Snap-On Owb 1911 Holster

[woodandsteel]

Here's a high-ride, snap-on holster I made this week. It's the first time I've made one like this, and I wasn't sure how well it would work.

I dyed it with dark brown Fiebings Pro Oil Dye, then Neatsfoot oil, and finished with two coats of resolene and then Sno-Seal to cut the gloss.

I sanded and burnished the edges with water and canvas, then dyed with Fiebings USMC black spirit dye, followed by slicking and burnishing with glycerin soap, and then paraffin wax.

I'm not very happy with the finish job on this, but I think I've figure out what to do differently. I sued one coat of 1/2 resolene+1/2 water, and then a coat of full strength resolene. The sponge brushes I'm using with the resolene create a lot of foam, which I have to wipe off, which left the finish splotchy with some satin spots and some glossy spots.

I've been pleased with the sort of antiqued, dark-edge effect I've been getting with my dark brown holsters, but i'm not exactly sure how I'm doing it! I suspect some of the black edge dye is seeping into the brown. Also, on this holster, I molded it with alcohol instead of water, because i was in a rush. The bottom of the holster and the edge near the trigger guard stayed darker than the rest. It might not have fully dried before I sealed it.

I glued the lizard skin on with barge cement before stiching, but had a few edges separate, so I fixed them with krazy-glue. Anyone have advise for gluing exotics?

Please feel free to critique, make suggestions and recommendations, or ask questions!

[Rayban]

I like your craftsmanship.....I'm especially impressed on how you nailed the gun outline with your stitch line.

If you ask me, you're a bit over the top worrying about the finish job. All that concern and the holster is gonna live happily ever after under a shirt or jacket......it looks fine.

[Nooj]

That's one gorgeous holster. I don't know how you got that finish either, but keep doing it because it looks great.

I know what you mean about the foamy resolene. I have to wipe mine down the same way, and it's easy to get a blotchy or uneven finish. An airbrush is one solution to foamy brushed on resolene. I really like the airbrushed resolene/water finish, when applied evenly. Just be sure to wear your respirator, as with any sprayed product. I really can't see the glossy/satin spots in your pictures... Besides, after being worn in the pants a while I don't think you'll notice it anyways.

I can't really recommend anything on the exotic gluing... I've never used Barge or exotics. I have some Weldwood contact cement, and Tandy 'tanners bond craftsman contact cement'. The Weldwood goes on much thinner and evenly, IMO; But I think the tanners bond stuff holds better (it's just more bulky and leaves a more visible line on edges, in my experience anyways). I'm not sure which one is closer, if either, to the Barge formula.

I think you'll be your biggest critic in regards to this piece. This holster looks great! I've got a request for a left handed IWB coming up. I'd be very happy to have mine turn out nearly as nice looking as yours here.

Nooj

[Nooj]

Besides, after being worn in the pants a while I don't think you'll notice it anyways.

I don't know why I was thinking this was an IWB when I wrote that...

[particle]

Looks fantastic! Love the coloring. Regarding the finish, lately I've been using 50/50 Angelus 600 and water. For my first coat, I brush it on liberally with a sponge brush. This helps it soak into the leather much more than airbrushing allows. I brush until the finish is almost completely absorbed into the leather, and am careful to not dunk my brush in the solution too much, as by the time I'm done, it's acting more to absorb excess than applying more finish. For the second coat, I use the same 50/50 solution, but I apply it with an airbrush. This usually entirely kills any uneven appearance in the finish.

Did you dye it before assembly, or after forming?

I don't know, but maybe it's possible the alcohol is cutting the glue, which is resulting in your lifted edges? Did you scuff the grain side of the leather prior to gluing down the exotic skin?

[swivelsphinx]

I work with a fair number of exotics. I primarily do costume collars. I have that edge problem as well. Here's a few things that seem to help:

1. Make sure to rough up *at least* the surface of whatever leather the scaled leather is going on. If its uber thin like snake, it's going to be difficult to impractical to rough up the exotic... however, when working with something a little thicker like carp, I'll go over the exotic with a l50-220 sand paper.

2. I use regular screaming death- yellow issue Barge cement too for my "first attempt at adherence". I try to remember to apply the skin on one edge then "roll it down" the rest of the surface- I'm fussy enough to trim off the excess with nail scissors or a cuticle cutter (looks like a really tiny light duty edger... good for lots of exotics I've used except stingray or shark.) I like to press it down with a heavy roller to avoid little air pockets.

3. If the edges still pop up and there's enough room to peel the layers back where they don't stick, I'll actually re-apply the barge as a contact cement. If there isn't even enough room to get a little brush with the thick goo in there, I like to use something more flexible... believe it or not, hide glue or even (DUN DUN DUN!)... Aileen's Tacky Glue. Then I clamp with heavy duty clothes pins with or without pads. Most of my projects end up flexing a lot while in use- if this was not the case, I'd use Gorilla's Super Glue.

4. When my shapes aren't sharply curved or highly irregular, I will cut the exotic in the right shape but purposely leave the edge a bit long- like a 1/2 inch or more on 6-8 oz leather. I glue everything down with barge, and muster the restraint to leave it alone overnight. Next day (or whenever I get back to the project) I get a nice soft paintbrush and wet the underside of the stick-out edge a little. I pull that over the entirety of the backing leather edge as tightly as it will go without separating the scales. After pressing all that into a smooth edge, I clip it all down with safety pins (usually with pads) and let that dry... with NO glue. Once it is dry, I'll gently peel that edge away enough to apply glue... since you sew your exotics on, you could leave enough of a "lip* *to sew through both the top and bottom edges. Sewn thusly- the edge is highly unlikely to pop up... ever.