Welt Construction Question

[harley45]

I recently saw a picture of a holster called the Rhodesion (sp) and for some reason I'm kinda enamored with the design. From the pics it looks like it was built with a welt in the front and back of the holster. I'm thinking about trying the design and was wondering what weight leather you folks use for welts, and any other advice you could share on the purpose or theory of welts?

Thanks

Eric

[Dwight]

When I do a Rhodesian, . . . I do not use welts. I lay out the pattern, . . . put on the clip, . . . stiffener (if needed), . . . decorative pieces, . . . etc, . . . then I get the whole thing real good and wet, . . . and fold and mold the holster to the weapon.

The only sewing left to be done is the main seam that goes down the sight channel, . . . along the bottom, . . . and up to meet the trigger guard.

I then hang it up to dry, . . . usually on a string through the channel that is the trigger guard.

When it is dry (minimum 24 hours), . . . I remove the string, . . . insert the weapon, . . . close it back up tight, . . . check for fit, . . . glue the edges, . . . sand, bevel, and burnish, . . . sew, . . . finish, . . . done.

May God bless,

Dwight

[harley45]

That was how I originally intended to do it but then when I studied the pics I noticed that it dod have the welts and I was trying to figure out if they were necessary or what purpose they served, good to know it can be done without

[Dwight]

The only thing I would put in a welt for (only along the sight track) woudl be for a handgun that had a sharp & wide or tall front sight, . . . just go give it clearance.

With the automatics, . . . the sewing creates a little valley for the sight, . . . no problem for it.

May God bless,

Dwight

[St8LineGunsmith]

the welts are usually put in for the trigger guard to have a pocket to fit in and is intended for holsters that incorperate a strap or thumb break and has no retention on the firearm.

I dont like using welts because it makes the holster more difficult to hand stitch but some holsters have to incorperate a welt in order for the holster to function according to the preference of the user.

[vaalpens]

When I do a Rhodesian, . . . I do not use welts. I lay out the pattern, . . . put on the clip, . . . stiffener (if needed), . . . decorative pieces, . . . etc, . . . then I get the whole thing real good and wet, . . . and fold and mold the holster to the weapon.

The only sewing left to be done is the main seam that goes down the sight channel, . . . along the bottom, . . . and up to meet the trigger guard.

I then hang it up to dry, . . . usually on a string through the channel that is the trigger guard.

When it is dry (minimum 24 hours), . . . I remove the string, . . . insert the weapon, . . . close it back up tight, . . . check for fit, . . . glue the edges, . . . sand, bevel, and burnish, . . . sew, . . . finish, . . . done.

May God bless,

Dwight

Dwight, the Rhodesian holster is also on my to-do list since Rhodesia is close to where I come from. I have already designed the holster, but I just need to decide on the best leather weight to use. What weight do you use when making a Rhodesian? One thing you mentioned in your directions is to ".....put on the clip...". What do you mean by putting on the clip? You also indicate that you mold it, hang it up to dry, and then glue and sew. I normally would glue, sew, dunk, put the gun in and then form/mold. Is there a benefit to molding first and then sewing?

[Dwight]

1. What weight do you use when making a Rhodesian?

2. One thing you mentioned in your directions is to ".....put on the clip...". What do you mean by putting on the clip?

3. You also indicate that you mold it, hang it up to dry, and then glue and sew. I normally would glue, sew, dunk, put the gun in and then form/mold. Is there a benefit to molding first and then sewing?

1. I hate to hedge on the answer, . . . but the weight is dependant on the person, . . . use, . . . weapon, . . . suffice to say that most are in the 6/7 or 7/8 weights. If it is going to be worn outside the belt, . . . I go thicker, . . . an IWB gets thinner leather.

2. I use the Rhodesian style of holster mostly for small automatics, . . . (see pictures), . . . which seldom have belt loops, relying on a metal clip to hold them onto the wearer's clothing or belt.

3. A long time ago in my holster working, . . . I found that reversing the molding / sewing process, . . . would give me a better fit to the weapon. I know there will be those who argue, . . . but it works for me, . . . I know ABSOLUTELY, . . . EXACTLY, . . . where to put the stitch line, . . . and am confident that it will not come loose some day in the forseeable future.

Folks who make the same holster day in and day out have the luxury of a proven, guaranteed pattern, . . . whereas a lot of my work is custom, . . . 1 of 1. That makes the process have to be different.

I hope this helps.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Red Cent]

Comparable to an old Smith & Wesson holster of the 70s.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/redcent69/Leather/SWholster001.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/redcent69/Leather/SWholster002.jpg

[Dwight]

Actually a much different construction technique, . . . mine is wrapped around the trigger guard, . . . the other one is open.

Mine is basically one piece of leather for the holster body, . . . theirs is multiple, . . . plus welts, . . .

Mine is also TIGHT, . . . does not need a phillips head screw to keep the gun in.

But from 30 feet, . . . they probably do look alike.

May God bless,

Dwight

[vaalpens]

1. I hate to hedge on the answer, . . . but the weight is dependant on the person, . . . use, . . . weapon, . . . suffice to say that most are in the 6/7 or 7/8 weights. If it is going to be worn outside the belt, . . . I go thicker, . . . an IWB gets thinner leather.

2. I use the Rhodesian style of holster mostly for small automatics, . . . (see pictures), . . . which seldom have belt loops, relying on a metal clip to hold them onto the wearer's clothing or belt.

3. A long time ago in my holster working, . . . I found that reversing the molding / sewing process, . . . would give me a better fit to the weapon. I know there will be those who argue, . . . but it works for me, . . . I know ABSOLUTELY, . . . EXACTLY, . . . where to put the stitch line, . . . and am confident that it will not come loose some day in the forseeable future.

Folks who make the same holster day in and day out have the luxury of a proven, guaranteed pattern, . . . whereas a lot of my work is custom, . . . 1 of 1. That makes the process have to be different.

I hope this helps.

May God bless,

Dwight

Dwight, thanks again for the insight.

I understand about the weight. I think I was looking for OWB, 1911, Rhodesian holster. It seems that most of the examples I have seen was for a 1911. I will probably go with a 8/9oz weight.

The clip thing. I had some idea you were talking about the clip used to clip the holster onto the belt. Sorry, my ignorance again since I have never seen an example of a Rhodesian holster with a clip.

I can understand how your method will work better, especially since the thickness of the leather is not always the same, especially if you start lining the holster. If I have a holster where it has to be folded around the gun, I would normally have some extra leather on the edges. I will then wet the area where it will fold, fold it and see if my measurements are correct. I will then glue and stitch and then mold.

Mine is all one off holsters also. For the fold around type holsters, I normally like to use some foam sheets to mock it up. That normally gets me very close to the final measurements.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my questions.