made my first LEATHER holster

P

P71pilot

New member
Hello friends,

I recently developed the hobby of making things from leather. My original intention and goal was to make a sheath for one of my fixed blade outdoor knives. I ordered a 1'x2' piece of tanned cowhide, and after watching a youtube video, made a sheath for my Ontario knife comopany SP6-95. It turned out really really nice, and is far superior to the crappy sheath that came with the blade. I then decided to make a sheath for my fillet knfe, as i didnt have one. That came out really nice, and i started to get good at punching nice even holes and clean looking stitching.

So then i realized i had enough material left to make a holster for my 1911. So i made a paper template and away i went. I wanted to do IWB as i need to carry such a large pistol that way, being such a small guy. Other than me cutting my pieces out with wrong side of the leather on the outside, the holster turned out pretty good. I have about an hours worth of hole punching and stitching left, around thr trigger guard and dust cover, and it will be ready. Its not perfect or pretty by any means, but i figure with a little more practice and experience, i could easily sell these and make a decent little profit.

I love my new hobby and look forward to making my family member and friends holsters, by that time, i should be good enough to sell them for profit
 
I realize that i need to

-make belt loops further apart
-add skin protector on back side of holster, to keep cold steel from touching your skin, and keep salty sweat off of the gun
-make the whole holster shaped a little more appealing
-maybe double stitch the outside seams

Other than those minor things i thinl it turned out well. Not bad for a first time id say
 

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Thanks SpareMag, Everything is done by hand. Holes are punched and it is hand stitched. These are my first experiences with everything.
 
Very nice work !!!

These are my first experiences with everything.
Click to expand...
Well, for just starting out, you work is very good. In fact, too good to stop. Now you will have to invest in some additional tools, as well as make your own. Good luck with your new hobby as it is a good one ....... :)

Be Safe !!!
 
Been making my own stuff for eons. Everything from holsters to sword scabbards. Absolutely hate the idea of paying for belts, knife sheaths or holster now.
"...holster shaped..." Wet forming will do that. Run the holster under tap water(doesn't matter if it's hot or cold) to wet but not dripping, put the gun in(wrap in plastic wrap if you want. Only matters if you're using vinegar(yeah) based dye) and let the thing dry naturally. No heat. The leather will shrink around the gun and make a perfect fit. Vinegar based dye is plain white vinegar, some fine steel wool(any ferrous metal will do) and a few hunks of black walnut bark(helps to have a buddy with a couple trees in his, hers really, yard.). Leave it sit for about a week. Makes a nice black dye. However, vinegar will strip bluing right to bare metal, so wrap the gun in plastic.
Regular shoe polish has waxes in it to make the leather pretty and shiney.
"...double stitch the outside seams..." Isn't necessary.
"...skin protector..." Isn't really necessary either.
Tandy's Leather sells holster pattern books as well as tools. You can find 'em at gun shows and on-line too. Made a few of my on tools too. Two inch common nails make really good hole punches for thick leather projects. nail steel is relatively soft and files into a blade shape that's 1/8" wide easily.
This may be of use to you too. http://leatherworker.net/forum/
 
It's kind of an odd shape,,,

It's kind of an odd shape,,,
It almost looks as if it were meant to be ambidextrous.

I'm not ragging it as you did good work creating it,,,
But I would like to hear what you had in mind when drawing the pattern.

Aarond

.
 
Yes i know it is shaped funky. Well one side i contoured the trigger guard, the other sid i just tried to imitate but allow for a very severe forward cant. Next one will be shaped much better. I didnt take time to design it i just drew an outline of the pistol and drew around that outline and cut the template out
 
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