Pocket holster build

[WestKentucky]

I am soon to set about making a pocket holster for my new EC9s. I have carried it for a few days in an old worn out J frame pocket holster that’s a OK fit but not great. The biggest issue with the old J frame holster is that the material doesn’t do a great job of covering the slide, but of all the pocket holsters I have seen none of them really do a great job of that. I am a sweaty guy and I want to put a little extra material around the slide and muzzle to keep the gun from getting killed by sweat. I’m leaning towards sewing on some form of plastic lining to serve as a sweat-resistant barrier. I’m interested to see how other folks have dealt with this from a holster design standpoint.

 

[gobsauce]

I appreciate this kind of thread.

What do you plan on making the main construction out of? If leather, I'd use some sort of sealant/ oil/ wax to make it so the leather doesn't absorb the water and help rust your iron. My father recommends Carnauba wax like no tomorrow, swears by it. I use pure neatsfoot oil, but that's a whole can of worms on its own.

If making it out of cloth/fabric/ etc, maybe I'd use wax? Not sure actually.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

I've always heard the claims that Neetsfoot oil will break down the leather. I don't know how true that claim is, but oil will migrate. As long as wax is below it's melting point, it is not going to migrate and it is close to being inert.

Paraffin canning wax has too low of a melting point and tends to be sticky at body temperatures. Beeswax has a higher melting point and would be better than paraffin canning wax. I say canning wax specifically, because there are some paraffin waxes with much higher melting points. But they are not as readily available.

The issue with carnauba wax is not the wax itself, but instead the additives. Some people allegedly have allergies to pure carnauba wax. But it could also be that they are allergic to the additives. But you can buy pure carnauba flakes. You could apply it by melting it directly upon the leather, or by dissolving the carnauba with a solvent that will evaporate after application.

https://www.amazon.com/Carnauba-Organic-Flakes-Pastilles-Premium/dp/B01CO5408G/
https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Carnauba-Oslove-Organics-multipurpose/dp/B01H7MZ8UA/

I was also planning to try my hand at making a leather pocket holster. I found this company in my search for horsehide:

https://www.thetanneryrow.com/all-leather/horween-russet-strips

They also have cosmetic seconds that are stained that are considerably cheaper. A pocket holster isn't going to be seen, so why not use a cosmetic blem? I also figure that I may not get it right the first time, so why not practice on cheaper cosmetically blemished leather?

https://www.thetanneryrow.com/all-leather/stained-russet-strip-bundle-5b2mw

Another thought that I had was that the smooth side should be on the INSIDE of the holster. The rough side being placed on the outside of the holster should make the holster more resistant to coming out of the pocket during a draw. Anyone have any thoughts about this? Again, as an experiment, why not use cheaper blemished leather?

 

[gobsauce]

Neatsfoot oil breaking down leather? That makes no sense, considering that it's an animal oil. Machine oil will definitely break leather down.

If you've ever had M&M's or apples without an allergic reaction ,you're not allergic to carnauba wax.

The wax advice given by @Alllen Bundy is something I second,on the topic of melting points.

As for the leather, I've never used horse hide, but my uncles, who've worked leather for 50+years, say that horsehide is one of the poorest quality of hides out there.

HOWEVER, take this with a grain of salt, as a long changes in 50 years.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

Neatsfoot oil breaking down leather? That makes no sense, considering that it's an animal oil. Machine oil will definitely break leather down.

There are countless discussions online about problems with neatsfoot oil damaging leather. I remember hearing this long before the internet existed. Here are two articles:
https://favoredleather.com/is-neatsfoot-oil-bad-for-leather-2/
https://www.carlfriedrik.com/blogs/magazine/best-oil-for-leather

The main claim seems to be that that neatsfoot oil is acidic and it oxidizes and this causes the leather damage. True or not, I don't know. But wax would seem to be better for repelling sweat and moisture on a pocket holster. I've used beeswax on hand forged steel and it seems to work well. I've also used beeswax on winter boots to waterproof them.

As for the leather, I've never used horse hide, but my uncles, who've worked leather for 50+years, say that horsehide is one of the poorest quality of hides out there.

After looking at a few holster manfacturers' websites, it would appear that they are more likely to use horsehide for a pocket holster or inside the waistband holster, and steerhide for external holsters.

From the Recluse pocket holster website:

"What is the difference in Leather (steer hide) and Horsehide?
Horsehide compared to steer hide has a higher density and is non-porous with the primary benefit that the horsehide repels moisture, sweat, etc. much better."

"Which holsters use Soft or Hard Rolled Horsehide?
In Front pocket holsters we use Soft Rolled Horsehide which is initially more pliable then the steer hide. If you prefer a thinner horsehide you may request it in the comments section on the Checkout page. In Solo, Plus and Cargo holsters we use Hard Rolled Horsehide which is stiffer then the steer hide."

Considering that I am planning to make pocket holsters, less susceptibility to sweat and moisture seems like a benefit. So horsehide seems like the more logical choice for my application.

 

[WestKentucky]

I appreciate this kind of thread.

What do you plan on making the main construction out of? If leather, I'd use some sort of sealant/ oil/ wax to make it so the leather doesn't absorb the water and help rust your iron. My father recommends Carnauba wax like no tomorrow, swears by it. I use pure neatsfoot oil, but that's a whole can of worms on its own.

If making it out of cloth/fabric/ etc, maybe I'd use wax? Not sure actually.

The plan is to make it primarily out of a heavier piece of tooling leather. My initial thought was to do some sort of an interior liner using something akin to the little roll up cutting boards that my wife despises and throws away (but I love and keep buying when I find them cheap enough). Stitched by hand of course. I could open up the little Barsony holster for a basic pattern but I see no reason to. It’s super simple. I do want to cover the muzzle to help keep pocket lint and sweat at bay a bit better.

 

[WestKentucky]

I've always heard the claims that Neetsfoot oil will break down the leather. I don't know how true that claim is, but oil will migrate. As long as wax is below it's melting point, it is not going to migrate and it is close to being inert.

Paraffin canning wax has too low of a melting point and tends to be sticky at body temperatures. Beeswax has a higher melting point and would be better than paraffin canning wax. I say canning wax specifically, because there are some paraffin waxes with much higher melting points. But they are not as readily available.

The issue with carnauba wax is not the wax itself, but instead the additives. Some people allegedly have allergies to pure carnauba wax. But it could also be that they are allergic to the additives. But you can buy pure carnauba flakes. You could apply it by melting it directly upon the leather, or by dissolving the carnauba with a solvent that will evaporate after application.

https://www.amazon.com/Carnauba-Organic-Flakes-Pastilles-Premium/dp/B01CO5408G/
https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Carnauba-Oslove-Organics-multipurpose/dp/B01H7MZ8UA/

I was also planning to try my hand at making a leather pocket holster. I found this company in my search for horsehide:

https://www.thetanneryrow.com/all-leather/horween-russet-strips

They also have cosmetic seconds that are stained that are considerably cheaper. A pocket holster isn't going to be seen, so why not use a cosmetic blem? I also figure that I may not get it right the first time, so why not practice on cheaper cosmetically blemished leather?

https://www.thetanneryrow.com/all-leather/stained-russet-strip-bundle-5b2mw

Another thought that I had was that the smooth side should be on the INSIDE of the holster. The rough side being placed on the outside of the holster should make the holster more resistant to coming out of the pocket during a draw. Anyone have any thoughts about this? Again, as an experiment, why not use cheaper blemished leather?

on carnauba… hard pass. I have had reaction after using carbauba on cars. Just assumed it was the wax as that was the only thing different from normal.

on building a holster… it’s not hard. It just takes patience. The kind of patience that is learned and enjoyed as a hobby. A pocket holster is especially simple so no real need to get elaborate. Cut a rectangle, fold it in half to be roughly square, insert gun and mark for stitching. Stitch it slowly and carefully. Grain side for sure outside. Grippy against the pocket keeps the holster still and let’s the gun draw if needed. Also, for carry purposes the gun staying put is much better than the gun moving around in the pocket as they tend to turn flips and do all sorts of things they ought not do if not properly corralled.

on leather… I have had good luck buying scraps and sorting through the trash. I bought a 3 pound bunch of scraps on Amazon for this project and a couple others I have in mind. It’s a different seller so I’m hoping it works out. My first batch I bought at Hobby Lobby where I could inspect the packages and pick one that seemed like it had plenty of bigger pieces that were still somewhat useful.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

on carnauba… hard pass. I have had reaction after using carbauba on cars. Just assumed it was the wax as that was the only thing different from normal.

While it's possible that you had a reaction to carnauba wax, it's far more probable that you reacted to the solvent or other ingredient within the car wax formula.

Regarding thread to sew the leather, I'm actually considering using silk suture thread. I believe that it's more resistant to breakdown than the linen or cotton thread that is most commonly used.

 

[WestKentucky]

on leather… I have had good luck buying scraps and sorting through the trash. I bought a 3 pound bunch of scraps on Amazon for this project and a couple others I have in mind. It’s a different seller so I’m hoping it works out.

MY OH MY did it work out. I got 10 pieces all similarly sized. I would say that on average they are roughly 9x11 inches and very regularly shaped. The photo shows my hand (xxl in gloves, 11 inches thumbtip to pinky tip at full extension. The top piece in the pic is by far the most irregularly shaped. The rest are just rectangles. I would absolutely buy this again. 2 sheets should do up a nice pancake holster, 1 sheet will do a pocket holster or a small belt holster. Might be tough to do a western rig but provided the barrel length isn’t long it should do that fine too. Plenty thick…I’m tickled. Below is the link I used. 30 bucks doesn’t seem bad.

https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Topg...qid=1655692625&sprefix=veg+tan,aps,201&sr=8-8