My two latest holster making attempts (Picture heavy)

[JAB]

Let me begin by saying that this is not an attept to sell holsters. At this time, making a holster here and there for my own use (or for family members, etc.) is a hobby. I honestly do not think that my skills/abilities are of a level [yet] that I would feel comfortable selling a holster for the price I'd have to charge to make it worth my time and effort. I'm posting this just to 'show off' a little and maybe give others some ideas for holsters they could make.

THE FIRST OF MY LATEST HOLSTERS

My preferred method of carry, especially for a primary, is OWB. I really do not like IWB and it doesn't work very well, for me. Generally, I use FOBUS holsters because they work well for me, are inexpensive, have good retention and are simple. However, I have a newer model Rossi 461 that I like to carry, sometimes. Sure, it's not a Smith and certainly not an Airweight, etc. but it fits my hand well, goes 'bang' when I pull the trigger, handles .357 SD loads just fine and is comfortable to shoot. Problem is, I couldn't find a FOBUS or any other holster I liked for it. I wanted a holster that is comfortable, has good retention and is easily removed from/put back onto the belt if necessary. I had a pancake holster that I had made but it didn't have the best retention in all situations and was not easily removed. So I made this one:

This is the first holster of this type that I have made and, while I think it will serve me well, there are some things I would change if I made another (I'd have the support strap come off the main body of the holster at a lower position, for instance, and give the holster a bit more cant.) All in all, though, I am pretty pleased with this attempt. The brown leather was that color when I bought it (part of the reason I liked it.) The salesperson at the leather shop said it is English saddle leather or something like that. The black is from a scrap I bought for another (non-holster) project that didn't work out. It isn't vegetable tanned and is much like the leather you'd see in a motorcycle jacket, etc.

As you can see, there are snaps on both the support strap:

and the main belt loop:

These make it easy to remove and put on. I sewed a small patch of scrap leather inside the holster to cover the metal on the other side of the snap so it wouldn't scratch up the revolver:

I have been rolling the retention straps away from the main body of the holster so that when I unsnap the 'thumb break' snap, the straps move away from the revolver so they won't get in the way of presentation. I plan to do this each time I put the holster away after use to hopefully maintain that feature.

A thumb break strap is usually not something I prefer. In this case, however, I wanted to make absolutely sure the revolver would stay in place in the holster unless I want it out. Honestly, the way this one turned out, just bumping the snap with my thumb during the normal process of placing my hand on the grip unsnaps it. I really don't think it will slow presentation of the weapon.

Edited July 15, 2010 by JAB

[JAB]

THE SECOND OF MY LATEST HOLSTERS

I sometimes carry my little NAA mini in .22 WMR as a weak hand BUG. There are features of the little fellah that I really like for that role. Normally, it goes in a pocket holster but I like options. A couple of weeks back, I took a chance on buying one of the IWB holsters made for them - and once again confirmed that IWB is not my preferred method of carry (although it may see occasional use.) Since I normally carry my primary OWB with a cover garment, anyway, I figured I'd make an OWB holster for the mini. I decided to go with a 'pancake' style just to keep it simple. With this style, I can wear it on either side although it will usually be on my weak hand side.

This project also represents my first attempt at stamping a pattern. The basket weave work I did isn't perfect but I had to start somewhere.

Once the holster was together, I wanted to change the color of the leather. I wanted a reddish-brown, sort of like what you'd see in dark cherry wood furniture. Rather than using leather dyes, etc. I decided to go with something simpler, easier to use and more readily available - shoe polish. There used to be a color of shoe polish called Ox Blood which was just about what I wanted. I used it to put a nice color on a pair of brown western-style boots I had, once. Unfortunately, I haven't seen that color in some time and certainly not at Walmart so I decided to do a little color blending.

First, I applied three or four 'coats' of a color called Cordovan. It is a nice color for leather but I knew going into it that Cordovan was a little more red than I wanted. I used the polishing brush and cloth between applications of the 'coats' of polish.

As I said, this was a little more red than I really wanted it to be. Also, I wanted more depth, dimension and richness of tone. To tone down the red and add a little complexity to the color, I then applied three or four 'coats' of plain, old Brown shoe polish. Again, I used the polishing brush and cloth between applications and tried to really polish it up when finished putting color on. I think the brown added a nice tone to the whole thing and made it look more interesting and less 'monotone'. To apply and polish, I just used common shoe polishing equipment. The final color, along with everything I used to achieve it as well as the mini that will be carried in it can be seen in this pic (I like how the color of the holster and the color of the grips look together - although I will be putting boot grips on the mini, eventually):

And this is just a pic of the two latest holster attempts together:

Edited July 15, 2010 by JAB

[A.J. Holst]

looking good for your first time.

How did you get the revolver printing into the leather?

[JAB]

Thanks. These aren't my first holsters but the one for the Rossi is my first of that type.

To mold the leather to the gun, you want to use vegetable tanned leather. Then, once the holster is sewn together, etc. you thoroughly wet the holster with warm water then let it drain just a little. Once the leather is no longer completely saturated, it becomes almost like modelling clay. You then put the gun in the holster and use your fingers (and/or a boning tool, which is made for the purpose) to mold the leather as tightly to the gun as you want. Don't mold too tightly or you will have a hard time getting the gun out, later. Also, depending on how the sights, top of the barrel, etc. are made you may need to insert a small pencil, etc. along the top of the barrel to maintain a sight channel in the holster. I then leave the gun in the holster until it dries enough to hold the molding, take it out and let the holster completely dry.

This time, I just let it air dry because I didn't want/need to harden the leather any more than it naturally is. With some other holsters, I have removed the grips from the guns and placed the whole thing in the oven to dry on its lowest setting. I take the holster out every few minutes and rub paraffin onto it (the wax melts into the leather) until it is completely dry. This really sets the molding and hardens the leather. You have to be careful, though, because if you leave it in for too long or let the oven get too hot you can scorch the leather or cause it to dry until it becomes completely non-pliable and brittle. There are masks and other sculptures at the leather store where I get my supplies that are made of leather but if you didn't know, just looking at them, you would think they were made of porcelain. Apparently there is some method by which the artists boiled the leather (not sure if that is before or after they form it) to make it really hold the shape. The folks at the store have said that, if dropped, some of them would shatter just like they were made of porcelain. Obviously, we don't want the leather that hard/non-pliable/brittle for holster making.

I don't know if the heat could hurt the grips, etc. on polymer guns or not. I wouldn't imagine that the lowest setting of the oven would but I'd still be careful with the plastic pistols. I have used the oven method to set the leather on a belt slide holster that I was re-forming for a Ruger P95 that has some 'plastic' on it with no ill effects (I bought the holster for another handgun, didn't like it with that one so I wetted and reformed it to fit the Ruger.)

The low-heat oven and paraffin wax process also changes the color/tone of the leather. I think it gives it a nice look. This is a holster I made last year for my Colt Police Positive (rarely carry it, just thought that style holster looked good with it.) This one was only loosely and lightly molded and I didn't put any color on it. The color was natural leather and looked like the color of the NAA holster above looked before I put the shoe polish on it - the color of the Colt holster is 100% from heating it and rubbing it with paraffin wax:

Some folks put the firearm in a plastic (ziploc type) bag and get the bag tight to the gun before putting it in the holster. Others recommend covering the gun in plastic wrap. Both of these measures are intended to protect the firearm from the moisture from the wet leather. For me, I simply rub a good coating of gun grease on the surface of the firearm before putting it in the wet holster then wipe the grease off and make sure the gun is good and clean/dry when I finish.

You also have to wet the surface of the leather just a little before stamping it (for the basketweave pattern, for instance) to get the pattern to really 'take'. For that reason, you can only lightly mold the holster to the firearm (if at all) because pressing it too much/molding it too tightly can cause you to lose the pattern in places. That's why I didn't mold the NAA holster as tightly to it as I molded the Rossi holster.

Edited July 15, 2010 by JAB

[gregintenn]

Fun, ain't it?

[chadbuddy]

very nice. This makes me wonder why I pay so much for holsters when I could learn to make them if I just worked at it like you are.

[JAB]

Fun, ain't it?

Yep!

very nice. This makes me wonder why I pay so much for holsters when I could learn to make them if I just worked at it like you are.

Thanks! I still buy holsters, too, sometimes but generally only the less expensive ones like FOBUS. Buying ammo, etc. and the occasional firearm eats up my rather meager 'gun budget' so I don't have a lot left over to spend on nice, leather holsters. I can generally make a holster (or two - and maybe a couple of other things, depending on type, size of gun, etc.) for $10-$20 worth of leather (leather prices vary depending on a few factors that I still don't completely understand.)

Another advantage is being able to make things I can't find commercially available. For instance, I went ahead last night and made a single speedloader carrier out of the same brown leather I used in the Rossi holster. I can only find double carriers to buy and they are too bulky and, since I usually carry a BUG, probably more than I really need in a daily carry situation. I'll post pics of the carrier, soon.

[gregintenn]

Being left handed, along with the fact that I like antique and odd guns, led me to learn how to make holsters. There just isn't a left handed holster out there for a 51 Remington or 1907 Savage, and no one who's interested in making one. I've tried to make and sell enough holsters to pay for my tools and supplies. I'll almost get there, and then I decide I need some more tools.

[Murgatroy]

The more and more I see these efforts from folks the more and more I want to try this.

I have heard a Sharpie marker works well for a boning tool as well.

[gregintenn]

I have heard a Sharpie marker works well for a boning tool as well.

Yup. That and a point from a deer antler are all you need for boning and burnishing edges as well.

[Sidinman]

Looks good there Greg, you do some real nice work. Just to let you know I found another use for the holster you made for my 1911. When I go fishing my it carrys my Ruger Mk III just fine. Thanks again.

[gregintenn]

Looks good there Greg, you do some real nice work. Just to let you know I found another use for the holster you made for my 1911. When I go fishing my it carrys my Ruger Mk III just fine. Thanks again.

Thanks, but I didn't make these holsters. JAB did.

[JAB]

Yup. That and a point from a deer antler are all you need for boning and burnishing edges as well.

Hmmm...that's a good idea. I bought a tool that is somewhat pointed on one end, blunt on the other (for boning) and has a few notches of various widths cut into one face of it (for burnishing.) It's wider than it is thick and fits in the hand pretty well. I like how it works. I've done a little work with wood, too, and probably could have easily made one but it wasn't very expensive so I decided just to save the time and get one already made. Maybe I'll use it as a pattern/example and make some more one day.

[kwe45919]

Awsome job man. I keep reading posts like these from you guys.....one of these days I think I'll have enough knowledge and an idea of what I'd want to do....