Great tutorial and I love the result. I've also done a holster tutorial and can greatly appreciate the work that goes into one.
Thank you, Craig. Yeah, I could have made three holsters in the time it took to make the one and get the photos. It was all good fun, though.
Will, “hand”, “temper”, “firmness”…all the same term. People in my Tandy store call it “hand”. I had to ask them what they meant. Just wanted to know if you used softer or stiffer leather for your belts.
I wasn't familiar with that term. That's OK, though, I've noticed that the older I get, the amount of things I don't know increases. After I wet mold or shape a belt, it gets a little stiff so I add a couple coats of Skidmore's Leather Cream then work it some after it has soaked in to make it more limber. That makes a belt more comfortable. Even if I don't wet shape the belt, I do work it some. I don't start with softer leather though. It's exactly the same leather as I use in the holsters. Often the belt and holster come from the same side of leather.