My Second Leather Holster

[thor447]

Hello everyone. I've lurked around here for awhile, picking up tips and tricks from the many seasoned vets here, and for that I thank you all very much. I've been building Kydex holsters on the side for the past 2 years and have wanted to try my hand at some leather work for awhile. I built this holster for a friend of mine for his Beretta 92 FS. This is the 2nd leather project I've attempted, the first being a holster for myself.

The only guidelines given to me were to make it a pancake holster with a slight forward cant and a full sweat shield. I was given free reign as far as the design went. I'm pretty new to leather work, but I am really proud of this one. I made this one from a nice piece of 8-9oz leather. The entire holster is double stitched. The front enforcement piece was stamped with his initials and resist dyed to bring out the letters. I airbrushed the holster myself with 4 shades of tan and black for a nice deep sunburst effect. Tell me what you guys think.

I know that hindsight is 20/20 and I'll be adjusting the stitch line on my template I made for this holster. The stitch line on the left side of the firearm is obviously not straight, but this one is for a friend, so I'm not too worried about it. Any I make in the future for this firearm will obviously have the stitch line parallel to the firearm.

-Adam

[TwinOaks]

That's just fantastic for a second holster! One thing I see that you didn't mention is the sharp points on top of the wings. Rounded works a little better for a few reasons. First, rounded doesn't snag clothing as easily. Second, the sharp point isn't as supported by the stitch, and can become tattered/dog eared over time. You're attention to the stitch line around the trigger guard is very good, and it should be a very serviceable holster.

You didn't specifically mention it, so I'll ask....did you remember to buff the dyed leather to prevent rub-off, and to seal the leather with a top coat? With the camera flash reflection, it looks like you did, but I just wanted to ask.

[thor447]

Thank you very much for the critique and the kind words. Your point about rounding the corners makes perfect sense and I'll be doing that from this point forward. As far as the stitching around the trigger guard goes, I think I just got really lucky! I measured the width of the firearm, halved that width and added a little bit as my measurement for making my stitch line. I've seen some stitch lines that were so good I've often wondered if they stitched the holster after they molded it. I guess those results only come with experience. This picture was taken just after I finished molding, and at this point right now I'm waiting for it to set overnight before I apply my top coat. I know the camera flash makes it look finished, but this is still just the dyed and has not been buffed or had the finish coat put on. That will be tomorrow. They want a glossy finish so I'll be buffing and apply some saddle lac to it tomorrow. I've been experimenting on some scraps with the saddle lac and other finishes, and I think I'm comfortable with that next step. If this were my holster, I'd prefer more of a satin finish, but they want it to be very glossy and I think the saddle lac will do the job.

[Blazin]

Excellent work, really like that coloration as well.

[mlapaglia]

Looks good. Something else to think about it leaving the bottom of the holster open. This way dust, dirt, water debris and stuff doesn't collect in the bottom of the holster.

[thor447]

Looks good. Something else to think about it leaving the bottom of the holster open. This way dust, dirt, water debris and stuff doesn't collect in the bottom of the holster.

There is about 1/4" opening at the bottom of the holster. I think it just may be the angle of the picture that makes it look closed, but there is an opening all the way across.

[Samalan]

NICE JOB ON THAT HOLSTER!

[Ran]

Looks good, Thor! Is it just an optical illusion, or might it be a little tight between the pistols grip and the top of the holster? I guess it depends on the size of the user's hands. My first holsters were too tight in that area and I've since altered my patterns to allow more grip space..

[thor447]

Looks good, Thor! Is it just an optical illusion, or might it be a little tight between the pistols grip and the top of the holster? I guess it depends on the size of the user's hands. My first holsters were too tight in that area and I've since altered my patterns to allow more grip space..

I appreciate it Ran. I don't think it is an optical illusion really, there isn't a large amount of space between the holster and the firearm, but enough to comfortably get one's hand on the firearm securely. Most of the kydex holster's I build have more room than this, and I think that in the future I'll give it a little more room. However, I have somewhat large hands and it felt pretty natural to me to get my hand on the grip of the pistol. I'm happy that the customer was very pleased with the product that was delivered, but I will probably add a little more room in the future. I know that not everyone will have the same size or smaller hands than I do.

[Ran]

I recently was given an airbrush by a dear friend and will start to experiment with the same types of dyeing patterns. Fun stuff!