Holster making questions

[68_F100]

OK so I have tried Crossbreed, Old Faithful and a few other leather/kydex hybrid holsters for IWB. I am 140 lbs and 5'9" tall. These holsters do not fit me. So I am after a full leather holster but the wait times and prices are to much. So I am going to try my hand at making one. I have watched countless hours of video on youtube. So why type of leather do they use? I tried wetting down some that was the backing on one of my bought holsters but it wouldn't form verry well. I am guessing that was because it was dyed/treated. I am going to hit up Tandy leather on the westside but don't know what I am after. Feel free to share any other tips. Thanks.

 

[jackadew]

The most important thing is to make sure how the leather was tanned. Some leather (imported is bad) tanned with acids used in the tanning process...it can rust your gun quick. Anything vegetable oiled tanned is fine to use. A true form fitting leather holster is hard to make...i have made a couple. But honestly they were nothing to bragg about and i have made and repaired alot of horse tack. Good Luck

 

[cjcinin]

For a first all leather holster get a Tandy single shoulder. Should be about $25 or so.
I believe all there stuff is imported. USA grown and tanned leather gets to pricey for a first timer.
Get the best piece you can. You want the front as nice and blemish free as you can find but you want the back as smooth and not knappy if you can find one.
They usually have 3-4 oz. And 5-6 oz available .
3-4 works good if you if you glue it flesh side in and make a double piece to make your holster out. You wont be able to get fine molding but it will be nice and stiff.
The 5-6 oz isgood for IWB holsters but may be a little thin for OWB
Good luck
CJ

 

[ol' poke]

+1 for visiting Tandy. They have acouple of people there that are the "gun nuts" of the leather crafts - very, if not overly, helpful. There will be some holster patterns as well. I made some cowboy holsters for my SAAs. They turned out quite well. I did glue 2 shoulders together so the smooth side was out. Good luck and post pics when you are done. If I can get some pics of mine, I'll post them here.

ol' poke

 

[Double T]

I use 7-9 oz veg tanned. Its about 80 bucks per shoulder or so. I get quite a few holsters out of it.

After that, make the pattern on paper, fit it, and then extend all the edges about a cm for the thickness of the leather.

Transfer that to a piece of firmer paper (I use poster board) cut it out and trace it onto your leather.

In all honesty for me, the hardest part is cutting out the leather. Do yourself a favor and buy a #1 xacto knife and cut it in two passes.

After this, see if you are happy with it (everything lines up) and mark your stitch lines. Then, groove your stitches. (The tool costs 20 at tandy)

After grooving, saddle stitch.

Make sure the gun fits several times. Once stitching is done, bevel the edges. Tandy sells a beveler, again, almost 20 bucks.

After this, wet form the gun. I use warm water until the leather feels like clay. Insert either a very well oiled gun, or on wrapped in a ziplok bag. Then use your hands/fingers to geg the lines you want. I have use tools/boning tools, but I find that they leave unwanted markings on the leather (doesn't matter if using a black die.

Let air dry.

After its dry check fit, finish any retention stuff (thumb break, belt loop, etc)

Die, dry, die, dry.

Burnish the edges. I use beeswax and scrap leather. Its basically heating the leather and making all the fibers stick to the leather.

After this, seal it. I use the sheen stuff in two coats in circular motioitsns. Wipe any excess offf with a paper towel. Also, get the inside of the holster. This seal helps prevent the holster from soaking up sweat and getting nasty.

Finito.
Its actually a lot of work, and worth it to pay someone to do it. They get better with each one you make though.

 

[JoshuaW]

If you dont want to wait on a holster, I would try making one out of Kydex before I would leather (there are several people on here that have done it). I personally use my Remora holster more than any of my leather ones. It is clipless, and uses grippy things to hold it to your body. I bought my first one three years ago, and it still works great. For $30, might be worth checking into.

Lastly, check out Falco Holsters. They are based out of the Czech Republic (IIRC) but have a US distributor. They typically have "built to form" holsters for most models in stock. Customer service is great. The holsters need more "break in" time than some other models, but once they are worn in, they are good. I have a should holster from them that I love, but I wanted longer straps for the rigging. I emailed them, and the customer service rep said he would send them out for $2.50, they would pay shipping. It took a couple weeks, and I was a bit worried. Once they arrived I realized that they came from the Czech Republic! Shipping had to have cost them more than the $2.50 I payed. I was happy.

 

[Bubbajms]

I am 140 lbs and 5'9" tall..

Eat some bacon, that'll help with your problem

 

[indygunguy]

Holster making can be lots of fun. Don't get too discouraged if your first one sucks... they get better every time. I've made LOTS of holsters over the last few years for myself, friends and family.

Double T described the process above pretty well.

However, if you decide you don't want to make one, try Simply Rugged Holsters. Rob Lahey is the maker there and he does VERY nice work. I don't know what his wait time is right now, but in the past I've never waited more than 3 or 4 weeks. - While you're there be sure to check out their "Real Man's Belt" - by far the nicest gun belt I've got.

Good luck!