Leather Holster Making

[jslaker]

I'm finding myself in need of a new hobby these days, and have been giving serious thought to trying my hand at leathercraft and holsters specifically. I'm also finding that piecing together the info I need to get started is a bit... overwhelming as what I'm able to find online is scattered and disorganized at best.

I know we have at least a couple of people that do this here, and was wondering if someone could advise me on what I need to pick up to get started. I'm having to order pretty much everything online as I've been unable to source much of anything locally, so I'd like to get things mostly right the first time (without going completely overboard and spending a fortune).

My shopping list at the moment:


A piece of tooling leather. Shoudlers in the 8/9oz range seem to be the leather of choice for general holster use?
awl
needles
thread (prewaxed?)
overstitch wheel
adjustable groover
set of basic punches
cutting tools - trying to decide if hobby knives are fine to start out or if I should go ahead and pick up something better
adhesives
dye


So far I've basically been window shopping at the Tandy website until I figure out just what I need. Any pointers in terms of specific equipment or where to source this stuff would be hugely appreciated as I'm still somewhat in the feeling in over my head part of this project.

[John Ralston]

That pretty much covers it, but I never did use a grooving tool, and you will want to add an edge beveler.

Look up Zach White and see if they will send you a catalog. They offer good leather and have all the tools. Go with Osborne Tools instead of Tandy - you will be much happier.

An Exacto Knife will get you buy - no need for anything really fancy.

[jslaker]

Thanks for the pointers, John. I'm mostly trying to avoid getting into the middle of it and realizing I left out something that I needed. :)

Is there anything in particular you'd recommend as a "finishing" coat for the leather? That's one area I'm still about lost in my research about.

[John Ralston]

Fiebings Resolene is probably as good as anything. Thin it 50/50 with water and sponge it on in a circular motion. Try some scrap first to make sure you've got the hang of it.

If you can afford it, it is much easier to buy large qty's and dunk the holster in the dye and finish coat, but a couple gallons of each aint cheap!

[jslaker]

UPS brought a big package from Zack White in the mail today.

Turns out that a double shoulder of leather is quite a bit uh.... larger than I had expected. :cool:

[John Ralston]

It will go fast...

[jslaker]

It will go fast...

I believe it, especially given I already have a few projects in mind and I'm fully expecting a false start... or two... or five. :D

[jslaker]

My stitching and boning both need a LOT of work, but this actually wasn't as big a disaster as I had expected.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_5XLLT_qPgmI/TYPvH7PSuDI/AAAAAAAAA4I/IUTBYDKq8oA/s800/IMG_20110318_194629.jpg

There are several stitch lines that got crooked that I didn't notice until it was too late, and I had to move one of them entirely after getting the leather cemented together. Still, given I went into this basically knowing nothing, it's only up from here. :D

[Shellback]

Looks like you have a good start going. Don't give up!

[Frank B]

This is really nice for the first attempt!

[jslaker]

Just finished up my latest project the other night.

I've taken to carrying just forward of the hip lately. Not quite AIWB, but it hides better than behind the hip carry does for me. The Galco SkyOps for my USPc carries quite comfortably around 2:00, but rides so low that it's difficult to grip a solid grip, and makes getting into the front pocket of my pants difficult.

So the goal was something that carries well at that position, but with a distinctly high ride. This is what I ended up with.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yZFpEGDxRAM/Tfkdi1cZ5NI/AAAAAAAAA5s/6QtrkjSoEic/s800/IMG_20110613_020745.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UeXaM_cBqQs/Tfkdmx73gpI/AAAAAAAAA5w/QccYtwEqzvk/s800/IMG_20110615_165319.jpg

Ignore my gut.:p

Works well enough, but I think I overshot the high ride a bit. Considering making another copy with the loop set about 1/4-1/2" lower.

Either way, I can definitely see the progress I've made in just a couple of months across maybe a half dozen or so holsters. I'd encourage anyone who thinks they might enjoy it to give this a shot. :)

[DonovanM]

That looks really good. I'd love to learn as well but it sounds like more of an investment than I'm capable of at the moment. Keep it up!

[jslaker]

That looks really good. I'd love to learn as well but it sounds like more of an investment than I'm capable of at the moment. Keep it up!

I think I ended up spending around $180 on everything. The piece of leather was the single biggest expense - around $70 IIRC -- but I've used less than half of it so far.

[JRCHolsters]

Looks good. That is a big jump from your first picture. What are you using to "bone" the leather around the gun? Try using just your fingers for the first 20-30 minutes, before you try a tool for tine boning. make sure your finger nails are smooth, as they will mark up the leather badly. Some guys use a press or a vacuum bag to initially mold the holster. I do mine all by hand, since I like to twist the gun slightly, in order to keep the grip tucked closer to the body. It typically takes me an hour or so, to get it molded where I like it.

[jslaker]

Thanks for the kind words and pointers.

My boning definitely needs work (that's what she said). I'm damping the leather, using my hands to get it initally moulded, and then letting the piece sit and dry some for 20-30 minutes per what I've read online. I'm actually doing mosting of the forming after that using a plastic burnishing wheel and a cheap plastic boning tool. I don't know why, but it didn't occur to me to sand off the injection molding lines off of them until I was almost done with this piece. That definitely accounted for a good bit of the scuffing. I figure it's one of those things I'll get better at as I do it more as I can definitely see improvement on each piece I work with.

[JRCHolsters]

Thanks for the kind words and pointers.

My boning definitely needs work (that's what she said). I'm damping the leather, using my hands to get it initally moulded, and then letting the piece sit and dry some for 20-30 minutes per what I've read online. I'm actually doing mosting of the forming after that using a plastic burnishing wheel and a cheap plastic boning tool. I don't know why, but it didn't occur to me to sand off the injection molding lines off of them until I was almost done with this piece. That definitely accounted for a good bit of the scuffing. I figure it's one of those things I'll get better at as I do it more as I can definitely see improvement on each piece I work with.

The plastic tools can be harsh on the leather with the injection molding lines. I use one of the flat plastic ones for burnishing and a polished round one I made for the fine boning. Another tip, bevel and polish your edges before you moisten and bone the holster(lol, sounds dirty, doesn't it) It gives you a really nice finished look that way. It takes time to get proficient at it, but each holster will get better and you will learn something new. Keep up the good work.

[NickA]

Nice work commandar, definitely getting better.
Not to drift the thread, but just want to sure- carrying forward of the hip you're still using some forward cant right? That position intrigues me (that's what she said;)

[jslaker]

Not to drift the thread, but just want to sure- carrying forward of the hip you're still using some forward cant right?
Yes. The loops are canted 15 degrees off vertical on that holster. The gun ends up riding pretty much right along my hip bone, and the slight cant keeps things comfortable while sitting.

[jslaker]

Finished up my first new piece in a couple of months the other night:

http://i.imgur.com/oIdKA.jpg

I've lost a good bit of weight, making 12:15-12:30 carry feasible. Straight drop with about a half-inch lower ride than the last M&P holster in the pictures above. Carries quite comfortably for a full size gun. Definitely the cleanest stitching and boning I've done so far. I'm really happy with how this one turned out.

[JRCHolsters]

Great Job. it's a very clean looking piece. You've come a long way in a short amount of time.

[TGS]

Awesome, dude!

That must be satisfying.

[jslaker]

Awesome, dude!

That must be satisfying.

It's a bit of a double-edged sword. It is pretty awesome to go from an idea to a piece of gear I can use every day.

On the other hand, it's also really easy to finish one up and immediately start identifying things I could do differently on the next one. :D

This is actually about the third take on this design. The first needed some tweaks to the holster body, and the last two I've been adjusting the belt loop trying to find something I like. This one's about 90% there, but I'm sure I'll think of something I want to change before long. :)

But it is pretty cool to be able to try out different things where the barrier isn't a manufacturer having a months-long backlog but my own laziness (and I'm not entirely sure which wait is longer...)

[vcdgrips]

Great looking holster. You are becoming quite the craftsman.

JRC-You are a class act sharing your experience with him. There is no doubt that your tips have likely saved him time and money.

Kudos to you both.

[jslaker]

JRC-You are a class act sharing your experience with him. There is no doubt that your tips have likely saved him time and money.

Absolutely. The advice from both JRC and John has been a huge help that I truly appreciate. Thanks guys. :)

[JRCHolsters]

Not sure how much help I was, but glad if I saved you a little time. A few older holster makers shared with me and I don't mind passing along the karma ;)