Getting started making holsters.

[texaswoodworker]

Howdy, I'm new here. 

I'm sorry if this has been asked before (I'm sure it has), but I didn't a thread like this when I was looking around earlier.

I'm interested in making western style holsters and belts, and was wondering what basic tools I would need to get started. I'm not looking to do anything fancy yet, just simple stuff to get me going. I'm mighty fond of the Mexican single and double loop holsters if that gives you an idea of what I'm wanting to do.

Also, I've read that holsters can either be made to be lined, or unlined. What exactly is the advantage of lining a holster?

Final question for now. What weight of leather is recommended for holster (both lined and unlined)

Thanks. I look forward to learning from ya'll.

-Tex

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

This is  question that many have thought if not asked ...

One of the nice things about Will Ghormley's plans are that he lists every tool needed to make each set of holsters on the back of each instruction pouch.

http://www.willghormley-maker.com/

Just scroll down through all the modern/Kydex to get to the 'Real' stuff ...

TTFN,

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Will's patterns are used by many of us. His list is a good one.

As an alternative, I learned to make holsters with How To Make Holsters available at Tandy. The steps in the book show which tools to have and how they're used.

Welcome to the forum, Texaswoodworker. It's good to see you with us. This bunch is the best and you'll definitely get answers to any questions you have. Looking forward to seeing what you make.

[Camano Ridge]

Texaswoodworker welcome. The advice you have recieved so far is great. I am going to go ahead and add my two cents worth, grab a cup of coffee I might get a little long winded. Like marshal said get the Al Stohlman book How to make holsters first. This will give you the basics of how to draw a pattern and construction methods. Even if there is not a holster style you like it will give you the basics. Will Ghormley's patterns are great however he states right up fromt in his patterns he expects you to already have some leatherworking experience so some of the basics are left out.

As to the leather the first time around just use somewhere around 10oz veg tanned. It will give you a sturdy holster. It does make some difference as to type and style you are making. I make a lot of mine form two pieces of 6oz glued fuzzy side to fuzzy side this gives a very stiff holster with smooth side both inside and outside the holster.

As to lining it really is personal preference. You will here people say that a lined holster will protect the finish better. The reality is that over time if youdraw your pistol from its holster frequently there will be wear points on the finish lined or unlined. It may just take a little longer with a lined holster. I don't worry about it, it's hard to convince someone you are a shootist if your gun is in pristine condition. As to leather there is a veriety of leather you can line with pig skin etc. most will reccomend staying away from suede otheres use suede. I do mine like I said two pieces of leather glued together and treat it as one piece of leather Virtualy this is a lined holster.

As to tools the How to make holsters will give you some insight. However you can actually make your first holster using a sharp knife such as a carpet knife something to poke holes for your stitches a overstitch wheel is nice for marking your holes a couple of needles thread, glue and you can make a basic servicable holster. From there you will want to add edge bevelers a burnisher of some type to finish your edges and then you will find that adding tools is a neverending process.

Any more questions just ask everyone here is willing to share what they have learned.

[Slowhand Bob]

Some of my favorite tools were never even related to leather working tools but are now very popular with a lot of leather workers.  I think you will find as many old pros using the common case opener, in one version or another, as you will find reaching for the round/head knives.  It is a much safer solution and the blades can be quickly and easily replaced.  The blades on these come to you literally razor sharp when you stick to the better brand names but even then they respond well to a quick swipe on a strop.  There are several alternative 'Hobby' knives that make excellent replacements for the fixed blade bench knives and come with the same interchangeable blade advantage.  My favorite small skiving knife became a window scraping tool that also uses a replaceable razor system.

For hand sewing I was using the fixed blade stitch punchers over the old stitch wheel and awl blade.  Tandy used to carry these punches in a single hole and four hole version, which was offered in two 'holes per inch' spacing.  Now the Chinese have gotten into the act and the selection of stitching punches has become MUCH larger.  Sewing will rapidly become the one place that you will want to mechanize but a comfortable chair in front of the tv will do for many a stitch until then.

We can banter back and forth BUT in the end you will find one overwhelming fact concerning the lined versus unlined argument, the winners circle will almost always be made up of guys using stiff, hard and fully lined holsters.  A bit of checking will also reveal that many of these holsters also now include a kydex or metal plate sandwiched between the leather layers.  Ask them why they chose lined and they will not say for protection of the guns finish, it is all about speed for them.

As to the knowledge part of getting started in 'gun leather', there a only a few good books and perhaps slightly more in the way of really good pattern packs but there are now a pretty large number of video instruction courses out there and I would that you bite the bullet and go after as many of them as you can afford.  The beauty of having so much variety to learn from is that you can find your future techniques as modified combinations of what you saw your teachers performing.  PS: If a picture is worth a thousand words then a video must be worth a million!!

[ChuckBurrows]

and here's how I do it which includes making your own patterns if so inclined (Will's patterns as noted above are excellent as well)
http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Holsters-Chuck-Burrows-DVD/dp/B002961O7Q

[brazosdave]

Hi I'm a newbie to holster making as well.  I try to take critique and improve a little bit each time.  The stuff these fellas mentioned, Al Stohlman's book and Will Ghormleys patterns have helped me immensely.  After you do one, it's great to post the pic and get feedback from people.  I learned how to clean up the stitching and some other points from the folks here and on some other forums.  The great thing about this hobby is even with your first one, with all it's imperfections, you will still have a holster you are proud of.  From that point on, it just gets better.  The best part is that if you have a favorite gun, and an image in your mind of what kind of holster you can picture it in, with a little time and effort you can create it.  Plus you will walk away far more satisfied in my opinion than if you purchased a mass produced one. 

[texaswoodworker]

Thank you fellas for all the advice. I've already ordered "Leatherwork Manual" by Al Stohlman, A.D. Patten, and J.A. Wilson, so it should be here next week hopefully. I'll also order "Making Holsters" too.

I think this will be something I really enjoy doing. I'm going off to college next year, so I won't be able to do a lot of woodworking like I can now, so this will be a great alternative for me. Plus, I wouldn't mind being able to make my own holsters for now on.

I'll keep updating this thread as I go, and I'll be sure to post my first project once it's done. I think I'll start with a simple Mexican Double Loop. I've seen how they're made first hand, and it didn't seem all that difficult. I still have that holster somewhere, so I could use it for a reference.

Thanks again!

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I prefer a single layer of 8-9 oz bridle leather for holsters. I make mine from the back portion of the hide where the flesh side is smoother and less apt to stretch.

This thread is good. It now has a link in the FAQ/HOW-TO thread. Thanks for all the input. Keep it coming, pards.

[texaswoodworker]

Quick question, how much leather do I need to make a single holster? How many could I probably get out of 6-8 square feet of 7-8 oz shoulder? Is $40 for a piece of leather that size and weight a descent price?

[texaswoodworker]

I prefer a single layer of 8-9 oz bridle leather for holsters. I make mine from the back portion of the hide where the flesh side is smoother and less apt to stretch.

This thread is good. It now has a link in the FAQ/HOW-TO thread. Thanks for all the input. Keep it coming, pards.

Awesome! Thanks.

[Slowhand Bob]

Most patterns will fit onto an 11" X 17" sheet of paper so figure that a one foot by two foot piece of good leather will ALMOST always handle one skirted holster with enough left overs for loops, fillers, etc.  For a lined holster just figure double that.  I would also advise always seeking help/opinions before buying any expensive or questionable tools and never buy one that you do not actually need now.  My shop storage space became like my fishing tackle box, overloaded with junk!  Some of the best work is actually done by fokes with little more than a small single table and just a few tools.  (If you invest in the excellent video put out Chuck, notice how how few tools he uses to produce the two museum quality pieces in the video.)

[Graveyard Jack]

I can tell you that Chuck's video took a lot of the mystery out of it for me. I also recommend watching all the free videos on Tandy's site you can.

[texaswoodworker]

Most patterns will fit onto an 11" X 17" sheet of paper so figure that a one foot by two foot piece of good leather will ALMOST always handle one skirted holster with enough left overs for loops, fillers, etc.  For a lined holster just figure double that.  I would also advise always seeking help/opinions before buying any expensive or questionable tools and never buy one that you do not actually need now.  My shop storage space became like my fishing tackle box, overloaded with junk!  Some of the best work is actually done by fokes with little more than a small single table and just a few tools.  (If you invest in the excellent video put out Chuck, notice how how few tools he uses to produce the two museum quality pieces in the video.)

Thanks!

I was looking online and found some veg tanned tooling bellies for sell. They're the same weight as the shoulder, but about double the size for the same price.

What exactly is different between the shoulder and the belly? Which one is better for holsters?

[GunClick Rick]

 Did you guys tell him that off to college first time holster makers have to give away(i mean donate) thier first rig to the quality control adviser?? See below Texaswoodworker
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Quality Control Adviser Office of the Quality Control Adviser of CasCity Leather Forum:(AKA) ~GunClick Rick~   Good Luck in College,look forward to pics~ Make sure to take some pics of your leather work too!! BAAAAAA HAAAA

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I was looking online and found some veg tanned tooling bellies for sell. They're the same weight as the shoulder, but about double the size for the same price.

What exactly is different between the shoulder and the belly? Which one is better for holsters?

I wasn't thinking when I made my post earlier so I skipped over this important bit of information. The shoulder is the part with the smooth flesh side. It also doesn't stretch nearly as much. There are uses for belly leather, but generally the shoulder is better for most projects. There's a reason it costs more.

[texaswoodworker]

Did you guys tell him that off to college first time holster makers have to give away(i mean donate) thier first rig to the quality control adviser?? See below Texaswoodworker
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Quality Control Adviser Office of the Quality Control Adviser of CasCity Leather Forum:(AKA) ~GunClick Rick~   Good Luck in College,look forward to pics~ Make sure to take some pics of your leather work too!! BAAAAAA HAAAA

LOL, I'll be sure to get right on that.   :p

I'll definitely be sure to post some pics.

[texaswoodworker]

I wasn't thinking when I made my post earlier so I skipped over this important bit of information. The shoulder is the part with the smooth flesh side. It also doesn't stretch nearly as much. There are uses for belly leather, but generally the shoulder is better for most projects. There's a reason it costs more.

Ok, I'll be sure to order the shoulder then.

I found this on ebay and it seems like a decent deal. Are these tools that I would need?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-3-PIECE-LEATHER-CRAFT-CRAFTING-TOOL-GROOVER-BEVELLER-GOUGE-BELTS-TANDY-/131042713395?pt=US_Hand_Tools&hash=item1e82c11f33


    Edge beveller: No. 3, 5-1/2" Long
    Adjustable "V" gouge: 6" Long
    Adjustable groover: 5-1/2" Long

[ChuckBurrows]

IMO the best shoulders available are from RJF Leather..

[Camano Ridge]

An edge beveler is good I use #2 or #3 for most of my stuff. Others have ther own preference. The stitch groover is good to and you should have an overstitch wheel 5 or 6 spi for most things. The V groover can be useful especialy on project where you might want to fold the leather.