The Smell of Gunleather
8/20/2010
Actually, it's a lot more than the smell, but have you ever been in a shop that builds plastic holsters? I have and the smell of that solvent is revolting.
I have also visited Milt Sparks' place, as well as John Bianchi's. It may not be sweet as the bodice of your beloved, but the earthy aroma of the dyes and oils used in leather crafting are downright pleasurable.
It reminds me that hand-made stuff like a finely crafted gunstock is somehow better than the machine-produced version of the same thing. But when I recall how Tim Wegner goes about building his Kydex holsters up there at Blade Tech—as well as how well they work—I have to concede that this is one concession to the changing times that I am going to have to make.
I was introduced to the plastic holster by Jim Smullen at Holsters Plus and used his on several memorable shoots. I eventually acquired several of the Blade Techs, one of which I used to the point that the holster actually faded in color from too much Arizona sun.
Yeah, I have come to respect the Kydex holster and pouches in these modern times, but remain enough of a curmudgeon to treasure and often use quality leather from the likes of El Paso, Bianchi, Sparks, Sherrick and my current find, Matt Del Fatti. I still believe leather holsters are fabulous stuff.
