Demo Critique

[chiefjason]

OK, I'm just mainly interested in stitch line, spacing, etc. The molding was probably not quite as detailed as I may do on a finished product. Just a quick shot to get the general idea of the gun. But anything that you see feel free to mention.

The gun is a Kahr CW9. Scrap 8-9 oz leather. And using some of my new tools. Man have I made my life harder by not getting these sooner. The trigger guard side I drilled the holes. The slide side I Awled the holes so that I could get a comparison of the technique. I'm pretty darn satisfied with the end result and will likely build my wife a holster with this technique so that I can flesh out how to move from molding only to a full holster.

[TwinOaks]

You need to relieve the holster at the bottom of the trigger guard to allow a full grip. I'd start at the second stitch hole(maybe the 3rd) and take a 30 degree line from there, possibly sweeping the angle into a light curve.

Ditto the leather on the back, but you also need to make sure the mag release is not covered.

What you have will probably be 'okay' but I like to take the stitch line in front of the trigger guard a lot tighter to the actual profile..aka tighter molding. After all, the holster will support the gun at that point....preferably with a near horizontal line. The straighter the line, the less you need to even consider how much the leather will stretch. As it is, the leather could possibly stretch from constant or repeated pressure and allow the gun to droop in the holster until the edge of the trigger guard is almost at the current stitch line....which, from the looks of it could allow drooping of up to half an inch. That bit of space would interfere with the full firing grip.

[chiefjason]

FWIW, there is zero design in this "holster." Just an attempt at trying something new and bringing my stitch line in closer. It will end up in the trash or hanging on the wall. And yeah, the bottom of the trigger guard caught my eye as well. Unfortunately that was after the fact. Though the Kahr's tend to have a very rounded trigger front. It kind of sweeps, but I swept it a bit to much. Especially looking at the back now that you mention it.

I went back and messed with it a bit more and could have likely pushed the leather in more where the trigger guard meets the frame and that would have allowed me to get that stitch in there deeper. It also pointed out an issue I would have with doing this seriously. My drill will not get into that tight of a space. You can see where the drill hit the leather in front of the trigger guard. Looks like I need to practice with my awl. Or get longer bits.

Basically, this was an exercise in molding the top first and using the mold as a guide for my stitch line. I think it shows some promise, but needs more work. One thing that did concern me is that the site channel seemed to allow for a bit of front to back movement. Not that it shows up in a picture or anything. Just noticed it when holster it.

[IngleGunLeather]

FWIW, there is zero design in this "holster." Just an attempt at trying something new and bringing my stitch line in closer. It will end up in the trash or hanging on the wall. And yeah, the bottom of the trigger guard caught my eye as well. Unfortunately that was after the fact. Though the Kahr's tend to have a very rounded trigger front. It kind of sweeps, but I swept it a bit to much. Especially looking at the back now that you mention it.

I went back and messed with it a bit more and could have likely pushed the leather in more where the trigger guard meets the frame and that would have allowed me to get that stitch in there deeper. It also pointed out an issue I would have with doing this seriously. My drill will not get into that tight of a space. You can see where the drill hit the leather in front of the trigger guard. Looks like I need to practice with my awl. Or get longer bits.

Basically, this was an exercise in molding the top first and using the mold as a guide for my stitch line. I think it shows some promise, but needs more work. One thing that did concern me is that the site channel seemed to allow for a bit of front to back movement. Not that it shows up in a picture or anything. Just noticed it when holster it.

I can see what you're talking about with the sight channel, big gap between the stitch line and slide. It's more noticeable in the last picture showing the back side. What are you using to mold around for a sight channel? I use a 3/16" dowel rod I picked up at a craft store. Most of the weapons I've made holsters for have sights that are gennerally no taller than 3/16", and the 3/16" is slightly wider than most front sights.

I can't say anything about the process you're trying cause I've never went that route before (flat back or molding then stitching). However, I think the molding looks pretty good. Maybe just a thinner center line mark? That's just personnal preference though. Also, one thing I've been doing lately after I make a crease line is go over the line and surrounding area with my thumb to help smooth out the area. For instance, the rear line of the ejection port has what appears to be an accidental tooling mark. I do it all the time, the creaser will slip or go over an edge slightly. Just a little thumb pressure will smooth it back out.

Edited October 28, 2012 by CountryTrash

[chiefjason]

The dowels are 1/4", so just a touch larger. I also lay 2 on top of the slide. So there is room to tweak that. It's a carry over from the kydex work. But I have a specific way to build in my retention with the kydex to overcome that. Looks like I can use smaller dowels, just use one, or try to bring my retention trick over from my kydex. But I'm not sure I want it much tighter. I was surprised how good the retention was. Good eye on the ejection port goof. I think that was the first line and I never corrected it.