Holster "fillers"

[supercub]

Don't get me wrong. I think a welt is absolutely necessary on a knife sheath to prevent the blade from cutting the stitches. Only time I wouldn't use a welt was if the leather was a decorative cover over a rigid liner (like a wooden liner for a sword scabbard). My complaint was specific to the large "unnecessary" stack of welting that substituted for proper fitting and design. I try to keep the welt thickness equal to or slightly thicker than the blade. It helps prevent the blade from moving around inside the sheath. The sheath I referenced was actually dangerous since the wide welt allowed the blade to move around and work a hole into the non welt side.

As a design element in a holster, I can see it in a conventional (not detail molded) style. Yours looks great!

[Josh Ashman]

I put full welts in western holsters and knife sheaths. The reason in knife sheaths is to keep from cutting the stitches and holsters is because I like how it looks, and like Robert, I like that it stiffens up the main seam. There's no "lack of design" or "making up for improper fitting" going on, it's intentional. I don't put welts in pancake holsters although I think Lobo has a design that does this. There's plenty of ways to do the job, just whatever you like.

Best regards, Josh

[Eaglestroker]

Nice color - I like that one.

On this one, you're talking about gaining the thickness in trade for the width. Got it. Tough to tell from that angle, but it looks like you've added a welt nearly the length of the seam. Was it too tight without the full-length filler? I mean, could you have got away with a filler from the trigger guard - say - half way down, tapering to nothing?

Or, what of the person who wants the trigger covered? Would you still use a filler, or just come back that half inch (or likely a bit more) to let the trigger fall into the leather?

Feibings Pro Oil Dark Chocolate cut 40/60 with denatured alcohol, two coats then oil and resolene. It's a pretty consistent color and so dark some mistake it for black which is what I was looking for.

The angle isn't ideal but I was lucky to have that picture considering that was a year old. That one required a reverse taper where it was a single 8 oz layer at the top and tapered to a double layer at the bottom to accommodate the lug and big snout of the 44. If one wanted a cover trigger guard I'd probably have a piece of of leather over it - if your worried about the leather becoming soft you could put a retention screw on the backside of the trigger guard. Too much hassle to try and take the stitching up that far IMO on this design.

Don't get me wrong. I think a welt is absolutely necessary on a knife sheath to prevent the blade from cutting the stitches. Only time I wouldn't use a welt was if the leather was a decorative cover over a rigid liner (like a wooden liner for a sword scabbard). My complaint was specific to the large "unnecessary" stack of welting that substituted for proper fitting and design. I try to keep the welt thickness equal to or slightly thicker than the blade. It helps prevent the blade from moving around inside the sheath. The sheath I referenced was actually dangerous since the wide welt allowed the blade to move around and work a hole into the non welt side.

As a design element in a holster, I can see it in a conventional (not detail molded) style. Yours looks great!

Everyone has their own style - that's the fun in leather work.

I put full welts in western holsters and knife sheaths. The reason in knife sheaths is to keep from cutting the stitches and holsters is because I like how it looks, and like Robert, I like that it stiffens up the main seam. There's no "lack of design" or "making up for improper fitting" going on, it's intentional. I don't put welts in pancake holsters although I think Lobo has a design that does this. There's plenty of ways to do the job, just whatever you like.

Best regards, Josh

Bingo Josh. Ray's "Enhanced Pancake" uses a welt to allow the belt to pass through a center layer and out the back. Excellent design that really sucks the holster up tight against the body, and the welt adds a lot of rigidity/support to the 'wings' of the pancake.