Stohlman 45 Sa Holster For Vaquero - Floral Carved

[Billy Hell]

Still working on my tooling, cutting, stitching and style. Here is my latest...

[Red Bear Haraldsson]

Don't carve nothing else, just hang it up for a while... I need some time to catch you!!

Beautiful work, don't let anyone tell you different. Just marvelous.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=64096&page=1

Just came from your 25 rounders post. Lordy, what a difference you've made! I, too, am going to start of with the rounders (the way I was originally taught in High School (1986) and again in the Navy (1992)). I'm going to pick up all those books (and a couple of others) and get to practicing.

I do not think I will get as far as you did in three months, but it will NOT be for a lack of trying.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Red Bear Haraldsson

[Billy Hell]

Thanks for the great words. It's very exciting to be able to produce things like this!

[malabar]

That's just lovely work.

I'm curious: What do you charge for that kind of decoration?

tk

[JLSleather]

Let your leather dry out some more before tooling. Still a bit wet, there. Finished rig looks purdy good thow.

[Billy Hell]

JL - If your looking at this photo, that is actually after I put on my first Bag Kote:

About price - I have given away just about everything I have carved to date. But if I were to sell something like the holster above I think I would ask $200, which is probably high but I'm not carving to make a living. I'm carving because I have always wanted to do it. I probably have 5 hours in that one.

[JLSleather]

Nah... I was talkin bout the 2nd and 3rd pics in yer orijnal. And if you mean 5 hours from side o leather to done, that aint bad

[Oldtoolsniper]

That Sir, is the most convincing thing I've seen in regards to practice. I'm going to try the twenty five rounders myself..

[Billy Hell]

Once you tool those tiny rounders holsters make you feel like you can really stretch out!

[JLSleather]

How thick them 'rounders'? 6 oz? 8?

[Billy Hell]

One thing that has stuck in my mind is the user Electrathon said, "I will caution you about trying to be creative till you get the hang of carving."

That made me really try to do it the right way.

I started googling up floral tooling examples to see what stamps others have used in what way. I realized to get the "feel" or "look" of real western floral I would need to learn the rules of floral carving/tooling. I was raised on Stohlman type carving but my next goal is to try to learn more of an 1850's style and start working on some slim jim holsters. I want to get down the FA Meanea style. I am pretty blown away how few floral patterns there are on the web. I have found some nice patterns on this site but as vast as the internet is I'm blown away at how few things there are to see. I'm pretty sure they have floral carving competitions. I want to see, and study, that caliber of work.

While my hero is Al Stohlman the belt book "Lucky Eight" has some great variations of tooling and credits the carvers. Mervin Ringlero is great!!

These things are what have inspired and pushed me. I'm excited to keep carving. My only regret is that I waited until I am 50 to do it.

"How thick them 'rounders'? 6 oz? 8?"

At most 6. You brought up a couple of times maybe my leather wasn't good - after tooling on my 8 to 9 ounce I immediately knew what you were talking about. It just takes cuts and stamps so much better. The rounders will make you appreciate some good leather!

[Bruce H]

Looking good Mr. Hell

Your improvements are leaps and bounds!

I'm highly impressed!

Keep up the good work!

[malabar]

JL - If your looking at this photo, that is actually after I put on my first Bag Kote:

About price - I have given away just about everything I have carved to date. But if I were to sell something like the holster above I think I would ask $200, which is probably high but I'm not carving to make a living. I'm carving because I have always wanted to do it. I probably have 5 hours in that one.

I understand that you love doing this -- and it shows in the beautiful detail. But most folks would sell a plain, unadorned holster like that for about $150. I would think you'd need to sell a beautifully carved holster like that for $300 or so, for it to be profitable.

I realize that's not where you're coming from, at least, not yet.

tk

[Billy Hell]

Sounds good to me!!

[RVM45]

Beautiful work.

But you already know that.

…..RVM45

[Billy Hell]

Thank you sir. I tend to only look at the problems in the work. I did make another one to try out on ebay. I think I'll make another pair cut down so the barrels of my two 4 3/4 inch show out the end.

[RickHodges]

Why would you cut them down? I don't get this. Is it a Hollywood thing. I have a 4 5/8" Ruger blackhawk and I want the barrel covered. Those are beautiful holsters, please don't mess them up.

[Toney]

I aways thought short holsters were screw ups

[Red Bear Haraldsson]

I think the first post was interesting how the back side of the holster stuck out farther than the front side.

And he isn't messing them up, he's making another pair, shorter, so the barrels peek out the bottom. He's not cutting those two off in the middle, come on now people.

Might go good for SASS B-Western categories. Come to think of it, all of the cowboy rigs we (My collective we, not everyone here) had as kids had the barrels peeking out the bottom, and likely they were all copies of B-western movies...

Oh HEY!! I forgot to ask earlier, does anyone know where to get a correct sized copy of the rounder flower line drawing? I am having the dickens of a time trying to find it. I'd /like/ to get it sent off and have someone make a craftaid for it, but I don't know if it is copyrighted or not.

[Billy Hell]

One holster was sent to Texas as a birthday present for a friend. I'm not cutting these.

I have attahed example of what I want to go for with my two shorty Colts. If it was good enough for Al Stohlman it's good enough for me!

I have also attached the rounder I used as an example. It's pretty simplistic so on each rounder I tried different things.

[RickHodges]

Al Stohlman and his wife were wonderful leatherworkers and great teachers...but looking at his holster designs I wonder just how often he carried a firearm. It might be heresy but his shoulder holster design is an implement of torture and sticking the bbl. out the end of the holster seems contrary to one of the basic purposes of gunleather.

I understand it is popular on TV, but I will take mine full length.... ;-} The customer pays the piper so he gets to call the tune.

[Billy Hell]

Good stuff!

[Red Bear Haraldsson]

Yeah, that is the picture I found, too. I think all the stem area looks wonky, so I'll have my friend clean it up for me (He works in a print shop, always nice), then see if I cannot get it made into a reusable craftaid and get my practicing on!

[Kulafarmer]

Bad azz carving Billy,

Inspiring!

[LumpenDoodle2]

I sell a lot of the Stohlman style (plain, not carved) 45 short holsters. I think that especially in the UK, it's the 'displaying' of the gun which wins over the practicality of protecting the barrel.

I do wish my carving was even a quarter as good as your work obviously is.