Thanks for watching! I apologize for the background noise - it was VERY windy outside and it was rattling the roll-up door on my shop. If you enjoyed this video, I'd love it if you'd Like & Subscribe - it really helps a lot! Take care, Eric.
I will never, EVER complain again about how long it takes to order and receive a good holster and magazine pouch. This magazine pouch is gorgeous. Outstanding job
Hi Cliff - thank you for the compliment. And yes, they do take quite a while to make. When my son helps me, he always asks "how many more steps do we have?". He hates when I answer. LOL
I just put in an order with Andrews Leather. Gonna be an 8-12 month wait, BUT I will be getting a Master crafted holster that will last the rest of my life and then some.
Adams LeatherWorks, I second Mr. Black. Because of Washington’s goofy laws I can’t give my absurdly uncommon pieces to anyone to make holsters for them so I’m having to create my own. Your videos are awesome. Last time I did leather craft was Boy Scouts 25 years ago.
Thank you, I was expecting another video I could just memorize and do later while crossing a bunch of bridges as I come to them but you have provided a quality video that lays out all of the details. Keep up the good work
I don't know how I ended up here.. but I'm glad I did.. I really enjoy watching you work. You make it look easy. You're a master of your craft sir. Nicest mag holster I've ever seen.
Glad you found the video! I heard Jimmy Diresta mention in a podcast from years back say something to the effect of "lots of practice, and practice builds confidence". Even though I've been doing this for roughly 10 years (on the side for extra money), I still make mistakes (like drawing my reinforcement piece curving the wrong direction compared to what I normally do). But, I hope these videos give other people the confidence to try something new. Thanks for watching!
Thanks! Some holster styles are easier than others. As long as I follow the basic formula, I can usually get something usable on the first attempt. The pattern usually needs to be tweaked after I build the first one, but a lot of the tweaking is personal preference or just adjusting the stitch line.
This video really helped ive just started leathercrafting and always struggled with coming up with a patter and this really opened my eye to a better way of doing it
greetings from Venezuela, I am delighted with your work, I watch your videos so carefully, I really like the way you take care of the small details, I could make a pancake holster for a beretta px4 storm pistol
Thank you - I will probably resume taking orders fairly soon, but on a very reduced basis. I still have an 8-5 and burning the candle at both ends for 20+ years kinda burned me out.
Thanks for showing the pattern making!!! I want to make a multi tool/flashlight sheath, and wasn’t sure how to. Awesome video by the way. Subscribed, and liked!!
Wow, You really make this look easy.. Really beautiful work.. My mother and I have been trying to make a simple holster for a knife and flashlight, and so far We're totally failing, lol. However you've inspired me to give it a try again. Thanks, Love your work, keep it up ! :)
Thank you for watching! Lots of practice. :) Give the leather strip method a try - Jason Ingle at Ingle Gun Leather did a great video with LearnLeather.com a while back. Give it a watch - he goes into great detail about figuring stitch lines. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-r0CgLSKvAac.html
There isn't anything I didn't like about this video. Loved the SILENCE in this world of constant noise. Loved the way you drew up the pattern - so simple! And of course the craftsmanship is amazing. Personally I prefer hand stitching, but that is a personal preference. Can you do a double stack mag pattern by laying it out the same way?
Thank you very much for the compliment and for watching! Yes, the same patterning method would apply to thicker mags. It's the same basic method I use for gun holsters as well.
Just a heartbreaker trying to follow your video the most important part the patterns especially you went so fast almost impossible to follow great workmanship I’ll keep looking for a newbie video
I’d like to see you and Andrew (Andrews custom holsters) have a competition, like a “holster off” of sorts. Both would be given a sui generis pistol and then we’d get Pat Mac, Tundra Tactical, and Garand Thumb to judge.
Soap breaks the surface tension of the water. I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve heard it helps the water absorb into the leather more easily. And it makes a great fly trap....
I love your work and appreciate your videos, but the ones with oral instruction are vastly superior to the ones with written instruction. I find it impossible to maintain dual visual focus and simultaneously comprehend the often-complicated process. Otherwise, keep up the great work.
Thank you Jim - I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I agree - the vocal narration is certainly easier to follow. My only concern is I hope it doesn't localize the viewership to English speaking viewers. I can always add subtitles, but I worry non-English speaking viewers might get tired of hearing my voice and move on to other videos, even though I try to show every single step of the build process. Thanks again for watching and commenting!
@@AdamsLeatherWorks I thought this video was the best magazine making video I had ever seen and I actually very much appreciated the silence allowing me to concentrate on what you were showing us. A ten out of ten for this vieo! SUBSCRIBED
Yeah, they take a little extra attention when using them. I was rounding a corner on a small piece by rocking the knife back and forth a couple years ago - rocked the blade right through my thumb nail... Thanks for watching!
Might be a weird question but with the sealer couldn't you put some in a container and then just dip the holster in it for say 10 seconds or so and then take the sponge brush and go over it when you would take it out?
Hi Brian - yes, you can certainly dip the holster in sealer. I've done it a couple times, but didn't have great results. Plus you really need multiple sealer tanks for the various colors you might use since the bucket of sealer gets contaminated with dye pigment over time. Eric Larsen with HBE LeatherWorks did a video showing his technique. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Xm4nIQj46L0.html
You need a French curve, we use them for layout in sheet metal. It has all the different radius’s you could/want. You should be able to find them in an art store, they are used for drafting as well.
Thanks Dave - I actually have about 5 of them, but rarely need to use them. I've actually worked for architectural firms for nearly 20 years. :) When I designed my little belt slot templates, I never thought of using them for curves on the rest of the pattern, but it was like a mini french curve and the curves flowed nicely since the radii were consistent. On larger holsters with bigger curves, french curves would definitely be a benefit. Thank you for watching!
Do you have 3D printer? Then you don’t need to use actual mags and you can make pouches for mags that you don’t have access to, to broaden your range of mag holders to sell besides the 1911 mag.
What determines the difference in spacing between the top of the mag and the bottom. I’ve made a few and this is always a concern that the overall width on mine usually end up narrower at the top due to the mags of course. Do you have a formula that dictates the difference between the mags top and bottom to fit it the overall same width when done. Hope that makes sense.
Good question about the stitching - I've never really felt it was necessary but I don't have a good argument against it. Regarding staining the slots - that mostly has to do with workflow. I stain the leather prior to assembly, and most of the stuff I build has airbrushed accents. Which color would the slot be since the accent dye doesn't always completely cover the entire slot? And the slot doesn't get punched until after assembly, just prior to forming (while the leather is damp to help minimize tearing the ends of the slots from the punch stretching the grain surface). Dying the slots after forming is tricky since the slot is no longer flat. I usually dye the slot on black holsters, but everything else gets left natural.
@@AdamsLeatherWorks You have certainly done a lot more holsters than I have since my count is at zero. Aka… you know what you are doing and I don’t. 😉 Looking at other holster makers, some stitch the belt holes and others don’t with the latter being the majority. And I can see that staining them would be difficult. Heck the belt is going to cover them up anyway. Bottom line… you make beautiful products and take pride in your work. Kudos.
Thanks Jim - I usually use beeswax on my edges. For the sake of the video and not having to keep moving the camera around, I just used gum trag on this one.
Your videos are chock full of little tidbits of information that I constantly have to review over and over again for the subtleties.Thankfully, you run them at 4x speed because to get that much information at regular speed would be a full length movie. :-) I noticed during your boning process that you are constantly retracing particular contours over and over again during drying. Is there ammental guideline that you use to determine when you are “done“?
Thank you for watching and for the kind words. The leather is easier to mold and shape while there's more moisture in it, but it doesn't hold its shape or detail lines as well until it begins to dry out a bit. If you try to apply too much pressure with the boning tools and add too much detail when the leather is too dry, it'll burnish and darken the surface. You can counteract that by dampening the surface a bit with a sponge if it gets too dry and then proceed with adding more detail lines. The vacuum press helps to pull some of the moisture out of the leather so I can cut some of the time out of the forming process.
I try to note the thickness in my recent videos. This one was at the 15 second mark. I used 7-8 ounce, which is pretty much what I use on all my holster related stuff. Thanks for watching!
Yeah, machines like these are pretty expensive. On the plus side, they hold their value very well if/when you decide to sell it. But, there's nothing wrong with hand sewing if you have the time!
Did you leave anything in the pockets when left it dry? I don’t have any magazine molds and I don’t know if I should leave my magazine in it when it’s wet for a prolonged period.
I typically leave magazines in the pouch while it's drying, provided I have mags designated for molding use. But otherwise I don't leave 'real' mags in the pouch while drying if I can avoid it. You can insert your mag in a baggie or wrap it in plastic wrap, provided it doesn't add much bulk. But be sure to oil down the mag before & after forming to help prevent damage from moisture. The safest bet is to simply stretch the pockets out after it's dry - I insert the mag in a baggy and then force the mag into the pocket and let it rest for a while. Start with a few minutes, and use longer time if necessary. Or wax the interior of the pocket and let it stretch with natural use and a break-in period.
Adams LeatherWorks Awesome. Thanks for the info. I have my holster all sewed up, now it’s time to wet mold it this weekend. Thanks for the awesome video and reply.
I used to oil everything I make, but have stopped doing it for several reasons. It does soften the leather a bit, though I don't think it's enough to worry about. I have customers that bought their holsters nearly a decade ago that tell me their holsters are still working great and get daily use, despite having been oiled. Oiling adds another day to the build time (because you have to let it soak in). Lastly, I started oiling holsters "because Bianchi did it" in his holster making DVD that I watched when I was first starting out. But, he was making a completely different style holster (Western) where stiffness wasn't as important. I didn't really pick up on that difference at the time. That being said, I've seen plenty of other makers oppose oiling holsters (and plenty that support it), but once I stopped oiling, I realized I didn't really miss it. So, the main reason I stopped oiling is to retain the maximum amount of stiffness. That's not really a great answer, but if you oil your stuff, you won't see me complaining. Just make sure you do it sparingly.
Do You do all those steps in one day?... Dying, burnishing and sealing? I've been letting the dye dry for 48 hours and resoline drying for 24. Basically 3 hours of work spread over 3 days... Am I wasting to much time? Im using fiebings dye and resoline. Get videos.
No, not all in one day. I usually work in batches, so I'm doing multiple orders and it may take me a whole evening to do one or two steps, so a full batch may take a week or two. If I was to build one item, I would cut, dye, burnish the openings, glue, stitch, sand, edge and burnish the remaining edges. Then let it sit for a few hours before doing the molding. If you're not rushed for time, do the molding on the 2nd day to give the glue more time to fully cure and for the dye to offgass completely. After molding, let the item dry in front of a fan overnight. The next day I'd touch up the burnishing on the remaining edges and slick the interior. Let it dry in front of a fan for a few hours, then seal with acrylic sealer. I let the sealer cure overnight & ship the next day. I airbrush my dye, so the dye dries pretty quickly since the leather isn't saturated with dye. I glue with solvent-based contact cement, so assembly goes pretty quickly. If you're able to get the build & molding done on the first day, then seal the next, it's possible to finish in two days. But 3 is more realistic to allow more drying time. Hope this helps!
Hi! You do a pretty good and clean job! Beautifull holster. I have just one question : what are the reinforcement pieces for?is it just aesthetic, or do they have a special role? Thank you!
Thank you! Reinforcement pieces on pancake style holsters & mag pouches are largely decorative since there's no outside forces trying to push against the holster. I offer tooling on my holsters, which I usually do on the reinforcement piece. I used to offer a model without the reinforcement, but customers always wanted it so I include it by default. I think it adds a nice visual touch, but it's not necessary.
I love your work. As a fledgling leather worker/ holster maker, I was wondering where you got the belt loop stencil? I’ve been looking high and low for one.
Thanks Nicholas - I made the belt loop template with my laser cutter. I have them available on my website in a few different sizes. www.adamsleatherworks.com
Awesome video. Curious when I apply resolene it bubbles like crazy. I use the foam brush,try to go easy,mix with with all that stuff. Any idea what the newbie is doing wrong here? Lol
My resolene bubbles too, but the trick is to just keep brushing gently over the surface with quick strokes to keep the surface wet and allow the resolene to soak in to the leather. Make sure you don't have any fans on to help keep it from drying out too quickly. I also dilute my resolene 50/50 with water, so if you haven't tried that yet, see if that helps. Keep your brush pretty wet early on while it's soaking in really well, but eventually you want the brush to start drying out so it's just a bit damp - that will help wipe away the bubbles. It takes practice, for sure.
Thank you. I have been doing the water mix. I've been outside putting it on,and while there are no fans,I live in Florida and I'm sure that causes it to dry super fast. I appreciate the response!
Glad you are happy with the templates! I bought my belt loop punches from Texas Custom Dies. They will custom make them to your size specifications. Mine are 5/16” wide, and they are 1/16” longer than the belt width (1 9/16” for a 1.5” belt).
I have a Cobra Class 4. I'm not sure what the stitch per minute speed is, but I have the servo motor usually set around 12-15. I'm not sure what the max servo speed is, but I never go about 25 (and I only use 25 when I'm winding bobbins). I want to say max speed is 50, but not sure on that one.
I'm really interested in your pattern,how can I avail the pattern?I'm 69 yrs old and I'm very much interested in the leather crafting,thank you very much and God bless