First Holster Question?

[whitewolf81]

I am fairly new to leather work and have a couple of questions about making a holster. I bought a kit for a holster at Tandy and plan to tool it like one of the suggested patterns. I also want to mold it to my gun. I am aware that you can lose some of the tooling by wet molding it, but a employee at the store said that I could dip it in water for a few seconds and that should be enough to mold it. There are a couple of sections in the pattern that I would like to dye black (mostly the background) my question is when do I do this step? Common sense would say that it should be done after it has completly dried from the wet molding, but bear in mind I'm new at this. Am I correct on this? Then after that dries do I apply the Super Sheen? The instructions say to do all the finishing before assembling it, but it doesn't mention anything about molding. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Edited March 8, 2012 by whitewolf81

[particle]

Here is what I suggest...

Cut all your pieces

Do your tooling

Let dry completely

Apply your dye

Let it completely dry

Assemble and sew the holster

Dunk the holster in a pan full of room temperature water with one drop of dish soap for about 7-10 seconds, then sling the holster to remove the excess water

Form the holster with your fingers and bone folder - avoid using the bone folder over the tooling unless it's absolutely necessary.

There is some argument about this, but I place mine in an oven at about 135 degrees for 45 minutes

Remove from oven and place in front of a fan to dry overnight

Burnish and dye your edges according to Hidepounder's tutorial

Gum the interior to smooth it out (unless you lined it)

Apply your finish

Edited March 8, 2012 by particle

[BanjoMan]

I agree with Particle on the order of steps to take in building a holster. As far as dying prior to molding goes, it's fine. The water applied to the leather during the molding process will not affect the dye, as most dyes penetrate the leather and will not "wash" off with moisture. Also, not to discourage you, and not to say it can't be done, but I have had no success in wet molding a holster that has been carved and tooled. I have seen western style holsters with extensive tooling that have had a gun "set" into them, but when you start wet molding, or "boning" the shape of a gun, I think it would be almost impossible not to compromise the tooling in areas that require molding. With that said, the best advice I can give you is to just try it and learn as you go. I have learned more from my mistakes than anything else and quality holster building just takes practice. Good luck! Post pics when you're done!

[whitewolf81]

Thanks all. I am going to start on it tonight. At the risk of sounding dumb, what is "gumming" the interior?

[particle]

Gum tragacanth - its a plant extract gooey liquid stuff you sponge on and rub into the leather to help glue the fibers down for a smooth surface. It can be used on edges too for burnishing.

[whitewolf81]

That will come in handy.

[whitewolf81]

Here it is. Letme know what you think.

[glockanator]

Here it is. Letme know what you think.

A little of Topic but your have some really good photography skills

[whitewolf81]

A little of Topic but your have some really good photography skills

Thanks.

[Reaper]

Very nice from what the filter allows you to see, the filer kind of blends everything together.

Good looking though!

[Matt Alsaker]

Dwight gave me the following suggestion when I had the same question:

1. Tool the leather then let it dry completely

2. Put the holster together (stitching, edging, etc.

3. Lightly dampen the inside of the holster with a rag, not the outside

4. Force the gun into the holster

5. Gently mold the holster with your hands and fingers, no boning tools

Molding tooled leather is tough, but I have been very happy using this procedure.

Matt

[whitewolf81]

Good to know. I will try on the next one. I have a guy at work who wants one with a basketweave pattern.