Ukraine Train
Member
Hmm that's good advice, Backwoods. Parke, I'm in Flint, MI right now for school, the shop is here. I just did a search in yahoo yellow pages for leather, maybe try it down around BG.
DIY leather holster?
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Wingshooter
Member
K-Man, I really like the floral pattern you put on that holster. I'm trying to get into floral and Sheridan style carving, but lately I just haven't had the time.
UT, your holster looks great. I also think the color you chose makes the detail stand out well. Like another said, I wish my first holster turned out as well as yours did.
UT, your holster looks great. I also think the color you chose makes the detail stand out well. Like another said, I wish my first holster turned out as well as yours did.
Third_Rail
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How the heck do you tool leather like that?? Amazingly nice.
Thanks, Wingshooter. The floral/Sheridan tooling is becoming popular once again. It's a very time-consuming process. Basketweave is my favorite tooling style. I'd like to learn how to do more of the figure carving and be able to do pictures, landscape scenes, etc.
Ukraine Train
Member
I paid $60 for the 5-6oz hide, about 1.5ftx4ft in size and another 70 for the tools, dyes, wax, etc.
Third_Rail
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Third_Rail
Member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2004
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- 4,979
The man that runs that business, Churchill, is about the nicest person you can hope for in terms of doing business.
svtruth
Member
Tooling Tools
I have a belt and a checkbook cover beautifully tooled by my late father in law.
Admittedly he was a craftsman, but he made his tools by filing the designs into the heads of 10 penny nails and cutting the points flush.
I have a belt and a checkbook cover beautifully tooled by my late father in law.
Admittedly he was a craftsman, but he made his tools by filing the designs into the heads of 10 penny nails and cutting the points flush.
Andrew Rothman
Member
UT has inspired me.
I went to Tandy Leather. They have odd shapes of 8/10 for $10 each - looks like enough to make maybe two or three holsters.
I also got this: http://www.tandyleather.com/prodinfo.asp?number=1118900&variation=&aitem=1&mitem=7
Learn dozens of hand-stitching techniques. Includes: Overstitch wheel, stitching awl, groover, needles, thread, wax and The Art of Hand Sewing Leather, by Al Stohlman.
Good deal, I hope. The guys in the (Minneapolis) store were very knowledgable and helpful.
I also got some black thread (I want to dye my holster black eventually).
I didn't get dye or clear finish (wax?) yet. I figure if I mess up or give up, I won't need it! If I do make a decent holster, I 'll go back and get it.
So, azrael, now that you're a pro, about how many hours does it take you to complete a basic belt slide holster?
I'm guessing that quality handmade holsters are a labor of love -- it looks too danged labor intensive to be a real profit center!
K-man -- Do you send out the laser engraving, or can an individual afford the equipment?
I went to Tandy Leather. They have odd shapes of 8/10 for $10 each - looks like enough to make maybe two or three holsters.
I also got this: http://www.tandyleather.com/prodinfo.asp?number=1118900&variation=&aitem=1&mitem=7
Learn dozens of hand-stitching techniques. Includes: Overstitch wheel, stitching awl, groover, needles, thread, wax and The Art of Hand Sewing Leather, by Al Stohlman.
Good deal, I hope. The guys in the (Minneapolis) store were very knowledgable and helpful.
I also got some black thread (I want to dye my holster black eventually).
I didn't get dye or clear finish (wax?) yet. I figure if I mess up or give up, I won't need it! If I do make a decent holster, I 'll go back and get it.
So, azrael, now that you're a pro, about how many hours does it take you to complete a basic belt slide holster?
I'm guessing that quality handmade holsters are a labor of love -- it looks too danged labor intensive to be a real profit center!
K-man -- Do you send out the laser engraving, or can an individual afford the equipment?
Matt,
A "real" pro?? Not hardly...I consider myself a "talented amateur" or an "apprentice shoe cobbler" and nothing more...Thanks though
Labor of love?? yea in a way BUT you get to meet and chat with the best people on earth and that counts for alot AND you get to handle some of the new firearms that companies have available on the companies dime<~~I LOVEEEE that part!!!
How long?? hmm for an "average" belt slide prolly 30-45 minutes to an hour total "handson" time, but remember I am more or less doing this one handed for part of that, so me having a messed up wing adds a few minutes...
lemme break it down for ya...
for a $30-$45 belt slide...
handson..30 minutes to an hour
drying time...24 hours total for drying (wet molding, dye's, polishes)
Apply Sealant....12-24 hours of drying time
Final check and give it to swmbo for shipping...15 minutes
The boring part of making holsters is waiting for them to dry...That is why I watch so many horror movies while crafting holsters..
Stohlman is a good one to learn stitching from...however I would suggest you concentrate on "saddle stitching" and learning to love ibuprofen
A "real" pro?? Not hardly...I consider myself a "talented amateur" or an "apprentice shoe cobbler" and nothing more...Thanks though
Labor of love?? yea in a way BUT you get to meet and chat with the best people on earth and that counts for alot AND you get to handle some of the new firearms that companies have available on the companies dime<~~I LOVEEEE that part!!!
How long?? hmm for an "average" belt slide prolly 30-45 minutes to an hour total "handson" time, but remember I am more or less doing this one handed for part of that, so me having a messed up wing adds a few minutes...
lemme break it down for ya...
for a $30-$45 belt slide...
handson..30 minutes to an hour
drying time...24 hours total for drying (wet molding, dye's, polishes)
Apply Sealant....12-24 hours of drying time
Final check and give it to swmbo for shipping...15 minutes
The boring part of making holsters is waiting for them to dry...That is why I watch so many horror movies while crafting holsters..
Stohlman is a good one to learn stitching from...however I would suggest you concentrate on "saddle stitching" and learning to love ibuprofen
Shorts,
Knife sheaths and gun holster's are made using "Vegetable" tanned leather (soft)
Boots soles ETC are made from "Chromium tanned" leather (hard)...
I use imported vegetable tanned double shoulders in 6-7oz and 7-8oz weights for almost all of my handgun holster's...
And yup you can "cut your own" from a cow and tan it yourself...Nope, ya dont wanna do it, but ya can
'
Knife sheaths and gun holster's are made using "Vegetable" tanned leather (soft)
Boots soles ETC are made from "Chromium tanned" leather (hard)...
I use imported vegetable tanned double shoulders in 6-7oz and 7-8oz weights for almost all of my handgun holster's...
And yup you can "cut your own" from a cow and tan it yourself...Nope, ya dont wanna do it, but ya can
'
Matt:
You may want to sit down for the price of the laser engraver - the least expensive is about 10k. Mine, with all the attachments, and doodads, would cost about 22k-25k. I had been wanting one for 2+ years, ever since the first day I saw what it could do on leather. Here's some more examples:
It's kind of hard to see in the pic of the clock, but you have the detail there that could never be achieved by traditional tooling.The neat thing about it also is that you can put a design/image onto other types of leather such as oil-tanned (like vests) or chrome-tanned (like some of the ladies purses). There previously was not really a way to go direct onto those types of leather. You can't tool on them like on the veg-tanned leather. The only other way would be to paint/airbrush or attach a piece of veg-tanned. So...the sky is the limit as to what you can do with the laser engraver.
Norm357:
Thanks for the kind words. I love doing the leathercraft and making holsters, and I feel blessed to be able to make a living at it.
You may want to sit down for the price of the laser engraver - the least expensive is about 10k. Mine, with all the attachments, and doodads, would cost about 22k-25k. I had been wanting one for 2+ years, ever since the first day I saw what it could do on leather. Here's some more examples:
It's kind of hard to see in the pic of the clock, but you have the detail there that could never be achieved by traditional tooling.The neat thing about it also is that you can put a design/image onto other types of leather such as oil-tanned (like vests) or chrome-tanned (like some of the ladies purses). There previously was not really a way to go direct onto those types of leather. You can't tool on them like on the veg-tanned leather. The only other way would be to paint/airbrush or attach a piece of veg-tanned. So...the sky is the limit as to what you can do with the laser engraver.
Norm357:
Thanks for the kind words. I love doing the leathercraft and making holsters, and I feel blessed to be able to make a living at it.
Shorts:
Thickness of leather is guaged in ounces. One ounce = 1/64" in thickness. So, 5/6 oz weight is approx 3/32" thick. The thinner the leather, the easier to mold. Depending on the holster you make would generally determine the ounce weight needed. For example, most pocket holsters are 5-7 oz, IWB holsters are 6-8 oz, OWB are 7-9 oz. Generally, the larger/heavier the gun you're toting, the heavier the weight of leather. Western/cowboy action shooting holsters are in the 11-14 oz weight/thickness. Part of determining the proper thickness is based on the design of the holster, too. So, are you more confused now? And then if you add in the factor of an exotic leather/skin such as shark, stingray, elephant, etc., it can get even more perplexing. But for the general rule of thumb, the number above are the basics.
Thickness of leather is guaged in ounces. One ounce = 1/64" in thickness. So, 5/6 oz weight is approx 3/32" thick. The thinner the leather, the easier to mold. Depending on the holster you make would generally determine the ounce weight needed. For example, most pocket holsters are 5-7 oz, IWB holsters are 6-8 oz, OWB are 7-9 oz. Generally, the larger/heavier the gun you're toting, the heavier the weight of leather. Western/cowboy action shooting holsters are in the 11-14 oz weight/thickness. Part of determining the proper thickness is based on the design of the holster, too. So, are you more confused now?
And then if you add in the factor of an exotic leather/skin such as shark, stingray, elephant, etc., it can get even more perplexing. But for the general rule of thumb, the number above are the basics.Not too confused. I had your info counterbalanced 'cause I was getting pretty cozy with the way thickness was measured I guess I'm just confused as to how certain leathers will stay in a certain molded form. The softer (thinner) leathers for upholstery or clothing are flimsy and don't really stand on their own. Does that depend on the oiling treatments they recieved? Would that same cut of leather behave differently if it wasn't treated? Would it be able to be molded and stay molded when it dried? Now I'm just asking too many questions. I need to just go to a tannery (word?) or a leather supply house and check things out for myself.
I guess I'm just confused as to how certain leathers will stay in a certain molded form. The softer (thinner) leathers for upholstery or clothing are flimsy and don't really stand on their own. Does that depend on the oiling treatments they recieved? Would that same cut of leather behave differently if it wasn't treated? Would it be able to be molded and stay molded when it dried? Now I'm just asking too many questions. I need to just go to a tannery (word?) or a leather supply house and check things out for myself.Right, the leather's ability to mold/shape is based on how it was tanned - be it vegetable tanned, oil tanned, or chrome tanned. Your upholstery leathers for the most part are chrome-tanned. You can stiffen/mold with a chrome-tanned leather if it's attached to some veg-tanned. I've used a camo-print leather, which was chrome-tanned, and adhered it to a veg-tanned to make knife sheaths. That's what I did here:
The majority of your suede leather is chrome-tanned, which makes it very harmful if put in touch with a blued gun. It essentially will take the bluing off. Even though there is some veg-tanned suede available, I'm very suspect of a holster that is suede-lined.
The majority of your suede leather is chrome-tanned, which makes it very harmful if put in touch with a blued gun. It essentially will take the bluing off. Even though there is some veg-tanned suede available, I'm very suspect of a holster that is suede-lined.
Got it, that cleared things up for me (and all you other lurkers that didn't post Qs)
My husband keeps giving me funny looks and asking, "Sweetie, you're not going to be disappointed if your first one comes out crappy are you??" If my skill isn't going to cut it the first time, I gotta get the materials that are going to "shoot better than I do", so to speak.
That's nice work on that sheath. I've seen some of that camoed leather, it was interesting, and tempting to say the least.
My husband keeps giving me funny looks and asking, "Sweetie, you're not going to be disappointed if your first one comes out crappy are you??"
If my skill isn't going to cut it the first time, I gotta get the materials that are going to "shoot better than I do", so to speak.That's nice work on that sheath. I've seen some of that camoed leather, it was interesting, and tempting to say the least.
Andrew Rothman
Member
UT, did you freehand the pattern? Or was it based on something?
And, anyone, how do you know exactly how far from the gun to put the stitches? Or will molding the leather to the gun render that less important for retention?
And, anyone, how do you know exactly how far from the gun to put the stitches? Or will molding the leather to the gun render that less important for retention?
Matt:
With respect to how far away to put the stitches from the gun, this is how I do it in general:
I cut out the overall shape of the holster. I then place the gun inside of it and press the front and back pieces of leather together around the gun. Where the two pieces touch is generally where the stitches go. I do that all around the gun. How easy it will be is dependent on how thick the leather is, too. I trace that outline and glue with contact cement the two pieces together. I then sew along the line I've traced. Once the holster is essentially together, I wrap the gun in saran wrap, and wet the leather with warm water, and slide the gun down into it. The leather is very flexible when it's wet so the gun should go in fairly easily. I then mold the outline of the gun with a couple of tools. There certainly have been times when I've been off in my tracing of the outline and had to redo it. Most of the time I had gotten too close to the gun :banghead: and when sewn, it caused the gun to sit up higher out of the holster than intended.
With respect to how far away to put the stitches from the gun, this is how I do it in general:
I cut out the overall shape of the holster. I then place the gun inside of it and press the front and back pieces of leather together around the gun. Where the two pieces touch is generally where the stitches go. I do that all around the gun. How easy it will be is dependent on how thick the leather is, too. I trace that outline and glue with contact cement the two pieces together. I then sew along the line I've traced. Once the holster is essentially together, I wrap the gun in saran wrap, and wet the leather with warm water, and slide the gun down into it. The leather is very flexible when it's wet so the gun should go in fairly easily. I then mold the outline of the gun with a couple of tools. There certainly have been times when I've been off in my tracing of the outline and had to redo it. Most of the time I had gotten too close to the gun :banghead: and when sewn, it caused the gun to sit up higher out of the holster than intended.
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