made my first leather holster today.

[Guest alloyguitar]

so after reading this tutorial, I decided that I wanted to build a holster.

Of course, I've never sewed anything in my life so I decided that, rather than waste a good piece of leather, I'd start with a bag of scraps I got from hobby lobby for 3 bucks. Not the best leather in the world, but I'm sure I'll screw this up, so no big deal.

package looked like this. Whole bunch of crap you can't use for a holster, but I'll find somewhere for it on other projects.

what it looked like. The white is thicker and would probably be better, but it's not wide enough for a holster.

Laid out where my belt should be and how thick it is.

Playing around with different shapes and belt hole locations and such.

shape/cant I ended up going with. I've never actually had a leather holster, so I was pretty much winging it there.

template number two. Left about a half an inch all the way around it so there'd be room for the pistol.

Cutting the templates out using my handy dandy smith and wesson emt shears.

Cut out the belt loop holes with an xacto.

the front and back pieces. One's brown and one's black, but, like I said, it's from scraps.

Clamped the two pieces together and drilled all the holes on my drill press.

[Guest alloyguitar]

used an awl made for stitching canvas sails and such. worked great with the waxed thread.

working my way around. There's a huuuuge learning curve here for me, but once I got the technique down it's smooth sailing.

one side down. You'll notice I got a little drill press happy on the other side because I just wasn't paying attention. Good thing the leather was cheap.

Getting there. Still needs belt loop slots and some molding.

The sides weren't EXACTLY the same, and most people use a sanding drum on a dremel to fix that. Well I'm fresh out of sanding drums, but an 80 grit flapper on a die grinder works great.

I dont own a leather punch to do the belt slots, but I did pick this thing up at a salvation army for a dollar or so. It's an industrial single hole leather punch.

How it works. Won't do much in the depth department, but it'll do for now. I have other methods for my next one.

Holes done. Had to make one longer because the belt wouldn't fit in it. Lol

Slots cut out. Need something better than an xacto for the next one.

All done for now. Still need to line the edges with something. It's still wet, hence the bag around the gun, but you get the idea. Seems to fit great. I don't carry my 1911. I have a 3913NL for that. I just wanted something to hold it when walking around friend's properties to shoot. All in all I'm pretty excited about it for a first one. Next time I'll swing by Tandy Leather, but it's an hour away from me, so I couldn't justify the expense for something I was probably going to screw up. Lol.

[JPS]

Good job! It gets easier as you do a few. I waited until Tandy had some leather on sale, then bought a couple good-sized pieces - enough to last me for quite a while.

[Guest alloyguitar]

That's probably what i'm going to do. I would have gone there first, but I just couldn't justify the 2 hour trip, give or take, it would have taken to go there. I definitely will be for my next leather purchase, though. Hobby lobby's leather section is pretty awful.

I think for practice i'm going to do a magazine pouch with some of the stuff I have left, but it was actually a lot of fun to make and i'm pretty excited about starting another.

[gregintenn]

Looks like you've got the idea! Is the leather vegetable tanned? I've been told that chrome tanned leather will corrode steel.

For belt slots, you can punch the ends with one of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/9-piece-hollow-punch-set-3838.html

and draw a line from outside of hole to outside of other hole. Same with the inside. Cut the straight lines with your hobby knife.

I didn't care for the stitching awl, and do a saddle stitch using two needles.

Here was my first attempt.

...and something a bit more recent

Keep at it! It's a fun way to pass spare time, and you end up with something useful as well.

[Guest alloyguitar]

I'm honestly not sure if it's vegetable or chome tanned. All it said on the package was that it was a "farmer's bundle," but it was cheap. I don't carry that gun but a few hours every now and then and keep it oiled and such in the inbetween time, so I think it'll be alright. For my carry gun i'll be buying better leather. I'm assumming a higher quality tooling leather would take the molding better, yes?

[JAB]

Any time you enjoy the process and come out with a usable item I say it is a job well done. I have never even tried a sewing awl so, like gregintenn, I do a two-needle saddle stitch.

My first holster was for a Rossi .357 snubbie (because I couldn't find an off the shelf holster to fit it and wasn't going to pay for custom leather to carry a sub-$300 gun.) It looked pretty rough but worked well:

I have made several holsters since then and like to think my work has improved, at least a little - although I am still a long way from being as good at it as gregintenn or Mark@Sea. This one I made for my .44 Mag Super Blackhawk isn't the most recent but is probably my best looking work so far. It is the only one that I have purchased a pattern for (as in a printed, paper pattern, I still transferred the drawing, cut the leather, etc. myself) - the rest of mine are from patterns I drew freehand or else traced from other holsters and modified:

I just stained/colored the leather with Kiwi brand shoe polish. I used black to make 'streaks' then went over it with brown. I like the variation in color/tone that, along with some of the natural grain of the leather, gave me.

The 'work' itself is more visible in this picture:

Edited May 1, 2012 by JAB

[JAB]

...and something a bit more recent

I love the carving. My next, major 'step' is to start trying to do a bit of tooling.

[gregintenn]

I'm honestly not sure if it's vegetable or chome tanned. All it said on the package was that it was a "farmer's bundle," but it was cheap. I don't carry that gun but a few hours every now and then and keep it oiled and such in the inbetween time, so I think it'll be alright. For my carry gun i'll be buying better leather. I'm assumming a higher quality tooling leather would take the molding better, yes?

Absolutely!

[East_TN_Patriot]

If it was a "farmer's bundle" most likely it is chrome tanned latigo leather. What you need is vegetable tanned full-grain leather. I agree with gregintenn on using saddle stitching. I used that method exclusively until my little business got busy enough to justify buying a machine. Even though the machine makes things a lot easier, a saddle stitch is a better way to go than a lockstitch. Also, I use a Dremel tool with a sanding drum attachment to do the edges. Then you can dampen the edges with water, buff them with some canvas or denim, and then coat them with edge paint. If you think you'll do very many of these, go ahead and drop the money on a basic leather crafting kit from Tandy:

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/55510-00.aspx

Here's a holster and mag carrier I made for my Walther PPS.

[bajabuc]

Back when I was a kid....under 40...I made all my own holsters. Double needle stitching and artificial sinew is the way to go.

[Guest rebeldrummer]

wow....nice work guys. really has my gears turning.

just might be something I want to try my hand out....seems very rewarding and fun

[Guest alloyguitar]

I'll keep that in mind on the leather. I'll probably use what I have left to practice with, then pick up some decent leather from tandy. From the internet I've gathered that I need Vegetable tanned full grain 9oz tooling, correct?

[gregintenn]

I like the 7/8 oz shoulder. Go to Tandy and pick it out in person. No telling what they'll ship you. You'll likely get a lot of good advice from the empolyees there when you go. That's worth a lot to me.

[Guest alloyguitar]

Good to know. Someone said they had a remnant bin or something similar I could dig through, yes? I'm clearly still in the "practicing" stage. Lol

[East_TN_Patriot]

I'll keep that in mind on the leather. I'll probably use what I have left to practice with, then pick up some decent leather from tandy. From the internet I've gathered that I need Vegetable tanned full grain 9oz tooling, correct?

I like the 7/8 oz shoulder. Go to Tandy and pick it out in person. No telling what they'll ship you. You'll likely get a lot of good advice from the empolyees there when you go. That's worth a lot to me.

Good to know. Someone said they had a remnant bin or something similar I could dig through, yes? I'm clearly still in the "practicing" stage. Lol

Yes, yes, and yes. I also prefer 7/8 ounce full-grain veg tan for most holsters, but will use 9/10 oz for bigger guns and 4/5 for small pocket size guns. I typically order mine in sides and get them per-dyed, but I go through a lot of leather in a year. Double shoulders (or single shoulders) tend to be the most uniform in thickness and are generally the most clear of marks an blemishes. Tandy's stuff is hit or miss, so I agree to go look in person if possible. Look at the flesh side as well because it can tell you more about the hide than the smooth grain side. You want it to have an overall firm temper and even look to it. You'll never find one that is absolutely perfect, but some are much better than others for the same price. If veg tan leather feels really soft and spongy, most likely it's a poor quality hide and it won't mold properly. Look at a few different ones and you'll start to get a sense of what I am talking about. They do have a remnant bin, but typically it is the scrap that is not very useful for making nice larger items like holsters. They used to sell leather by the square foot and would cut down larger pieces if you only wanted a small piece. You can also save money by looking at lower grade pieces if you can work around any holes, blemishes, or spongy areas.

[Guest alloyguitar]

Fantastic. I'll have to plan a trip out there soon.

[East_TN_Patriot]

Here's another one I made for my Beretta Stampede. It was the first cowboy holster I made.

I made this to sell on eBay for some quick cash and ended up making about 5 or 6 more for losing bidders.

I got started the same way you have.

[gjohnsoniv]

K.C. Leather Works in Knoxville is a great place to go if you're looking for leather and advice. Unfortunately though I think they have closed for a little while and are relocating. I've been going there for several years for advice and material.

[Guest alloyguitar]

If you find any info regarding them, keep me informed if you don't mind. I'd much rather support a local place.

[gjohnsoniv]

If you find any info regarding them, keep me informed if you don't mind. I'd much rather support a local place.

I'll see if I can't find their card in my wallet. I'll also stop by Saturday and see what's happening with them and keep you updated.

[Guest alloyguitar]

Fantastic. i appreciate it.

[gjohnsoniv]

Here's their website: http://kcleatherwerks.com/

Apparently they have already moved to the downtown area to reopen.

[Volzfan]

Great job for a 1st attempt! And all on the others posted really make me want to jump in with both feet!

Here's a qustion for you holster makers.

I am going to give it a try myself and fortunately there is a Tandy on Nolensville Rd, about 2 miles from me.

I'm planning to make an OWB holster for my CZ P-06 but I want to put a sweat guard between the gun and my body. Would it work with simply the back piece of leather cut in that shape or should it be doubled?

[gjohnsoniv]

Great job for a 1st attempt! And all on the others posted really make me want to jump in with both feet!

Here's a qustion for you holster makers.

I am going to give it a try myself and fortunately there is a Tandy on Nolensville Rd, about 2 miles from me.

I'm planning to make an OWB holster for my CZ P-06 but I want to put a sweat guard between the gun and my body. Would it work with simply the back piece of leather cut in that shape or should it be doubled?

Do you mean IWB?