Some newb questions

[Otis249]

I have been reading about making holsters, as I can never find EXACTLY what I want. I am pretty good at making things from any medium God created so I was thinking of trying my hand at leather. Couple questions with more to come Im sure:

1. Where is the best place to buy leather and tools?

2. What are the best cuts of leather to use?

3. How does one go about "burnishing" an edge?

4. Where could one aquire rubber pads for molding in a press?

5. How much extra leather should one typically use around a gun outline one a pancake style holster?

Ok so Im full of questions but from what I have seen on here so far, you guys are the ones to ask! Thanks!

[Jordan]

To start with I would suggest Tandy leather for basic tools and leather, price is such that you would not need to spend a fortune to get the feel for liking or not liking working with leather. As for leather you will want a piece that has minimal stretch in all directions, and of uniform thickness, so bellies would not fit the bill. What they call shoulder or a bend that they make belts from should work. I use 7/8 or 8/9 weight and they usually have good size pieces in their scrap bin that are decent quality. The wt of leather you use will vary with the size and wt of the pistol, plus if you decide to line it that will increase the thickness. 10/11 is very thick and more difficult to mold. Burnishing is kind of like buffing the damp edge of two pieces of leather to generate enough heat and friction to compress, smooth and darken the leather pieces to appear to be one piece. There are alot of methods available, I usually start by sanding the edge smooth then use an edger to trim and round the edge off then use water and a nylon slicker mounted in a drill press. Most time I will then dye the edge a color such as black. As far as the rubber pads I haven't gotten that far yet, I form by hand or use a foodsaver vac. There is no secret formulas for how much leather you might need, I usually measure the thickness of the gun, add the leather thickness and divide that equally to each side of my paper pattern. Mostly just experiment and take notes. Also the notes come in handy if your memory is like mine, I lose my coffee cup 2-3 time a day.LOL and if someone ever suggests that you infringed on their ideas you have your notes. How's that for a ramble? Hope that helps, but take what I say with a grain of salt as I am no expert just an avid leather nut. Oh yes, I forgot, welcome and good luck with your holster making, post pictures and above all have fun with it.

Edited June 10, 2008 by Jordan

[Regis]

Otis,

Jordan hit most all your points in one swipe of the pen. But, you will find more detail on each of your points by doing individual searches. As far as rubber in your press, make sure you are using a model (e.g. Blue Gun) and NOT the actual gun. Good luck and enjoy.

Regis

[$$hobby]

I learned how to make holsters from the book:

" How to make Holsters" by Al Stohlman. once you learn the basics you can learn the others.

thers another book too thats probably what youre looking for:

"how to make practical pistol leather" by J. David McFarland.

If you have a Tandys/Leathercrafters and/or independant leather craft shop, i would check them out and see whats available. if not, you can order online, but its sort of nice having a real person to show you.

Our local Leathercrafters is now offering some classes on leathercraft.

I would suggest you get some "scrap" leather if you can and practice cutting/working on it. at my local leather shops, they offer "scraps" for sale. They can be as small as straps or as large as half a hide. it all depends on what was wrong with the leather.

[hyperparasite]

there's another book too that's probably what youre looking for:

"how to make practical pistol leather" by J. David McFarland.

I have been looking for this book for years, to no avail. Do you have it by any chance? If you or anybody does, I am certainly interested in purchasing a copy of it...

[$$hobby]

I have been looking for this book for years, to no avail. Do you have it by any chance? If you or anybody does, I am certainly interested in purchasing a copy of it...

Hyper,

Yes i do have it in my dirty little hands. Sorry it isnt for sale, but if i see it at the bookstore i frequent, i will let you know.

$$

[Otis249]

I appreciate all the help fellas!

[Regis]

I really have to update this as someone reminded me that I put some guns in my press. If you have a lighter press 5 ton or so(mine is 12 ton) and have thick (over 1") firm rubber on both sides, you can place many guns in your press IF you are carfull. When I do this, I heavily imprint in my press and finish by hand molding. I don't crank down as much as I would on a blue gun. Look the gun over well first as some have thin/fragile rails or unusual front sights that I would not put in press. This is usually just on very cheap guns.

I do still reccommend using a blue gun until you get used to your setup.

Regis

Otis,

Jordan hit most all your points in one swipe of the pen. But, you will find more detail on each of your points by doing individual searches. As far as rubber in your press, make sure you are using a model (e.g. Blue Gun) and NOT the actual gun. Good luck and enjoy.

Regis

[Srigs]

I have been reading about making holsters, as I can never find EXACTLY what I want. I am pretty good at making things from any medium God created so I was thinking of trying my hand at leather. Couple questions with more to come Im sure:

1. Where is the best place to buy leather and tools?

2. What are the best cuts of leather to use?

3. How does one go about "burnishing" an edge?

4. Where could one aquire rubber pads for molding in a press?

5. How much extra leather should one typically use around a gun outline one a pancake style holster?

Ok so Im full of questions but from what I have seen on here so far, you guys are the ones to ask! Thanks!

Here is my two cents.

1. Tandy is a good choice.

2. Buy the best leather you can afford. Starting out single or double shoulders are a good choice.

3. Once the holster is formed and the edges are rounded over. I generally dye the holster and let dry. Then take and wet the edge and use some type of smooth surface to rub the edges with. I use and like deer antler or you can chuck up a piece of 1/2 oak dowl to help speed it up. I know people have used a lexan rod an others.

4. MacMasters

5. Depends on what you think is right and trial and error. Minimum is ~1" then you can cut it down.

Hope this helps.

[TexasJack]

Look for Chuck Burrows DVD on frontier holsters. The techniques work for any kind of holster and its very easy to follow.