Shield Holster...

[bladegrinder]

Just finished this pancake holster for a .40 Smith & Wesson Shield.

8-9 oz Herman Oak

 

[purplefox66]

That is a very nice holster 

[DieselTech]

That is Sexy! Nice work. Looks great! 

May I ask if a pattern was used? If so who's pattern. 

Thanks. 

[bladegrinder]

1 hour ago, purplefox66 said:

That is a very nice holster 

Thanks purplefox!

30 minutes ago, DieselTech said:

That is Sexy! Nice work. Looks great! 

May I ask if a pattern was used? If so who's pattern. 

Thanks. 

Thanks Diesel, I drew up the pattern for it.

[Littlef]

That is nice!

 

[DieselTech]

1 hour ago, bladegrinder said:

Thanks purplefox!

Thanks Diesel, I drew up the pattern for it.

Thanks. So is it lined with something like calf skin or something else. 

Thanks. Appreciate the info. 

[bladegrinder]

No lining, just 8-9 oz. Herman Oak. it could be lined, just by using maybe 6-7 oz. with the liner to make it 8-9.

I started making holsters using 6-7 because that's what I had on hand for my knife sheaths and it works but I think 8-9 is just right for holsters.

I wet mold my holsters then put them in a PID controlled toaster oven on top of a piece of thin card board at 150 for half an hour, then flip it for another half hour and on and on till it's close to good and dry but not to much, not making jerky here. take it out and let it rest and dry till the next day.

[DieselTech]

4 minutes ago, bladegrinder said:

No lining, just 8-9 oz. Herman Oak. it could be lined, just by using maybe 6-7 oz. with the liner to make it 8-9.

I started making holsters using 6-7 because that's what I had on hand for my knife sheaths and it works but I think 8-9 is just right for holsters.

I wet mold my holsters then put them in a PID controlled toaster oven on top of a piece of thin card board at 150 for half an hour, then flip it for another half hour and on and on till it's close to good and dry but not to much, not making jerky here. take it out and let it rest and dry till the next day.

Thanks for the info. Yeah I might make a drying cabinet with a few low wattage bulbs wired inside it. 

[bladegrinder]

I've never used anything like that, I use the PID oven I have for tempering knife blades, it holds a temperature within + - 3 degrees. at 150 for a couple hours it really hardens up the leather, when you put the gun in it almost snaps in place.

[Hags]

Very nice work!

[bladegrinder]

Thanks Hags!

[DieselTech]

28 minutes ago, bladegrinder said:

I've never used anything like that, I use the PID oven I have for tempering knife blades, it holds a temperature within + - 3 degrees. at 150 for a couple hours it really hardens up the leather, when you put the gun in it almost snaps in place.

Yeah I want to make a PID knife oven as well, just had not really had the funds. Them good PID controllers are not cheap. 

[usmc0341]

Beautiful holster!

[Bert03241]

I just use a cheap Walmart toaster oven. It works just fine, low heat for an hour or so. No problems .Perfect control of the heat is not necessary. These toaster oven hold the temp pretty close to 150

[bladegrinder]

The one I have had a minimum 30 degree swing depending on the outside air temp before I wired it with a PID. I’m guessing any oven would do but this was set up primarily for tempering hardened knife blades, which require pretty accurate temperatures. When I gutted this thing out I found the temperature sensor wasn’t even in the oven, it was just behind the controls. frankly I have no idea how they thought that was going to regulate the temp at all, it was exposed to ambient air.

[Bert03241]

What can I say ,I've done dozens of knife sheaths and holsters never had a problem. Just use low heat setting .

[bladegrinder]

Never said there was a right way or wrong way, just the way I do it. A light box would probably work to, just take longer I suppose.

[Chipster99]

That’s a beauty for sure!

[AlZilla]

Very skilled stitch work. I recall you saying you used a Cobra Class 4 - it looks like at the beginning of your stitch line you must start with 2 or 3 stitches backtacking to the beginning?  Both ends appear to be double sewn, if you started at the beginning, backtacked and then went forward again, you'd have a bulky triple stitch.

Am I seeing it right?

[bladegrinder]

I back stitch two stitches then switch to forward, continue to the end, then back stitch two stitches, there’s no triple stitch.

[bladegrinder]

I just carefully measure my stitch spacing so I know where the first back stitch will end up, put a tiny start mark on the leather and drop the needle on it, then back two then forward.

[AlZilla]

2 hours ago, bladegrinder said:

I just carefully measure my stitch spacing so I know where the first back stitch will end up, put a tiny start mark on the leather and drop the needle on it, then back two then forward.

The varying stitch length is the challenge for me. Practice, practice practice...

[Frodo]

2 hours ago, Frodo said:

IMG_0340.heicUnavailable

Looking for the same ole same ole

or different ?   You said maybe make other things like pouches,  let’s combine those 2.   
a knife sheath with wet stone pouch

 

IMG_0059.heicUnavailable

 

[dikman]

On 3/29/2024 at 1:42 PM, DieselTech said:

Yeah I want to make a PID knife oven as well, just had not really had the funds. Them good PID controllers are not cheap. 

Cheaper if you make your own, I've built three so far. Lots of information on the castboolits forum.

[DieselTech]

18 minutes ago, dikman said:

Cheaper if you make your own, I've built three so far. Lots of information on the castboolits forum.

Thanks. I'll check it out. I havent been to their site in a while anywho.