Bakyardknives Report post Posted September 4, 2019 6 oz left natural with neets foot oil and burnished edges with saddle soap Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarkCdub Report post Posted September 6, 2019 I would recommend from personal experience to get a 1+ inch chisel to cut out your punch holes for the belt slots. I also found that punching and cutting out the belt slots when the leather was still fairly well cased helped tremendously. I would also burnish the inside of the slots. I love pancake style holsters for any and everything I can make them for. Measuring and drawing the pattern, creating the holster, then finally inserting the object and praying that everything was correct along the way lol. Great job! How wet was the holster when you wet molded it, and what did you use to form it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wizard of tragacanth Report post Posted September 6, 2019 (edited) Well, I should let JLS say this, as it is his motto... Your stitching needs to be much closer to the gun. As close as you can get it. After a very short while, the gun will be flopping around in there. Adding Neetsfoot Oil will only make this worse, because it softens the leather, and this is not what you want for a holster... shoes, yes, holster, no. I would add that 6 oz veg tan is a bare minimum and most people would use 8-10 oz. or two layers of leather that add up to that. It's a learning process. As the saying goes around here... after 8 years of experience and $3000 investment, I can make the $80 holster that I didn't want to pay to someone else. Credit to bikermutt. nick Edited September 6, 2019 by wizard of tragacanth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLSleather Report post Posted September 6, 2019 Might be just the angle of the photo, but that looks heavier than 6 oz, don't it? But, I DO like well placed stitch lines. I like the gun to be in the same place every time, and at the same angle i put it. A good x-acto will clean up the slots quick 'n' easy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wizard of tragacanth Report post Posted September 6, 2019 5 hours ago, JLSleather said: Might be just the angle of the photo, but that looks heavier than 6 oz, don't it? But, I DO like well placed stitch lines. I like the gun to be in the same place every time, and at the same angle i put it. A good x-acto will clean up the slots quick 'n' easy. Yeah, it looks much thicker than 6 oz. but it could be the angle. To clean up belt slots, I use some sandpaper wrapped around a paint stir stick. Something like 150 to 400 grit, depending on how much work has to be done, but always ending with 400 or higher. nick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marine mp Report post Posted March 22, 2020 Hello again, it’s been about 3 years since I’ve posted anything on the forum, but being inside for the next few weeks or whatever, gives rise to the reconnecting with old friends!! Backyard knives, A quick homemade belt loop cutting die for those that don’t have a clicker or press die. Take a 1 1/8” pipe, threaded on one end, that’s about 6” long, (think schedule 40 or 80), and chamfer the unthreaded end so the entire round end is sharp. A metal lathe is helpful, but can be done in a vice or with a bench or 4” handheld grinder. Mark off 1” from the sharpened end. Put the sharpened end in a rugged vise, up to that 1” mark and start squeezing it. When it is almost closed up flat, put something 1/4” in it, to keep it from completely closing up. Squeeze it till it closes up to make a belt loop cutter. Knock out the 1/4” spacer, put a heavy cap on the threaded end, and there you have a belt loop die. Before you smash it through your leather, put some wax, or something to make it travel throughout the leather easily. The piece of leather will have to be picked out of it, or pushed “ through”. Empty by taking the threaded cap off. I’ve used mine for years. Works most excellent!! Semper-fi & This We’ll Defend, Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites