First Pancake Holster Attempt

[Order and Chaos]

A friend picked up a Sig P229 in .40 caliber. I asked him if he was interested in having me make a holster for him since I need the practice. He sat with me as I drew out the pattern so it's the way he wanted. A slightly oversized sweat shield behind the handgrip area, and he wanted the muzzle recessed down at the bottom for protection. The two main pieces are from a 8/9 oz single shoulder, the back (and between the two layers) is lined with some of the suede Tandy calls the "super softy". I used Fiebings oil black, and gave it a couple coats of super sheen. The stitching at the top of the sweat plate, and along the top and bottom of the outer piece were sewn with my Toro aritsan 3000, the stitching joining the two pieces together were done the normal two needle by hand method. It still needs the belt slots punched in, the plan is use my 3/8" round for the ends, 2 inch long slots.

Things I learned along the way, trim my fingernails before shaping or sewing the leather, make sure the edges are shaped properly before using the grooving tool, and don't rush on any of the steps.

[Order and Chaos]

Okay, trying to put in the image again.

[Rohn]

Looks like a good job. Fits the gun nicely.

[Dwight]

Once you punch your slots, you will probably find in about a month or two of wearing, . . . there is not enough leather to hold together for such a large and heavy gun.

Secondly, . . . your stitching needs to get closer to the weapon, . . . it will loosen up pretty quickly.

Third, . . . super softy will degrade, . . . scruff up fairly quickly with repeated holsterings and unholsterings. Another layer of veggie tan is far superior as a liner.

Fourth, . . . the sweat shield should never be behind the actual handle of the gun, . . . it makes accessing the weapon a pain if it has to be done quickly. Most of the time, a proper grip will not be made, . . . guns go flying, . . . not a pretty sight.

Now the good news: the leather work looks good, . . . stitching is REALLY good, . . . from what I can see of the edges, . . . that too is good. You do want to be aware, though, of any sharp corners. Those two pointy corners on the outside of the holster will become ratty real quick, . . . it is just one of those things that occurs with leather. Round all corners is the "rule".

May God bless,

Dwight

[JLSleather]

I'm rather with Dwight here. Leather and stitching look nice! But, that suede likely will break down pretty quickly. TWO problems there . 1) suede can catch and trap 'gunk' that can scratch and marr the firearm - 2) wear inside = loose holster (not good idea).

I prefer a bit easier access to the grip, but each his own.

[Red Cent]

"He sat with me as I drew out the pattern so it's the way he wanted."

Customer is always right.

Pattern is utilitarian but neat. Stitching very good.

While the customer is the ultimate say so'er, some suggestions as Dwight has suggested should be made (if they were not). He will be slow on the draw with the setup. Or dangerous.

Dwight, the two main pieces total around 17 ounces. That should be more than enough. for concealed carry. And the belt slots will be through the thick part. Should work fine.

And I agree with the comments about the suede.

[Order and Chaos]

The two sharp corners on the top layer now make me say "Doh! Why didn't I notice that?" especially since I just picket up one of those 9/16" corner punches.

The edges, I was using my dremel with the smalll sanding drum on it so (to me anyways) instead of a smooth arc around the perimeter of the holster, there are wavy ups and downs. Next time I'll dress the edge flat on a larger diameter sanding drum using my el cheapo turn a hand drill in to a press drill stand.

The Sig P229 seemed to be on the small side, or medium anyways to me compared to most of the semi-auto pistols I have.

The suede was already attached to the upper layer on the inside (barge contact cement) when I wet formed that piece.

[Dwight]

"He sat with me as I drew out the pattern so it's the way he wanted."

Customer is always right.

Pattern is utilitarian but neat. Stitching very good.

While the customer is the ultimate say so'er, some suggestions as Dwight has suggested should be made (if they were not). He will be slow on the draw with the setup. Or dangerous.

Dwight, the two main pieces total around 17 ounces. That should be more than enough. for concealed carry. And the belt slots will be through the thick part. Should work fine.

And I agree with the comments about the suede.

Respectfully disagree, . . . customer has the money, . . . and the business, . . . but he is not always right, . . . and I'm not afraid to tell him so, to his face. Many have no real clue what will or will not work, . . . but want to be "different".

I refuse to make SOB holsters because I hate seeing people in wheelchairs, . . . I also do not make horizontal shoulder holsters, . . . as I hate to see innocent people shot because they were standing behind trigger happy Tom as he pulled out his piece from his shoulder holster.

This particular holster will fall apart with daily use in less than 6 months. Once a pair of 2 inch slots are cut in that leather, . . . there will be less than a 1/4 of an inch between the slot edges and the stitches, . . . the P229 is a heavy gun, . . . it will bounce around and will stretch the leather, . . . and it will fail.

This is not to disparage the maker, . . . for an early piece, . . . it is good craftsmanship, . . . but design and craftsmanship are two totally different aspects. The most beautifully carved, stamped, edged, molded, dyed, antiqued, and bilnged holster ain't worth two cents if it was designed to be worn upside down hanging between your legs. This design if flawed in many respects, . . . and fortunately for the maker, . . . they are the early mistakes that we learn not to make later on.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Order and Chaos]

Thanks for the assorted insights, suggestions, and mild critques.

As to the input from the person that will be using the holster, I generally accepted what he wanted while we were spitballing ideas since he is a firearm instructor for the state, and I'm fairly certain this isn't going to be a CCW holster worn constantly, but now I know what to do when someone does want something that will use for years on a constant basis.

Just for my own reference I did a quick edit on a photo to get a reference point for the stitching. One is "as finished" the other with the aid of a freebie graphics program an indicator to make sure it's visible as to where the inside (along the pistol body) stitch line should go?