Need Instruction

[marine mp]

I've been reading, watching and finally making a holster!!!!! Man...very time consuming but gratifying, to say the least. I'm almost done with a pancake holster for my Kel-Tec P-11 and have gotten as far as glueing, finishing the edge and belt slots (3) and I've dyed it with Feibings "Ox-blood Red" this evening. I want to sew it in TAN thread, but I'm afraid that when I dampen (soak???) it to put the weapon it in it to form it....the dye will run and color the tan thread. Am I going about this the right way or did I FUBAR????? Thanks for all the great information. I'll see if my wife can load up some pics when I complete this project. Semper-fi MIke

[TwinOaks]

Water generally will not cause a lot of bleeding with an alcohol based dye once it's set. You should buff it really well to remove all the surface particles. For the molding, you don't have to soak the leather, just dampen it and allow it to sit a while so the moisture evenly distributes through the entire piece...this is called 'casing'. You also do not have to soak the entire holster. Use a spray bottle to dampen only the portions that will be molded....and you could even spray the inside of the holster and let it soak through. If you're still concerned about it, once you dye your thread, you could always wax it which should keep any runs out of it.......incidentally, you are using linen, right? YMMV, but when I make a holster, the thread really only serves the purpose of keeping some nice neat lines and keeping the edge from fraying/peeling after a lot of use. I glue my holsters like I don't want them to ever come apart....and so far, none have.

[marine mp]

Water generally will not cause a lot of bleeding with an alcohol based dye once it's set. You should buff it really well to remove all the surface particles. For the molding, you don't have to soak the leather, just dampen it and allow it to sit a while so the moisture evenly distributes through the entire piece...this is called 'casing'. You also do not have to soak the entire holster. Use a spray bottle to dampen only the portions that will be molded....and you could even spray the inside of the holster and let it soak through. If you're still concerned about it, once you dye your thread, you could always wax it which should keep any runs out of it.......incidentally, you are using linen, right? YMMV, but when I make a holster, the thread really only serves the purpose of keeping some nice neat lines and keeping the edge from fraying/peeling after a lot of use. I glue my holsters like I don't want them to ever come apart....and so far, none have.

TwinOaks

Thanks for the reply. I'm using some waxed thread that I got from Tandy Leather...brand name RealeatheR by Silver Creek Leather Co. Don't know if it's linen. By the way...I have some Feibings EdgeKote that I will be putting on the bunished edges and then will finish off with some Eco-Flo Super Sheene. Am I tracking right here or would you suggest otherwise. Trying to learn but there is so much that sometimes it seems overwhelming to comprehend. Thanks again. Semper-fi Mike H.

[Bronson]

By the way...I have some Feibings EdgeKote that I will be putting on the bunished edges

I've had much better results with regular dye on the edges than the edgekote. It goes like this. Sand edges smooth, bevel edges, wet edges, burnish edges, dye edges (I use a hunk of felt held in a binder/paper clip), buff off excess dye, rub with beeswax, rub with canvas. Somebody here gave me the tip to dye after the initial burnish because it helps keep the dye from bleeding out into the body of the holster.

Here's the edge of a leather/kydex combo holster I just finished that used this method of edge finishing:

Bronson

[TwinOaks]

I agree completely about the edges. Read this tutorial for info on first class edges.

[marine mp]

I agree completely about the edges. Read this tutorial for info on first class edges.

Thanks Bronson and TwinOaks for the direction. Semper-fi Mike H.