This Week's Avenger Style Holsters

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Well, I tried a few new things this week - not the least of which is my new Boss stitcher. After hours of fiddling with test strips trying to get the tension right, trying to get rid of the loop in the thread and it being pierced by the needle, ripping out the stitching and doing it again, etc., they're finally done! Guess I'll start 4 more tomorrow.

One of the things I tried with this batch is airbrushing the oil dye. I think I need to thin it a bit, as it kept clogging my airbrush - I'd have to run some cleaner through the brush, then go at it again for a few seconds till it clogged up, then clean it again. Doing these in a big batch revealed a lot of little tips and tricks (most of which I missed as I went along). Hopefully the next batch will go a little smoother now that I actually have a clue how to assemble these. Well, for the most part, at least.

Anyway, enough babbling - here's some pics.

The whole group of them. Counterclockwise from the top (all have Neatsfoot Oil Compound, and all use Fiebings Pro Oil dyes):

Natural

Light Brown

Light Brown (Reinforcement Piece), Dark Brown (Body), airbrushed Black accents at edges

Dark Brown, airbrushed Black accents - airbrush was messed up and kept spraying dye even when I had the flow cut off - came out too black

Natural

This is the first one I did - and revealed that I had little idea how to actually use my Boss tension settings.

This is the Light Brown version. I LOVE this color. Way nice. Need to practice my belt slot edges (evident on all of them). I intentionally left the edges natural on this one, as I cut the stitch groove after I dyed them (oops). I actually kinda like the way it looks...

Stitching was a little better on the back of this one.

My favorite of the bunch... Kinda barfed on the edge when the dye bled onto the natural face of the sweat shield.

Cut my belt slot a tad close to the stitching.... oops!

And, the last one of the bunch.

[NoahL]

Well, I don't do holsters (don't even own a gun), but those look nice to me! I particularly like the color you got on the reinforcement piece of that bottom holster, and that one that came out "too dark" looks pretty classy. As for burnishing the edges inside your belt slots--I wrap a scrap of canvas around a drill bit to burnish the insides of slots, of that helps any?

~Noah

[Luke Hatley]

It looks to me that you won out with the new Boss machine. you will make Tippmann Industrys happy.

Your Holster work is is Great. keep it up and dont let the Boss get you down.

ps have you tryed a thread lubricate, it has helped me on veg tanned leather.

Edited February 8, 2010 by Luke Hatley

[particle]

Thanks fellas - I was real happy with them. Haven't tried the thread lube attachment yet - wasn't sure how necessary it was. I would like to get a different foot though... And maybe the holster plate - the reinforcement piece tends to get in the way when I'm sewing the holster closed around the bottom of the slide area.

[BigRiverLeather]

Boy Howdy those are looking good!

How much time do you think the BOSS is saving you over hand stitching?

[particle]

Boy Howdy those are looking good!

How much time do you think the BOSS is saving you over hand stitching?

Thanks! I haven't timed myself yet, but I know the hand stitching was taking close to 4 hours - partly because it's hard to clamp this style holster in a pony. With the Boss - maybe 10 minutes total?

[BruceGibson]

Well, I tried a few new things this week - not the least of which is my new Boss stitcher. After hours of fiddling with test strips trying to get the tension right, trying to get rid of the loop in the thread and it being pierced by the needle, ripping out the stitching and doing it again, etc., they're finally done! Guess I'll start 4 more tomorrow.

One of the things I tried with this batch is airbrushing the oil dye. I think I need to thin it a bit, as it kept clogging my airbrush - I'd have to run some cleaner through the brush, then go at it again for a few seconds till it clogged up, then clean it again. Doing these in a big batch revealed a lot of little tips and tricks (most of which I missed as I went along). Hopefully the next batch will go a little smoother now that I actually have a clue how to assemble these. Well, for the most part, at least.

Anyway, enough babbling - here's some pics.

The whole group of them. Counterclockwise from the top (all have Neatsfoot Oil Compound, and all use Fiebings Pro Oil dyes):

Natural

Light Brown

Light Brown (Reinforcement Piece), Dark Brown (Body), airbrushed Black accents at edges

Dark Brown, airbrushed Black accents - airbrush was messed up and kept spraying dye even when I had the flow cut off - came out too black

Natural

This is the first one I did - and revealed that I had little idea how to actually use my Boss tension settings.

This is the Light Brown version. I LOVE this color. Way nice. Need to practice my belt slot edges (evident on all of them). I intentionally left the edges natural on this one, as I cut the stitch groove after I dyed them (oops). I actually kinda like the way it looks...

Stitching was a little better on the back of this one.

My favorite of the bunch... Kinda barfed on the edge when the dye bled onto the natural face of the sweat shield.

Cut my belt slot a tad close to the stitching.... oops!

And, the last one of the bunch.

Those are beautiful!

[particle]

Those are beautiful!

Thank you! Started anther one a couple nights ago - but this time for my Kahr P9. Thought I'd try shooting a video of the process. It'll be interesting to see how that turns out... and see how many people tell me I'm doing it all wrong, or my knife is dull, or I should wear gloves, or... My round knife really was dull though... I need to re-profile the edge.

[tmshaffer]

Those are great looking holsters.

[dmr400]

I for one would really enjoy watching a video of your process...those look very nice!