My first holster -I made

[SOLOLUCKY]

well i just made my first holster.
werks well and am happy with it.
started simple.
a yaqui (spelling?) slide.
seemed easiest to try and actuallly succeed.

what i'd like to know from some of the resident leather experts is what do ya'all use to "harden" up the leather?

i did a somple water soak the boiled if for 30 seconds then shaped and clamped it.
is it too late to "harden" it.
don't want it real hard and its okay as is but wanted to know how its "really" done.

thanks

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[CombatEffective]

What are you using to sew your leather? Can you post a pic?

[P95Carry]

Solo - IIRC my old buddy who made leather goods baked his stuff to harden.... maybe one of our holster guys will give you the skinny on this.

[Bud White]

Lets see some pics

[QKShooter]

I'm pretty sure that the majority of the top holster makers don't do anything specific to harden or stiffen their leather - but rather that the leather they use to make their holsters is extremely high quality & is taken from the areas of the hide where that leather is already properly dense and stiff and ideally suited for making holsters. For instance the Belly Leather portion of the hide will never make up into a good holster.

You might find this site to be very helpful.
It is the International Internet Leathercrafters Guild site. (I.I.L.G.)
Scroll down the page to their LEATHER KNOWLEDGE BASE & click on that. You'll find some very useful tips & hints about working with leather in general.
CLICK HERE to go to the IILG Site

[SOLOLUCKY]

WOW I can feel the positive vib's outta this group!
I like it.
I check this forum mostly at werk (hhmmmm)
but i'll git some pics posted tonite at home.

I appreciate the info. i get from here. Its real helpful and informative.

I don't want the Pro Leather guys to think i'm trying to steal there business or anything but i was taught to be as self sufficient as possible and "the worst that can happen if ya try is ya fail otherwise yer ahead." (to quote my ol' daddy)

I'll get some pics out there.

[Eric Larsen]

Well....If you use good shoulder/backstrap leather from a good company. Most use Herman Oak Leather. Its got to be Vegetable tanned leather, all you do is get it wet and mold it as it dries. It will be rock hard when its done.
The fact you boiled it to get it to work tells me you probably arent using the right leather.
Most other Pro. Makers dont use heat of anykind as it dries out the leathers natural oils and will make for a dry/cracked holster.
If you need help you can PM/Email me anytime....Shoot well.

[SOLOLUCKY]

Heres the pics of my holster.

Its not the level of professionalism one would expect from the Pro's but
for a first go at it I learned a lot.
I made a blank of my pistol out of wood, (only had to make the portion of the gun i'd be dealing with)
Soaked, stretched & clamped the leather over it.
Made the back/beltstrap piece.
Then I glued the pieces together with "gorilla glue".
Pre-arched what i thought should have a shape.
Then used chicago screws to secure stress points.

I've had the leather for years and years so i know nothing of its history.
I kinda liked the white leather because ya never see white holsters, kind of think it may have been a 'not so great idea' because it'll show dirt....oh well.

hope the pics come thru ok.

[CombatEffective]

Fine choice of firearm ya got there. I would make the holster so that the enite trigger guard is covered. As it is, I'd be worried about something snagging on the trigger or it flopping out of the holster.

[Bud White]

I agree with combat Effective cover the whole trigger guard but other wise looks good

[K-Man]

Nice job on the holster. I think you'll find it to be addicting - either buying or making them.

You'll find that the majority of the holster makers here are more than willing to give you a hand/pointers on making holsters. If you're close to a Tandy leather store or The Leather Factory store, normally there's some folks there as well who are able to lend a hand. Like those two, Hide Crafter Leather Company also has some great instructional material, i.e., a video by Dusty Johnson which gives some basic info.

Don't hesitate to ask questions, and keep up the good work!

[speedtuff]

for a 1st holster that thing looks, bad ass! nice ruger too. keep it up and you might have people on here ordering from you.

[SOLOLUCKY]

Thanks for the vote of confidence "speedtuff".

A buddy came over last nite and we made the "blank" for his gun and molded the leather for his Taurus 9mm.
Building up a collection of gun blanks.
so i'll have 2 holsters under my belt in a week or so.

[CombatEffective]

Good for you. Keep at it.

[QKShooter]

HOW TO MAKE HOLSTERS
Here is what the cover looks like:

Most of the holster patterns in there are either Western or somewhat outdated in style.
BUT, it shows you exactly HOW to make your own accurate holster patterns for any firearm...modern or antique - pistol or revolver. Then you can adapt & modify them.
Covers hand saddle stitching & lacing, lining holsters & near 'bout everything to get you started on the right road.
Just search the web for "How To Make Holsters" in quotes. The book is everywhere & it pops up cheap all the time on Ebay also.

It's not an expensive book.