've done it for a few belts and holsters as well as Bible covers and the sun will tan the veg tan as long as you keep it moisturized. Another option is extra virgin olive oil. Not only will it darken the leather but it will make it very pliable. From what I understand listening to Don Gonzalez and Will gromley they are finding sandals from the Roman empire made of leather and that were tanned with virgin olive oil that are still pliable to this day.

I agree with Dwight on this one. I use line 24 snaps from Tandy. You can get them in multiple colors and in quantities of 10 20 50 or 100. Definitely get the setter tool though. You will go crazy trying to pound them in. I use the same snap tool that Dwight does I just rubber dipped the hand part of the handles to make it a little easier when setting multiples. However his idea of buying two handles so I don't have to change the dies every time is genius.

I ise a Tippmann Boss. It is fueled by elbow grease but it will get the job done.

I second Dwight's motion. I currently have a boss and can say that it sews through 2 8 oz pieces of stacked leather. Granted it is fueled by elbow grease however it will get the job done.

North Carolina saying welcome

Make sure when you make your pattern to measure with the actual weight of the leather you're going to use. So cut a strip and use it for measurements. You can then lay it out on the cardstock to get your actual length. Other than that 100% what they said^^^

I agree with Dwight on this one. When I make my belts I use the same thickness. 6 oz and 6 oz. Rough sides together with a piece of poster board glued in between the straps as a stiffener. Learn this from Don Gonzalez. It works and the belts will not stretch in any direction. I use barges to seal the straps together. I then run a stitch line around the outer perimeter of the belt. Will literally hold forever. To clarify when I say poster board I just mean a very stiff piece of thin paper. Needs to be about 3/4 of the length of the belt.

Normally it's the same thing for me. I think the difference is in the paddle itself. I wanted a smaller paddle and came across these accidentally while making holsters of another style for someone else. For some reason these paddles weigh absolutely nothing. And the way that they sit on my hip has been absolutely perfect. That coupled with the fact that leather just doesn't seem to weigh that much, means that the only weight I'm really feeling is the weight of the gun itself. With the larger 1911 it took a little bit of getting used to however most of the time with my job I'm wearing suspenders over a button-up dress shirt so the suspenders alleviate the weight. With the smaller 1911 honestly cannot even feel the weight. I did make myself a belt out of 15 oz Herman oak veg tan. No liner. However the belt does a very good job of keeping my trousers up. Thank you for the comments. I learned a long time ago the kiss method of doing things. Keep it simple. So plain is the way to go for me. I appreciate the feedback. I just use the old kiss method. Keep it simple stupid. I'm not a huge fan of taking the easy way, however this one just seemed to work out for me. Still lots of stitching while sewing in the liner and let me tell you putting that welt onto the edge was a bear, but I'm genuinely happy with the way it turned out.

Looking for a concealed carry holster for my 1911 to be able to carry cocked and locked around my kidney area. Not a huge fan of the pancake style holster but I absolutely love the paddle holster. I modified this holster from a pattern that W. Grohmley had made called the barbecue rig. I added a paddle from a bolt pack that I had purchased from Vedder holsters. Used t-nuts and short bolts to connect the paddle. Lined with 2 oz milled veg tan. Hand stitched. Paddle fits perfectly on a 1 and 3/4-in belt that I also made myself. Very happy with this holster. It does not profile. It does not stick out. And most importantly it does not dig into my rather substantial now that I'm 40 paunch. The thumb break is smooth and has a clean open to it. Tell me what you think please. The larger holster is made from my EDC. Rock Island armory tag standard with a few modifications. 5-in barrel with full rail. This is carried direct on my right hip. Once again the thumb break is smooth and has a very gunfighter style draw to it. This pattern I made myself after watching several videos on YouTube about how to make it pattern. Much trial and error until I came up with this. Once again 8 oz leather for the shell and lined with 2 oz milled veg tan. Of course dyed with fieblings cut in half with isopropyl alcohol. I then use neatsfoot oil and let it dry. Then of course I use the resolene. Once the resolene has dried evenly I polish it with a mixture of mink oil and coconut oil. For some reason it just really seems to work. I appreciate any feedback.

I finally finished making myself a holster for my concealed carry 1911. I have to be honest it is really cool. I got the idea from Will Ghromley's barbecue holster pattern. Made some modifications and added a paddle that I purchased in bulk from Vedder holsters. It turned out absolutely perfectly. It does not profile at all. It snaps in perfectly with the thumb break in the cocked and locked position. My draw time from the kidney position is freakishly fast. I am attempting to upload some photos as we speak

@Dwight I would certainly appreciate it. I've tried out several patterns and none of them seem to work for me. However that one does look comfortable. I would be willing to give it a try. Thanks.

Looking for a pattern for a 1911. No rail with a 3.5 in barrel. Outside the waistband preferably with a thumb break. I'm a big guy but I need something I can conceal. Something that will sit flat against the body. Any suggestions please.

Is there any way I could get a copy of this pattern? I have two Glock 41 chambered in 45 ACP and I just did not know what I wanted to do as far as holsters go. This looks absolutely perfect. I will happily pay you for the pattern.

I've done several floral style western holsters in the from the Will Grohmley barbecue holster pattern pack. They have a Glock pattern in there. The holster has great coverage and there's plenty of room to do tooling. The only reason I would go with a brown color is if I was going to do tooling and that's just to show off the tooling itself. Otherwise black is the way to go. However if you do want to do brown on a veg tan leather my recommendation is to get olive oil. Continue to go over the leather with olive oil until you get the color brown that you want. You can even add an antique paste that will highlight the raised spots on the holster. As far as edge coat I would go with a dark brown. There are benefits to the olive oil in that archaeologist are still finding pliable leather from the Roman period that was treated with olive oil. The picture below is of course not of a Glock holster but it is a holster for a Colt Python. I dyed it with olive oil and then used the antique paste.

My reply is exactly the same as Dwight's. I use my Tippmann Boss hand crank machine and make the holes. I then use a stitch pony and thicker thread and use the saddle stitch method. It works beautifully and gives the precision of a sewing machine but the look of a hand stitch. Basically just listen to Dwight because he is a genius.

If you happen to have a local tractor supply company store they sell fieblings saddle soap. It works really well both the bar and the spray. I find the spray more convenient. You can also use mink oil mixed with coconut oil. Both come in solid form. Heat them up until they melt together. The mink oil will take a lot longer to melt than the coconut oil. When they are a liquid let them cool at room temperature until they become a solid again. Then you have a very excellent lubricant for your leather that works just as well as saddle soap.

I agree with Dwight. Excellent belt. Excellent craftsmanship. And I agree it would make an excellent pair suspenders