Pattern for 1860 Army holster?

[maillemaker]

So I've got some leather, and I've done some leatherwork in the past.

Many of the 1860 Army holsters look very simple to make. Especially the ones with no flap - you just fold the leather in half and stitch it closed.

Does anyone know of a source for a pattern?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[Jamesmyboy]

Patterns

I do not like to recommend Tandy's as a good source but, they have an Old West Collection of holster patterns by Will Ghormley (?sp). You might like what you see. You might also check there for a book by Al Stohlman on Holsters. I think there are instructions on how to make your own pattern.

 

[bedbugbilly]

Stolhman's book on holster making will give you the "basics". There are a number of holster patterns in it but nothing for C & B - but it will teach you the basics of saddle stitching, layout, etc. The title of it is "How To Make Holsters".
This book is available through Tandy.

Will Ghormley has a number of excellet pattern packets out there - they are also available through Tandy, etc. I have the "West Texas Holster" packet of Will's. It provides patterns for a variety of pistols - '58 Remington, '51 Colt, '60 Colt, SAA, etc. You can utilize those for the basic bucket pattern and expand on them from there on your own . . . say if you want just a belt loop, full back flap, etc. They are an excellent place to start.

I primarily lay out my own patterns and if I am making a holster for another individual, I insist on having the pistol for which I am making the holster for if I've never made one for that particular model, etc. The holsters for the C & B though are pretty much interchangeable though - i.e. - between different brands of the same model.

Will's patterns also give you some patterns for tooling the holster if you are so inclined to do so.

Another excellent source of different holsters references is "Packing Iron". It's great reference book for style variety and the photos of period holsters, rifle scabbards and cartridge belts are well done. It sits right on my shelf above my leather bench.

You might also google "holster making" and see what you come up with as there are some good resources out there.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[davem]

I've made a couple of the Slim Jim holsters and I think that is what you are talking about. They are A LOT more complicated to make than a Wyoming double loop style. The BIG problem is that if you are not careful a slim jim can be top heavy- where the belt loop is sewn on back will be BELOW the center of gravity and the holster will want to flip upside down and drop the gun.
The revolver therefore has to sit deeply into the holster, even if the trigger is a little too far down.
I think you ought to buy some cheap vinyl fabric and double it over and make some trial holsters until you get just what will work.
Now....on a wyoming type I'll glue two pieces of oak tan leather- rough side to rough side to obtain a thick enough material to make a good holster. You could do that with a slim jim but a lot of the originals had a suede lining that you can glue on with rubber cement. On the tooling- I can't do foral work of any merit but a repetitive stamp- anyone (myself included) can do that. One period correct stamp was a fishscale but no such stamps are sold. I have made one but before I made a fishscale stamp I used a Tandy mule foot that looked pretty much the same. I color a chocolate brown, dye thinned with alcohol and put in a large pizza pan and then the whole leather emersed- even dye job. Then glue on a red or yellow suede lining and stitch up. You should have a border around the tooling with extra space so if the leather seems tight you can put the stitches a little farther out. If you stitch up and too tight- cut out the stitches and add a welt to create more room.
The belt loop- Hickok's look square and the loop is sort of matched to the width of the belt to help hold the holster in place without a lot of play.

 

[maillemaker]

I think you ought to buy some cheap vinyl fabric and double it over and make some trial holsters until you get just what will work.

Yeah, and I could do that, but I figured there would be a pattern for this on the web already.

But it looks like the books are the way to get a pattern.

Steve

 

[davem]

Tandy sells a pattern for various percussion revolvers, 1851 navy, 1860 Army, Rem 1858. I think for all of them the cost is about $7. I just did my own thing.

 

[swathdiver]

There was a how-to post on the 1858Remington forum on making a holster with his own pattern which was basically a tracing of the revolver.

 

[PetahW]

.

Steve - FWIW, I've made several different holsters, for various shootin' irons - and have yet to buy a pattern.

What I do is unseam a large brown paper grocery store shopping bag & lay it flat.

I draw a straight line down it's center w/a ruler.

Place the gun with it's sights (sic) on that line, but in the middle of the paper (To allow space for the belt loop).

Roll the gun to one side and draw an outline of the gun about 3/4" outside the actual size of the gun.

Depending upon whether a RH or LH holster's wanted, draw an extension on the outline, extending in the opposite direction of the gun's barrel for the belt loop.

Fold the paper in half, drawn lines outside, and cut the paper along your drawn lines.

Place the gun in your new paper holster to make any adjustments in the shape, length/angle of the belt loop, etc ( a new template/paper holster may need to drawn if the 1st one was too far "off").

Transfer the paper holster (template) to the leather, and cut out the leather.



For others interested in holster-making:

Now's the time to do any decorations to the leather, if wanted, before folding/sewing the belt loop, and finally the holster edges.

I place the gun inside some plastic wrap, dip the holster in a pail of warn water for a bit, then holster the gun.
I then rub the leather into a form-fit, using the end of an old (or not ) toothbrush handle, and set if somewhere to dry overnite with the gun inside.

After the leather's dry, I trim the edges and buff them hard (aka: burnish) with some eggwhite & a fast-moving toothbrush handle (again).




Please post a pic of your results, Steve - I (for one) would like to see your labor of love.





.

 

[newfrontier45]

I mostly draw up my own patterns but Will Ghormley has some excellent designs available. The Forty Niner is a very authentic Slim Jim style.

Here's a tutorial with patterns:
http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=19714


I'm not sure why the Slim Jim would be more complicated than a Mexican loop. It just requires a wee bit more stitching. I would recommend a partial welt for either.

The best tutorial I can recommend is the DVD by Chuck Burrows of Wild Rose Trading Co. For me a better resource than John Bianchi's videos.