Holster tutorial, Part 2

[kimwcook]

After tracing your pattern onto the leather comes the cutout. I use a linoleum knife with a new blade. You need to make one single continuous cut on any straight lines. Obviously at the corners you stop and start cutting the other way. But when you start your next pass it should be one long cut. It's important the blade remains straight up and down. Be very careful, the blades awful sharp and you'll be pushing pretty hard to cut the leather in one pass. The short radius' will be the hardest just be careful and tip the blade up more so the tip is doing most of the cutting.


This is the pattern cut out and laying on the self healing cutting board I use. I'd prefer a bigger one but this one works.


Next, using a groover, this one's adjustable, slowly cut a groove around the outer edge of your pattern. This is used for setting your thread below surface level so it doesn't prematurely wear and break. Go slow as it's real easy to mess this up.


A closer shot.


Here's the groove. I do this with the leather dry as it doesn't tend to bunch up through the small hole that makes the cut.


Then I "case" the leather with hot water and let it soak for a few minutes, making sure it's good and wet. I pick a pattern I want to use around the border and stamp it out.


Another shot of the stamping.


Now I've got to let the leather dry before I can do anything else with it as I'm done with my simple border tooling. That's all I want for this piece.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a bit further. I apologize for the slow process.

[awp101]

No need to apologize, you're accomplishing more than I am!

[kimwcook]

The last stamping pictures show why it's so important to try and keep your knife blade straight up and down. It keeps the edge very parallel.

[salvo]

Great work! Anxiously waiting for part 3

[Andrew]

No need to apologize, you're accomplishing more than I am!

Ha, me too. Neat posts and I'm lookin' forward to the next one.

[Borregos]

I am enjoying these posts, it is unlikely I will ever do it but it is extremely interesting and has already answered a number of questions I always had in my mind about holster making.
Thanks for taking the trouble to post this series

[RIHMFIRE]

that looks like a great hobby!
cant wait to see the rest of the process...
where did you get the border stampsand the
rest of the tools?

[Pete44ru]

Leatherworking tools & supplies, including leather, can be had from Tandy - either at a local store or online:

http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:eb9 ... cd=1&gl=us

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/prod ... p?Dept=425

.

[Naphtali]

How do you create the pattern and leather for reinforcing the seam? I'm not describing this well so I'll try again. I have a schlock pouch sheath for a knife where the pouch is created, as you are doing, by folding the leather and sewing it together at the fold. I have a good pouch sheath, holsters also, where there is a small strip of leather -- say about 1/4 inch wide?? -- between the folded pouch/holster. Pouch and strip are sewn together to create a single seam. Strips purpose appears to be to protect stitching from wear. I think I asked what I really wanted to ask. So how do you do this?

[rjohns94]

very kewl

[bsaride]

How do you create the pattern and leather for reinforcing the seam? I'm not describing this well so I'll try again. I have a schlock pouch sheath for a knife where the pouch is created, as you are doing, by folding the leather and sewing it together at the fold. I have a good pouch sheath, holsters also, where there is a small strip of leather -- say about 1/4 inch wide?? -- between the folded pouch/holster. Pouch and strip are sewn together to create a single seam. Strips purpose appears to be to protect stitching from wear. I think I asked what I really wanted to ask. So how do you do this?

Just trace the outside of your pattern and then draw a parallel line on the inside. I like to use Barg cement to hold
it in place.

I also case my leather using warm water and keep it under the water until no more bubbles. Sometimes you will need
to wait to let it dry just a little for the stamping part.

[marlinman93]

Great tutorials! I built a holster years ago, but now you have me thinking I need to do one again soon!

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I apologize for the slow process.

Yeah, slow down man. I need to run get some popcorn.

[Pete44ru]

[I have a good pouch sheath, holsters also, where there is a small strip of leather -- say about 1/4 inch wide?? -- between the folded pouch/holster. Pouch and strip are sewn together to create a single seam. Strips purpose appears to be to protect stitching from wear.]

Nope - What protects the stitching from wear is recessing it in the cut groove, parallel to the holster/sheath edge.

The strip of leather, between the sewn edges of the holster, are to space the front and back panel a tad further apart, so the leather doesn't bend so much when formed around the gun/knife - and also for better rivet support, often used at or near the end of a line of stitching.

.

[Naphtali]

[I have a good pouch sheath, holsters also, where there is a small strip of leather -- say about 1/4 inch wide?? -- between the folded pouch/holster. Pouch and strip are sewn together to create a single seam. Strips purpose appears to be to protect stitching from wear.]

Nope - What protects the stitching from wear is recessing it in the cut groove, parallel to the holster/sheath edge. . . .

I don't understand the phrase "cut groove." Please explain it for me. Among things I'm trying to learn from this multiple-part tutorial is whether anything can be done to render the schlock sheaths into decent ones. The other thing is to get a handle on what my next two holsters will require mechanically to do the job I want them to do.

Those schlock sheaths have some excellent features I insisted upon having. But I knew nothing about basic sheath design. I assumed the sheath maker had this knowledge -- silly me.

[kimwcook]

Naphtali, to cut the grove one needs a groove cutter. In the picture I have showing me cutting the groove I know it doesn't show it very well. But, it's a piece of rod stuck into a wooden handle. In the end of the rod there's a small hole drilled that actually holds the tool that cuts. It's adjustable so you can place the groove closer or further from the edge. The tool is a small rod that has a hole drilled in it and the end of the rod on the cutting side has a small bevel. The hole has it drags along the leather cuts a small string of leather. I go over my grooves a couple of times so as to even it out and deepen it. I'll try to show a pic of it in the next installment.

By the way, ask any questions you have. It appears we've got enough people here that have done this to answer your questions. If it doesn't get answered, I'll find the answer because I need to know it too.

[Woodtroll]

Naphtali,

What you were originally describing is a gusset, a seperate small strip of leather that can indeed keep a fixed-blade knife or axe from cutting the stitching from the inside. Other purposes have already been described here. The gusset is just cut to the same outline of the side of the holster that it is used on, and 1/4-3/8" deep. Some fixed-blade sheaths, particularly for the thicker and heavier blades, are made in three pieces and stitched all the way around. The "gusset" there is just a piece of leather cut identical to the top/ front piece, but with the outline of the knife blade cut out from the middle of it. Then, the gusset is sandwiched in the middle, glued and stitched in, to help create the void space.

Hope this helps. Y'all take care!
Regan

[Buck Elliott]

Not really a gusset, but a 'filler' or a 'welt' to strengthen the seam.

BTW, whatever you CUT with had better be SHARP!... Most utility knives just don't cut it -- literally! I use a good head (round-) knife along with a few woodcarvers knives for the tight stuff and cut my small (up to 1 1/4" dia.) inside curves with an appropriate drive punch.

Been buildin' leather for over 45 years...

[Buck Elliott]

BTT

[Pete44ru]

I bought a large box of 100 or so single-edge razor blades at a builder's supply outlet (Lowe's, Home Cheapo, etc) for use only as a leather-cutting knife that's tossed as it dulls, for a new one.

The blades have a re-inforced spine, that's easy to grasp with the fingers as it's drawn down the marked-out cut-line.

.

[kimwcook]

I agree that learning to use a round knife is the traditional way to go and possibly the best. I've just never done enough leather work or been around someone to teach me the correct way to do it. Like most everything else I've done in life I'll probably have to teach myself. Or, find someone, don't know where around my country, willing to teach a monkey.

[awp101]

Bump!