Holster for Ruger Single Six

[alpha2]

Latest holster. I'm also finishing up a pancake style for a Glock 26, but I have to hand stitch it, as I can't figure out how to get the machine stitch line close enough to the wet-molded top piece. It's a flat-backed holster, so the top piece is quite raised from the flaps. I have both right and left presser feet, but can't make the turns without the feet hitting the raised part. I could start and stop stitch lines, changing feet between lines, but that would take way too much time, and it would look stupid, also. I thought about getting the in-line feet, but the rear inline foot would be too far behind the needle for some areas, and if I just used the front foot, I couldn't see the stitch line. Still, there's not a lot of stitching on a pancake holster, so not a big deal!

[Rohn]

Nice job on the holster. I like it.

[bikermutt07]

Looks good, Alph. 

[alpha2]

Thanks, guys! But, mutt, "there can be only one": 

[georgiapine85]

That's nice!

[alpha2]

Thanks, GP85. Next up, I guess, is one for my Smith 685+. It's hard to to do that 'cause I already have a nice Galco leather holster for it. It's somewhat "boring", though.

 

[olfart]

Lookin' good!

 

[Handstitched]

G'Day,

The basket weave is sometimes difficult for me  to do. I have done some  really nice   examples that I'm quite proud of, , but also some really  awful ones too, I'm only human  .  You only have to put one 'hit' slightly out of whack  and its a mess.

But I have to say thats really nice, lovely rich  colour and a nice shine.  Well done .

HS

[koreric75]

52 minutes ago, Handstitched said:

G'Day,

The basket weave is sometimes difficult for me  to do. I have done some  really nice   examples that I'm quite proud of, , but also some really  awful ones too, I'm only human  .  You only have to put one 'hit' slightly out of whack  and its a mess.

But I have to say thats really nice, lovely rich  colour and a nice shine.  Well done .

HS

I hear you, i have a geo craftaid that helps line up the graph some, the part i have a bear with is getting the border perfect, camouflage stamps seem to always want to drift no matter how careful i am to strike it even.  and they never seem to line up just right...lol

[alpha2]

Thanks for the kind words on the finish color. Now, full disclosure...this is what it looked like before I rescued it. I only show this embarrassment to show just how bad a finish can be, and still come out to be one of the best I've done.

I had antiqued it before I wet formed it a bit to the gun. Everywhere I put any pressure on it, it darkened. The rest of the finish wasn't that great, either. NEVER try something new on a finished piece! 

On the camo stamping, two things. Practice, take a long piece, like a belt blank that's too short for a real belt, cut your border lines wide enough so that if you get the "legs" of the stamp into the border line, it won't show as much. Then pay attention to spacing, I've seen some people slightly overlap the stamps, I try to keep just a bit of spacing between them, so that you can adjust spacing a tiny bit as you approach the end, or a corner. When I get about 4 stamps away from a corner, I'll just SLIGHTLY press the stamp into the leather to see what the next 4 stamps will give me, then stamp accordingly. The full struck stamps will cover the slight indentations from your trial impressions. If antiquing, or using highlite, your impressions need to be fairly equal in strength, or some of the stamps will be darker than others. If the moisture content of the leather changes too much during a stamping run, you will be able to see that in the stamping. THAT is really the hardest part for me. Another thing about camo stamping, YOU see every tiny deviation, while nobody else will notice at all! 

[YinTx]

6 hours ago, alpha2 said:

Now, full disclosure...this is what it looked like before I rescued it

So the rescue was a full success.  How did you do it?  Was the leather already resisted/antiqued/sealed before you started the rescue process?  Your experience might allow me to retrieve some items from the error... practice  uhh.. not yet completed projects bin....

YinTx

[Handstitched]

Even the pre- rescue pic  doesn't look so bad , but its nice to see that other leather workers do something similar  to what  I do.  What I have done in the past, if something goes a bit awry.....I dye it a much darker colour, and if that doesn't work ....I dye it black  no matter what  It hides all my ' mistooks'  Ha !!     

I fully understand about the spacing on the camo. But going back to the weave, the  ' tri- weave ' has caused me to say a few words , that can't be repeated here,   on occasion  Ha !  

We can't be perfect all the time eh?  

HS 

[alpha2]

Handstitched, there is an excellent video on the tri-weave. I couldn't do it before I watched it. It's like a light came on! I'll try to find out which video it was.

YinTx, the holster was just antiqued, but not sealed yet. I don't know what I was thinking, I've never done things in that order before. I used Fiebings past antique, and usually I don't use that. I will definitely try some practice pieces next time.

Jeff