My very first leather holster

[carguy4471]

Well, she went into the food saver last night.  Wow, that little bugger has some serious horsepower.  I did not expect it to draw that leather as tightly as it did.  A few fun tidbits I picked up during the molding process yesterday....

Pay attention to the leather thickness a pattern was made with if you are using a pattern you procured elsewhere.  My patter (thank you JLS) was setup on very slightly lighter leather than I have.  I could have adjusted the stitch lines out a hair.  I had to get pretty cave man to get the bluegun into the holster......   But I did get it.

The backside of the foodsaver bag will put a checker pattern in your leather, and a paper towel will not stop it from doing so.  I knew it could and that I should put something in there to prevent it but thought a paper towel would work.  Luckily, I really like the pattern on the backside of the holster.   Next time I'll use something else to prevent it.  

I also discovered that I completely and utterly hate fiebings USMC black.   Seriously!!   I buffed for a bit before wet molding and still once that holster went into the vacuum bag my hands were black.  If anyone wants the rest of this bottle I'll send it off for the cost of shipping.  I'm on to oil dye, grabbing some after work today.

Here is what the holster looked like this morning.  It sure isn't perfect.  It has some not so perfect tooling marks and some duller spots that I think just need more buffing.  But, this is my first holster, and first leather project.  It does though lock the firearm in very tight with zero movement and has solid retention, and it draws clean with a solid yank.  All in all I think it's a win.  I still need to do more buffing, gum trag the edges and then neetsfoot and resolene.  Pointers are more than welcome, but do bear in mind it's my first go.  And thanks again to everyone for all the pointers and input thus far, and JLS for the help and great pattern.

[JHobbs]

For a small stitching pony I use 2 metal rulers that have a cork backing and 4 small spring clamps. The rulers hold the piece and the springs apply pressure and act like legs.  It works great, maybe 5 dollars invested. The cork protects leather and it sits right on my work bench at a great hieght and is plenty long enough to hold even larger pieces.

[cradom]

Quick question: Using a food saver, do you leave it in overnight, or how long?

I need to make a holster for the wife's .38.

 

[Dwight]

1 hour ago, cradom said:

Quick question: Using a food saver, do you leave it in overnight, or how long?

I need to make a holster for the wife's .38.

 

Quick answer, . . . 30 seconds will probably be too long.

Seriously, I use a vacuum pump, . . . but vacuum is vacuum, . . . you will probably be amazed at how fast the leather will form.

May God bless,

Dwight

[cradom]

Thank you sir. Wasn't worried so much about how fast it would form as how long til the leather "set" I guess, or stayed as formed.

I guess it's pretty much a "right now" kind of thing. The only forming I've done is hard forming...molding on a board with a wooden form underneath and then using heat to harden it or dry it out.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2016 by cradom

[TinkerTailor]

14 hours ago, cradom said:

Thank you sir. Wasn't worried so much about how fast it would form as how long til the leather "set" I guess, or stayed as formed.

I guess it's pretty much a "right now" kind of thing. The only forming I've done is hard forming...molding on a board with a wooden form underneath and then using heat to harden it or dry it out.

 

 

Forming and getting the item to set is a moisture content thing.  As you probably have figured out when hard forming as you call it, there is a magic window between sopping wet, where it conforms but wont hold a shape and too-dry where it won't form at all. Fortunately the window is pretty big. If you can pinch drops of water out of the leather easily, it may be too wet, wait a bit before forming. at the right moisture content once it forms to shape there is really no reason to have it in the bag, as it needs to dry to set the shape, and this can not happen in the bag.

Edited December 21, 2016 by TinkerTailor

[JLSleather]

I see we're still getting comments on this. Now, you KAINT be still on that "first holster' like the title says  

Just a 'sidebar' about leather thickness with my patterns (and this is about MY patterns -- I have no idea how them sensitive folks do it):

These are made for a fairly narrow range of thickness.  But should be fairly easy to 'adjust' and 'recover' for using a different thickness if you like.  One guy - I think just to 'rib' me about it -- likes to use 8/9 for about everything.  Fair enough, but keep in mind that pattern is intended for 7/8 leather, or 8 MAX.  

So if your leather is 9 0z, not a huge ordeal -- but you might put the line on the leather as normal, and then stitch down the outside of the line, instead of down the middle of the line.  That should give you enough room for a similar fit. I'm talking about this (the red is your awl) ....

Edited December 25, 2016 by JLSleather

[OLDNSLOW]

And using vacuum is a weird animal, depending on the type of set up it is going to do different things with the moisture that is in the leather.  A vacuum system used for food just might not remove much moisture from the holster it is just forming it rapidly.  If is built around a vacuum pump used in the automotive industry, then it is going to be pulling moisture out of the leather as well as forming the holster rapidly aiding in the drying process of the leather. 

[JLSleather]

What?  We didn't like that example?  Alrightey then...

Try this... teh measurements on the holsters are the OUTside of the leather.  In a perfect world, the INside of the holster would match the OUTside of the firearm.  And the patterns are drawn to accomodate the OUTside of the gun, WITH the leather thickness specified.  If you use leather noticeably heavier, it's much the same as using a thicker walled pipe.  You can order 3" pipe, but the wall dimension (leather thickness) will dictate what fits through it.

The two circles are the same size on the outside, but the thicker the material, the tighter the inside becomes.

[JLSleather]

7 minutes ago, OLDNSLOW said:

vacuum system used for food just might not remove much moisture from the holste

Yep -- these things are usually made to seal the bag, deliberately intending to PREVENT moisture escape.  I've never used one, but I would think that could become painful... towards the back side of a guy...

 

[OLDNSLOW]

yup

[Dwight]

My vacuum pump is primarily designed for HVAC work, . . . before charging a system.

In holster work, . . . it doesn't really pull out much moisture, . . . it is never on there long enough, . . . 60 seconds is one I had trouble with, . . . usually a 20 to 30 second ordeal.

That said, . . . I love the way it gets the slightest details involved.

I just pull it out of the bag, . . . hang it up to dry, . . . come back tomorrow and brag on myself about how wonderful I am at forming leather over a mold.

May God bless,

Dwight

[OLDNSLOW]

If I have dipped ad dunked my leather I will leave it on the vacuum table with the pump running so that it will pull more moisture out of the leather, in theory that is how it is suppose to work, does it truly do that not sure.  But the way my table is built I can place or situate everything over a vacuum port so that it can pull the air and moisture out through that port, again in theory what it suppose to be doing is boiling out any moisture found. I know it works on a close loop A/C system.