So after watching the YouTube channel “SkillTree,” I felt inspired to make a holder/holster for my Leatherman multi tool and a flashlight. So it was off to the local craft store to buy supplies. The initial cost of this project is higher because I had to buy a few other items I didn’t already have at home.
I got the following:
- Leather
- Leather hole punch (I got a 3 hole punch)
- Wax thread
- Leather stitching needles
- A container to store everything in
- Fabric glue (that works on leather)
I already had the following:
- Mallet (I used a body mallet w/interchangeable heads)
- Stitching awl
- Exacto knife set
- Box cutter
- Crafter’s mat
- Graph paper
With everything assembled, I began deciding on it’s design. At first I was going to just do a simple holster for my Leatherman multi tool. And by simple, I mean just recreate the one I already had in leather instead of (material) it was. See the problem was that the holster I had wasn’t the correct one of the Leatherman, and while it did work, it was loose and too big for the tool. I wanted something more form fitting. After spending weeks and months scouring the interwebs, I found plenty of suitable options, but nothing I really liked. So the decision was made to just make my own. I ultimately settled on a friction pouch open at the top for the Leatherman and a second pouch to hold a small flashlight.
Being on a tight budget, I got pieces of leather that were just large enough for the project at hand. This allowed me to maximize my budget and minimize any left over scraps not knowing if I was going to do any future leather working.
Making the holster
Using the graph paper, I cut out pieces to the size and shape of the leather I was using to ensure I didn’t make it too big for my materials.
Next, once I was happy with how it looked, I transferred the paper template on to the leather by tracing the outline with a marker. Then roughly cut the shapes out and lightly scored along the folds.
Then it was on to wet forming the leather. This was accomplished buy soaking the leather in water for about a minute, then letting it absorb that water while resting on my working table for about 5 minutes. Once the leather was pliable enough, I used some scrap wood to make a crude forming jig that was screwed into place on my workbench. To ensure the leather was completely dry, I let it dry overnight.
Once dry, it was time to bond the front and back together. To make sure everything stayed in place while the glue dried, I used the same crude jig from the last step. This I also let dry/set for 24 hours before removing it from the jig.
Now it was time to lock it all in to place. Using my hole punch, I punched all the holes I would require for stitching it together. This took some time as I had to make sure each and every hole was in the correct place to keep lines straight and the radiuses on the side looking curved. And with all the holes punched, it was time to start hand stitching it together.
Given this will be holding a Leatherman and flashlight on my belt as part of my work EDC, I chose to go with the saddle stich. I learned how to do it, once again, off YouTube (this video).
With stitching complete, it was on to final shaping and adding the belt loop holes. I also took the time to apply bees wax to the leather to seal it. This was accomplished by rubbing the bees wax on the leather then applying some heat from my heat gun. I did this a couple of times to ensure I got all of it as best as I could. With the tools I had on hand, I finished the edges as best as I could.
In Conclusion
So after all this, I am happy with how it turned out for my first time doing something like this. However, some things I learned along the way are:
- Use hot, but not boiling, water to soak the leather in for wet forming
- Double check your edges when gluing and putting in the jig to dry
- Unless you are doing a belt loop on the back, give yourself more area to work with on the ends
Now the only real problem I have with it is, it will “bunch” up on my belt, but I suspect that should get better as it gets used and broken in. I have a couple Ideas on how to prefect my design if I remake it in the future. I am thinking I will attempt making a simple wallet next since I am in need of a new one soon.
Links
The following links may not be to the EXACT gear pictured, however, will be to what I could find comparable to what I have and use. Some are a generalized search so you can pick exactly what you want or give you an idea what might be found at that retail store if it applies.
Links
Remember, If I can do it, You can do it too!!!
The Wandering Leatherneck 