Simple 1911 pancake holster.

[Stingray73]

[Dwight]

Good job . . . and that will be comfortable as well.

May God bless,

Dwight

[wizard of tragacanth]

If I may make a couple of suggestions? I would suggest that after you have glued-up your holster, you use some sandpaper on a small sanding block to gracefully level the irregularities on the edges of your holster. Use sandpaper wrapped around a dowel for tight curves. I use a paint stirring stick to do inside the belt slots. Then, use a #2 edge beveler to knock the edges off of all outside edges and the long side of the belt slots and sand them again to round them off. Don't try to go around the tiny curve in the belt slots. It is not needed and often does not come out looking good because the beveler gouges into the leather on the corner. 

Also, it appears that you may be using only a 4-tine stitching chisel to make the holes. I would recommend getting a 1 and 2-tine chisel to enable making more graceful curves in the stitch line. Use 4-tines, only if it is truly for a straight line. You can use a stitching wheel to mark the spacing for stitches on a curve for the 1 & 2 tine irons. Make sure that the TPI (threads per inch) of the wheel, matches the TPI of your chisels, e.g. if you irons are 6 TPI, the teeth on the stitching wheel should also be 6 TPI. So, look for that.

After your holster is glued together and the edges are trued-up, set a pair of dividers for 3/16". Place one point to ride on the outside edge of the holster with the other point scribing a line in the leather, to follow for stitching. Do it just firm enough to be able to see it when stitching. This will keep your stitches equal distance from the edge all the way around.

If you are using a strong contact cement, like Weldwood or Barge, you may not need to stitch around the belt slots at all, unless you just want to do it for style. I never do and have never had any separation of the layers, even after 5 years of use. Example...

 

[Stingray73]

Actually I don't have any glue in the holster.   The stitching is the only thing holding it together 

[wizard of tragacanth]

No glue?

Well, then, that would be my first recommendation. I suppose there are other people who do not use any glue but that sure seems like the hard way to do it. I know some people say that the glue is only to hold the pieces together until they get stitched. Those people often use something similar to Elmer's glue. Personally, I feel that contact cement bolsters the integrity of the build and yields a longer life under harder use. I would recommend giving it a try. It's not cheap, it is a little messy until you get the hang of it and it has a somewhat foul solvent smell (kinda like some gun cleaning products).

If you decide to give it a try, I would recommend watching some videos to understand it and pick up some tips. It is applied to both pieces of leather that you are joining. It has to "dry" for a few minutes and then the pieces are joined. It is an immediate bond. You only have one chance to get it right. I suggest laying a piece of parchment paper or wax paper (something that you can see through) over the bottom piece, covering most of it, with just a corner sticky out. Then lay the top piece on it, making sure it is registered with the bottom piece. Press lightly to tack the corner in place and check that all of the other corners and edges are in register with everything. Then, slide the paper out half an inch at a time, and tack down the newly exposed cement. Pull the paper out slowly and tack the leather down as you go. You don't want air pockets. When the paper is completely removed, use heavy pressure to fully bond the pieces. I usually just use my palms and my fists to complete the bond but if you have smooth roller that will not leave marks in your leather, that would work well.

Your holster will be much stiffer overall. If desired, you can wet the leather and do more molding if you want. Contact cement is waterproof. I would wait overnight for the cement to fully cure before cutting belt slots or punching holes for sewing because the cement is rubbery and may stick to your tools. If necessary, you can clean up with Acetone.

Edited 8 hours ago by wizard of tragacanth

[Stingray73]

I have used glue, but only to put in liners.   Stitching or lacing and stitching has been what I've used to keep the holsters together.  I haven't made very many to sell.   Most have been for my own personal use.  I like coming here  and hearing how other people do things  and how I might improve mine.