Newbie Stumble

[hillsmithy]

Hello!

I'm just getting started with some leatherwork. I'm making a holster for my first project. As is usually the case when I'm learning something new, I make every mistake possible.

So, I made the holster pattern, traced it on the leather, then cut out the leather. Unfortunately I did things backwards, so now I have a left-handed holster. I can make it so the flesh (unfinished) side is out, but obviously that isn't ideal.

I was wondering if you all could suggest some solutions. Is there a way to finish the flesh side to make it smooth? What should I do?

I intended to try some decorative carving/stamping, but that may be out of the question now.

Thanks for any tips and suggestions.

Todd

[skeeter]

Couldn't you take another thin piece of leather and glue it flesh side to flesh side. Then outside and inside will be smooth. If not to thick to still use for holster.

[St8LineGunsmith]

I was going to suggest what skeeter suggested if the leather is too thick just make a left handed holster for practiceing your tooling

one thing .for sure many of us have made that same mistake and once you make mistakes like that you very rarely make them twice.

Just chock it up as learning experience

[TwinOaks]

You can cover it or you can slick it....search 'slicking the flesh side'. Covering it will look best, IMO.

[Chief31794]

Still good practice and lessons well learned. Lining it might be acceptable as previously suggested. All of us have projects that didn't go as well as they should and wound up in the "bin".

Chief

Edited October 29, 2012 by Chief31794

[IngleGunLeather]

Plenty of good looking rough side out holsters. Very popular for Inside the Waist Band (IWB) holsters. You could make smooth side out cover/reinforcement pice with tooling on it for some contrast. It also might depend on what the rough side looks like. Hermann Oak and similar leathers look best rough side out. Tandy, not so much.

[hillsmithy]

Thanks for the feedback. It's Tandy and it's quite thick. I could thin it for glueing another piece. I'm operating on a real low budget, and only have a few pieces of leather, so I might try other options. I'll search "slicking the flesh side." Yes, I doubt I'll make this mistake again. Hopefully it will turn into a happy mishap.

[Shooter McGavin]

Honestly I really like the look of "rough out" holsters. Dye it a nice saddle tan or british tan, then cut a dark brown reinforcement piece and stitch it to the front.

As an additional benefit, you will end up with a leather lined holster as well!

Dont get discouraged, roll with it and see what comes out of it, I bet it will look cool!

[St8LineGunsmith]

you can always get a wire brush and brush the nap up to make it look like suede

I know what you mean about working on a budget.

leather working tools are expensive but a lot of the hardware aint bad

take some pics and show us how it turns out

[immiketoo]

I just had this happen to me for much the same reason. S#!T happens. If you are going to thin it, use a drum sander on the flesh side and work the crappy back side down to an appropriate thickness, or just use the sanded flesh side. I had to do that to my Tandy leather recently and it looked pretty decent after I was done sanding. Be warned, it will look like it snowed leather bits when you're done, but it's worth it.

[hillsmithy]

I appreciate the additional thoughts. I'm going to take some sandpaper to it and see what happens. I kind of like your idea too, Shooter McGavin.

Will get some pics posted.

[hillsmithy]

Here are a few shots of what I've done so far....

[hillsmithy]

Well, I dug around and found some dark leather I had stashed away. It's thinner than the holster leather and will provide a wonderful contrast. I'm not sure exactly what to do as far as design is concerned, but I'd like to have the light and dark playing off each other. I was wondering if dark leather can take tooling/art work. It doesn't seem to me like it would show up very well. Thanks for any suggestions.

[IngleGunLeather]

use the darker color for your band. if you go that route and not line it, be sure to dye the inside of the holster to match.

http://www.holsters4...oduct/W-JR.html

Edited October 31, 2012 by CountryTrash

[renegadelizard]

i would line it with the dark and go with white thread...stitch every seam before folding it over and sewing the rest of it together...it looks like its a slim jim design, so the sewing wont be nearly as bad as it would be on a mexican loop holster...my first holster was a revolver as well...good choice for a first piece...oh, and i just didi the opposite of you....i wanted to cut out a pattern for a sig 1911, but i wanted mine flesh out so i could overlay it with fake ostrich ...i cut ti the normal way of course...lol...gotta start writing more on my patterns...crossdraw avengers seem to be my nemesis here lately....good luck and post some pics when you are done...

[katsass]

From the grump; Looks like you are using Al Stohlman's book to learn with, I think I'd just attach a band (forming a loop) of your dark stuff to the end of the belt loop already cut, and make the thing into a 'half-skirt'' holster. You could then (if you are working on a real tight budget and don't have the dye) wet the thing down in some old, real strong (cold) coffee for the wet molding process. That would give you some color to the body of the holster, and a nice contrast with the retaining band, when dry and formed, apply your finish.

Edited October 31, 2012 by katsass

[hillsmithy]

Thanks, CountryTrash. The pic link was helpful. Renegade, enjoyed looking at your site. Nice work. Katsass, yes I'm using the Stohlman book. Tight budget is definitely my situation, so I like the coffee dye suggestion. At the end of your post you said to "apply the finish." What do you suggest. I've never finished any leather.....This is not only my first holster, it's my first attempt at anything with leather.

[renegadelizard]

The finish that Katsass, aka...the Grump..or Mike in some circles prefers is good old mop and glow cut 50/50 with water...its cheap and effective..some like it, some dont, but most try it cause Mike has been using it for longer than most of us have been alive, so his word is highly esteemed...for a flesh side out, i would wet form and let it dry for a day or two, then dip the whole thing in the mop and glow mix, pull it out, shake it off, and let it dry for another day or two...

[katsass]

From a grumpy (frugal) old guy; Well, you may think this odd, but many (40 or more) years ago i ran out of the acrylic finish I was using at the time, and being 45 miles or so from the nearest place to get some more, I started to look around. Ma Kat was cleaning up and using Mop&Glow on the floor and it looked a lot like what I had been using on leather. After some messing around and reading a bit - - that's just what went on the leather. Mop & Glow mixed 50/50 with water. I now use an airbrush to apply, but a used Windex bottle sprayer works well. Just stand off from your project a foot or so and let the stuff sort of 'mist' on, evenly. It'll absorb real QUICKLY - - and dry fast on warm leather, especially on the rough-out side. After a couple of minutes apply a second light coat. That's about it. On the grain side (smooth leather) you can follow up with a hand rubbed coat of Kiwi neutral shoe polish and buff to a low sheen. I've now been using it for the said 40 or more years - on all of my stuff. Mike

Edited October 31, 2012 by katsass

[hillsmithy]

Thanks! I'm all over these "guerilla" types of solutions. I also fool around with blacksmithing, and love scavenging and coming up with improvised tools and implements. I make all of my knives and tools with scrap. Don't ask what my yard looks like, or what my wife things about it....

We also raise goats (we get all of our milk for a bunch of children from two goats, with extra for kefir, yogurt, and the chickens!). I have at least one nice skin in the freezer. We also have four goats that have been needing butchering for way too long. (We need the meat and can't afford the feed.) I'm going to give processing skins my best shot. Finding time is the hardest part.

[immiketoo]

A true renaissance man! Goat hides are very cool and I'm sure you could sell them here if you get them processed decently. That would help out with the leather hobby. Just my 2 pence.

[hillsmithy]

Thanks, immiketoo. If I know myself, there will be a pretty significant learning curve with tanning. But we'll see.

Made a little more progress on the holster tonight. After throwing around a bunch of ideas, I just decided to stay simple. I stitched on a dark decorative band. Then a hammer spur strap, and finally the belt loop. Next I'll cut the edge filler and stitch her together.

[hillsmithy]

Cut the filler and added extra filler to top and bottom, skiving to blend in.

Stitched it all together, and took a walk in the desert. Performed as I had hoped. Now I need to finish it. After touching up the profile and burnishing, do I rub in oil then apply Mike's "Mop N Glo"? Do I "Mop N Glo" first and then oil? Do I just "Mop N Glo" but not oil? Thanks!