Double thickness full grain leather patterning help please?

[Tallbald]

Slye I really admire your "mounted" style holster of double thickness leather. I would love to make one for myself. My problem is trying to determine how much smaller to make the inner layer so that when the glued-together but unfolded holster is folded closed for sewing, the inner layer isn't squished and wrinkled. How is this correctly done? Thank you all. Don

[Red Cent]

Might want to borrow or buy the John Bianchi DVDs. He makes a holster from 8-9 ounce with a 7-8 ounce liner. He skives the holster fold on the 8-9 ounce to make it easier to fold. And you can skive a little on the inside of the 7-8 ounce before gluing. Do all the cutting, skiving, gluing, sanding, and edging first. Then sew the areas with the exception of the area whre the welt (if any) will go.

The inside may wrinkle a little, but they will fold rather easily with a little wetting.

These holsters were made with an 8-9 ounce and a 4-5 ounce liner. The belt is 8-9 ounce with a very light suede liner. The belt is very comfortable but the part of the holster over the belt is not stiff enough for me. This would not bother bother most.

[Slowhand Bob]

There is a technique called rolling the liner in that is used to reduce or eliminate the leather bunching.  One of the better examples of how to do this is on one of the old Hyde Crafter videos by George Hurst.

[Massive]

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=40242.0

I think as well as the above, the leather makes a big difference.  I had some old leather left over for my first holster, and it was hard.  When I folded it up, there wasn't any wrinklling but some of the leather I have since bought is punky, and wrinkles easily.

I have not had good results using really thin leather on the inside.  That may be the reason that Bianchi mention a weight difference, as in 5/6 over 4/5 ish.

You need to think about the design and it's purpose.  For CAS, you may not want to make the holster stay flat, you want a funnel to drop the gun in.  So do you really want to flatten it out as shown in the bianchi tape?  (obviously he doesn't want a final shape that is flat) And even if you are designing for flatish guns, like a 1911, make sure you spread the fold over the widest area possible.  A 1911, for example allows you to spread the bend over maybe 1.5 inches, so use all of it, don't just haver it flat as an envelope.

Another thing to consider is what is called the neutral axis.  This is the center line, more or less.  When something is bent the NA does not move.  Where leather is concerned, the glue line is pretty hard.  Even though the glue is flexible, it is saturating the leather, so the combination of the cement and leather in the same place can be a little hard.  So placing that near the NA is a good thing to do.  If you have dissimilar  weights one of the thing they are doing is determining the composition at the NA.

[Slye]

I use first choice of vegetal leather in 9 OZ
I do not lower the edges of the lining, it is of no use, because I sew to the hand the sedge ( the side) of the holster
It is true that if you do not lower, it is easier
It is necessary to follow the structure of the leather before sticking it
I work all my holsters with some wet leather, what allows him to stretch out much better



As you see  on pictures, the lining is stretched out without any fold
It is especially the work of the hands that makes everything

I have others to make, I would make pictures  stage by stage

Good luck for your realization Tallbad, and your rig Red CENT, is very attractive !

[Red Cent]

Thank you Slye.