Dr. Grant U-Dig-It Holster (Jurassic Park)

[FPLeatherCo]

Dr. Grant was one of the first costumes I put together and while it looked ok it lacked a lot of accuracy. I'm always keeping an eye on Grant related threads thought I could contribute to this one and make these holsters that are no longer available: https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=266095

I wanted to do a quick build thread to document what goes into making them and then I'll hopefully set up a project run for those interested.






I'm using 5/6oz vegetable tanned full grain leather. Thanks to Funky and Mike J. for the reference material and template. I traced Mike's template (with a few mods) onto the leather and dyed the front and back.




Pattern all marked and cut out.



Finishing the flesh side (back) of the leather. I've dyed the edges and will go over everything with saddle soap to clean up excess dye, condition the leather, and smooth out the edges. I decided not to round the edges as it doesn't appear they are rounded on the prop but I will still make sure they are smooth and finished.

Next up, I'll finish the grain side (front) with a wax finish, attached the hardware, and then sew the pieces together.

 

[JERSEYGL]

Looks great so far!!! Can’t wait til a run is up!

 

[FPLeatherCo]

I'm using line 24 style snaps which match the size and style on the prop. Setting snaps and rivets with the press and proper die gets a perfect set every time.




And stitching it up with waxed poly thread. Saddle-stitching this heavy-duty thread makes for a very strong connection and won't come undone.

Ok - so at this point I realized there were some issues I needed to address in the sizing of the pocket and shape of the main body of the holster. I ended up completely redesigning the pattern based on the reference photos and fit of the shovel. I also believe the U-Dig-It shovel available now is slightly wider than the one used in the film and the handle does not stick out as far. The redesign is made to the specs of the original and my new version fits quite snuggly but I believe it will work for both.

And here is the finished product. I tried a two different shades of brown as it's hard to tell the exact hue. The darker shade is "chocolate" and the lighter "dark brown."

 

[irishrebel05]

Woah! Those came out great. I think the dark brown is probably closer to the real U-Dig-It holster, but the chocolate looks more like the screen-used prop. At least to my eyes! Any ideas on pricing now that you've finished the prototypes?

 

[JERSEYGL]

They really look amazing! I think the darker one looks more color accurate, personally. Great job in all, can’t wait to get my hands on one of your holsters! Any price thoughts yet?

 

[Funky]

Agreed. Those turned out amazing. You certainly know your way around leather.

 

[FPLeatherCo]

Woah! Those came out great. I think the dark brown is probably closer to the real U-Dig-It holster, but the chocolate looks more like the screen-used prop. At least to my eyes! Any ideas on pricing now that you've finished the prototypes?

Yeah, if the original's came in natural they probably ended up looking more like the dark brown, but going back over some screen caps the chocolate looks closer to how it looks on film.

When I get some extra time this week I need to activate my premium membership and then I'll post in Project Runs. I'm thinking I can do them for $25.

 

[Arlington Beech]

That came out great! Looking forward to the run (hoping you'll ship to Canada)

 

[FPLeatherCo]

https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=291886&p=4482493#post4482493

And the run is live!!

 

[FPLeatherCo]

FYI:

It looks likes they have one on Amazon with the original design. I just ordered one.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B076D9PB6C/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AYX599JHLSRWA&psc=1