Holster Liner Material

[DuqQuaid]

I’ve read to use veg tanned for holster liners. Is this a do not deviate instruction?  
 

I already have some super soft supple deer skin but I doubt it’s veg tanned. I don’t currently have any light weight veg tan to use as a liner. 
 

I just got a cz shadow 2, holsters aren’t super common for this one. 

[WolfteverGunleather]

The reason for lining with veg tan is that the chromium salts in chrome tanned leather are harmful to the finish of the firearm over time, so my personal standard is that I never line a holster with anything except veg tan. But I realize there are different opinions on the issue and many holsters exist that are lined with non veg tan leather.

I don’t know where you are located, but do you know if there are other leather workers in your vicinity that might be able to share a small piece of thin veg tan?

[DuqQuaid]

This is a self-taught YouTube assisted, when the little kids are preoccupied endeavor. No nearby buddies. 
 

The only leather store I know of around Pittsburgh is Tandy, and they’re on the other side, 1+ hour away. It’s worth it to pay the shipping costs. 
 

 

I saw a Weaver video saying if I pre-bend the holster for leather layers over 4oz then I can use heavyweight veg leathers. Is this feasible?

Edited July 29, 2020 by DuqQuaid

[Hildebrand]

Definitely stay with the veg tan for a liner.  You can prebend but I routinely use two layers of 4-5 sometimes 5-6oz leather and have never had a problem with it wrinkling when bent.  I always wet the centerline I am bending around inside and out pretty well before bending.  I also have a shadow 2 and am working on a holster pattern.  I highly recommend Sam Adams YT video where he shows how to get the stitch lines and then draw the holster.  Adams Leather Works has a couple similar videos where he details how he gets the stitch lines.  Also not sure how much detail you are shooting for but if you are looking to "bone" the holster for the gun detail to show through a lined holster makes that much more difficult.

Good Luck,

Todd

[Frodo]

I disagree with a veg tan liner

go with a suede type liner, be it Pig, goat or deer or elk

it is soft. veg tan will rub the blue off the gun over time

Edited July 30, 2020 by Frodo

[DuqQuaid]

3 hours ago, Hildebrand said:

Definitely stay with the veg tan for a liner.  You can prebend but I routinely use two layers of 4-5 sometimes 5-6oz leather and have never had a problem with it wrinkling when bent.  I always wet the centerline I am bending around inside and out pretty well before bending.  I also have a shadow 2 and am working on a holster pattern.  I highly recommend Sam Adams YT video where he shows how to get the stitch lines and then draw the holster.  Adams Leather Works has a couple similar videos where he details how he gets the stitch lines.  Also not sure how much detail you are shooting for but if you are looking to "bone" the holster for the gun detail to show through a lined holster makes that much more difficult.

Good Luck,

Todd

Which one is Sam Adams? I’m finding plenty of beer and what’s not beer is Adams Leather. Thanks

 

I have some border line recommended thin enough leather- but it’s that cheaper stuff with an alligator/snake print pressed in it. Would this texture negate the benefits of a lined holster?

[Hildebrand]

Yes Adams leather he is with hank strange. I think you loose a little with the textured leather but it will work fine for practice. 
 

Todd

[Hildebrand]

1 hour ago, Frodo said:

I disagree with a veg tan liner

go with a suede type liner, be it Pig, goat or deer or elk

it is soft. veg tan will rub the blue off the gun over time

@Frodo I am going to respectfully disagree. The suede type leather traps any grit and gunk you bring in when you holster your gun.  Also I think the majority of suede leather is chrome tanned. I will stick with veg tanned liners, a little blue wear is better than a scratch from a piece of trapped grit or rust from the chrome tan chemicals. 
 

Todd

[blue62]

+1 on the veg liner, mine are the same stuff the fronts are cut from, usually 4/5oz for pancakes.

[Dwight]

Like blue62 . . . +1 on the veg tan leather liner.

Generally if I'm lining a holster . . . I cut out my outside piece . . . flip the rest of my leather over . . . cut out the liner . . . put the two together with contact cement . . . sand the edges smooth . . . and proceed with my leather holster making.  I generally use 6/7 oz for both the outside and the liner.

John Bianchi  teaches that technique . . . and he has probably made more holsters than any 20 you can find on this forum all put together . . . I learned from his videos.

The other reason to leave deer skin . . . pig skin . . . etc out of your holsters is they absorb and suck the oil off your gun much worse than veg tan . . . and as mentioned earlier . . . will also become a repository for every last piece of sand, dust, dirt, and other garbage . . . in addition to being softer than veg tan . . . and will mush up, cut, and become ugly . . . very quick.

These are some I've made. . . . all are double leather . . . 6/7 oz . . . most where both pieces are cut from the same hide. . .  next to each other.

The only time I break that rule above . . . I put suede as a liner on my trucker holsters that basically are a chest holster for hunting.  The gun is never in the suede long enough to get chrome salts on it that will hurt it . . . and the suede makes drawing it just a tad more quiet than the veg tan.  Animals have very sensitive hearing. . . so I do that only for my hunting customers.

May God bless,

Dwight

 

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2020 by Dwight

[ScottWolf]

10 hours ago, WolfteverGunleather said:

The reason for lining with veg tan is that the chromium salts in chrome tanned leather are harmful to the finish of the firearm over time, so my personal standard is that I never line a holster with anything except veg tan. 

^^^^^THIS^^^^^^

2 hours ago, Hildebrand said:

@Frodo I am going to respectfully disagree. The suede type leather traps any grit and gunk you bring in when you holster your gun.  Also I think the majority of suede leather is chrome tanned. I will stick with veg tanned liners, a little blue wear is better than a scratch from a piece of trapped grit or rust from the chrome tan chemicals. 
 

Todd

^^^^^THIS^^^^ times 1000

[chuck123wapati]

Personally  I don't line my holsters unless asked. Seems lining good leather with more leather doesn't help much at all except for pleasing the buyer. I've toted guns for decades in the woods both lined and unlined and haven't seen a lot of difference in wear on the firearms. From my years of rigorous testing ,lol,  I've found that there are three things that keep a firearm from wearing prematurely and getting dirty in the holster. A toe in the holster so you dont sit down and fill the barrel with dirt, a tight holster so it doesn't shift around and  wear itself self as you walk and lastly and most importantly  personal responsibility for the care of my firearm and holster. If I do line a holster  its like Dwight does but i may use a different lighter piece for the inside. 

[DuqQuaid]

20 hours ago, Hildebrand said:

Definitely stay with the veg tan for a liner.  You can prebend but I routinely use two layers of 4-5 sometimes 5-6oz leather and have never had a problem with it wrinkling when bent.  I always wet the centerline I am bending around inside and out pretty well before bending.  I also have a shadow 2 and am working on a holster pattern.  I highly recommend Sam Adams YT video where he shows how to get the stitch lines and then draw the holster.  Adams Leather Works has a couple similar videos where he details how he gets the stitch lines.  Also not sure how much detail you are shooting for but if you are looking to "bone" the holster for the gun detail to show through a lined holster makes that much more difficult.

Good Luck,

Todd

I found the videos. I had a bit of an OCD moment, Sam Andrews did the video with Hank Strange. It’s a great video and a method I’m going to use. I’ve also included a link to the Adams one. 

https://youtu.be/5PdKDmcmu8k

https://youtu.be/I6ShnrHUjas

 

In regards to the suede discussion which I’m having trouble quoting on my mobile device... wouldn’t the meat side of the leather be considered suede? So if we use no liner, it is effectually suede lined, and running the risk of capturing dirt grit etc.?

 Thanks for your guidance

 

Edited July 30, 2020 by DuqQuaid
Mobile device typos

[Hildebrand]

In answer to your question about the inside of the leather being like suede, yes it is.  That is what lead to the lined holsters.  Also with the lined holster you get a stiffer holster which holds its shape really well.  I have a couple that there is actually a click when you insert the gun.

Todd

[blue62]

The other plus tax veg liner made from the same thickness as the front is it makes for a nice rigid holster that holds it's shape, kinda like how plywood gets its strength.

[DuqQuaid]

H. Strange/Andrew’s video recommends using a stitching line 3/16” along the top of the slide. My sights are 1/2” tall. Will the bow of the leather be sufficient to avoid interference with the stitching line at 3/16” or is a greater 1/2” distance required?

[Josh Ashman]

3 hours ago, DuqQuaid said:

In regards to the suede discussion which I’m having trouble quoting on my mobile device... wouldn’t the meat side of the leather be considered suede? So if we use no liner, it is effectually suede lined, and running the risk of capturing dirt grit etc.?

Not necessarily, how leather is tanned makes a difference. Also, where the leather is cut from the hide makes a difference. Generally speaking quality veg tanned leather that has been gauged or split to a uniform thickness is fairly smooth and dense on the flesh side. This is especially true the closer you are to the back but somewhat less true the closer you are to the belly. Suede has texture to catch dirt and grit but it is also soft and not at all dense which allows the dirt and grit to accumulate easier than on the flesh side of veg tanned leather. 

The main arrangements made against suede lining I hear are; 1) chrome tanned leather has chemicals that damage the guns finish and 2) easier for dirt and grit to accumulate actually damaging the finish more then having no liner. I think that both are true at least to some degree. That said, my main argument against a suede liner on a concealed carry holster is that suede is soft and spongy and I want a firm, dense holster for concealed carry. For all of the above reasons I wouldn't use it for a liner on a carry holster. Maybe for a hunting or range only holster but even then it's not a great option in my opinion. 

In my opinion liners aren't that beneficial if you're starting with a quality piece of leather cut from the right area of the hide and of the right thickness. That said, they can be nice and there is no downside to having a liner if you'd like one. The method mentioned by Dwight is a time tested and proven one. Make your pattern, trace it on your hide, cut it out, flip it over and use it as the guide to make a mirror of it, glue them "back to back" and then proceed as it it were 1 piece of leather. Easy lined holster and you don't have to buy multiple thicknesses of leather unless you had a reason to do so. 

Good luck with your project, Josh

[chuck123wapati]

4 hours ago, DuqQuaid said:

I found the videos. I had a bit of an OCD moment, Sam Andrews did the video with Hank Strange. It’s a great video and a method I’m going to use. I’ve also included a link to the Adams one. 

https://youtu.be/5PdKDmcmu8k

https://youtu.be/I6ShnrHUjas

 

In regards to the suede discussion which I’m having trouble quoting on my mobile device... wouldn’t the meat side of the leather be considered suede? So if we use no liner, it is effectually suede lined, and running the risk of capturing dirt grit etc.?

 Thanks for your guidance

 

its interesting as the topic of lining holsters is always going to create discussion. One of the videos posted shows building an unlined holster. the other shows what appears to be suede lined holsters a the end.

Edited July 30, 2020 by chuck123wapati

[blue62]

One of the bigger reasons for no liner is cost, to line takes twice the material and adds labor. At least from a production standpoint.

[Frodo]

I  line my holsters with deer or elk.  what causes damage to the bluing on a gun is friction. and you are going to get friction on any surface you use

suede after a time becomes burnished the same as veg tan.  it all boils down to preference,  

I love this common sense comment,  ''' wouldn’t the meat side of the leather be considered suede? So if we use no liner, it is effectually suede lined, and running the risk of capturing dirt grit etc.?''  

 

[Scootch]

On 7/30/2020 at 2:58 PM, DuqQuaid said:

H. Strange/Andrew’s video recommends using a stitching line 3/16” along the top of the slide. My sights are 1/2” tall. Will the bow of the leather be sufficient to avoid interference with the stitching line at 3/16” or is a greater 1/2” distance required?

Find a dowel rod to use for a sight channel.  Tape it to the top of your slide and leave it there when taking your measurements with your strap of leather and while forming the holster to your pistol.  What type of holster are you making, a 50/50 or flat back pancake, scabbard/avenger style?   Maybe someone here will give you better advice for the sight channel.  I'd also say a large target sight like that will snag on a softer liner material.

What weight veggie tan leather do you have?  

Scootch

[chuck123wapati]

4 hours ago, Scootch said:

Find a dowel rod to use for a sight channel.  Tape it to the top of your slide and leave it there when taking your measurements with your strap of leather and while forming the holster to your pistol.  What type of holster are you making, a 50/50 or flat back pancake, scabbard/avenger style?   Maybe someone here will give you better advice for the sight channel.  I'd also say a large target sight like that will snag on a softer liner material.

What weight veggie tan leather do you have?  

Scootch

i just use scrap leather strips cut to the width and height i need.