A new set just finished for a customer

[Peterk]

Gun: Sig P239

Belt: 1.5"

Dye: Angelus Cordovan

Edge: Edge Kote

Finish: Satin Sheen & Angelus Cordovan Wax

Did not put too much molding on this one so the customer's clothing won't have much to "catch" onto. Probably not an issue anyway but customer stressed that he wants uber concealability underneath thin t-shirts, while having enough retention for biking. Hope he likes it!

[Lobo]

Exceptionally nice work. Thanks for posting. Your customer has a good point about extreme detailing on the exterior, it does create more edges on which the outer garment can catch. One of the strong points of the pancake design has always been that it allows the outer garment to slide across the holster surface easily.

There seems to be a lot of confusion in customers' minds about detailed casing/boning. Some big-name makers make a big deal out of extremely high detail on the outer holster surfaces. While this is all well and good, to me it indicates that maybe the leather they are using is pretty light, thin stuff. I use 8-9 oz. for most holster applications, and it is not possible to get that high detail on the outer surfaces. But, properly formed, the important detailing is on the INSIDE, closely fitted around the handgun.

[dbusarow]

Nice work indeed!

Dan

[Peterk]

Exceptionally nice work. Thanks for posting. Your customer has a good point about extreme detailing on the exterior, it does create more edges on which the outer garment can catch. One of the strong points of the pancake design has always been that it allows the outer garment to slide across the holster surface easily.

There seems to be a lot of confusion in customers' minds about detailed casing/boning. Some big-name makers make a big deal out of extremely high detail on the outer holster surfaces. While this is all well and good, to me it indicates that maybe the leather they are using is pretty light, thin stuff. I use 8-9 oz. for most holster applications, and it is not possible to get that high detail on the outer surfaces. But, properly formed, the important detailing is on the INSIDE, closely fitted around the handgun.

I know exactly what you mean...

I constantly scour the local gun shops who carry holster inventory just to check out design and construction ideas. While I always marvel at how detailed (and nice looking) those mass-produced holsters are, I can't help but notice how thin the leather is. I would venture to guess they are no more than 5 - 7oz. My holsters are 7 - 8oz typically because that is where I think the happy medium is between retention, boning detail, and durability of what my customers commonly ask for. Then again, the holsters being sold in stores are still useful, reliable and probably just as durable, so to each their own.

My customers know they have me, and only me to deal with if they should have problems with their rigs; try that with mass-producers.

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

Nice deep coloring, and good looking finish. They keep improving; Keep up the good work!

[Peterk]

Nice deep coloring, and good looking finish. They keep improving; Keep up the good work!

Thanks Boomstickholsters! There are a lot of high standards to strive for with members here like yourself.

I am loving Angelus spirit dyes more each time I use them... Night and day results from my early Eco-Flo finished holsters. The fact they don't rub off, and have deep penetration is a welcome change. Match it up with their colored wax polish and you have nice finished holsters in less steps.

Edited February 20, 2009 by Peterk

[JRB]

Looks very nice. +1 on the color...Very nice choice.

"uber concealability" with an OWB. Wonder why he would not want an IWB.

[Peterk]

Looks very nice. +1 on the color...Very nice choice.

"uber concealability" with an OWB. Wonder why he would not want an IWB.

Don't think his biking shorts (really tight) would work well with IWB... :D

Some people (like me) just can't get used to the IWB style; I just don't find it comfortable like this customer.

He is more concerned with not having the holster sit too low from the belt, because that was what happened before and one of his neighbors saw it peeking under a T-shirt and called the cops on him even though he was on private property. I made this holster entire based on his drawings of where he wanted on the belt, and with the cant he wanted; it sits high but not uncomfortably so. The flatter profile should print minimally with the T-shirt.

Edited February 21, 2009 by Peterk

[JRB]

Don't think his biking shorts (really tight) would work well with IWB... :D

Some people (like me) just can't get used to the IWB style; I just don't find it comfortable like this customer.

He is more concerned with not having the holster sit too low from the belt, because that was what happened before and one of his neighbors saw it peeking under a T-shirt and called the cops on him even though he was on private property. I made this holster entire based on his drawings of where he wanted on the belt, and with the cant he wanted; it sits high but not uncomfortably so. The flatter profile should print minimally with the T-shirt.

Ahhh...wrong kind of bike. When I here bike my mind thinks motorcycle.

I figured it was of the personal comfort of OWB over IWB like you say.

[Lobo]

My ONLY bike is a Harley Davidson Dyna Super Glide! All of my grandchildren have T-shirts with the image of Old Grampa on his toy!

[dickf]

I think it looks great, and after reading your post about the customer's request, it makes even more sense.

[rhall]

Great Lookin gear..And Lobo answed a Q that I have been Wondering about...As I have been observing many posts ,of some fine holsters,I could not figure how people got all that exterior boning detail?As I use 8/9 oz now I understand why my ext's look so much different!! Thanks To This Foram again. You Guys teach and inform so well...Thanks So Much.

[Go2Tex]

I'm just sitting here trying to picture this customer and the wacky world he/she must live in. Needs to carry a gun to go for a bike ride wearing tight fitting shorts and a t-shirt..... whew, must be California.

Man, I just can't imagine living in a place like that, or having that need unless I was a cop of some kind working undercover or off-duty, in which case I'd sure be wearing proper attire to conceal my goodies..... (no, not "those" goodies).

If I figure I need to pack, I'm dang sure going to dress for the occasion with a loose fitting shirt that comes down far enough to cover it up.

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

There seems to be a lot of confusion in customers' minds about detailed casing/boning. Some big-name makers make a big deal out of extremely high detail on the outer holster surfaces. While this is all well and good, to me it indicates that maybe the leather they are using is pretty light, thin stuff. I use 8-9 oz. for most holster applications, and it is not possible to get that high detail on the outer surfaces. But, properly formed, the important detailing is on the INSIDE, closely fitted around the handgun.

Lobo is right about the detailing on the inside being the most important part, but it is possible to get a fairly high degree of detail on thicker or heavier leathers. The picture below is of holsters made from 8 and 8.5 oz. Wicket and Craig leather.

This next photo is the kind of detail that I get out of 6/7 oz. Hermann Oak.

The big difference is that it probably takes me longer to build a holster than a lot of you guys. I would love to see detailed boning in PeterK's holster with that nice coloring and finish. I think it would look fantastic.

[K-Man]

Nice job on the holsters, peterk. Keep up the good work.

There seems to be a lot of confusion in customers' minds about detailed casing/boning. Some big-name makers make a big deal out of extremely high detail on the outer holster surfaces. While this is all well and good, to me it indicates that maybe the leather they are using is pretty light, thin stuff. I use 8-9 oz. for most holster applications, and it is not possible to get that high detail on the outer surfaces. But, properly formed, the important detailing is on the INSIDE, closely fitted around the handgun.

A great number of the top-end custom holster makers that make holsters for concealed carry use leather that is split to 7 or 7.5 oz for their IWB or OWB holsters. The use/application of sound techniques allow for the durability and function of the holster. When you buy your leather and it's split/advertised as being 8/9 oz, you're really getting leather that ranges in thickness of 7.5 oz to 9.5 oz. Two layers of 9.5 oz out in the "wing" area of a holster is exceptionally thick - too thick for comfort and function. Utilizing leather in the 7/7.5 oz range provides for more than adequate function and durability and you can easily mold it for detail.

Edited February 22, 2009 by K-Man

[rhall]

cAN ANYONE GIVE ME QUIKE D&D ONTHE TECH THAT THE USE? AS I HAVE DONE MOSTLY COWBOY ACTION GEAR FOR 1870-1900 TIMEFRAME.Sorry for the caps...any input will be helpful!

[Twosons]

Lobo is right about the detailing on the inside being the most important part, but it is possible to get a fairly high degree of detail on thicker or heavier leathers. The picture below is of holsters made from 8 and 8.5 oz. Wicket and Craig leather.

Most impressive.

[dickf]

Most impressive.

Agreed.

BOOMSTICK - How much detail does the press add just by itself? Then, what tools do you use to deepen the lines? I strive for output such as yours.

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

I can get the same detail as the press by using my thumbs and knuckles, but it saves a lot of time (and soreness) to use the press. The press gets about the same definition as the holsters PeterK's holster shows above. For all intents and purposes, this is all that needs to be done for a good functional holster. I like the look of crisp clean lines, so I try to emphasize the more prominent angles with sharper boned edges, if that makes any sense. A couple of tricks -

• shape and bone the holster like normal, and the chase the shapes again with a smaller (but still blunt) boning tool - I actually use the handle for an antique thread cutting dye or the round edge of a bone folder
  
• make sure the holster is almost completely dry before chasing it with a finer edged boning tool (for this I use the narrow edge of a traditional bone folder)
  
• don't try to show every detail; only boning prominent features looks good and clean (this is of course only my personal opinion)
  
• don't run sharp boning lines all the way into other lines; leave a little gap between lines that would run together, and try to stop short with your boning lines instead of running them off the edge of your leather (or overlapping them with stitch grooves or edge creases)
  
• less is often more; learn when to leave well enough alone (the more time you spend on a piece of leather, the more opportunities you give yourself to screw things up)
  

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

Thanks Boomstickholsters! There are a lot of high standards to strive for with members here like yourself.

I am loving Angelus spirit dyes more each time I use them... Night and day results from my early Eco-Flo finished holsters. The fact they don't rub off, and have deep penetration is a welcome change. Match it up with their colored wax polish and you have nice finished holsters in less steps.

How are you applying your colored wax polish? That's something I have no experience with, but I love how your holster has that nice sheen (your edges look really clean as well - are you doing anything special to get them so clean?). How does this finish hold up to long term abuse?

[dickf]

I can get the same detail as the press by using my thumbs and knuckles, but it saves a lot of time (and soreness) to use the press. The press gets about the same definition as the holsters PeterK's holster shows above. For all intents and purposes, this is all that needs to be done for a good functional holster. I like the look of crisp clean lines, so I try to emphasize the more prominent angles with sharper boned edges, if that makes any sense. A couple of tricks -

• shape and bone the holster like normal, and the chase the shapes again with a smaller (but still blunt) boning tool - I actually use the handle for an antique thread cutting dye or the round edge of a bone folder

• make sure the holster is almost completely dry before chasing it with a finer edged boning tool (for this I use the narrow edge of a traditional bone folder)

• don't try to show every detail; only boning prominent features looks good and clean (this is of course only my personal opinion)

• don't run sharp boning lines all the way into other lines; leave a little gap between lines that would run together, and try to stop short with your boning lines instead of running them off the edge of your leather (or overlapping them with stitch grooves or edge creases)

• less is often more; learn when to leave well enough alone (the more time you spend on a piece of leather, the more opportunities you give yourself to screw things up)

Thanks for this and as always, great looking rigs.

[Peterk]

How are you applying your colored wax polish? That's something I have no experience with, but I love how your holster has that nice sheen (your edges look really clean as well - are you doing anything special to get them so clean?). How does this finish hold up to long term abuse?

Hi Boomstickholsters, first let me say thank you for the boning tutorial! I currently use the boning folder from Tandy (plastic) and when I used to use the edges to apply detail boning lines I always end up scratching or cutting the leather, even after I sanded and rounded the edges so I think I will have to get a wood one if I were to try this. I've read that someone else had used beveling tools used in carving to achieve their lines and shadows and I may give that a try as well.

The color wax is applied after the spirit dye is sprayed on. I just figured out how I could smooth and even out any darker spots by using some cotton ball and rubbing alcohol and "push" the dye around. When they dry the finish is nice and even. After the dye has dried, I take a piece of wool and load it with color wax (angelus) of the same color as dye, then apply a coat to the holster. After letting it sit for a couple of minutes, I take another piece of clean wool and polish the holster to get the result you see. I have tried long and hard with Satin and Super Sheen, as well as neatsfoot oil to try to get this look to no avail, and then I got a can of wax just for the heck of it and it worked. I have asked my customer to test drive this new finish for me since this is the first set of leather I've used it on, and because he has one of the more active lifestyle and would put the set through its paces. I have applied the wax to shoes I wear daily and it has held up to the challenge. I still coat the inside of the holsters with Bag Kote though to get them slick and protected.

I don't do much special to my edges and it shows compared to other masters who go through multi-level systems to get them looking like fine polished stone. My method is after dye has dried, I use 2000 grit automotive sand paper on edges to shave off any loose fiber, and then I use the bone folder with Gum Tragacanth for final polish; I finish up with Edge Kote and Bag Kote on top of that for hardness and shine. I used to not do the sanding prior to burnishing with folder, but never got good results so one day I decided to give sanding a try and discovered the secret. :-) I just purcahsed a wood bench burnisher however so I can use less elbow grease...

Thanks all!

Edited February 23, 2009 by Peterk