Hide Tanning

[DaveS]

So, how many members on here, tanned a hide this year? I've seen a ton of hunting pics....where's your work? I'll post a few in the next day or two.

 

Dave S

[Dolomite_supafly]

I haven't tanned any but I made a holster the other day for a friend.

 

Dolomite

[DaveS]

What leather did you use Dol?

 

Dave S

[DaveS]

I haven't tanned any but I made a holster the other day for a friend.

 

Dolomite

I'm getting ready to buy some leather for holsters. Did you use 8-9oz?

 

Dave S

[Dolomite_supafly]

Depends, I use lighter weight because it brings out more detail of the gun. I also wash them in warm soapy water to make them very hard. I use 6-7 or 4-5 ounce and once washed, contoured and dried it is like Kydex in how it acts. I have been doing some experimenting. I generally use the heavier leather as a backer and the lightweight leather for the front.

 

I use a vacuum sealer to contour the holster rather than boning. I think it makes for a nicer holster. I wash the front in hot water that is almost too hot for you to hold you hand in. I use dishsoap and wash the leather for probably 10 minutes. I soak, then scrub with my hand, then wring the water completely out. I repeat this probably 10 times. Then I wringe it out a final time then lay it out to cool. I do not wash the backer.

 

I seal the gun in a vacuum bag to prevent moisture from getting into the inside of the gun. If the gun has high sights I tape a pencil between the front and rear sights to create a channel in the leather. I place the backer leather in a seperate vacuum bag. I place the gun on that then I place the wet piece of leather over top of the gun. I vacuum the bag without sealing it. I vacuum and release to make adjustments. And once everything is where it should be I use papertowels to soak up the extra moisture that is getting squeezed out of the leather. I use the papertowels until no more water is being squeezed out of the leather. Then I do a final vacuum and let it seal. I let it sit for a few hours and during this time the moisture from the front piece to back piece. While it sets I normally bend it to better match the curve of the hip.

 

Then I remove everything together from the bag and carefully set the front piece in a position so it maintains its shape while it dries.

 

After it dries for a few days I do a close trime on the front but do not touch the back yet. It is easier to trim the front before it is bonded to the back. After it is trimmed it is time to glue the pieces together. I tape off the area of the front piece where the gun will be setting during the glue process. Then I spray it with 3M adhesive spray. I remove the tape and place the firearm in the fron half where there is no glue. Then I press the back onto the front piece and place it all into the vacuum bag again. I vacuum it down and let it seal. I let it set again for a few hours to ensure a good bond. Then I remove the holster from the vacuum bag and remove the gun from it.

 

Now I begin trimming the excess. After I have trimmed it to close to the final dimension I use a spacer wheel to mark out the stitches. I use a drill press and a awl to punch the holes. It is easier and more consistent than doing it by hand. Then I stitch it using a crossover stitch. Once it is all stitched up I do the final trimming and sanding and bring it to about 1/4" from the stitching.

 

I dye the leather and then I cut the belt loops to what the friend I am doing it for says feels good. And then I use a sharpie to color in the loops.

 

There are a lot of little nuances I am missing but that is the basics.

 

Dolomite

[MacGyver]

Just so everyone is clear, people have either paid money to learn or wasted a lot in materials just trying to learn what dolomite posted above from his experience.

The post you just read for free is worth money...

[gunwhatgun]

That is an impressive write up.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Just so everyone is clear, people have either paid money to learn or wasted a lot in materials just trying to learn what dolomite posted above from his experience.

The post you just read for free is worth money...

Thanks Macgyver.

 

I can honestly say I have at least a full cow hide in screwed up holsters. I wish I had taken pictures of all of them so you could see the progression because my first ones were hideous and locked away or destroyed so no one could see them. But honestly it is not that difficult if you put your mind to it. I think the biggest obstacle for most people is not that they don't have the ability but that they have a fear of failure. I embrace failure because I know every time I make a mistake it will be a mistake I will hopefully not make it again.

 

And no matter the skill it doesn't come without a cost be it time, money or effort. And we all have skills we can pass on to fellow members. We have a lot of skilled people on this forum. I know I have personally learned a lot from being here. Knowledge is power but only if you share it.

 

I don't make holsters for profit and never have. I make them for friends and it is a skill I actually enjoy. It allows me to forget about life while I make them. I am unable to do them as often as I like but I like it when I can.

 

And if anyone has any questions feel free to ask. That is a Cliff's notes version.

 

Dolomite

[East_TN_Patriot]

Like Dolomite, I have a big box of screwed up holsters and I've trashed many that I managed to goober up in mid-production and didn't bother finishing.  I typically use 7-8 ounce full-grain cowhide for most holsters.  Smaller frame handguns I use 5-6 ounce, and pocket holsters I use 3-4 ounce.  I make enough holsters that I just buy my leather in full sides, so I can work with the variation in the individual hide based on the holster I am making.  I have also used some horsehide on occasion because you get better rigidity out of a thinner leather. 

Unlike Dolomite, I saturate my leather, let it sit for a few minutes, form it by hand, and then using boning to get the finer details in the leather.  I have a couple of actual boning tools, but found that a toothbrush with the bristles removed works best for me.  I typically buy my leather pre-dyed at the tannery, but found that oil-based dye does a much better job than the alcohol or water based dyes on the market.  The oil-based dyes stink like crazy, but don't dry out the leather and tend to dry more evenly than the others. 

I've never actually tanned my own.  I have a reprint of an old outdoorsman handbook and it has a couple of how-to sections on pit tanning and brain tanning.  It's a long process for sure.