Holster Design (long)

[mattsh]

Here are some pictures of the homemade setup that I use to burnish the edges. I mounted everything to a 1"x12" board so I can clamp it down to my workbench then unclamp and move it when I am not using it.

Here is a bitmap image that I drew that shows what a cross-section picture would look like of an edge.

Edited October 25, 2008 by mattsh

[mattsh]

Here are some pictures of edges that I was able to get somewhat decent pictures.

These two pictures are of an edge that Lou Alessi did. This is what everyone strives for. Perfectly formed and a nice hard waxed edge.

This is a picture of an edge that I burnished. Its not bad but I still have a ways to go.

[mattsh]

In response to Rusty here are a couple pictures of the tools that I use the most.

From left to right: stitch spacing tool, free-hand stitching groove tool, adjustable stitching groove tool, edge beveler

The stitch spacing tool is a 5 stitch per inch and sorry I do not remember the edge beveler size.

From left to right: hole punch, razor blade knife, rasp, Tanner's Bond Leathercraft Cement

[mattsh]

Rusty -

You asked about drilling the holes. I find that it works best its makes a cleaner stitch in my opinion. I drill the holes with a drill press. I drill the holes from the outside in.

For finishing the edges I try to get the edge formed like the bitmap picture that I put above. To accomplish this I use a dremel with a drum sander attachment with a medium grit drum and sand the edges to that form. I then apply the hot liquid wax. It soaks in. I then remove any excess wax that may sit "on top" of the edge with a piece of denim in a burnishing type action. I then take it to my edge burnisher and burnish the edge to a nice hard shiny finish.

[mattsh]

Echo4v - I cannot answer your question I have not done stamping on any holsters. My assumption would be that you would do the stamping after the molding. Hopefully some of the others that have made holsters with stamping will chime in. I know there is a holster maker by name of Tucker that does alot of stamping on his holsters. I think he is on 1911forum and of course is at tuckergunleather.com.

[Srigs]

Great overview. Thanks for posting the overview.

[okiwen]

To add to the rest of the people. Thanks for taking the time to do your tutorial. I don't see the photos at work but was still able to follow quite well.

Does anyone differ from this way?

K

[Billsotx]

First let me say thanks for this tutorial, I have a S&W that I'm wanting to build a pancake for so this will greatly help me. Secondly, I have a question that is related but may be a whole other tutorial...

If you were going to say basket weave stamp your holster, at what step in the process would you do the stamping? I know for tooling you should glue on a backing to keep it from streatching out but what about stamping, will that also stretch the leather?

David

David, I'll chime in since it's been suggested. This probably isn't the only way and it may not be the right way, it's how I go about it. I stamp and/or tool right after I cut out the holster. As you pointed out the leather will stretch once you go to pounding on it - stamping/tooling it. Instead of gluing it to a backing I apply packing tape to the backside. I overlap the strips of tape about 1/2 to 1 inch and I let the ends run out a couple of inches because I'll next tape the whole thing onto a small piece of cardboard - real high tech here an empty cereal, cracker, cookie box ... lol! Can't help it, it's hereditary, my parents were depression kids. You don't have to attach it to a piece of cardboard if it's an entire holster, but that makes working with a mouth band or belt loops easier to handle.

Oops forgot one thing. Before you put the tape on. True up the edges so your borders are nice and even and well defined and also layout your stitch lines, unless you just want to plow through you're work; some folks do that and sometimes it looks ok. Anyway the inside stitch line should end up between two borders in my opinion. That's the way I've seen it done mostly and that's the look I like.

This is not etched in stone: If you're basket stamping (there's a couple of tutorials on the forum) I first use a lined or checkered beveler and bevel around my border on the side I'm going to stamp/tool. Next I'll layout a light mark if I'm basket-weave stamping and then apply all my basket-weave stamping. Then I use a decorative border stamp - a cam or geometric - and when through stamping and while still damp from quick casing I peel the leather off of the tape, not the tape off of the leather. If there's any residual glue and usually there is none from packing tape - rub that off with you fingers or a pencil eraser.

I've seen others apply the beveling after the basket-weave and some even leave the bevel off and just run their border stamps.

I've also seen it pressed, that is molded to the gun and that presses all your stamp impressions out into a remnant of a pattern and I tend to think - why bother to tool.

You can find a link to my web on my profile and go over there and look at a basket-weaved 1911 holster and there's a tooled mouth band on a revolver holster. I working on the site so there's only a page, but it might give you an idea or two.

Hope this helps. ~Bill

[Jordan]

Fine line as far as wetness for moulding, too wet and you will lose tooling depth and definition, too dry and moulding will not be as crisp around the weapon. There are to many curves and such to stamp after moulding and I have found experimentation is the only way to get it right, but then again, each time it is different. Also I found the better the quality of the leather the easier it is to straddle that fine line. Stohlmans book on holster making has a good description of basketweave process for a western type holster but boning a tight outline of the weapon does not seem to be the usual practice with that type of holster. Ain't leather grand, the fun part for me is trying stuff out and if it doesn't work try a different way.

[MADMAX22]

Yeah and then you get a different peice of leather and its allmost like starting over again LOL.