Members brinyar Posted January 14, 2009 Members Report Posted January 14, 2009 Hi, I thought I would post several pictures of two holsters I've done recently and thank everyone for all the how-to info that's been posted in the forum. It has been extremely helpful. Both holsters are made from Wickett & Craig leather, Feibings USMC black dye, and finished with Angelus acrylic finish. The IWB is 6/7 oz leather and the pancake is 7/8 oz. Any feedback and criticism is welcome. Quote
MADMAX22 Posted January 14, 2009 Report Posted January 14, 2009 WOW those look fantastic, great job ont he stitching and the boning. I like. Question what kind of snaps/rivets did you use for the loops? Quote
Members brinyar Posted January 14, 2009 Author Members Report Posted January 14, 2009 Thanks! The snaps are the standard black line 24 snaps from Tandy. I think I'll try to get some one-way snaps for the straps soon. Quote
MADMAX22 Posted January 14, 2009 Report Posted January 14, 2009 (edited) Really the backs look different. Not sure though. Plus how do you like that angelus dyes Edited January 14, 2009 by MADMAX22 Quote
Members JRB Posted January 14, 2009 Members Report Posted January 14, 2009 Nice...Very good on the molding/boining! Quote
Members Greybeard Posted January 14, 2009 Members Report Posted January 14, 2009 Those look very professional. Quote
Members dickf Posted January 14, 2009 Members Report Posted January 14, 2009 Really the backs look different. Not sure though.Plus how do you like that angelus dyes The backs that you see are tee nuts. Quote
Members BOOMSTICKHolsters Posted January 14, 2009 Members Report Posted January 14, 2009 Very well done, sir! Better than a lot of the folks that get paid to make holsters, in fact. You have a future in holster making if you want it. Your designs are excellent. Plenty of grip clearance, a definite channel for the front sight to travel without dragging, nothing against the mag release, and the supporting leather on the sweat shield of the belt holster even stops against the top of the belt (if you did that on purpose, your understanding of holster design is ahead of a lot of professionals out there). The next time you make a holster, try to keep the rear slot closer to the pistol than the front slot (or loops in the IWB holster's case), and you will see the holster will do a better job of keeping the grip in tight to the side of your body and minimize printing. Excellent work. Quote
Members ArcherBen Posted January 14, 2009 Members Report Posted January 14, 2009 Great looking holsters. May I ask how you liked working with the W&C leather for building your holsters? Does it keep it's shape well? I'm thinking of ordering a side from W&C for belts and holsters. Quote
Members WaG35 Posted January 15, 2009 Members Report Posted January 15, 2009 WOW! Those are very nice. I am actually working on an IWB that is very similar to that one for a guy at work. So far mine is still on paper, but that should change tommorrow. Great work. Quote
Members brinyar Posted January 15, 2009 Author Members Report Posted January 15, 2009 Thanks for the comments, everyone. For the iwb i just used a screw through the base of the snap screwed to a t-nut on the back of the holster. I might sandwich the t-nut between the leather of the holster for the next one, although I'm not sure it would be as strong of a connection that way. The t-nut on the outside isn't that appealing cosmetically.... I haven't use Angelus dye yet but I would like to, especially for browns. The Angelus finish has worked well. I really enjoy working with the Wickett & Craig leather, it has molded much easier than the Tandy leather I first started with. It holds the molding nicely. Boomstick- thanks for the advice. I will definitely pull the rear slot/loop in on the next holsters I do. I admire your work. Again, thanks everyone for the comments and advice. Here is another holster I've made for a Kahr. Quote
Members BOOMSTICKHolsters Posted January 15, 2009 Members Report Posted January 15, 2009 Another fantastic holster. Are you getting those shapes cutting by hand, or do you use a clicker die? They are turning out beautifully, and the edges look really nice. Quote
MADMAX22 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Posted January 15, 2009 (edited) Thanks for the comments, everyone. For the iwb i just used a screw through the base of the snap screwed to a t-nut on the back of the holster. I might sandwich the t-nut between the leather of the holster for the next one, although I'm not sure it would be as strong of a connection that way. The t-nut on the outside isn't that appealing cosmetically.... I haven't use Angelus dye yet but I would like to, especially for browns. The Angelus finish has worked well. I really enjoy working with the Wickett & Craig leather, it has molded much easier than the Tandy leather I first started with. It holds the molding nicely. Boomstick- thanks for the advice. I will definitely pull the rear slot/loop in on the next holsters I do. I admire your work. Again, thanks everyone for the comments and advice.Here is another holster I've made for a Kahr. OK now I understand, thats what I was confused about in the earlier post I did. I have never thought of doing that before. Very nice holster also. Edited January 15, 2009 by MADMAX22 Quote
Members JRB Posted January 15, 2009 Members Report Posted January 15, 2009 I guess the lines you see (like around the moulding of the trigger guard and along the length of the barrel) are creases from making a mark rather than an actual feature of the gun. Quote
Lobo Posted January 16, 2009 Report Posted January 16, 2009 First class work, in every respect. Thanks for sharing it with us. Quote
Members brinyar Posted January 16, 2009 Author Members Report Posted January 16, 2009 No clicker dies here...it would be nice to have some in the future, though. I usually use a heavy duty x-acto knife with a chisel point to cut out the leather by hand. It's kind of slow going doing it that way; I might try some leather shears out sometime. Quote
Members BOOMSTICKHolsters Posted January 16, 2009 Members Report Posted January 16, 2009 That's impressive work for an x-acto knife. Shears have a skill set all there own; some can use them and some can't. The real key is to keep the cutting angle perpendicular to the surface of the leather. If you use shears and the cut edge is sloped, you aren't doing it correctly. The tricky part is keeping it perpendicular on the curves. Some concave curves will be too difficult to cut with shears, or for that matter with a knife. It is a great time saver to invest in various sized hole punches to make quick work of those. For that matter, it would probably be a real time saver to get some clicker dyes made, but I still don't have any experience with those.... You have a real gift for knowing where to put your detailing lines, and when to stop them so they look clean. I also noticed that you figured out it makes a much better looking and tighter fitting holster if you bone the outside edges sharply. Heck, you even left room on the pancake holster to get a full contact grip without obstructing the placement of your thumb (which leads me to believe you're a shooter). Your grasp of holster design really impresses me. How long have you been making holsters? Quote
Members JohnnyDingus Posted January 16, 2009 Members Report Posted January 16, 2009 No clicker dies here...it would be nice to have some in the future, though. I usually use a heavy duty x-acto knife with a chisel point to cut out the leather by hand. It's kind of slow going doing it that way; I might try some leather shears out sometime. Very Impressive. Are you hand stiching these as well? vince Quote
Members brinyar Posted January 17, 2009 Author Members Report Posted January 17, 2009 I have been making holsters for about a year and two months now. I was looking for a new pancake holster back then and saw that a lot of the professional holster makers were back ordered for months. I had seen some info on holster making on another forum and decided to give it a shot. I thought "how hard could it be?". So I gathered the basic tools and leather and proceeded to butcher my first few holsters:] I enjoyed making them, though, so I kept at it. I needed a good hobby anyway.... I eventually realized that I hate hand stitching and bought a Toro 3000. Thanks for the info on leather shears, I've been looking at the Ginghers in the Tandy catalog. Quote
Members WaG35 Posted January 17, 2009 Members Report Posted January 17, 2009 I have been making holsters for about a year and two months now. I was looking for a new pancake holster back then and saw that a lot of the professional holster makers were back ordered for months. I had seen some info on holster making on another forum and decided to give it a shot. I thought "how hard could it be?". So I gathered the basic tools and leather and proceeded to butcher my first few holsters:] I enjoyed making them, though, so I kept at it. I needed a good hobby anyway.... I eventually realized that I hate hand stitching and bought a Toro 3000. Thanks for the info on leather shears, I've been looking at the Ginghers in the Tandy catalog. Just curious, what do you use to get such crisp lines. I agree with Boomstick, for only having a years worth of experience, you are doing very well. Quote
Members brinyar Posted January 18, 2009 Author Members Report Posted January 18, 2009 For the hand detailing I sometimes use a ruler or something as a straight edge to help keep the lines straight and smooth. I'll post up one more holster until I can make some new stuff. It is a brown iwb I made several months ago. Quote
Members Shorts Posted January 18, 2009 Members Report Posted January 18, 2009 Smooth work brinyar Quote
mliebs8 Posted January 18, 2009 Report Posted January 18, 2009 I love the holsters, your lines look beautiful. Quote
Members woolfe Posted January 22, 2009 Members Report Posted January 22, 2009 Very nice work!!! I'm modeling my 2nd attempt at an IWB after one of yours, they look great! keep it up! Quote
Members ABC3 Posted January 22, 2009 Members Report Posted January 22, 2009 Great looking holsters. Thanks for sharing.... Quote
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