Owb Pancake For Kimber 1911 3" Critique And Opinions Welcomed

[SooperJake]

Some times you want a little bit of slant prior to molding. The molding process will pull the slots up to vertical. Visually, this is very evident on belt slot mag carriers. You can do a test to see how much the stitch line on a mag (for instance) will angle or pull the leather. Glue two scrap squares together on three sides...just enough to hold them together. Wet and mold. Sew around the mag with no thread in your machine, or poke holes around the molded mag as if you were stitching by hand. Now tear apart the glue and press the front piece flat. You'll be amazed at the amount of angle you'll see from the bottom of the mag to the top.

[SooperJake]

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=40267&hl=magazine make the angle of the belt slots parallel to the stitch line as in this link ....the post #7 by particle

[RoosterShooter]

How did you cut your belt loops? Did you drill and cut or use a punch?

[mnelson8758]

Drilled and cut.. don't have a punch for them yet, on my list of tools to get.

[mnelson8758]

Thanks for the link SooperJake. Truely appreciate the help

[RoosterShooter]

The problem I have had in the past is that I cannot find a punch WIDE enough for my liking. The length of the punch is correct, but the width is too narrow. Know what I mean?

Edited May 13, 2013 by RoosterShooter

[mnelson8758]

Yeah I can see that being a problem. I haven't really looked at them to hard to really know the details of them af far as width and so on. I've been making the belt slots 3/8 inch seems to work pretty good for me, not sure what the common size is.

[renegadelizard]

I think it looks pretty good...i punch my belt slots after the holster is sewn together, and i cut them long and wide enough so that a slight cant to them will not interfere with the beltway...i dont know that i would start over on this holster...add another stitch line and i think it will be good to go...just alter your pattern so that next time the stichline is closer...

[SooperJake]

The problem I have had in the past is that I cannot find a punch WIDE enough for my liking. The length of the punch is correct, but the width is too narrow. Know what I mean?

Texas Custom Dies...I had one made 3/8" x 1 5/8",,,about $70 I think. Took a couple weeks to get it. The first one I had made was from Weaver and is a POS...even after I paid to send it right back to them because it came to me dull as hell, they basically sent it back in the same condition. I screwed it to the wall to remind me not to do business with Weaver. With shipping it back and original price I lost about $130, but gain important industry knowledge.

[mnelson8758]

Thanks renegadelizard! Might just have to add another stich line brother in law is happy with them, being that he was only using a Uncle Mikes nylon holster and I think everyone knows how good they are. Or at least it will get him buy til I get some better leather to work with, this was just stuff from Tandy, gonna place an order later this week when I get paid with Springfield Leather. Also gonna have to take a look at Texas Custom Dies a punch sure would make the slots little easier to do. Again thanks for the help.