Sharkskin Rig, Caiman Taser Holster

[Highlands858]

Just a couple of things I've made for myself recently. Still have a lot of learning to do.

The Glock holster works well and fits me comfortably, but I had some trouble burnishing the edges of the shark. Pulling my stitches tight through the sharkskin also king of made the skark flare out from the cowhide. Stitching too tight? Stitch line too close to the edge? Opinions welcome.

The mag pouch (my first fully finished one) works well enough, but the fit and finish could have been much better. I tried some new casing/molding techniques when I was making it, and overall I'm happy with the results. It's much easier to mold an exotic than I thought it would be. I'm getting great retention on the holster, and the mag pouch remains tight.

The taser holster turned out way better than I expected. I decided to attach a layer of caimen as an afterthought, after dyeing and molding the leather (before stitching.) I have all this caimen I've never used, and wanted to experiment with it. The extra layer of skin gives this holster some rigidity. It attaches with a clip. I couldn't attach another picture of the back. I just pulled my stitches tight over the lumps and bumps of the caiman (no grooving or scoring), and it turned out just fine. This thing is way more lightweight and low-profile than the one I did about a year ago when I was just starting. I've gone running several times wearing it, and it doesn't ever get in the way.

Interested in any and all feedback. I really want to get better at fit and finish (edges, finishes, etc.) I just switched my dyes over from water to oil, and haven't made anything yet. Any input on design, stitching, fit and finish, pretty much anything, would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Luke

[mdmorgan]

What type of glue are you using to bond the shark to the cow hide? Try barge cement also try cleaning it with alcohol before you glue it. When well bonded no amount of tight stitching should pull it from the edge. As for burnishing, I haven't used any shark, but with other exotics something that has worked for me was burnishing, then sanding with fine sand paper like 400 grit or something then repeat until you have an edge you are happy with.

Looks good by the way, that caiman taser holster is SICK! What weight would you say the caiman skin is?

[Highlands858]

I've only ever used Tanner's Bond Contact Cement. Thanks for the sanding tip on the edges. I really should have tried hand sanding when I realized it wasn't coming together as well as I'd like.

The caiman is probably three to four ounces.