First holster attempt in progress

[6guns]

Well I have finally started my first holster build. For that matter I am starting my first leatherworking project. I have been using the tutorial found on the web site by Shane Whitlock as a guide for this first project. Between Tandy, Ebay, and Harbor Freight (yikes) I have managed to purchase the tools I need to attempt this project. Truth be told I bought more than I needed but some of the auctions on EBAY were too tempting to resist. Last night I just got to the point where I glued the too pieces of leather together. So far it seems as though everything is going as planned. I really appreciate all of the great information found on this forum which helped give me the confidence to jump in with both feet. When I finish up I'll post up pictures of the finished product. Hopefully it will look more like a holster than a leather coaster.

[Jim]

I tell ya what 6guns, it sounds like you already have half of what it takes - "The Want To!" The other half lies in a good pattern template and an attention to detail. Both of which are not beyond your reach. A holster is nothing more than an odd shaped pouch designed around an odd shaped object. If you read the Holster Tutorial I posted you will have no trouble getting your first holster made right, tight, and out of sight. I learned this the HARD way with a lot of wasted time and leather. My hope is that no one else has to.

Good luck and have fun!

[zaptoid]

Well I have finally started my first holster build. For that matter I am starting my first leatherworking project. I have been using the tutorial found on the web site by Shane Whitlock as a guide for this first project. Between Tandy, Ebay, and Harbor Freight (yikes) I have managed to purchase the tools I need to attempt this project. Truth be told I bought more than I needed but some of the auctions on EBAY were too tempting to resist. Last night I just got to the point where I glued the too pieces of leather together. So far it seems as though everything is going as planned. I really appreciate all of the great information found on this forum which helped give me the confidence to jump in with both feet. When I finish up I'll post up pictures of the finished product. Hopefully it will look more like a holster than a leather coaster.

Congrats on taking the plunge. You will most likely learn the what and what not to do's on this first holster, thats how it was for me anyways. I haven't ended up with any coasters yet, but, my dog has aquired a couple toys here and there. It will come with each one you do.

Good luck.

[6guns]

Tonight's Lesson - The Adjustable Groover

Buy crap get crap! Here ends my lesson. One of the few tools I picked up on the cheap was an adjustable groover from Harbor Freight. Wow, it really did not work the way I was expecting. The knife did not remove any material while using it, but rather just pushed a grooved indentation into the leather. Just to confirm, since everything is new to me, it was in fact supposed to remove material?

Maybe I was using it wrong, but I don't think so. I even viewed some YouTube footage to make sure of what I was doing.

This mistake is definitely going to give my first holster that newbie look.

Looks like it is tool upgrade time.

--6guns

[steelhawk]

Well I have finally started my first holster build. For that matter I am starting my first leatherworking project. I have been using the tutorial found on the web site by Shane Whitlock as a guide for this first project. Between Tandy, Ebay, and Harbor Freight (yikes) I have managed to purchase the tools I need to attempt this project. Truth be told I bought more than I needed but some of the auctions on EBAY were too tempting to resist. Last night I just got to the point where I glued the too pieces of leather together. So far it seems as though everything is going as planned. I really appreciate all of the great information found on this forum which helped give me the confidence to jump in with both feet. When I finish up I'll post up pictures of the finished product. Hopefully it will look more like a holster than a leather coaster.

Good luck on your holster. I made my first one using Shane's tutorial. It was very informative.

[katsass]

Well I have finally started my first holster build. For that matter I am starting my first leatherworking project. I have been using the tutorial found on the web site by Shane Whitlock as a guide for this first project. Between Tandy, Ebay, and Harbor Freight (yikes) I have managed to purchase the tools I need to attempt this project. Truth be told I bought more than I needed but some of the auctions on EBAY were too tempting to resist. Last night I just got to the point where I glued the too pieces of leather together. So far it seems as though everything is going as planned. I really appreciate all of the great information found on this forum which helped give me the confidence to jump in with both feet. When I finish up I'll post up pictures of the finished product. Hopefully it will look more like a holster than a leather coaster.

6guns; I made my first holster in 1959. That holster and belt are now long gone, but the lessons I learned in it's construction are still with me. You have started along a path that can bring great satisfaction and a few headaches. A path that can keep you thinking and learning. This and other forums has taught me and fostered new ideas ever since I found them. Good luck, and keep it up. I'm not young, but I can still do a fair job on working with leather. Here's a simple steel challenge rig for a 1911 I did a few month ago. Mike

[Denster]

Tonight's Lesson - The Adjustable Groover

Buy crap get crap! Here ends my lesson. One of the few tools I picked up on the cheap was an adjustable groover from Harbor Freight. Wow, it really did not work the way I was expecting. The knife did not remove any material while using it, but rather just pushed a grooved indentation into the leather. Just to confirm, since everything is new to me, it was in fact supposed to remove material?

Maybe I was using it wrong, but I don't think so. I even viewed some YouTube footage to make sure of what I was doing.

This mistake is definitely going to give my first holster that newbie look.

Looks like it is tool upgrade time.

--6guns

The blade on the Harbor Freight groover is not sharpened. Get a blade from Tandy for their groover that looks the same. It will work in the Harbor Freight handle. Look at how the Tandy blade is shaped and sharpened and do the same to the one from Harbor Freight.

[6guns]

The blade on the Harbor Freight groover is not sharpened. Get a blade from Tandy for their groover that looks the same. It will work in the Harbor Freight handle. Look at how the Tandy blade is shaped and sharpened and do the same to the one from Harbor Freight.

Thanks for the tip. I'll put the order in for the blade and some other goodies I still want from Tandy this weekend. I am still having a lot of fun with this project, problems and all.

[6guns]

Ok, I finally got the finances together to get the remaining supplies I needed for my first holster project. Tonight I made a lot of progress on the holster and learned several lessons the hard way.

Problems Encountered:

1. Drilling the holes for sewing did not turn out as clean as I would have liked for the holster. The drill bit I used did not make smooth clean holes which I think hurt the appearance after sewing. Does anyone have any tips for drilling these holes that will produce cleaner holes? Is there a better tool than a drill bit to get this done?

2. I had a lot of problems with the groover as I mentioned in my earlier post. I received the new blade from Tandy, but unfortunately I had already done some damage trying to figure out the problem and learning to use the groover. The good news is it still looks good for my first attempt, but definitely screams rookie.

3. I drilled holes too small and learned how easy it is to break needles? I redrilled the holes larger and the sewing went much easier.

Tomorrow I am going to get started cleaning up some of the rough edges and then begin staining the holster black. I'll post pictures as soon as I get it all finished up. I can definitely see how things could improve dramatically from the first to my second holster. I have learned so much from my mistakes on this first project.

--6guns

[Lobo]

Ok, I finally got the finances together to get the remaining supplies I needed for my first holster project. Tonight I made a lot of progress on the holster and learned several lessons the hard way.

Problems Encountered:

1. Drilling the holes for sewing did not turn out as clean as I would have liked for the holster. The drill bit I used did not make smooth clean holes which I think hurt the appearance after sewing. Does anyone have any tips for drilling these holes that will produce cleaner holes? Is there a better tool than a drill bit to get this done?

2. I had a lot of problems with the groover as I mentioned in my earlier post. I received the new blade from Tandy, but unfortunately I had already done some damage trying to figure out the problem and learning to use the groover. The good news is it still looks good for my first attempt, but definitely screams rookie.

3. I drilled holes too small and learned how easy it is to break needles? I redrilled the holes larger and the sewing went much easier.

Tomorrow I am going to get started cleaning up some of the rough edges and then begin staining the holster black. I'll post pictures as soon as I get it all finished up. I can definitely see how things could improve dramatically from the first to my second holster. I have learned so much from my mistakes on this first project.

--6guns

Rather than drilling the stitching holes, I recommend a stitching awl. This tool features a diamond-shaped blade to pierce the leather at each stitch hole. After stitching the hole will contract around the thread.

[gregintenn]

I use the ajustable groover around the edges, and a freehand groover around the line of the pistol. Only groove the front side around the pistol line. Then I run over the stitch line with a stitch wheel. This is a great little tool that quickly lays out each stitch hole perfectly. Next, take a diamond shaped awl and punch a hole in every mark you laid out. Once that is done, flip the holster over, and you'll ave a dotted line where you need to use your freehand groover. I then wallow out the holse a bit more from the back side with my awl, and It's ready for stitching. I use a needle on each end of my thread to make what is called double stitching. Hope this helps.