Request For Belt Holster Pattern

[warrior193]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and to date have only fairly basic leather working experiance. I want to make a belt combination holster for EDC of my SAK folder and Fenix E11 mini tatical flashlight. Can anyone suggest a source for a suitable pattern for this project?

Warrior193.

[gainesvilleman]

You could try Tandy Leather, they have a lot of patterns, you may have to modify to your specific need, good luck...

[warrior193]

You could try Tandy Leather, they have a lot of patterns, you may have to modify to your specific need, good luck...

Thanks gainsvilleman, I have already looked at their site - they only appear to have one kit that's even slightly close to what I want, and I can't get a close look at the image. I want to scratch build a suitable EDC leather belt holster for my Huntsman SAK and my Fenix E 11. Anyone else out there with a suggestion? Failing that, I guess that I will just have to get "creative" - Oh Dear! and things were starting to go so well too.

Warrior193.

[warrior193]

You could try Tandy Leather, they have a lot of patterns, you may have to modify to your specific need, good luck...

P.S. That's an interesting profile image you've got - is that a cut-down 16 gauge in the holster?

Warrior193

[J Hayes]

I make all of my own holster patterns from manila file folder and I use a stapler to mimic stitch lines. Get after it and have some fun, it will be much more rewarding if you've made your own pattern. Those should be fairly easy to make, look at magazine carriers for inspiration.

[JoeSnuffie]

This is a really good video that shows you start to finish, how to measure and make a knife case. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZKxHdNIiP4

There are a number generous leatherworkers out there who do a great service in sharing what they've learned.

[warrior193]

I make all of my own holster patterns from manila file folder and I use a stapler to mimic stitch lines. Get after it and have some fun, it will be much more rewarding if you've made your own pattern. Those should be fairly easy to make, look at magazine carriers for inspiration.

Hi J, thanks for your reply - do you pre-mark the spacing for the staples first, and do you wet the manila folder card before shaping it?

Warrior193.

[J Hayes]

I don't wet the folder. I eyeball the stitch lines and mark them with a pencil then staple the pattern together to test fit, DO remember the leather is much thicker than the paper and you need to leave extra room for the thickness of the leather. Search and there are some good tutorials on pattern making.

[Chief31794]

I make my holster patterns (each gun, I don't save patterns) on poster board. There are several books and tutorials on how to draw out a holster or sheath pattern, but it is relatively simple. I use a set of angles to get the center line perpendicular to the bottom, then I use a set of french curves to lay out curves across the top etc. I think most people make their own patterns. I have some patterns in books and pattern sets, but I wouldn't trust nor use them. Best way is to draw them out yourself.

Chief

[gainesvilleman]

Warrior 193;

Sorry it took so long to get back to you, the profile picture is for a Serbu Supper Shorty 12 gauge shotgun. As a retired law enforcement officer I make a lot of items for police departments. One of the local swat team commanders asked me to make this for his Serbu it is only 18" long and they use it to breach doors as it is short enough to wheel around and not bump anything with a long barrel shotgun. The word got out ad I was getting orders from all over the states.

[Steve75]

I too make my own patterns. I have made a holster from Al Stohlman's How to Make Holsters. My Dad ended up with the holster. I have made much more fun making patterns for my holsters and producing the holster from that pattern. I still look back at the How to Make Holsters book but merely for inspiration. Search the internet. Find a style you like and try to emulate, or put your own spin on it. It is much more fun and rewarding in my opinion.

[Campchair]

I too make my own patterns. I have made a holster from Al Stohlman's How to Make Holsters. My Dad ended up with the holster. I have made much more fun making patterns for my holsters and producing the holster from that pattern. I still look back at the How to Make Holsters book but merely for inspiration. Search the internet. Find a style you like and try to emulate, or put your own spin on it. It is much more fun and rewarding in my opinion.

Second that. Buy all the Stohlman books. They are worth every cent you spend, as they have tips, best methods, advice, and the like. They might be a tad dated, (CB radio case, and case for flash cubes... ), but the basic principles they outline are timeless. And, in his "How to Make Holsters" (or something like that..) he shows exactly how to lay out a holster pattern. This methodology is transferrable to knives, flashlight cases, mace carriers, ....anything.

And, buy all the manila file folders you can afford. Legal ones are best; overlap and tape together if your project is really BIG. I have several folks with office type operations that call me when they clean out their files. (Dr's, Dentists, county courthouses, and law offices,) The used ones with notes scribbled in and on them are just as good as new ones. I keep a stack about 3" thick all the time just for patterns.

[rejerome]

Go to YouTube and do a search for "richard black holster patterns". He has a couple videos that are pretty good for beginner holster designers.

Good luck.

[warrior193]

This is a really good video that shows you start to finish, how to measure and make a knife case. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZKxHdNIiP4

There are a number generous leatherworkers out there who do a great service in sharing what they've learned.

Thanks very much for the link JS, thats very informative for the tecniques required for my project. I will use this as a basis for my new pouch - but of course mine will have an additional loop on one side for the E11 - my present thoughts on that is to make it a continuous part of the front of the pouch, IE. stiching in a "ditch" or channel on one side of the pouch before the moulded front leather comes back out to form the loop for the flashlight. I think that this will make a neater job of it viewed from the front. Do you think that this will work?

I'm thinking of having a cover flap over the knife pouch only, leaving the flashlight loop open top and bottom.

If the loop for the mini tac is not tight enough to prevent it from slipping out the bottom of the loop, I could include a small flap of leather at the lower part of it, as on the bottom edge of a shotgun ammo belt.

Regards, Warrior193.

[warrior193]

Go to YouTube and do a search for "richard black holster patterns". He has a couple videos that are pretty good for beginner holster designers.

Good luck.

Thank you for the pointer Rex, I'll take a look at his videos.

Warrior193.

[JoeSnuffie]

What you're describing sounds like it will work. For new designs, I usually end up trying and failing at least once before I get it right.