My First Holster Project

[Bronson]

Also, how'd you go about attaching the belt loops to the holster? It looks like you added some risers under the snaps but, I'm curious how you attached those guys to the body of the holster.

I'd be willing to guess there's a T-nut sandwiched between the two layers of the holster wing.

Bronson

[savage_here]

Sorry for the delay.

That's exactly correct, there's a t-nut in between the layers. As for the finishing, there's no dye, just a light coat of neatsfoot oil and then resolene.

Regarding the edges...I must admit that I got a little impatient there. I should have dyed them and then sealed. But I just hand-burnished and then sealed them along with the rest. As I commented earlier, I wish the holster rode just about a half-inch lower. So, when I have time to do the replacement I'll work a little harder on the edges.

As an aside, I started another IWB holster for my HK P7 and I did a few things differently. First I used a piece of leather with a bit looser grain thinking that I could get greater detail in the wet mold. I also used alcohol instead of water for the molding process. Lastly I stitched both sides prior to wet molding. Frankly I didn't like the results of any of those choices. The loose-fibered leather doesn't work well for the flesh side. Plus, even though I usd alcohol thinking it would stiffen it up, it really didn't get very stiff. Plus, it took a lot of time to get the alcohol smell out of the piece and it left some pretty bad splotches. I didn't quite get the stitching on the trigger guard side right and it was extremely tight when wet molding. So, all in all, I liked the first process (i.e. This holster) better.

I may or may not finish the new one. I may just scrap it!

Savage

Edited January 25, 2010 by savage_here

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

Nice work on the first holster.

If you don't like the newest attempt, scrap it and start over. The P7 is a tricky little devil to make a holster for due to the squeeze cocker, the short barrel, the large trigger guard and the butt-heavy design. It's almost the "perfect storm" of design challenges. It make take a few attempts to end up with something you like. Just hang in there and you'll figure out what does and doesn't work for you.

Off the bat, I would suggest a slightly sharper draw angle, stiff leather, and a design that leaves some leather below the barrel to counter the P7's tendency to lean out. Good luck!!