Anybody Here Make Their Own Holsters?

[Ozzman]

Just at the title says, anyone else make them?

I spent $300 one year on a El Paso Saddlery Cowboy Speed Rig (a bit spendy... I know). Inspecting it I realized that maybe I could do better. I have since gotten into making holsters for my own pistols that fit me and my needs. I use CAD software to reference "to-scale" images, and design the holster around the gun.

Anyone else doing this?
If so, post some photos of your work.

Here are few of my good ones:

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Cue JRBfishin....

 

[easy rider]

Cue JRBfishin....

Yes! I've heard, I would like to see his work.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Yes! I've heard, I would like to see his work.

Me too, actually.

 

[grasshopperglock]

Ive made three holsters. They're gone. One was for a single action. The other two were snap flap mid ride, law dog holsters. One was tan for a sheriffs office. The other black for a police department. Both basket weave.

My latest leather project. Hand sewn.

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[BRD@66]

OP, your holsters look good.

 

[Ozzman]

Thanks BRD@66. These too are also 100% hand stitched.

Grasshopper, did you use a saddle stitch?
I like the way your stitching looks.
The spacing looks real tight.

 

[grasshopperglock]

Thanks BRD@66. These too are also 100% hand stitched.

Grasshopper, did you use a saddle stitch?
I like the way your stitching looks.
The spacing looks real tight.

Yes it is. The secret way to do it is to mark the holes with a stitching wheel. After, I cut a stitch groove to countersink the stitch. I then take a section of laminate board and clamp it to a drill press table. I stick an industrial sewing machine needle in the drill chuck.

I slightly poke the laminate board with the needle. Remove the needle...Then I drill out the needle poke with a drill bit a size bigger then the needle. Needle back in the chuck.

Stick the leather on the board. I turn the needle according to the direction of the stitch line. Then I press the needle through the leather. It'll go through a half inch. I use a fork to hold the leather down pulling the needle out the leather. Waxing the needle helps it slide smooth.

After all the holes are poked. I use a stitching horse to hold it. I then sit on the couch and sew it up. The layers get rubber cement before sewing together.

The stitch lines look like a machine done it.

 

[Moonpie]

Nice work OP.

 

[Ozzman]

Finished another one last night:

This one fits both my TP9SA and SF

 

[jrbfishn]

Those look pretty good.
I lost a lot of pics when my last phone died. I'll see if I can find some on my tablet.

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[jrbfishn]

A couple of mine.

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[jrbfishn]

My BBQ rig.

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[jrbfishn]

This one is for a Ruger mkiii with a suppressor and red dot.

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[Ozzman]

Those look beautiful JRB. Tooling is sharp, and the color contrast is eye popping. Do you still have the stencils to replicate these again?

I finalized the stitching and finishing on one more last night for my newly acquired G2C. I only used scrap wax thread that I had piling up to not be so wasteful. It's not as flashy, but will get the job done. I design my semi-auto holsters for speed and maximum retention. For the finish I used saddle oil and wax:

I made this shell box holder late last year for a Skeet Tourney I was in:

Still a novice at doing this, but I am getting better.

 

[jrbfishn]

I keep all my patterns. I use a heavy clear flexible plastic to make them.they have it on big rolls at the fabric counter at at Walmart or Hobby Lobby. If there is a Tandy Leathernear you, go see them. The right tools help. And they don't have to be expensive.
Some take a time or two to get them the way I want.
from an idjit coffeeholic

 

[Ozzman]

I hear ya.
I get all of my leather and tools at Tandy's also.

As far as my patterns go, as a Civil Engineer I use CAD software almost on a daily basis and thus in my free time I make my patterns around the pistols I want holsters for on Microstation.

Here is my process:
-I take a photo of the pistol with a ruler, coin, ring, etc. (for scale), and import the photo into the software.

-I import the file into Microstation, scale the photo properly, trace the outline, and begin designing the holster around the gun rather than from a template. This makes the holster 100% custom and will have a more definitive fit to that specific pistol:

- Once complete, I make a pdf copy for print and that is how I make my stencils.

- Trace out the stencil onto the leather, and get to work making the thing look good.

 

[jrbfishn]

I have a degree in drafting. But I find it easier to make patterns freehand.


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[Ozzman]

My attempts at free hand have been met with quality issues.

I can't draw matching radii to save my life lol. That's quite a skill if you can do it, and do it well.

At least with Microstation I can mirror the lines and hit precise dimensions and needed curves. I can even estimate the total length of wax thread I will need using the measuring tools. It helps me know a head of time how much material I will need before I start. That's the engineer in me talking..

 

[jrbfishn]

That is because you think like an engineer instead of a draftsman. I took mechanical drawing, not cad. Rule number one; never draw twice what you can draw once.
Draw one side,
Mark center line, allow for thickness,
fold and trace the first side.
Easy peasy.

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