What Tools Will I Need? Holster Making. Confused?!?

[RoosterShooter]

I have recently become sick and tired of paying $150+ for a good holster for my pistols. My main interests with leatherwork is holster making with maybe a few accessories, bags, etc ....

I'm really confused about what tools I will need for hand stitching my own leather holsters.

In the past few weeks I have spoken to several different people at Tandy Leather, and each of them gives me a different set of tools to buy, so I just leave without buying anything! I just keep scratching my head and thinking "The other guy told me I'll need this and that ... not that and this!!!". See my point?

So, what are the tools that I will need to hand stitch my own 'Professional Style' holsters?

As a side note, one individual told me that the best way to hand sew leather for holsters is to use a Dremel tool press with a 1/16" bit to drill the holes. He said that this makes a very professional holster, and with hand stitching, you have more options for stitches versus using a machine.

What are your thoughts? What tools will I need?

[Chief31794]

There is an excellent book by Al Stohlman, "The Art of Hand Sewing Leather". It is old, but still very valid. There are a couple of different ways to sew. The dremel Tool with 1/16th" bit is one, but it is not what the purists recommend.

They recommend, a awl with a single diamond blade, groover (needed regardless), harness needles (needed regardless), waxed linen thread and a lot of sweat labor.

Another method of making the holes is with a diamond punch, I think it's better than the drill bit but not as good as the hand awl.

Some people punch holes with a 00 punch, I wouldn't recommend that method, it doesn't look very good at all.

To do it with an awl it takes a lot of practice and developing the technique.

I would get the book, study it, then decide. I'm sure some other folks will chime in.

Chief

[electrathon]

There are a lot of ways of doing the same thing, it can get very confusing. TO START, and be cheap, but some thread, needles and a LARGE sewing maching needle. Tandy has all three, you will spend less then $15 dollars. Put the needle in your dremil and use it as a drill bit. You can push it through a half inch of leather fairly easily. You will be off and running.

[RoosterShooter]

Also, several of the workers recommended the Pro Stitching and Lacing Pony. Should I go ahead and get that, knowing that I might need it in the future?

[electrathon]

I have a couple stitching ponies and rarely use them. I usually work off the table or my lap. If you want to use an awl then you will need a pony, otherwise you can work without one.

[TwinOaks]

You do need to realize that you're buying a cow for free milk, right?

Absolutely NEED.......leather, needles, thread, work space, something to cut with, and an idea. Being completely new to it, Al's book would serve you well. You can get it at Tandy, or online as an E-book.

You can punch holes with a finishing nail, but an awl does a better job. You can sew with one needle, but two makes it faster. You can use a fork as a stitch spacer, but an overstitch wheel does a better job and will make the threads look better in the long run.

Good quality glue or contact cement makes it much easier to keep things in place while you're stitching. You can use a stitching pony if you want, but I've always just sat back in a chair and shoved needles through the holes I'd punched...with an awl.

Now you need to decide just how you want to color the leather, and how to seal/finish it. Oh, we can't forget the edges!!! Need to smooth and slick, then dye and finish those too.

You will probably find that you are paying a premium for your holsters and that there are alternates available for less. Or...if you are getting some nice fully tooled holsters, perhaps even complete rigs, you may find that the holster maker is getting $150 for the holster because that's what the market will bear....not what the holster maker actually wants to charge.

Most of us started this as a hobby and sell things to be able to get more leather...so we can do more projects....to sell more....repeat.

A brief breakdown for you - (and I'm looking at Springfield for the prices)

1 sq ft of leather - $12 +shipping - should be enough for one holster if you lay it out right.....you might want to get more than one unless you have your method down pat. Or you could buy a shoulder, double shoulder, side, etc.....it's priced per foot, based on quality of the leather. Upwards of $150 for a side of decent quality leather is a good 'starting point' when considering your budget.

awl - $11.50

needles and thread - ~$5 (I prefer regular needles I can get at walmart, and waxed linen thread from hobby lobby)

all in one finish because it's pretty easy to use - $9 - $12 depending on where you get it.

sand paper for your edges - cheap

fork from your kitchen - free. Overstitch wheel -

razor knife - cheap, if you don't have one laying around already.

TIME - relatively cheap, or incredibly expensive.....it kinda depends on what else you could be doing with it.

Expect to spend at least a couple of hours for your holster. Time per project decreases as you get the hang of it.

Now, do you want just plain leather, or do you want fancy tooling? Add more tools and time if you want fancy.

There's also a 'basic construction starter set' at SLC, that runs $230 and will get you pretty much all the tools you need to get started.

Be wary of asking salesmen or saleswomen what you should buy. It's their job to sell you things.

[RoosterShooter]

Be wary of asking salesmen or saleswomen what you should buy.

I see what you mean. Thinking back on it, all of them mentioned a few core tools that would be needed.

1) Leather knife or very sharp utility blade

2) Edge beveler

3) Burnishing tool

4) Gouge tool

5) Edge slicker

6) Bone Folder (since I will be wet forming leather)

7) Needles

8) Waxed Thread

9) Awl

10) 7 to 9 oz. veg tan leather

11) die

12) glue

13) resolene

14) edge dressing

Does this sound like a good core set of tools, other than the obvious learning materials?

Thanks

[TwinOaks]

I see what you mean. Thinking back on it, all of them mentioned a few core tools that would be needed.

1) Leather knife or very sharp utility blade

2) Edge beveler

3) Burnishing tool

4) Gouge tool

5) Edge slicker

6) Bone Folder (since I will be wet forming leather)

7) Needles

8) Waxed Thread

9) Awl

10) 7 to 9 oz. veg tan leather

11) die

12) glue

13) resolene

14) edge dressing

Does this sound like a good core set of tools, other than the obvious learning materials?

Thanks

To do it on the cheap, drop the burnishing tool, edge slicker, bone folder, edge dressing, and gouge tool. You can use the handle of the edger for slicking (you can use a variety of mediums, or just use saliva....yes, spit. The enzymes in saliva do a nice job on activating the collagen in the leather fibers and getting it to slick up). Look up the edge finishing tutorial by Bob Park (Hidepounder) in the 'How Do I Do That' section. That should address the edge dressing for you.

In place of the 'bone folder', use a spoon. Don't forget that it has a handle, which can be used for small areas.

A large serving fork can be used to lightly scribe a stitch line by hanging one tine off the edge and lightly dragging the next one on the surface of the leather. Personally I use an adjustable creasing tool....but I don't adjust it any, I just use the same spacing all the time. This will put your stitch line a consistent distance from the edge. Another way to do it is build large, and trim the edge after you've stitched.

Unless it's on small items, I don't use the gouge. I use a sewing machine for most construction, but when I hand stitch, I still don't cut a groove. With waxed linen (provided it isn't the dry rotted junk from walmart) you get about 20-25lb tensile strength. That's strong enough to pull it tight to the leather, and it will lay flat. You can always run over it with something if you need it to lay flat. The important part is that on anything that needs strength, I prefer to leave as much leather under the stitch as possible....so why cut a groove? Take a look at some of the holster work by Katsass - completely hand stitched, using an awl, two needles, thread, and a pair of pliers (to pull the needles through the holes).

Spend some more time reading in "holsters, et. al" for tips on molding.

[RoosterShooter]

Thanks for the tips. It looks like I have my afternoon cut out for me in reading!

[katsass]

From the grumpy old guy: I agree with everything that TwinOaks says --- except to add that I'd include a #6 overstitch tool -- NOT one of those multi-wheel gadgets, but a single, good overstitch to mark stitch length, and for a final run over the stitching when done (hence the name - OVER stitch) I'd add a bar of Neutrogena (clear) bar soap. It's a glycerin based soap, used when burnishing edges. Now, in my time I've licked a lot of leather -- I now use a damp sponge to moisten my edges, (doing that I also stopped getting a strange flavor to my beer) then I wet a finger and rub it on the soap, then on the (pre-moistened) edge to be burnished. It makes burnishing those edges soooo much easier. Needles should be no larger than a #0 (I use a #1) HARNESS needles, oh, and add in a chunk of beeswax. Mike

P.S. I don't generally use a stitching pony - except when teaching others to stitch.

Edited October 1, 2012 by katsass