dickf Report post Posted October 28, 2012 Made this holster for a Lightweight Commander. Leather is tan with white thread and black loops to match the belt. I'm quite fond of the two tone look with the loops. I see a couple things I'd do better next time, but feel free to pick it apart. Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SooperJake Report post Posted October 28, 2012 Looks pretty darn good to me. Jake Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
benlilly1 Report post Posted October 28, 2012 Looks beautiful to me....I also like the 2 tone. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaymack Report post Posted October 28, 2012 Looks great, nice lines and very clean! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesmith648 Report post Posted October 28, 2012 I hope to make some soon. I got some HO leather that's just crying to be cut. Hope mine turns out half as good as the one here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
immiketoo Report post Posted October 28, 2012 Dick, what did you use to finish the holster? It looks great. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
usmc0341 Report post Posted October 28, 2012 Your work is amazing. The people on this site do some awesome work which is humbling to me! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tac Report post Posted October 29, 2012 (edited) Chris, that holster is down right gorgeous! I LOVE the tan color. I wish I could get my tan to come out that even and glowing. -Tac Edited October 29, 2012 by Tac Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted October 29, 2012 Beautiful finish, Chris. The lines are not overdone and it makes it more appealing than something molded so tightly you can read the roll stamp. The only thing I can see is that the sweat shield doesn't appear to be quite tall enough. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BEARDOG Report post Posted October 29, 2012 Very very nice! Is that leather pre dyed that color or did you dye it? If you dyed it what did you use?... My tan fiebings comes out more lt. brown then tan. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RMB Custom Leather Report post Posted October 29, 2012 Great detail Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
renegadelizard Report post Posted October 29, 2012 Made this holster for a Lightweight Commander. Leather is tan with white thread and black loops to match the belt. I'm quite fond of the two tone look with the loops. I see a couple things I'd do better next time, but feel free to pick it apart. Chris Very nice Chris...did you vacuum mold? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abram Report post Posted October 29, 2012 That looks nice and I like the color. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickf Report post Posted October 29, 2012 Wow, thanks for all the nice comments! I'm really liking the classic tan leather with white thread combination - something about it really speaks gunleather to me. This holster was dip-dyed in Angelus dye and dipped in Angelus 600 acrylic to finish it off. I received some really good feedback from someone I consider to be one of the best, and I put it to use on this one. I feel it came out better because of it. @TwinOaks - I used to build them with a shield that rises so high it covers the very tip of the beavertail, but to be honest, I think it's too much. Leather that extends like that on it's own gets flimsy and floppy and I much prefer the more classic subdued version. I've attached a pic I took of the back side - maybe it goes higher than it seems, maybe not. @renegadelizard - I use a manual press to do the initial blocking, then hand mold the rest. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted October 29, 2012 I think it was the angle of the pic. The view of the rear makes it look quite a bit higher than the front view. In the front view, it looks like the entire hammer is above the shield which is what prompted my comment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
olliesrevenge Report post Posted November 11, 2012 (edited) This holster was dip-dyed in Angelus dye and dipped in Angelus 600 acrylic to finish it off. I received some really good feedback from someone I consider to be one of the best, and I put it to use on this one. I feel it came out better because of it. Beautiful holster Chris, your detail molding is perfect IMO. I'm assuming that since the thread is not dyed tan that you dip-dyed the leather pieces before sewing. My experience has been that if I dye 1st it is much more difficult to get really good detail in the wet molding / detail process - would you mind sharing the secret? Of course if I'm wrong in my assumption that you dip-dyed before sewing it up -- and you actually dip dyed after sewing --than I'd love to hear how you kept the thred from being dyed. Thanks for posting & Take care Edited November 11, 2012 by olliesrevenge Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samalan Report post Posted November 12, 2012 Beautiful job ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickf Report post Posted November 12, 2012 Thank you for the compliments - I sure do appreciate it! I think the trick to dip dying is to use good dye. I say it so often, but I stopped using Feibing's products for dye a long time ago because I could never get even shades of any brown without using an airbrush. Even then, after I got the holster wet, it bled all over my white thread and tinted it to off-white...or worse. Angelus makes great dye that can be used for dipping, and yes - the leather panels get dipped in dye, then pulled out and left to dry. After they're dry, they get buffed and kicked down the line. There's no special trick (that I know of, at least) to getting detail after dying. I've tried molding then dip dying and my results weren't as good as my current method. I think it all comes down to the type of dye. When I started dipping, I had to buff for days using Feibing's dye, but as soon as I switched, a few quick wipes and I was moving on. There's no way to preserve white thread if you're building then dying. Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chadnorth Report post Posted November 12, 2012 nice! how do you get the leather so smooth after forming the shape of the gun? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattsh Report post Posted November 12, 2012 Chris - that's one mightly fine looking holster. I really love the look. 2 tone is always pleasing to the eye. I really like that tan color. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SooperJake Report post Posted November 13, 2012 Thank you for the compliments - I sure do appreciate it! I think the trick to dip dying is to use good dye. I say it so often, but I stopped using Feibing's products for dye a long time ago because I could never get even shades of any brown without using an airbrush. Even then, after I got the holster wet, it bled all over my white thread and tinted it to off-white...or worse. Angelus makes great dye that can be used for dipping, and yes - the leather panels get dipped in dye, then pulled out and left to dry. After they're dry, they get buffed and kicked down the line. There's no special trick (that I know of, at least) to getting detail after dying. I've tried molding then dip dying and my results weren't as good as my current method. I think it all comes down to the type of dye. When I started dipping, I had to buff for days using Feibing's dye, but as soon as I switched, a few quick wipes and I was moving on. There's no way to preserve white thread if you're building then dying. Chris Chris, Could you elaberate a little on your dye and finish process, please? For instance, are you cutting the dye with solvent and, if so, to what ratio? Is the 600 straight from the bottle or cut with water or ? Do you pre-clean the leather before dyeing it? Do you just toss the holster in and pull it out or leave it in for some seconds or minutes? What do you buff with? Thanks! Jake Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
