primlantah:
The above holster is one of the most simply there is. It would be easy to make one just as good as a Brauer, if you have normal skills and will invest in a few tools.
This is how a lot of professional holster makers got started.
It's a FUN hobby, and you can have true one of a kind custom leather for yourself.
For tooling and leather, Tandy has pretty much all you need:
http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/
They sell online and have stores all over.
What you'll need is to learn how to stitch leather, and how to form it.
Here's what you'll need to make the above holster:
A foot or so of shoulder cowhide. Double or single shoulder is the best part of a hide, and makes the best holsters and belts.
For that holster, a piece of 4 to 5 ounce would be about right. (Leather is sold by the weight per square foot. The catalog has a cross reference that shows the actual thickness).
The holster, in this case, is made with the rough side OUT.
Tandy will usually carry smaller pieces of good leather of the size and weight you'll need in the stores as odd pieces.
You can order a single shoulder that runs from 6 to 8 square feet, at about $5.00 per square foot.
Tandy number 99606-11. 4 to 5 oz. $5.00 per saquare foot.
The belt clip:
Spring belt clip, nickel. 1240-00. $2.00.
Note that these old design clips have been pretty well replaced by modern makers due to newer clips locking to the belt better.
A book on how to sew leather is really a good idea:
"The Art of Hand Sewing Leather" 61944-00. $13.00
This shows everything needed to sew leather the professional way.
To actually sew leather, unless you want to get into it as a hobby, I'd recommend a stitching awl. This will work great for a one-time job:
Sewing Awl Kit. 1216-00. $16.00
Buy a white or natural refill spool. The holster will look better sewn with this:
Sewing Awl Thread. 1205-03 White.
To cut the leather, use a Xacto razor knife. Most hobby shops have them.
To cut and punch ON, buy a "Poundo" board:
Poundo board. 3461-01. $10.00. 12"x12".
To make a pattern, use cereal boxes or poster board.
An excellent booklet to have is ""How To Make Holsters". 6055-00. $13.00.
This is a large booklet that has full-sized patterns of holster, (Including I "Think" the one you want to make). The book also shows how to hand sew the leather.
This is money WELL spent and will get you started.
The basic process for one of these rough-out IWB holsters is this.
Use cardboard to make patterns until you have one you like.
Lay the pattern on the leather and trace around it with a pencil or pen.
Lay the leather on the Poundo board and cut the pattern out with the razor knife.
Make up the front tab that holds the belt spring.
This is just a rectangle of leather with a slot at the top for the back of the clip to slide into, and a wider slot at the bottom for the "bump" on the clip to stick out of.
(Look at the above pictures).
Sew the belt clip and tab on the front of the holster.
Make a "welt" for the edge of the holster seam.
This is just a piece of leather about 3/8" inch wide or so that is used to re-enforce the seam so it won't rip out.
The holster book explains this very well.
Fold over the holster and insert the weld between the two edges, then sew the seam.
Trim and sand the edge smooth and rounded.
Wet the leather and allow to stand until it's almost dry, but still has a cool feel.
Insert the BARE GUN into the holster and use your fingers to form the leather around the trigger guard and cylinder or slide.
REMOVE THE GUN. DO NOT allow the leather to stand with the gun in it, and DO NOT put plastic over the gun when forming the leather.
Wrapping the gun in plastic will make the holster stretch out too big.
Leaving the gun in the holster as it dries will also make the holster too big.
Most people start to form the leather while it's still too wet.
That's why they wrap the gun in plastic, thinking to protect it from moisture.
If the leather is allowed to "case" or dry properly, the gun will NOT get wet.
If you let it dry TOO long, give the leather a fast squirt with a water spray bottle.
This type of holster really needs very little forming, and often, you can simply allow the gun itself to form the leather by using it, bypassing any wet molding.
If you've wet molded it, allow the leather to dry BONE DRY, and it's ready to use.
DO NOT apply any kind of leather oil or dressing. This will only soften the leather and cause it to stretch out of shape, ruining it.
The rough-out IWB is one of the fastest and easiest holsters to make, and even doing it for the first time, you can finish a good one in an afternoon with no problem.
Best advice is to buy the holster making booklet and get a free catalog from Tandy.
