First Pancake Style

[Huntbuck]

Gent ask for a pancake style holster, first one of this style.. typically I do the snap over designs. Let me know what I should have done different...

finished

not finished in this photo, but on the belt to size up angle and sweat shield, and one on the forming jig

[TwinOaks]

Looks really good, but since you asked here's what I see: First and foremost, the area under trigger guard needs to be more relieved so that the wearer can get a FULL firing grip on the handle of the pistol before ever starting the draw. Trigger finger should be outside the trigger guard anyway, so the amount of leather covering the trigger guard is fine. The stitch lines could be a little closer, giving better stability and retention to the holstered weapon, and that will come with experience in working with the leather. It will stretch a LOT, and you can use that to your advantage to get a better fit. Also, try to mold the front of the holster so that the seam of the front and back pieces on the 'top' of the weapon align with the weapons sights- this gives you a built in sight channel. Third: The top corner of the 'front' wing looks to be an almost 90 degree corner, but the top corner of the 'back' wing is radiused. The radius will wear better over the long term, where the sharper corner is more likely to get bent or folded. Either is bad since it can cause the layers to de-laminate over time. Regardless of whether you want a radius or a corner, the appearance of the holster will be improved by having the same thing on both ends of the holster. Last is the molding: I've discovered that if you place the holster in a gallon sized plastic bag, you can chase the lines of the weapon better without causing a defined burnishing from your tools. Start with a rolling pin (if the weapon is large enough) and just mash the leather down. Then use a stylus or tool handle to start pressing the leather in all the nooks and crannies. You should start seeing the details of the weapon as you go. Try to push as much of the flesh side of the leather against the weapon as you can. Though there's a lot of debate between the holster makers on the best specific method, I think the majority of us agree that the more leather you have against the weapon, the better retention you'll have.

P.S. Go ahead and dye the inside of the holster when you dye the rest of it. It just looks better and once the dye is dry and sealed it won't affect the weapon at all. If you use white thread, plan on dyeing BEFORE stitching so the thread doesn't get colored or transfer dye where you might not want it.....like the other side of the thread hole.

[Big O]

The full firing grip also applies to the sweat shield.

Nice looking work. I actually like the look of the dye job, intended or not.

[Huntbuck]

Twin Oaks,

I appreciate the critical eye and great advice... I definately agree on the full grip relief I will update the pattern for this and add the radiused corners. ... and I will try the bag on the molding. This leather was really fatty... lots of issues getting it molded, some areas stretched too much, others hardly at all. Not sure where the leather came from, I just know I have been moving it shelf to shelf for awhile and finally decided to use it for a "first" of holster. Another area of frustration on this one was the slots.. I have to work on those as well, I used a drill for the corners and the drill leaves quite a mess to clean up. .

[Haystacker]

I agree with twins critical eye. However, looking at the photo of the holster in use - man that is a fine looking rig. I really like the color. Bottom line you did a great job for a first holster.

[TwinOaks]

For your belt slots,use a punch to make a hole at each end of the slot, then connect the holes. Someone on here advocated using a wood chisel and I extrapolated on that a little.....wood chisel was about $8, putty knife was $2....hmmm. I ended up using the putty knife and putting an edge on it. No more mis-cut slots!

The reason to use a punch instead of a drill is that the punch will cut the circle of the hole and push the surrounding leather away. A drill makes holes in leather by tearing it, and as you saw, makes a mess of the fibers.

For the molding, be sure to read and follow one of the threads on proper casing of the leather. From your description, it sounds like you may have been trying to mold while it was still a little too wet....but that's just a guess.