Pancake Holster: Assembly Instructions

THIS TUTORIAL DESCRIBES HOW TO BUILD A PANCAKE STYLE HOLSTER AND IS INTENDED FOR USE BY INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED LEATHER WORKERS. FOR PERSONAL/HOBBYIST OR PROFESSIONAL USE.

© 2014 Adams LeatherWorks

• (Premium) Vegetable Tanned Leather - generally speaking, I recommend 8 ounce leather (lighter or heavier weights will require you to move the stitch line in or out slightly). The leather should be firm, with a clean flesh side.

• Sharp knife (to cut out your pattern)• Round knife (to cut out your leather - can also use box cut-

ters, exacto, etc.)• Scratch awl (to transfer pattern)• #2 edger (for easing edges)• Adjustable groover (for cutting decorative grooves)• Freehand groover (if hand sewing)• Straight edge (ruler, etc., for marking straight stitch lines on

leather)• Burnisher (for smoothing and rounding edges)• Bone Folder (for forming/boning the holster to the gun)• Dye (whatever color you prefer - I prefer Fiebing’s Pro Oil

dyes)Dye applicator (I use an airbrush)• Contact cement (Barge contact cement is quite popular, but

there are alternatives that work well too)• Sander (for sanding edges - I use a sanding drum mounted in

my drill press)• Beeswax• Pure Neetsfoot Oil• Smooth-faced hammer (for mating glue surfaces and for

hammering stitching closed)• Mallet - Light weight (for tooling)• Maul - Heavy weight (for punching slots)• Tooling stamps and related tools if needed (these will vary,

depending on what you’re actually doing)• Sponge and bowl (for dampening leather with water)• Gum Tragacanth (for smoothing the edges and/or interior)• Small and large daubers (for applying dye and/or gum traga-

canth)• Finish (I use either Angelus 600 or Fiebing’s Resolene - both

cut 50/50 with water)• 1” Sponge paint brush (For applying finish)• Slot punch (for cutting belt slots) or 5/16” Drill bit and ap-

propriately sized wood chisel to cut out the center, or you can use a sharp knife

The following is a list of recommended tools and supplies you’ll need to complete this project:

Supply List

If you’re hand-stitching, I will refer you to an essential book by Al Stohlman, titled “The Art of Hand Sewing Leather”.

1. Print the pattern on the heaviest paper or card stock your printer will feed. This will become your pattern, so the thicker, the better. Likewise, you can print the pattern on plain paper, then spray-mount it to something heavier.

2. Cut the pattern out with whatever tool is appropriate for your chosen media.

3. Position the pattern on your leather, then carefully trace around the perimeter of your pattern with a pen or scratch awl. Note that I always generate my patterns with the text facing up for right handed holsters, with the grain side of the leather facing up.

4. Cut out your individual leather pieces.

5. Transfer the marks on your pattern to the front and back leather pieces. The pattern has dozens of tiny dots that indicate the location of stitch lines, grooves and belt slots. Poke through these dots to make tiny marks in the leather with your scratch awl. Don’t forget to transfer the stitch lines to the flesh side as well.

6. Edge & Groove – use your edger to round over the edges at the holster openings, and use your groover to cut decorative grooves along the openings where you won’t be stitching. If hand sewing, you can cut grooves along the stitch lines too, though we don’t be discussing hand sewing any further.

Instructions

7. Radius all sharp corners on the reinforcement piece.8. Edge all sides of the front of the reinforcement, as well as all

sides of the back of the reinforcement piece EXCEPT for the edge that rides along the top edge of the holster opening.

9. Tool pieces, if applicable.

10. Dye pieces if using waterproof dye.

11. Burnish & dye the edges of your reinforcement piece (note the example photo is from a different holster for better photographic clarity).

12. You will now attach the reinforcement piece. Using your scratch awl, scuff the grain surface of the holster body in the area where the reinforcement piece is located. Apply contact cement to both surfaces. Once the cement is dry, stick the two pieces together and gently hammer the pieces together to create a tighter bond.

13. Trim and sand the edges of the reinforcement flush along the top edge of the holster opening. (Note: the example photo is from a different holster for better photographic clarity)

14. Use your adjustable creaser (or wing dividers) to mark a stitch line around the perimeter of your reinforcement piece. I inset my stitches from the edge approximately 3/16”. (Note: the example photo is from a different holster for better photographic clarity)

15. Sew the reinforcement piece onto the body of the holster. (Note: the example photo is from a different holster for better photographic clarity)

16. Dampen the reinforcement piece and the flesh side of the holster, being careful to avoid dampening the gluing area. Hammer the stitching flat on the flesh side with the grain side resting on a smooth, flat surface.

17. Burnish and dye all holster opening edges, to include the top edge at the opening, around the sweat shield and the muzzle opening (as seen in the previous photo).

18. Apply contact cement to both mating surfaces of the flesh side of the leather on the front and back pieces. Once the cement is dry, align and press the body pieces together, then gently hammer together for a better bond.

19. Trim and sand away the excess leather if necessary.20. As you did with the reinforcement piece, mark your stitch

line, then sew the body together.21. Burnish and dye the perimeter of the holster body just like

you did with the reinforcement piece.22. If you have a maker’s mark, apply it using the appropriate

method.

23. Punch belt slots if you’re using anything other than a slot punch.

24. With an empty and unloaded firearm, place something along the top of the firearm to leave clearance for the sights. I use a section of plastic coat hanger with a notch cut on one end to fit over the front sight. Be sure the other end is angled downward so it doesn’t snag on the leather when removing the gun from the holster after forming. The dowel should extend at least to the front of the trigger guard.

25. Soak the holster in water for around 10 seconds. Some people soak them for several minutes (or longer), but I find 7-10 sec-onds is usually sufficient. Add a drop or two of dish soap to the water prior to dunking to help break the surface tension of the water.

26. Hammer the stitches flat with a smooth faced hammer. It’s best to do this from the backside of the holster.

27. If you haven’t already cut out your belt slots, now is a good time to use the slot punch method since the leather is damp and the punch will go through the leather more easily. Once the slot is punched, use the edger to ease the edges on the backside of the holster, and then burnish the slots.

28. If you’re using an actual (safety checked) firearm, you may prefer to wrap the gun with saran plastic wrap if the gun is prone to rusting. If so, do this now. Then, insert the gun into the holster, being sure to press it into the holster until the front face of the trigger guard bottoms out at the trigger guard stitch line. Form the holster using your desired method. If you need further forming guidance, I invite you to visit my Premium Tutorial Videos page on my website as this

is more of a visual thing and difficult to teach with words alone. Otherwise, using your fingers, begin by pressing the leather inwards toward the gun so you can “find” the shape of the firearm. Proceed to using a combination of a bone folder and/or round, smooth tools to contour the leather to the shape of the gun. Be sure to indent the leather at the leading edges of the inside face of the trigger guard to aid in retention, but avoid indenting the leather so far that it contacts the trigger itself, which could result in an accidental discharge. http://www.adamsleatherworks.com/premium-tutorial-videos/

29. Once the holster is formed, place the holster in an oven set to around 135 degrees for about 45 minutes. If using a dummy gun, leave the gun inside the holster while it’s in the oven to help minimize shrinkage.

30. Remove it from the oven and double check the fit and form of the holster, as they tend to collapse a bit under their own weight, especially if you leave the dummy gun in the holster while drying.

31. Place the holster in front of a fan to dry overnight. If you can place the dummy gun in the holster while it dries, this will help it not shrink so much as it’s drying. Make sure you re-move the dowel from the top of the firearm as this will make the firearm very difficult to remove from a dried holster. If you are using a real firearm, DO NOT leave your gun in the holster to dry unless you take proper precautions to protect your gun from moisture.

32. Apply a light coat of oil to the exterior of the holster. If your holster is lined, you can apply oil to the interior as well (assuming you lined it with vegetable tanned leather).

33. If necessary, touch up the burnished edges of the holster.34. Using a wool dauber, apply gum tragacanth to the interior of

the holster, then burnish smooth. Burnish the belt slots too.35. If you want, you can go ahead and dye the belt slots whatever

color is appropriate for your holster. Be careful to avoid runs/drips on your thread if you have a lighter color thread.

36. Buff the holster to remove excess surface pigment.37. Apply final finish to the interior and let it dry for a few min-

utes. Then, apply finish to the exterior of the holster.38. Once the holster is dry, you can test the fit of the holster.

Most likely, the fit will be very tight. If it is, don’t try to stick the gun all the way in the holster. Remove the gun, and then stick the gun muzzle down in a zip-top baggie. Wrap the baggie around the slide and trigger guard area, then insert the gun in the holster and let it rest. After a few minutes, remove the gun from the baggie and holster it again. If it’s still too tight, repeat the process and increase the resting time. You may notice the acrylic sealer is adding to the friction, making it a tad more difficult to draw the gun. If so, take a little neutral shoe polish and rub it on your finger. Then, rub your waxed finger over the contact points inside the holster. This should help ease the friction inside the holster.

Thank you for purchasing an Adams LeatherWorks pattern. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via my website at www.adamsleatherworks.com.

Take care, Eric Adams