Homemade Leather Holsters

[WildBill]

My newest. I actually did some decoration on this one. Basic pancake design for my SW40VE.

Beautiful!

[RiverRat]

My newest. I actually did some decoration on this one. Basic pancake design for my SW40VE.

Hey there! Just saw this on the Leatherworker.net. Nice to see you're a TexasCHL user too! I love how you used an accent color on your holster. I've been thinking about doing this on my next one.

Thank you. I tend to prefer basic colors or twotone stuff. River rat makes some beautiful stuff, but it's not me....

Your holsters are really nice. Simple, yet elegant. The kind of work I'm striving for. My next holster for me is going to be an IWB. I love my Supertuck, but want to see if I cna make an IWB that's as comfortable and durable as my OWBs.

I like simple too. I sometimes don't know when to stop experimenting. Too many years as a design engineer. :) You notice how some of the experiments don't come out as well as the simple ones..... I promise that I have a box full of less than wonderful experiments.

[Ashlar]

Most recent experiment.. yah, I know, tooling + molding doesn't work well, I was just messing around :)

I was surprised how much the lacing actually stiffens the mouth.

[Tregs]

I think I'll give this a try. I saw the link to Tandy Leather Center and their $29 starter kit, but what I'd really like, would be to go to a leatherwork store and check things out and ask questions so I know I'm getting what I need. Does anyone know of a leatherworks shop in the North Dallas area that would be goood for a beginner?

thanks.

[particle]

There is a Tandy south of 635 a few miles east of the tollway - past 75, at about Plano Road. Look at the locations on the Tandy site and you'll find it in the Locations listing. The guy that runs it knows a lot, and is a precision rifle shooter. He'll talk your ear off! Very helpful. I work by the galleria, and it takes me about 15 minutes to get there.

[Ashlar]

I think I'll give this a try. I saw the link to Tandy Leather Center and their $29 starter kit, but what I'd really like, would be to go to a leatherwork store and check things out and ask questions so I know I'm getting what I need. Does anyone know of a leatherworks shop in the North Dallas area that would be goood for a beginner?

thanks.

Minimum tool set I'd recommend-
layout tools- wing divider
cutting tools- utility knife, metal straight edge
sewing tools- awl, needles, thread, beeswax, contact cement
molding tools- your fingers (cut your fingernails, they will scratch wet leather!)
hardware tools- plastic / rawhide mallet
finishing- dye, neatsfoot oil

The only thing that you'd need to get from Tandy in the above list is the awl and thread, neatsfoot oil, possibly the rawhide mallet (and raw leather, of course.)

tool set I'd recommend-
layout tools- wing divider, protractor, french curves, compass, graph paper, scissors, posterboard
cutting tools- utility knife, metal straight edge, edge beveler, v beveler, various punches, strap end cutter, skivver, slot cutter, strap cutter
sewing tools- overstitcher, groover, awl, needles, thread, beeswax, contact cement, stitching pony
molding tools- your fingers, a tine from a deer antler (also good for slicking edges), modeling shaper
hardware tools- plastic / rawhide mallet, snap / rivet anvil and setters
finishing- dye, neatsfoot oil, leather sheen / acrylic spray
decorative tools- stamps, lacing chisel (both single and 4 prong), lacing cutter, lacing needles, lacing fid

[Tregs]

Thanks. I work close to the Tandy that Particle mentioned. I'll print Ashlar's tool list and head there after work.

[RiverRat]

Thanks. I work close to the Tandy that Particle mentioned. I'll print Ashlar's tool list and head there after work.

I noticed in a mailer from Tandy that I received on Friday that their $89 leather kit w/tools was on sale for $29....must be the same particle was referring to.

[particle]

I just finished these up this morning. Eventually I'll get around to ordering some thinner stuff so I can try lining them. Still working on a pocket holster for my dad's new Taurus TCP .380 - never made one before.

[RiverRat]

Particle,
Looks pro. What did you end up with for stitching? I saw some of your posts on leatherworker forum....
I ordered a Boss, but am considering going ahead and getting an Artisan 3000, also. I sort of wanted an Aerostitch, but the compressor, only used, etc.
Just curious?

[particle]

Thanks! I ended up buying a Boss. With their holiday sale, it was too good to pass up. I figured I could buy the Boss, use it for a while, and then sell it and upgrade without losing much (if any) money on the Boss. I watched a few Ebay ads, and they sold for dang near what a new one sells for! I wanted a Toro 3000, but we had some recent dr. bills (new baby, and one of our kids had an emergency appendectomy). The Boss was the least painful route. Plus, I like to sew REALLY slow. :)

[RiverRat]

Neat. I can't do another belt by hand. My fingers are split to the bone pulling thread. We'll see how long it takes to come up on the sewing machine to match the quality of the handwork.
One of the comments I read about the Toro was that it was slow doing a belt, sort what I was looking for, slow, and not miss a stitch.

Congrats on the baby, and welcome to the most expensive passtime you will ever know......unless you do golfing with Tiger, the way he does it.

[particle]

My finger tips are still numb - LOL. I agree - wish the backside looked at good as the front side. Figured the time savings was worth it though - if people want to pay extra for hand sewing, I guess that could always be an upgrade option. Otherwise, I'll save myself 4 hours of stitching time! Guess I need to focus on a better way to advertise these instead of posting them on boards. Think I already ticked off the 1911 board.

[CompVest]

Who makes the Boss?

[RiverRat]

Compvest; Tippmann Industries http://www.tippmannindustrial.com/produ ... c9ff79e097
They are on sale this month with good decrease in price.

Particle;
I play guitar several nights a week, lots of finger picking and my fingers are so numb I haven't been able to feel the strings with my right hand, either ( the left is well calloused).....muffing songs I've played thirty years. Hope it doesn't take long to learn how to sew on a machine.