Is My Leather To Thick?

[harley45]

I'm still learning this and I picked up some 8-9oz HO leather and made a couple holsters and I can't seem to get the boning as nice as some I see on here? I am pretty sure I'm casing it right and it holds the basic shape after molding but I can't get the details to show thru just the basic shape, should I try 7-8oz instead?

Thanks

[George B]

I have found that the thinner the leather the easier it is to get great detailing, but that would just make sense. It did however take me a while to figure that out.

The heaviest I use is 9-10 oz. for pancakes, normally I use 8-9 oz.

8-9 oz. body with 9-10 oz. throat and belt tunnel for Avengers.

9-10 oz. for the outer and 5-6 oz. for the liner on western.

7-8 oz. makes a great light weight holster with fantastic detail but most of my customers want something more substantial.

I don't really case the leather due to time. After assembly and edging I give it a dunk or two in luke warm water, seat the weapon, do some basic hand forming and set it aside to dry out some (dummy gun in, actual weapon out).

When it dries to where I can work it I do my boning and detailing.

[chiefjason]

I only use 8-9 oz on my holsters. You may be getting it too wet. You don't need to wet it much, just a couple seconds dunk or under running water. I have started casing mine for 20 minutes in a plastic ziplock. It really changes the texture of the leather and seems to work faster for me. It kills me to let it sit though.

If leather is too wet it will sometimes release the details. They just don't stay as sharp as they should. Most initial molding mistake seem to start with getting the leather too wet.

[harley45]

Chief that is exactly what I do to case and the basic shape and trigger guard come out just like I see some other guys on here, I just wondered if the detail would be more defined on 7-8oz leather. Don't get me wrong I like the 8-9 but since I'm just playing around as a hobby I was curious

[chiefjason]

Keep in mind that some guys on here are pressing their holsters not hand forming them. You get a bit of a different result from a press than from doing it by hand.

BTW, my holsters don't have details show through as much as I draw them on the leather with a bone folder or some other tool. If I want a specific thing molded I'll single that spot out and work on it. For example, the bump on the 1911 frame, Glock takedown lever, or the divot on the frame of the PT111 G2. That stuff never comes through just pressing out the main shape with your thumbs or some other tool. And the lines are more drawn on the outside of the leather with tools than pressed in.

Hope that makes sense. Or maybe you already know all that and we are just talking around the problem.