1911 Holster with Caiman throatband.

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

Hey guys and gals. It's been a little bit since I posted, so I thought I would show a few pics of a holster I made yesterday. It is a 1911 holster with 15 degree cant and 1 1/2" belt slots, and the throatband is laminated with Caiman.

I really like using this Wicket and Craig leather for my belt holsters, and I've been very happy with how they have turned out since switching to that leather. This picture is of the holster before I have applied the acrylic finish, so you guys can see how nice this leather looks. Questions, critiques and comments are welcome.

[shockme2]

That looks excellent.

[rdb]

Nice job!!. The brown cayman matches in there real good. The double stitch lines are a professional touch.

How hard was it to stitch the cayman? Did you have to allow for the bend, or just fit and stitch?

The W&C has a nice look.

[ArtS]

That is really a beautiful holster. Well done!

ArtS

[Shorts]

Beautiful holster

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

Thanks for the compliments, everyone.

rdb, caiman and alligator are a little challenging to use on an Askins Avenger style holster because there is a certain amount of stretching that they have to do, and that material doesn't stretch as well as some others. I tend to apply alchohol to the caiman before I bend the holster to sew the edges and that helps a little.

As far as the stitching goes, I just take it slow and I dont try to force it. You want the stitches to be as even as possible, but sometimes that won't work because of the ridges so you have to occasionally run a stitch a little long or a little short to avoid obstacles. The bigger challenge to this holster was that the customer requested a steel reinforced band insid the throat, so I had to work around that when I was putting the holster together. All in all, I'm pretty happy with my 1911 holster pattern at this point. It only took who knows how many tries to get there......

[rickybobby]

Nice job on the 1911 holster! What do you use to get all the detail in your holsters? I have done a few and have not been able to get that kind of detail. I have not tried the W.C. leather, does that detail better then others? I have been on your website and all of your work looks top notch!

Thanks for your posts. I always like your work!

Rick Jorgenson

[DCKNIVES]

Love it Jeff. exceptional work bud.Dave

[BradB]

Wow that is awesome!! Do you find the better leather is easier to sew or tool, is it softer or easier to work then say Tandy leather?

[Rhome]

Outstanding !!!!!!!!!!

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

Thanks again for the compliments, guys.

rickybobby, I use a bone folder to detail the holsters after I press them in a rubber press to bring out some of the lines, but is is possible to do the same job by starting out with your thumbs (it just takes a little longer, which is why I use the press). The real answer to your question is lots of practice. I make a lot of 1911 holsters, so over time I have been able to decide how I want them to look. When I make holsters for a new pistol it deosn't come out as clean yet because I haven't always figured out which lines to bone.

BradB, Wicket and Craig or Herman Oak Leather are much easier to work with than any of the others I have tried personally (but they cost a bit more, too). You can get the same detailing in much less time as the leather doesn't offer up as much resistence, and takes shape easier (oth are also much easier to tool, but you have to be careful when you sew them because they are also easier to mark and scar). Also, you don't have to soak the nicer brands of leather to make them pliable. You can dip them for under a second or spray them to case and bone them. That saves a lot of time since you don't have to wait nearly as long to start doing the boning and shaping (starting when the hoslter is too wet is probably the biggest mistake that most people make when shaping their holsters). The leather I learned on actually took 14 seconds in 150 degree water to get the results I wanted. I can get the results I want with W&C using hot water straight from the tap. The draw back is cost; after getting the leather to the specs I want, it costs more than horsehide.

[usmc0341]

Awesome work as always!!!!

[BruceGibson]

Beautiful, Jeff!

[Srigs]

Nice looking holster Boom! I can see it could be an interesting challenge stitching it.

[carr52]

Where can I get a blue gun or I think they call them red guns now cheap to use as a mold?

Tom

[Randyc]

Where can I get a blue gun or I think they call them red guns now cheap to use as a mold?

Tom

Tom, Do a wildcard internet search for Rings Blue Guns. Many police equipment suppliers carry them. I've seen them priced from $35.00-$50.00 so it pays to shop around. I've never used a Red Gun, but have heard from other holster makers that Red Gun's are not as close in size as the Blue Guns.

Randy

[Srigs]

Where can I get a blue gun or I think they call them red guns now cheap to use as a mold?

Tom

Here is the best place I have found. Good price and shipping with great service. Let them know I sent you. I have an order of 10 forms coming from them.

http://www.tacticalselfdefense.com/Products/trainingguns.htm

I have a couple of the red ASP forms and some Blackhawk forms they all work well. The new Blackhawk forms are very good quality and detail but only a few guns available.

Erik

Edited September 3, 2008 by Srigs

[K-Man]

Actually the cheapest place to buy the blue guns is from Ring's themselves, www.blueguns.com.

Edited September 3, 2008 by K-Man