"can I Have Your Design?"

[particle]

I like what Particle has done. (If its working for you still, Particle). He built an online tutorial on pattern making, showed it for awhile, and now charges a small fee for viewing the video. Basically, he has bettered my pattern making skills, helped the leatherworking community as a whole by creating better artistry, and is still making a buck doing it. At least I hope he is.

DM

Thanks DM - yes, it's still working for me. Sorta... I'm definitely not getting rich off it - the expense to create the videos FAR outweighs the money the videos generate. I'm planning on making more videos, but I have to upgrade my computer & storage space first.

[TTcustom]

I think that what I'll do is write up a tutorial on basic holster design and construction. After all, I learned how to make holsters by reading tutorials that someone else wrote- it's only right that I help others get started. I have no issue teaching someone how to come up with their own design, but I won't give away the ones I developed.

Thanks for the advice!

I am with everyone on this. I don't mind teaching someone to fish but I am not going to show them my favorite spots.

[JohnBarton]

If you developed it then there is no reason for you to give away the bread and butter to those who won't do the grunt work. All of us HATE to make patterns. Nothing like making a pattern you think is the nuts and then you put the piece together to find that you still need to tweak it. And tweak it again and again. This IS the process that so many people want to skip over.

I share what I WANT to share. I have shared basic patterns here and tutorials on how to do some techniques and also just given examples of stuff we developed or refined.

But no way will I give out the patterns of the stuff that I spent a LOT of time developing. I didn't even have anyone else's case to start with for some of this stuff, we had to invent it some of the ways we do things. I do get very irritated when people ask me to give them a blueprint to the case making business. Thankfully that only happens about once a year.

I maintain conversations with several case makers and aspiring case makers and will often send them detail pics on skype of the way we do things. But this happens AFTER we have become friends and if I have time. I don't mind sharing when it's on my time. But I don't share everything and I see that when some people copy me they get it wrong in important ways that are particular to cue cases. This is because they can see the exterior but have no clue about the engineering to make that pretty little d-ring holder able to withstand 15lbs of stress on it.

I have an abundance mentality which basically means that I really feel that there is business enough for everyone. But I don't see the need to be the R&D facility for my competitors.

[JohnBarton]

I seldom end up in the middle of an argument, but I may be this time. In reading your post, it looks like both of you were "right". The guy asked you - fairly politely - if you'd be willing to donate a pattern. You responded - also politely - that you'd be willing to help, but not with a pattern. Yes, you disagreed, but openly and fairly. After that, things get a little strained, but still far less than I see on far too many threads.

For some reason, there seems to be a lot of people who think they can make anything (and do it for nothing) if they just had that magic "pattern". It's like technique and effort have no part in the process! If you know how to make holsters (or substitute any leather goods you desire to make), then you could probably look at someone's creation and figure out how to do the same thing. If you don't know how to do it, the best pattern in the world won't help.

Absolutely right. Even in my shop we are constantly tweaking patterns to account for different thicknesses in leather, curves, pocket shapes, etc.... pattern making is actually the easiest part of the process.....knowing what to do with them and how to do it is the hard part.

[DoubleBarP]

This is a great discussion and as someone who just started in earnest trying to get it right. My story is: I have always had an interest in Leather craft. In the 60's I worked for my grand dad getting 2 bits for shining shoes in his shoe repair shop. He also did saddle and harness repair. About 25 years ago I went to a buddy's place and walked into his home leather shop and that smell of leather brought back those childhood memories of working with leather. Yes there is a point.

I just retired after 36 years of totin a gun. One of the things that has always been a pet peeve is commercial holsters with the "will fit" list. As I said a friend makes custom leather and taught himself the craft. He makes some first class stuff and usually runs 10-14 months behind.

When I retired a couple of months ago I decided that I had time on my hands with nothing scheduled so I went to the basement with several firearms and some of the holsters that I like and set out to figure out how they were built. I managed to rough out a couple of pattern starting with a line across a page of card stock paper.Tracking the gun figuring out the angle, stitch line and holster shape.

Yes I watched the videos, and got the AH book (discovered I had most of the info in the FO Baird book I already had). The problem was that the patterns in that publicationare not contemporary designs nor are they necessarily safe designs (exposedtriggers).

After cutting, gluing, and sewing several only to discover "it don'tfit" on on more holsters than I can count. I keep going back and tweakingthe pattern to try to get it right. I have a couple of shopping bags of thoseefforts. I also took some of them to my friend to get his suggestions. I askedhim recently "how do you get your designs Aesthetically pleasing? He replied justkeep trying over and over until you get it right and it works for you.

The point of all this is that I don't have any design skill. I have looked atwhat others have done and tried to come up with something that will work forme. If there was a design packet out there I would probably buy it just like Ibought the other books to see what makes it tick and how it was put together.

Building a holster for me is something very personal as Iknow that the design, quality, workmanship, and craftsmanship of what I builtmay well be something that another person carries a life saving tool in. Thatmotivates me to continue until I get it right.

I'll take help from where ever I can get it from. It'slike shining shoes for my grand dad, nothing went out of the shop that he didnot approve of or would have worn himself.

I will not go back tolurking are reading.

=P:whatdoyouthink:

Edited March 4, 2012 by DoubleBarP

[katsass]

From the grumpy old guy; I have not 'shared' any of my patterns. This is mainly because I can't find them because they don't exist anymore.When done with a holster, I chuck the pattern, too damned many to try to keep and catalog. I do only custom work --- no 'standard' patterns. I draw a new pattern for each holster, even if it is for a shooter similar to one done many times previously.. My customers come to me for a holster with characteristics which they cannot find on the open (commercial) market. They want the thing to fit THEIR specific needs and/or desires. I take a trace of each firearm at the start of things and go from there. I have used one other person's basic pattern (one time) with his express permission, and with the delivery of the finished product went a full disclosure that the pattern was not mine and gave full credit to the originator. I have also used photos of older holsters from "Packing Iron" as the basis for a holster or rig, but I still have to draw the pattern. Of course, not many folks would need to produce a holster in any quantity like this. Mike

[tergus fabrica]

any aspiring leatherworker, young or old, should be encouraged to continue his traverse into leather craft! everyone on this site has copied someone else's work at one time or another. if you do not wish to help with a pattern, so be it. but do not beat down these people for thinking so highly of you to ask you for your pattern. i seriously doubt any of these people live near enough to put a dent into your "business" of selling your leather goods! everyone needs to get along. encourage more people to continue this craft, it is a dying art.

[dirtclod]

Well it is your choice if you want to give your patterns away. Some of mine i don't mind others i'm not going to give away. As far as that person living close to you anybody that has a computer might as well be setting next to you in your shop trying to sell what they have made with your pattern. They have the same chance to sell it as you do on the internet. The word is your market now and theirs to.