Making Waves

[samcolt45]

Hi all,

I have an S.D. Myres model 38 holster I'm attempting to duplicate for my father as a Christmas gift. The rear of the holster has a unique, stepped-down or wavy spine that

spans from the rearward-most portion of the trigger guard to the end of the tip of the ejector rod. I've attached photos of other holsters to serve as examples, though if necessary I can photograph mine. I'd like to know how replicate this delineation on my own. For me, the solution involved making color Xerox copies the front of my Myres holster and enlarging them to I had something I could cut out and imcorporate into my pattern. But, I know there's got to be a better, more practical way to do it.

Bob Boyd

AKA Samcolt45

[Josh Ashman]

Bob,

The easiest thing to do is to fold a piece of paper in half then unfold it. Take your unloaded pistol and place it upside down with the front and rear sight centered on the fold line on the paper. Roll the pistol onto its side (doesn't really matter which side, just try to keep the barrel "square" with the fold line). Trace the outline of the pistol then set it aside. Make a series of reference points 3/4" or so away from the outline of the pistol. Connect these reference dots and you have outside of your holster pattern, also called the main seam on this type of holster. Add any exaggeration you like in the main seam then cut it out. fold the paper back on it's pre-folded centerline and mark the other side and cut it out. From there you can call one side the "front" and draw a pleasing cut at the top front. Make a wing on the "back that will fold over to create the belt loop.

That is basically the process described in Al Stohman's book "How to Make Holsters" and it works famously. If you have much of an interest in building holsters you should own this little book.

Good luck with your project,

Josh

[katsass]

Sam, do just as Josh has described. That 'wave" is actually clearance at the front of the pistol's frame, and helps determine the depth that the gun will seat in the finished holster. Revolver holsters allow the gun to seat either on the front of the trigger guard, the front of the frame, or, as in this case, both. Auto pistols, on the other hand, basically always seat on the front of the trigger guard. Here is a pic of a personal holster of mine made from a pattern just as Josh described. By looking at the pic with the gun in the holster you can see where the front of the trigger guard seats, the front of the cylinder is, and between the two, the front of the frame. Mike

[samcolt45]

Bob,

The easiest thing to do is to fold a piece of paper in half then unfold it. Take your unloaded pistol and place it upside down with the front and rear sight centered on the fold line on the paper. Roll the pistol onto its side (doesn't really matter which side, just try to keep the barrel "square" with the fold line). Trace the outline of the pistol then set it aside. Make a series of reference points 3/4" or so away from the outline of the pistol. Connect these reference dots and you have outside of your holster pattern, also called the main seam on this type of holster. Add any exaggeration you like in the main seam then cut it out. fold the paper back on it's pre-folded centerline and mark the other side and cut it out. From there you can call one side the "front" and draw a pleasing cut at the top front. Make a wing on the "back that will fold over to create the belt loop.

That is basically the process described in Al Stohman's book "How to Make Holsters" and it works famously. If you have much of an interest in building holsters you should own this little book.

Good luck with your project,

Josh

Hi josh,

As a matter of fact I'm familiar with that book and I do have a copy. Following that method, I'be made several patterns, but the angles have me quite stumped.

Bob

[samcolt45]

Thanks Mike,

Yeah, I've followed the instructions in Stohman's book and have made a lot of patterns sine we conversed last. For some reason though, these angles are giving me a fit.

Bob

[Josh Ashman]

Bob,

I don't know if this helps or not but whenever I'm making a new pattern I'll make a lot of lines as I search for the right curve. Then once I start to see something I like I clean up the stray marks with an eraser. Sometimes I'll have 1/4" wide pencil marks before I clean them up and narrow them down. I also use the standard curve templates, i.e. coffee cup, coffee can lid, spray paint can lid etc...

Good luck,

Josh