Hickock Holster in the Making

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thanks, Rube, I cut it with Barge thinner when it gets too thick but for some reason it just doesn't work like it used to.

Thank you, John. LOL, it takes about four times the time to do the photos as it does to do the work.

How do you make sure the stitching is even on the back? Do you use an awl or a punch?

I cut a stitch groove on the back then just watch for the tip of the awl to come out in the right place as I carefully push it through. The light will glint on the tip as it just starts to show. Also, I am very careful to hold the awl at exactly the same angle and slant. When I start the (second) needles from the back, I make sure they all are either under or over the other thread sticking out of the hole so they lie the same when pulled tight. Here's a shot of the back. The first back stitch at the toe got a little wonky but the rest look OK.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

The toe plug pattern I made yesterday just didn't look round enough so this morning I made a new one. I found that a wine cork just fit into the toe nicely so I used that as the circle then just added a point to make it fit the end of the holster.

I considered gluing the toe plug in before stitching but I a) don't have any suitable glue for the job, b) don't even know what kind of glue would be suitable and c) do have a lot of experience stitching them in. So I just stitched the toe plug in without any glue. A double layer plug is easier to stitch in because it holds its position in the toe better than a single layer. Also, I can stitch through the point to keep it in place, much like the glue would have done anyway. Cutting the stitch groove went through the top grain far enough to go through the dye so I had to take a small brush and put dye into the groove to darken it to match the rest of the holster.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Before burnishing the seams, they need to be made even. That can be done by trimming with a knife, some other cutting instrument, sanding by hand or with a Dremel, drill press-mounted drum sander or, as I did, with a spindle sander. It doesn't matter how you do it, as long as the job gets done. After that it helps to run an edger along both sides to make sure there aren't any sharp edges which don't burnish easily. That done, the seam got a quick wipe of dye to darken it and even out the color. The seams were burnished with gum trag and the chunk of fire hose I used before.



The next step was to wet mold the holster. As it worked out, the tip of the barrel is less than 1/4" from the toe plug on the inside. I love it when things work out.



The Sun will darken the holster some and give it a nice patina.

[Major 2]

I 100% agree with Johnny McCrae
That is as fine a job of a tutorial and photography as I've seen, this should be a sticky.
Or even better as a You-Tube feature!

When the likes of Skeeter Lewis, Johnny McCrae and Rube Burrows comment favorably, you know you have reached the top tier.... very well done! 

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thank you very much, Major. That's quite a compliment. I don't think a sticky is in order but perhaps a link to it in our FAQ thread so others can find it in the future.

[Trailrider]

One glue you might want to try for the seam and toe plug is Walther's Goo. It is available from Wm. Walthers in Milwaukee, WI, a major model railroad supplier. You may also find it at a local hobby shop that handles model railroad supplies. It comes in tubes, which makes it somewhat expensive, but it works very similar to Barge.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

One glue you might want to try for the seam and toe plug is Walther's Goo. It is available from Wm. Walthers in Milwaukee, WI, a major model railroad supplier. You may also find it at a local hobby shop that handles model railroad supplies. It comes in tubes, which makes it somewhat expensive, but it works very similar to Barge.

Thanks for that. There's a hobby shop nearby (20 miles) that may have it. I'll call them tomorrow and find out.

[Professor Marvel]

My Good Marshall Will
Re glue for the plug, the only thing that comes to mind, actually used in theday, is
Liquid hide glue.

Never used it myself on keather, but it works a treat for furniture.
Problably will come out really stiff once dried.

Just a thought

Yhs
Prf mumbles

[Marshal Will Wingam]

That's a good suggestion, Prof. I've used hide glue before. It's quite easy to use and could work as a temporary measure.

[Skeeter Lewis]

The edge profile is very like Hickok's holster. Good job.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thank you, Skeeter. I worked hard to get it close without compromising the fit of the pattern I already had. It would be nice to be able to measure an original.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

A coat of Skidmore's and it's done!



The end result.

[Johnny McCrae]

A simple but elegant work of art!

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thanks, John. It was a fun project. I like the cleaner ones from the era.

[Rube Burrows]

Such a wonderful holster. The Slim Jim or California Style holster is prob. my most favorite pattern. Just so much you can do with one and they are just classic. Well done on the tutorial also.

[Professor Marvel]

I punched "like"  a number of times...
The complete holster and belt is simple but gorgeous!
I am saving this off to attempt to make a pair ( i hope they come out at least half as nice)
for my 1851's doing reverse twist ...

Yhs
Prof mumbles

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thank you, Rube. The tutorial was fun. The Slim Jims are also my favorite for just what you mentioned about them being so versatile. I keep thinking I need to do an incised one some day.

Thanks, Prof. This one is a left side butt-forward but it could be used as a right strong side, too. My preference is to use one like that as a cross-draw rather than a reverse twist. I look forward to seeing yours. If you need any suggestions along the way, feel free to ask.

I'll put a link to this thread in our FAQ thread so it can be found easily.

OK, it's now in there as "Step-By-Step To Make A Hickock Slim Jim".

[Rube Burrows]

Thank you, Rube. The tutorial was fun. The Slim Jims are also my favorite for just what you mentioned about them being so versatile. I keep thinking I need to do an incised one some day.

Thanks, Prof. This one is a left side butt-forward but it could be used as a right strong side, too. My preference is to use one like that as a cross-draw rather than a reverse twist. I look forward to seeing yours. If you need any suggestions along the way, feel free to ask.

I'll put a link to this thread in our FAQ thread so it can be found easily.

OK, it's now in there as "Step-By-Step To Make A Hickock Slim Jim".

I finally did the incised pair recently for my 72 Open Tops. Happy I did. I love the way they turned out.

[PAMuzzleshooter]

Marshal Wil,
Beautiful work and a great tutorial!  I too favor the Slim Jim holsters as I have several Colt 1851 Navy revolvers, including an original (1856) and a Colt 2nd Generation.

I was wondering about your belts. 
1.  What thickness leather do you use for single layer belts?
2.  When did multi-layer belts start being used and what thickness would be average?

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Marshal Wil,
Beautiful work and a great tutorial!  I too favor the Slim Jim holsters as I have several Colt 1851 Navy revolvers, including an original (1856) and a Colt 2nd Generation.

I was wondering about your belts. 
1.  What thickness leather do you use for single layer belts?
2.  When did multi-layer belts start being used and what thickness would be average?

Thanks. Cool that you have some original Colts. They're really like nothing else.

I use 8-9 oz leather for my belts, the same leather I generally use for my holsters. The first thing I do with a side of leather is strip off a couple belt blanks before starting to make anything else with it. I never line belts because I prefer a more flexible belt than you get with a lined or double layer belt. I also like to mold a belt to fit the person wearing it and that's much easier done with a single layer.

As to the timeline of belts, I'm not an expert here so don't take my words as fact. Maybe one of the more knowledgeable forum members here will chime in about this. I don't think lined or double layer belts were popular until the early 20th century. There may have been some lined belts made in the late 19th century but I haven't seen anything about them. There are examples of belts with cartridge loops early in the cartridge era but they were made of single layer leather. Money/cartridge belts seemed to be more common, probably because of the double purpose.