Moon Clip Leather Pouch

Hi folks.
Here's how i make moon clip holder. A moon clip is a ring-shaped or star-shaped piece of metal designed to hold multiple cartridges together as a unit, for simultaneous insertion and extraction from a revolver cylinder. My holder is designed for 9*19mm cartridges for traumatic revolver. It shoots rubber bullets. This type of weapon is allowed in my country.

Step 1:

So,first of all i cut a rectangular piece of veg tanned leather 4.5mm thick for body part of a holder. And also i cut a rectangular piece of 2mm thick leather for flap. Main piece is 112mm*140mm and I need two rectangular pieces: 95mm*60mm for gasket and 210mm*60 for flap. These two pieces I cut from 2mm leather like one piece. It is more easier to dye it. I cut these pieces with a little margin so I cut the excess later.

You can buy this pattern here

Step 2:

I make markup on the flesh side of leather on thick piece of leather. Then i cut out excess parts.

Step 3:

Now accordingly to my marking i cut "u"-shaped grooves. These grooves needs to bend leather
easily. Grooves are half of leather thickness. Or even more.

Step 4:

I mark on my piece of leather where i will cut 45 degrees bevel for stitching. It is black pen marks on photo you see. And cut out the excess of leather.

Step 5:

Then i burn two sides of this leather piece and dye it with kenda orly dye.

Step 6:

Then leather is dry, i mark the seam and stitching holes. I wet the leather piece for molding and pierce stitching holes in beveled edges. I use an awl to do this, because using a priking iron is impossible on 45 degree bevel. Now i bend wet leather to prepare it for stitching . I attach beveled edges one to another and stitch with saddle stitch.

Step 7:

This is stitched piece of work.

Step 8:

Until leather is wet i put this part of a holder into some kind of jig. This jig holds leather in right position to prevent it creeps. The jig simply is some pieces of scrap plywood joined together with clamps.

Step 9:

When leather is dry i get it of the jig. Then i measure the base of a holder and cut out the gasket. Then i burnish shorter sides of the gasket and dye its with kenda dye.

Step 10:

In this step I punch holes for the button snaps. I use 2mm round punch.

Step 11:

Then I cut a hole for a finger. Through this hole I will take a moon clip out of the holder. To do this I use 15mm round woodworking carving chisel. But 15mm hole is not enough to put the finger through. Using a dremel with sanding drum on it I expand the hole to right size. Then I bevel and burnish edges and dye them with kenda orly dye.

Step 12:

Now is time to mark stitching lines and holes on both sides of the holder. I punch it and also mark and punch holes in shorter sides of the gasket. Then i glue holder and gasket together. Punch holes through holder holes through the gasket. Also i punch 6 holes in the middle of the holder through the gasket to sew them together.

Step 13:

Then the glue is dry and gasket sewn together with holder i cut the flap for the holder. Place it in the middle of the holder on it position.

Step 14:

I transfer corner holes onto the flap. And mark with ruler straight lines. These lines will be the seam. Then I punch holes with diamond stitching chisel. Now i need to punch holes for the clip. I place the holder over the flap and mark holes.

Step 15:

To cut holes for the clip i use straight woodworking chisel 25mm and small square carving chisel to punch squares.

Step 16:

Then i insert the clip into the flap. And now is an important moment. Don’t interchange the position of the flap. Cartrige extraction hole must be atop the holder and also monitor the location of the clip. Now i sew all three parts of the holder together. Then i cut the flap to size, punch holes for holster buttons and burnish and dye the edges. And now the holder is done!