Holster Plugs

[Davm]

I sometimes sew in a plug and sometimes don't.  I find it a challenge.  Theoretically you run an awl at 45 degrees between the pieces. For those good at this....

1. Do you use a wood form to place into the holster to help hold everything while doing the work?

2. The plug.  I have trouble with the back "pointy" end.  Either too large or too small.  I find it very hard to get the correct size. I will sew up the area and hold the holster on paper to scribe a plug size but still, if there is a gap at the back- doesn't look good.

 

[chuck123wapati]

its a matter of taking your time fitting the toe trimming it down until it fits nicely, I use a 45 degree cut ,approximately, on both the holster and toe then glue it in place after that it is pretty easy to sew. use as thick of leather as you can as well. i have never used a wooden piece inside the holster but it could help i imagine if all your holsters were the same size. i do use them on dice cups and such.

[Dwight]

I very seldom use toe plugs . . . as I believe they are unsafe.  The slightest obstruction in your barrel could send you to the ER in a heartbeat.

Closed up holsters are a trap for trash . . . bugs . . . and anything else going around.

I make my holsters so "stuff" should either fall thru . . . or if big enough . . . get pushed thru.

Just my way of doing things.

But I use Chuck123wapati advice when I do put one end . . . and I harp a bit on the new owner when I deliver it . . . making sure he knows about the possibilities of his getting hurt.

May God bless,

Dwight

[chuck123wapati]

48 minutes ago, Dwight said:

I very seldom use toe plugs . . . as I believe they are unsafe.  The slightest obstruction in your barrel could send you to the ER in a heartbeat.

Closed up holsters are a trap for trash . . . bugs . . . and anything else going around.

I make my holsters so "stuff" should either fall thru . . . or if big enough . . . get pushed thru.

Just my way of doing things.

But I use Chuck123wapati advice when I do put one end . . . and I harp a bit on the new owner when I deliver it . . . making sure he knows about the possibilities of his getting hurt.

May God bless,

Dwight

i was of that opinion too until i sat down to rest one day while hunting, a barrel plugged with dirt isn't safe as well and can go  unnoticed. i either sew them shut now or add the plug unless other wise asked and also give fair warning of the danger of a plugged barrel if its left open.   I put tape over my rifle barrels to keep the snow and ice out as well believe me I've shot a lot of tape off my gun with no bad results. I've also seen some who put a small hole in the toe as well, why I'm not sure.

[Davm]

I look things over but off hand, I can't see how things/dirt can get trapped in a holster unless you did a lot of moving around with gun in hand and an open holster- that might do it.  I agree about using the heaviest kind of leather as the thickness helps on the 45 degree stitch.  When I'm hunting I don't cover the end of my rifle or shotgun so an open bottom on a holster- same thing.  When I put in a plug- mostly for appearance. I guess it is most "art" in the respect that on one side- the outside of the holster- you can get a perfectly straight line of stitch but on the bottom- you have to keep the angle the same from hole to hole to keep straight stitches.

[Lobo]

I truly admire the craftsmanship demonstrated by a well done toe plug in a holster. There really is no simple or easy way to accomplish the goal, and either it is perfectly done or it stands out like ugly on an ape.

I think this is a disappearing feature that will be seen very little in future creations. The time involved in doing this type of work will drive up the market price of the end product to a point that cannot be sustained.

I have done a few over the years. I won't brag on my abilities, especially when compared to some of the master craftsmen of prior years. I can say without hesitation that the time to get one toe plug done right is equivalent to the time required to assemble and stitch two or three common pancake or scabbard-style holsters without such a feature.

Like it or not, the leather crafting business is all about turning time into profits. In 1972 I was happily making simple pancake-style holsters for $6 or $7, maybe $2 more for a thumb-break, and police duty holsters for $15 or so. But I lived in a $18,000 house and drove a $2500 car while working as a city cop for $9,000 per year salary. An extra $20 or so per week was very welcome at that time.

By the time of my retirement in 2015 I was making an average of nearly 40 pieces per week. I was paying about $14 for materials average per completed piece. My work shop cost more than 4 times as much as my house payments back in 1972. I was paying a trainee-apprentice $15 to $20 per hour to do the basics (layout, cutting, dyeing, finish work, some assembly and stitching) while also working about 80 hours per week myself.

I doubt that very many customers would see the value in a holster with sewn-in toe plug priced at double the going rate for another design without that feature, but that is what it would take to compensate the time involved in such work.

[chuck123wapati]

14 hours ago, Davm said:

 

"I guess it is most "art" in the respect that on one side- the outside of the holster- you can get a perfectly straight line of stitch but on the bottom- you have to keep the angle the same from hole to hole to keep straight stitches."

yup it does take some practice for sure, its just another sewing method used on many leather items. i run my awl from holster to toe and i try to make sure my holster stitches are straight and even so if i screw up anything it will be the toe piece which can be pulled out and redone. Maybe practice on some dice cups, scope cover  or something larger to get the hang of it.

[Davm]

Well gave it a try, same as usual- On the exposed area if you scribe a line, etc.- looks okay but on the other side- I personally have trouble getting the holes lined up straight and it looks really bad.  You have to know your limitation, for me, best to leave it off.  It's like a bad engraving job on metal- nothing looks worse.  I asked in case there was a tip on doing it. It seems to be more "art" than anything else.

Chuck? Where in WY. Family from Lusk/Douglas, Great Uncle in Laramie..

Edited August 9, 2021 by Davm