‘My canvas is leather’

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Mac McCune said he wasn’t necessarily looking for a new hobby, but he had been struggling to keep his pocket knife from falling out of his pocket when he would poull out his cell phone.

After seeing some raw leather in a hobby shop one day, he decided to try making a holster for his knife.

Mac never considered himself an artist, that is, until he discovered a new hobby of leather crafting.

“My dad is a superb artist,” Mac said. “I never thought I would be making extra money with artistic talents, but I found out my canvas is leather.”

Mac has since taught himself the art of leather crafting via YouTube videos and also has received pointers from Dustin Loftiss, who Mac claims is the “world’s best at it.” Now, he said gun and knife holsters are his specialty.

Crafting a gun holster takes Mac about 4-6 hours, which does not include drying time. First, he takes a gun or knife and lays it out on paper to sketch a pattern for the holster. Then, he cuts the pattern out from raw leather. To create a design on the holster, Mac first draws the design and then carves it out using a swivel knife. He also has stamping tools which are used to leave impressions such as basket weaves on the leather.

Next, Mac dyes or paints the leather, glues and stitches it together by hand and molds it to fit the gun of knife. Last, he paints a clear protective coat on the leather.

Mac has made dozens of pieces for people, including a holster for an 1868 gun previously owned by Billy the Kid. He has made a badge holder for Weatherford Police Chief Louis Flowers and a gun holster for Assistant Police Chief Josh VanDeBurgh.

“I do it because I like the creative side of it,” Mac said.

While Mac specializes in gun and knife holsters, he also has made Bible covers, wallets, belts and more. To see more photos of his artwork, visit his Mac Made Facebook page.

Mac has lived in Weatherford his whole life. He is married to Kristy McCune and has two children — Hogan, 10, and Gracelynn, 6. He is the construction manager at Sawatzky Construction, LLC.