Any holster makers here?,,,

[aarondhgraham]

Everyone posts pictures of their pretty handguns,,,
Are there any holster makers here who can post pics of their craft?

Let's see some of your creations.

Even if you didn't make it,,,
I would love to see your hand made one of a kind rigs.

C'mon Pahoo,,,
I know you have a pic or two to share.

Here is a pic of a rig I made for a SASS member back in 1995.

I do like making old west rigs.

 

[surbat6]

I'm not a leather worker and have proved it several times.

...You don't want to see the results. Trust me on that!

 

[Sixer]

I dabble... started about a 2 months ago just making holsters for friends and family members.

As I learn and improve I would like to try and make a little $$$ on the side. You can never have too many gun related hobbies

 

[aarondhgraham]

Nice stuff Sixer,,,

We are at opposite ends of the time spectrum,,,
I rarely ever make anything for modern concealed carry.

For only starting two months ago you are doing day-um fine work,,,
Surely you have some prior craftsmanship experience.

I tend towards the flashier rigs for range showoffs (like myself)

Last halloween a young lady who brings me beer at my favorite watering hole wanted to dress as Laura Croft for the restaurant costume party.

We went online and found airsoft replicas of the movie pistols,,,
Here is what I came up with for her.

And the lady herself,,,

A bit silly,,, Yes,,, but fun as heck

 

[Sixer]

Aaron,

That's awesome! I'm more than familiar with Laura Croft and I'd say that the rig with the guns is spot on!

Thanks for the kind words, hopefully I can keep improving and get close to your level of craftsmanship one day. The carving and artwork on your leather is sweeeet. That's one area that I would like to dip my toe in one of these days.

If you don't mind me asking... what are some of the basic tools or methods I should be looking for to get started with leather carving?

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello Sixer,,,

Tandy Leather Factory is the place to start,,,
But what tools to start with is another story altogether.

The carving on the Croft rig is actually one of the simplest techniques out there,,,
It's easy to learn and requires the least number of tools.
It's called silhouette carving and only requires three basic tools:
Swivel Knife (one of them)
Bevel (many sizes but two or three are all you need)
Background (just one)

The dragon pattern I got by doing a search for dragon tattoo patterns,,,
I just did a screen capture of the tattoo pattern,,,
Popped it into a PowerPoint slide,,,
adjusted it for dimension,,,
And printed it out.

Here is a link to a carving instruction book that has a good section on silhouette carving,,,
Inverted Leather Carving
It's a good place to start.

Here's the book I bought before I ever picked up a tool,,,
My theory was read lots of books then I have an idea of what tools I need.
How to Carve Leather.

One more book that's real good to read is this one,,,
Craftool Tech Tips

As you can see I am a believer in books.

Read these (less than $40.00 total) and you will know a lot about the different styles of carving from Simple silhouette to intricate Western Floral.

Then you can make an intelligent decision on how to start,,,
Believe me, the people at the Tandy store will be more than helpful.

Beware though,,,
It's as addicting as shooting is.

Chat me up any time Sixer,,,
I love talking leather.

 

[Dwight55]

Here are a couple for you, . . . just remember that I am far more into utility than BBQ:

The gun bag has a hand loomed bead patch (2400 of them little glass critters in it), . . . was a gift to a special young USMC vet.

The black rig is my daily carry, fully tuckable, for my full size 1911.

May God bless,
Dwight

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello Dwight55,,,

Thanks for sharing your work,,,
From what I see you have nothing to be shy about.

Actually, you could easily crow about your stuff,,,

Way back in the dark ages I used to manage a Tandy Leather store,,,
I tried doing a bit of bead work just so I could talk about it to my customers.

I gave that up real quick,,,
That takes a special kind of patience I don't have.

I like your reference to BBQ,,,
I like to say I make BBQ gun-leather,,,
I have been using that phrase ever since I first heard it here.

16 years ago my ex was a police dispatcher,,,
There was a lady cop there who was tiny and beautiful,,,
The other cops called her the Valley Girl Cop but smiled when they did so.

Anyways, when she passed her 6 month probation,,,
They commissioned this holster to give to her as a congratulation gift.

Click here,,,

I know she wore it to one big event,,,
Her husband was a Riverside County Sheriff,,,
They had a semi-formal dinner party and she showed it off there.

Thanks for sharing your very nice stuff,,,

 

[Magnum Wheel Man]

making me jellous most awesome work ... Mrs Magnum used to tool leather before we met, & there are hides & belt blanks in storage in the upstairs closets... I just don't honestly have any spare time right now...

I'd love to pick it up, & have begun to play by casually restoring old holsters that interest me...

hopefully after I get some of my never ending home / yard / business project list done ( some year )... I'll have the time to dabble a little... I have scores of handguns deserving of a special place to ride, but have eally only begun to find holsters for a few of them... I guess I don't need to worry about getting bored, as I get older & run out of things to do

 

[Sixer]

Aaron, I will definitely chat you up. I've got alot to learn and this is one addicting hobby Thanks for the advice on tooling! I need to place an order with Springfield leather next week and pick up the tools you mentioned. Love the lady cop holster BTW!

Dwight, I've seen some of your other work on Leatherworker.net and I can say that it is all very impressive work!

My main areas of concern right now are getting an even color on the finish and burnishing the edges.

Magnum, get that leather out and get to work!

 

[Dwight55]

My main areas of concern right now are getting an even color on the finish and burnishing the edges.

Lou Alessi was very free with advice, and one of his was that in all his holster business, he always dyed his leather the first thing after he cut out the blank pieces. He also did a "dunk dye" in 5 gallon pails of dye. That will cure the even color problem by 99.435876539 % (more or less)

The enclosed pic shows the burnishing tools I use on virtually everything: book cover, belt, knife sheath, holster, . . . all. The grooves in the one on the top are made for certain thicknesses, . . . but have a wide range of applications. The one in the Dremel tool is for faster running of long edges such as belts. It also polishes the flat areas of some holsters that have a wide welt in them or something like that.

The tools are nothing more than 5/8" oak dowels with a 1/8 in drill bit cemented into them, . . . then carved with files to the shape you see.

Pour some water in a saucer, fold up a paper towel, WET it in the water (don't dampen it, . . . WET it) and slide it down the edge you want to burnish. Run the Dremel tool on it, looking to see it get shiney, . . . rub it with some 100% PURE beeswax, . . . burnish again, . . . and sometimes hit it one more time with the wax.

After you do this, . . . finish the project with whatever finish you like the best (I like Resolene) and you will have a nice burnished edge. A friend of mine also goes back, . . . fingertips on some more Resolene, . . . and burnishes that onto the finished edge as a final SHINEY coat.

Just so the mods don't think we are converting this into a leatherworking seminar, . . . make sure you then check the "holster" you just made so it fits your "handgun".

May God bless,
Dwight

 

[aarondhgraham]

Burnishing is not difficult,,,

I use a product called gum tragacanth,,,
As Dwight says, water works to burnish an edge,,,
Pretty much any liquid, including leather dye, will work to burnish.

Gum tragacanth just holds that slicked edge a lot more permanently that most other liquids.

Old timers used deer antler as a rubbing tool to burnish edges,,,
The slicker the tool the better.

I've used the body of ball point pens in tight places.

But, the main ingredient is motion,,,
Whether it's a motorized tool like Dwight uses,,,
Or just good old fashioned elbow grease, it needs rubbing.

Try the gum tragacanth though,,,
You will like the results.

 

[swcr]

My favorite holsters to make are 1880s style holsters and cartridge belts.

6.5" Ruger Blackhawk

Lately however I've been doing mostly concealed carry holsters.

S&W M&P9c

Browning Hi Power

Kahr CW9

I also enjoy making field type holsters.

5.5" Ruger Single Six

4" Ruger GP100

Eugene