Phone Holsters

[Airth]

As my first post here, I wanted to show something I did for a commission just recently. I'm in the process of making several more just like these, and hopefully each will be better than the last.

A co-worker has seen some of my past work, and wanted to know if I could make him a holster for his phone. He wanted a secure leather loop he could use while riding. Fast-forward a week or so and I had completed a working prototype to show him. This was made to fit my phone, an iPhone 5, which was a little taller than his.

After some discussion, we settled on a design and I got to work. The finished product is more of a wallet that holds a phone, as it has a front pocket to hold several cards. I made it adjustable and dyed it a very dark brown, hard to see since I had just treated it with mink oil. This was my first time setting letters too, so after a few practice runs I *still* managed to get them slightly off.

Although it has a few finish issues for my taste, he liked the "rough around the edges" look and is talking about commissioning me for more projects. Here's the finished product:

I'm still learning but he seemed happy with it, which is all that matters to me. Thanks for looking and offering your suggestions!

[Rohn]

Turned out pretty good if you ask me. Looks great from here.

[Airth]

Thank you, Sir!

[Halitech]

looks really good. I like the stamp you used on the front flap. The only thing I noticed is the slits for the studs seems to be going down towards the same direction a pull would be in. I don't know if that will be an issue but usually I see them going in the direction away from the stress where they will be harder to open by accident.

[Wild Bill46]

I like your new design, And your background tooling goes very well with the design too, as does the brown color for Keck. !

[Basically Bob]

Looks great! I like the rugged look, for sure.

That being said, you really do need to get that slit right for the Sam Browne stud.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work & thanks for sharing!

[Airth]

Thank you! I didn't know the slit direction made that much difference, so I reversed it on the latest one. Pics will be forthcoming!

That being said, you really do need to get that slit right for the Sam Browne stud.

[Airth]

Here's the latest...finished in black, antiqued a bit and shined up, with nickel hardware and a belt clip. I'm calling this one "generic biker", since it's been 'skulled' up but is still subtle. I free-handed the design around the concho (if you can't tell). I used 2-piece copper rivets around the clip--it works great but doesn't match. The next one will have matching nickel rivets or Chicago screws.

Thanks for looking and for everyone's feedback!

Edited September 29, 2014 by Airth

[Rohn]

Lookin' good. They are getting better and better. I really like how you did the dye and finish real nice color and sheen.

[Airth]

Lookin' good. They are getting better and better. I really like how you did the dye and finish real nice color and sheen.

Thank you, Rohn! You're always encouraging on virtually every post in this forum

[Airth]

Here's the last one I finished, my first "steampunk" project. I learned a lot from this one, such as just how much leather can stretch no matter how you thought you accounted for it. (This is before I learned the tape trick from you kind folks on here!) Consequentially the inside pocket tooling warped the whole thing, and I didn't really realize it until I was sewing it together. Still, I like how it turned out and have been actively wearing and using this one. The next one will be loads better.

Thanks for looking, and for everyone's feedback.

[Treed]

Great looking cases.....love the distressed look to the finish. My only suggestion is that if using rivets that you glue or sew in a liner to cover them on the inside so as not to cause any damage to the phone. keep up the great work.

[Airth]

Great looking cases.....love the distressed look to the finish. My only suggestion is that if using rivets that you glue or sew in a liner to cover them on the inside so as not to cause any damage to the phone. keep up the great work.

Will do, Treed--thanks for the suggestion! I got lucky with that one, as it was a two-piece copper rivet that set really flat. I've had enough bad experiences with offset rivets and armor bites, but that's for another thread.

Not to keep resurrecting this thread over and over, but I for one like to see how things have evolved from my first wet-formed holster to my latest all on one place. By comparison, my very first leather project...a knife sheath I made nearly 20 years ago...seems outright childish to what I've been doing recently, and the hope is with your continued help and feedback here my very latest will seem childish in another few years.

Speaking of the latest, here it is...made to fit a Samsung Galaxy 3/Galaxy Note 3. I really like how this one turned out, done in antiqued black. One it dried overnight, I added a patch of deerskin to cover the concho screws. I purposely distressed the backside somewhat so it wouldn't look too pristine and plastic-like. Thanks for looking!