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ok, I think I'm ready to jump into the world of holster making, though I'm going to start with something simple like a pre-cut belt (basically just punch holes, finish, and add buckle).

I plan to order some books from Tandy, but other tips would be greatly appreciated from our member holster makers.

For leather dyes, do you use a sponge to apply or airbrush? Is some kind of clear finish needed over top of the dye? Is there a preferred procedure to creating patterns?

thanks

Welcome to the leather making world. It ought to be fun for you. There are several other holster makers on board here. I suspect between us, we use all the methods of dye application that you mentioned. It depends on the finish you want.

A fellow CHL member is "particle", and he has a video posted with a link on here showing his use of an airbrush. Another CHL forum link "Homemade Holsters" has a link to one of the members making a pancake style holster, step by step.

For belts, I prefer Fiebing's Atom wax for a finish. It is much like the finish of shoe polish on your shoes. You can also finish using Kiwi neutral shoe polish for a softer finish.

To seal and water proof, you might what to use a Tandy product like Satin Sheen, or Super Sheen....they are much like Elmer's Glue, water soluble for cleanup, but dry like an acyrlic, like house paint. They all have advantages and disadvantages, depending on what you are trying to do. Personally, I use either Fiebling's alcohol based or their (professional) oil based dies. I have not spent a lot of time with any of the water based Tandy dyes, mainly because they are more of a surface cover and don't absorb into the leather. I like more depth in my color.

Anyway, toooo much to cover in one post. I will try to find those links and come back and update for you. Post 'em your projects when you get them going.

thanks, RiverRat

I knew you'd have some advice :-)

I was going to use Eco-Flo:

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/home ... Product_11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'll look at their non-water based products as well.

With the water based single dye/finish products, be warned to make sure and wipe them down, or polish them with a shoe shine brush (buff them) before they dry to get rid of the wool hairs from the dobbers or wool dye cloth. Once it dries, you won't be able to remove the hairs from the finish. The side benefit is that the buffing polishes the leather finish, alot like using a piece on canvas for edge polishing. I think everyone has their own solution for finishing. Have fun.

Life is a series of mistakes you live through. Experience is a series of mistakes you learn from.

Once it dries, you won't be able to remove the hairs from the finish.

perhaps an argument in favor of airbrushing.

Does anyone sell reasonably priced j-hooks? I don't see any on the Tandy site. Some of the high dollar makers of tuck holsters sell them, but for the price of one pair, I can buy a sheet of kydex and make a dozen or two.

I'm going to start with a belt:
http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/home ... Product_16" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

any recommendations on what to use to cut/punch/drill the holes?

snorri wrote:Does anyone sell reasonably priced j-hooks? I don't see any on the Tandy site. Some of the high dollar makers of tuck holsters sell them, but for the price of one pair, I can buy a sheet of kydex and make a dozen or two.

I've never seen them at what I would consider a reasonable price. They are ridiculously easy to make. Just buy some Kydex and go for it! I score the Kydex with a box knife (using a metal straight edge) and snap it to make the strips. Then, I use a keen edge beveler (from Tandy) to bevel the edges of the Kydex, then finish them up with a sanding sponge. That makes really nice edges on the Kydex. Then I heat the strips with a heat gun and use a belt as a guide to bend the clips. Finally, I use a leather punch to punch the holes in the clips. Here's a holster I made with j-clips and regluar belt clips. Since I almost never wear my shirt tucked in, I've found that I like the regular clips better since the give better support.





As for dyeing, I've only done one holster that I dyed so far. The pics above really don't do the finish justice... it turned out really nice. I used an all-in-one finish from Eco-Flow (fudge brown), applied using an old t-shirt and then buffed with a shoeshine brush. I burnished the edges with a slicker wheel (by hand, no power tools needed) and then dressed them with Fiebing's Edge Kote.

Warhammer wrote:

snorri wrote:Does anyone sell reasonably priced j-hooks? I don't see any on the Tandy site. Some of the high dollar makers of tuck holsters sell them, but for the price of one pair, I can buy a sheet of kydex and make a dozen or two.

I've never seen them at what I would consider a reasonable price. They are ridiculously easy to make. Just buy some Kydex and go for it! I score the Kydex with a box knife (using a metal straight edge) and snap it to make the strips. Then, I use a keen edge beveler (from Tandy) to bevel the edges of the Kydex, then finish them up with a sanding sponge. That makes really nice edges on the Kydex. Then I heat the strips with a heat gun and use a belt as a guide to bend the clips. Finally, I use a leather punch to punch the holes in the clips. Here's a holster I made with j-clips and regluar belt clips. Since I almost never wear my shirt tucked in, I've found that I like the regular clips better since the give better support.





As for dyeing, I've only done one holster that I dyed so far. The pics above really don't do the finish justice... it turned out really nice. I used an all-in-one finish from Eco-Flow (fudge brown), applied using an old t-shirt and then buffed with a shoeshine brush. I burnished the edges with a slicker wheel (by hand, no power tools needed) and then dressed them with Fiebing's Edge Kote.

I love that mag / pistol holster! Is this a hobby for you or a business? If the latter, I'd love to pick one up for my G23!

pbwalker wrote:I love that mag / pistol holster! Is this a hobby for you or a business? If the latter, I'd love to pick one up for my G23!

Just a hobby, although I could be convinced to make them for others if I can get ahold of a gun and mag to mold the Kydex on. Alternatively, if you ever get up to DFW, I'd be happy to make one for you or help you make your own. The stitched leather/Kydex holster takes some extra time, but I can make a riveted one in an hour or so.

cool stuff