JBMOZ Report post Posted December 19, 2016 I learned a lot during the making of this. I know that it needs a lot of work. I couldn't get it to form correctly. I think I used too thick of leather. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
byggyns Report post Posted December 19, 2016 What thickness and type of leather did you use? Did you dye before or after trying to form, and with which dye? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sblades76 Report post Posted December 19, 2016 U can get buy with 8to9oz leather and with a lining,did u soak it in water long enough.and as far as your stitching practice on some scrap pieces,and from what i see in the pic you have your stitch line a tad close to your trigger and slide,widen up a little,that way when u r forming or creasing u r not hiding the stitch line,hope this helps Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JBMOZ Report post Posted December 21, 2016 On 12/19/2016 at 10:45 AM, byggyns said: What thickness and type of leather did you use? Did you dye before or after trying to form, and with which dye? Byggyns- The leather is not dyed. it is simply still a little damp. At the time of this photo it had been drying for 24 hours. It is 8/9 0z from Tandy. It was left over from several years ago in my basement. On 12/19/2016 at 10:45 AM, byggyns said: What thickness and type of leather did you use? Did you dye before or after trying to form, and with which dye? On 12/19/2016 at 3:54 PM, Sblades76 said: U can get buy with 8to9oz leather and with a lining,did u soak it in water long enough.and as far as your stitching practice on some scrap pieces,and from what i see in the pic you have your stitch line a tad close to your trigger and slide,widen up a little,that way when u r forming or creasing u r not hiding the stitch line,hope this helps It is 8 to 9 oz leather with a pigskin lining. I soaked it for two solid days and finally pulled it because I had heard some horror stories about mold. I think that your advice on the stitching is right on the mark. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
byggyns Report post Posted December 29, 2016 Since I haven't done a lined holster, I can't say for sure, but I don't think you will be able to get as defined of molding around the gun as an unlined holster. You could still have done boning on the outside while it was wet. Overall I think it looks good even if it isn't molded to what you wanted. The reason I asked about the dye was that certain dyes can block the moisture from getting in to the leather. The fact that is lined may have prevented some moisture penetration. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLSleather Report post Posted December 29, 2016 8/9 will work for that holster (I generally like 7/8, personally). I put mine under water for ... idunno.... maybe 10-15 seconds? Use a finger or a tool to open it up a bit.. be sure to get water INSIDE the holster. Really - seconds... As for "boning" or "forming", it's more important to have the INSIDE formed than the outside. A 'holster' which looks detailed, but doesn't securely contain the weapon, is a piece of junk. Not that it won't sell, -- junk is sold every day. Just not to me I'm not sure how your holster is "damp" after a whole day. Leather left out in the air will dry in that long.. unless you're talking about maybe damp from OIL instead of water... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YinTx Report post Posted December 29, 2016 JLS, Leather here is damp before I even put water on it, something to do with living so close to the ocean...bathroom towels never dry out. In the desert where I grew up, you were dry before you ever picked up the towel after taking a shower, so leather would dry out in a couple of hours easy, faster if you left it outside. I suspect the OP may have a similar situation... YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLSleather Report post Posted December 29, 2016 Oh, yeah.. completely forgot about boys doin' this in different climates! Up here, the temp can change like 50 degrees in a day.. with humidity to boot... so I do all my stuff inside... about 70 degrees and low humidity. Only outside on sunny days in August! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OLDNSLOW Report post Posted December 29, 2016 (edited) you soaked that leather for 2 days before trying to mold it, is that correct? If so maybe others missed that point, but just in my own crazy opinion that was way to much and is probably why it would not mold and is still wet! I think JLS touched on it, you only needs a few seconds and certainly not 2 days, maybe a few minutes at most. even though the leather is that old and probably dried out it would not need that much. If you want you can redo that holster once it is dried, by soak it for a few minutes then try to mold. If need be due to dryness you can oil a little bit before using, let the oil sink in real good maybe a few days then dunk in water for ONLY A FEW MINUTES, then try to mold, but don't soak it in water for a few days. Edited December 29, 2016 by OLDNSLOW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VMTinajero Report post Posted February 8, 2017 Yep, two days is overdoing it by about 47 hours, 59 minutes & 45 seconds... you've also taken all the natural oils out of the leather, so if/when it finally dries out it's going to need a good reconditioning... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
