First Holster

[srtboise]

hi all,

after making a couple belt pouches (http://leatherworker...showtopic=46654) i decided i needed a holster, too

holes were pre-punched with a chisel punch. i plan to use an awl on my next project...thread is some linen i had on hand that i use for bowstrings. it is a bit thick for this application but it's what i had available. the stitch line is not close enough and retention is not very good.

thanks to all the great folks on this forum for sharing their knowledge and to Adams Leatherworks for his holster making video tutorials!

thanks for looking, i welcome all comments and criticism.

steve

[particle]

Looks great! They'll only get better as you go. A little more definition in the boning would help with retention - what thickness leather are you using?

[srtboise]

Thanks Eric, I used a piece of sugar maple I sanded smooth as a boning tool. Not sure if it was the tool, the lack of skill, or the thickness of leather that was preventing good definition but I tried and tried to get a similar look that you show in your vids. I have a real boning tool on order, tho. The leather is from a crappy shoulder I picked up from my local Tandy store. It was supposed to be 8-9 oz but I didn't know what I was looking at when I bought it, just took the word of the sales guy. It ranges in thickness from just over 1/8" down to under 1/16" In places. This holster was cut from one of the more even, thicker areas.

steve

[particle]

Ahh - good ol' Tandy leather....

Here is my 6th holster - it, and all my previous holsters, were all made from Tandy leather...

This was my very next holster (#7, and my first Avenger holster), and the first time I used Herman Oak. I didn't magically get better at boning - the leather played a HUGE part by simply being easier to work with. That, and I think this particular hide may have been slightly thinner.

Here's my next one (#9):

Give Springfield Leather a call next time you order leather and ask for some Herman Oak. Or order directly from Wickett & Craig - they'll split the leather to whatever thickness you want for no additional cost.

Having a real bone folder will help immensely too because they're nice and smooth and slide over the leather much easier.

[srtboise]

Thanks for sharing, Eric. That is very encouraging. I plan to order from Springfield as soon as it is in my budget, no more Tandy for me.

steve

[particle]

Last time I was on Springfields website, I think I saw they were selling small squares of Herman Oak for small projects. Probably costs a lot more per square foot, but a lot cheaper than buying a whole hide. Just something to think about.