Leather Thickness And Ease Of Moulding

[Andrewsky]

Hello,

I recently made a batch of 4 holsters with 9/10 oz. Hermann Oak. I soaked the CZ-75b one in water for about a half hour. By contrast, the two Glocks and Sig I soaked for only about 3 minutes.

I periodically pressed down on the leather with my fingers every two hours for 12 hours after getting them wet.

I found that the CZ-75b one moulded very nicely. The lines of the gun can very clearly be seen. This was not true of the other three holsters.

I don't know if the one for the CZ worked better because it is a slim pistol, if I soaked it ten times as long as the others, or if it just happened that the pieces of leather for that holsters were a little bit thinner than the ones for the other three holsters. Or perhaps it could be a combination of the three factors?

I am wondering if I should just use the 9-10 oz leather for the back and some 6-7 or 7-8 for the front from now on.

I would really like to hear your thoughts. Thanks.

[marine mp]

Andrewsky, For my 2 non-cents....I wouldn't think that you should have to soak a piece of leather for 1/2 hour to get it molded properly. But you did it and it seemed to work. I usually run mine under water for a short time to get the leather damp and then do a minimalist forming. I only have to form it once or twice an then let it set. Pull the weapon out after about 1 hour and let it air dry. Seems to work for me. As far as the 9/10 oz. leather.....I only use that heavier oz. leather for a full size steel 1911 or a large frame revolver. I tend to go on the lighter side of the house ........for me , a concealment holster should be as thin as possible and still do the job. I mostly use 6-7 oz. as most pistols these days are fairly lightweight. Some may say stay w/the heavier weight and others may say go lighter. It really is a personal preference. Semper-fi Mike

[Tac]

Andrewski...

I don't have an answer to your conundrum, but I can tell you what I use... For most of my pancake style holsters, I use 11-12 oz for the back portion (with sweat shield) and 7-8 oz for the front of the holster. I find that this gives a nice detail to the front molding of the holster and a stiff, rigid support to the back of the holster, which aids in retention and preventing the holster from flopping or moving on the belt. Like USMC MP, I only wet my leather for a couple of seconds under warm tap water before starting the wet molding. The leather is completely wet, but not soaked....

-Tac

Edited May 27, 2011 by Tac

[troop]

i used to use 8-10 oz front and back but found you just don't get enough detail in the boning. so now i use 8-10 for the back and 7-8 for the front. works perfectly

Tony

[Denster]

I was wondering if there was some particular purpose to soaking the leather for that long? I find that 5/6 only requires a one second dip and add a second for each weight/step up from there. Wait till the color returns to normal insert the gun and get to work. Maybe five minutes at most. Waterlogging the leather and trying to do anythiing with it causes all kinds of problems.

[troop]

I was wondering if there was some particular purpose to soaking the leather for that long? I find that 5/6 only requires a one second dip and add a second for each weight/step up from there. Wait till the color returns to normal insert the gun and get to work. Maybe five minutes at most. Waterlogging the leather and trying to do anythiing with it causes all kinds of problems.

actually Denster, i have found the opposite a problem. i soak it untill ;the bubbles pretty much stop. i tried to do it with less time but found that if i just got it wet for up to only a minute or two that when i molded it would sometime burnish the leather and cause dark spots. i have had no such problems when i soak it for several minutes and am really pleased with my results.

Tony

[Denster]

actually Denster, i have found the opposite a problem. i soak it untill ;the bubbles pretty much stop. i tried to do it with less time but found that if i just got it wet for up to only a minute or two that when i molded it would sometime burnish the leather and cause dark spots. i have had no such problems when i soak it for several minutes and am really pleased with my results.

Tony

Well I can't argue with your results Tony. You make some nice holsters. I mold my holsters in a vacuum press and bone the details right through the bag and I have no burnishing problem. I used to wet the leather much more when I hand formed nd molded but always had a problem with grain wrinkle at the higher moisture content.

[troop]

the vacuum bag must help then. if it works i say do it.

Tony