Questions for anyone who plays with leather here, but not like @Oldbloke, not in that way.
Anyhow, I would like to make a few holsters for myself (new club, more on that in other posts soon, but need holsters). I have some, but for others I’ve decided on ‘make’, because, well, I just like that kind of stuff and think I can manage. I watched bunch of tutorials, seems like something I can manage. I know what the cheapest starting point is, in terms of tools. I understand what tools I need on a budget to start with, etc. Any suggestions are always welcome, but main questions are not about tooling.
I’d like to know more about what leather I need. I know (I think) a couple of people do leatherwork here, can you suggest a few things to me?
What would be ideal thickness for a holster. One will be for a S&W 6" barrel, the other are for tacticool things. Not for anything dynamic, just storage on belt.
Where (other than eBay or Google) I can source something cheap.
Should I consider quality leather substitute, rather than genuine leather?
Specifically, with #3, I don’t really care if it’s a substitute or actual leather, I know some are almost indistinguishable, so I am less worried about the “ooo leather” factor and more about quality and ease of working with it (folding, staining, protecting, etc).
Suggestions/opinions/tips, etc?
N.B.
Yes, I have considered Kydex. No, I don’t want to use Kydex.
For quality leatherworking tools and supplies head to West Melbourne - https://www.leffler.com.au/
There used to be a good place in Preston, but they are gone now.
I know a saddle maker thats very resonable out my way if you decide to give up, does excellent work for a good price and has a firearms license and is a all round good dude
It’s not rocket surgery, especially now days with the whole knowledge of the world on the internet.
I think you’ll be fine at making a perfectly serviceable holster.
Back when cordless drills were new (1990ish) I made myself a drill holster out of some thick split hide I had laying around, wasn’t a big project. Next day on site I had orders for six off blokes I was working with…turned into a big project, those lead to others ,I was making holsters and pouches for people for the next couple of months until I got sick of it.
So after some cost benefit analysis and way too many ‘good ideas’, I decided that I best leave some projects to professionals and bought 2 holsters from Etsy. Cheaper than buying tools and leather. Certainly cheaper than buying materials on their own (and I have no plans to make more).
Just got them, not bad. I like it. I have a different rig for rapid fire, but for general club use, perfect.
