gun molds for holster makers

[ABC3]

You know, for $750 (the amount to become a Dist) you could get about 23 guns. If you could rent them out for lets say $10 for a week it would stop alot of running around. Just a thought....

[Lobo]

You know, for $750 (the amount to become a Dist) you could get about 23 guns. If you could rent them out for lets say $10 for a week it would stop alot of running around. Just a thought....

My line of thought exactly, Tom. Here is what I would suggest:

Someone needs a forming piece, they send you $50 (enough to cover replacement, if necessary, plus postage to get it there). When finished with it, he returns it to you (postage at his expense), then you refund $40.

Your risk is covered. You make a few bucks (about $5 after postage expense). The forming piece pays for itself in about 7 or 8 rentals. The rental user gets to fill his order(s) for about $15 net cost (including return postage) rather than $45 to $50 to buy a dummy gun.

This could work out quite nicely for the hobbyist or part-time maker on a tight budget. Also, not a bad idea for the dummy guns to make low-demand holsters.

Of course, taking orders, receiving deposits, packing, shipping, receiving returns, issuing refunds, this all seems like a fair amount of effort for relatively little return on investment.

I remember looking at Georg Lawrence catalogs many years ago, with photos of their "gun room" filled with hundreds of real handguns they used every day as forming pieces. Today, that kind of investment would be astronomical to have any hope of filling most orders.

[K-Man]

Rings, ASP, Duncan's, they all share certain qualities: none is perfect, no one seems to be able to deliver within a reasonable time, they seem to be rather expensive (considering what they are, how they are made).

Have you done any research with respect to the cost to make dummy guns, whether they're cast from aluminum or some other material? It's not as cheap as one may think....

Edited April 30, 2009 by K-Man

[Lobo]

Have you done any research with respect to the cost to make dummy guns, whether they're cast from aluminum or some other material? It's not as cheap as one may think....

Yes, I have. I understand that each manufacturer has a substantial investment, and that there needs to be a reasonable return on that investment to continue doing business. I was not intimating that there was any over-pricing going on, only commenting on the casual observer's though process when looking at the end result, and the price tag for it.

Every item having a limited market will have a price reflecting the cost of production, promotion, and delivery. I don't have a problem with that, and I am willing to pay for the service provided by those who give me what I need when I need it.

That said, every week I respond to customer inquiries explaining that it might take several weeks to obtain the forming piece for what they want, that I will gladly buy it if they will place the order; and every week I have customers who make the decision one way or the other. Also, every week I respond to customer inquiries for holsters to fit handguns that I doubt I will ever receive another order for, so I apologize and decline the order.

I'm sure you have had similar experiences. I have on hand several dozen forming pieces (dummy guns or actual handguns). Some I use every week, others I use only a few times per year. When the opportunities seem to be worth the investment, I acquire more. When what the customer wants is on the fringe, I decline the order.

[Randyc]

Hey Randy,

What are you looking for. I know how it is when your back is to the door. I don't have any for sale but I'll loan you what you need if I have it.

Let me know.

Thanks Tom, so far my customers have been very understanding and willing to wait for me to build their holsters.

I need to be a little more conservative on my estimated build times when I have to order a mold gun I don't already have.

Randy

[claybuster101]

With respect to gun molds. Has anyone tried to "cast" a particular firearm using a mold from modelers clay? There are a couple of options here. I have not tried it yet, but might give it a shot.

What if you had 2 slabs of modelers clay. One for the left half and one for the right half of the firearm. For obvious reasons the clay would have to be wider, longer and deeper than 1/2 the thickness you are trying to achieve.

Take a sheet of kitchen plastic wrap (Saran ?) and lay it on top of the clay. Depress the firearm down to at least 1/2 halfway. If it goes a touch deeper both halves could be sanded and epoxied together for a final dimension. Do the same to the other side of the firearm. Now you have molds for both halfs. Remove the firearms and the plastic wrap. It should leave a very exact duplicate of the original firearm. Apply a release agent to ease the removal of the molded part. I doubt highly that the mold could be used more than once, but it would be worth the effort to try.

Using a resin mix (polyester) is the less expensive, I would add shreds of fine fiberglass to reinforce the piece being molded. Always do a small test batch first to check set up times as ambient temperature, humidity etc have an effect on the resin. Once you have determined that the resin will set up properly pour the resin into the molds. Once it is set and cured (overnight will probably do it) remove the firearm halves. You can check the width dimension against the original firearm. A light sanding may be required to get a flat mating surface for the two halves (maybe a bit of Dremel work as well). Epoxy the two halves and there is your replica for doing holster molding. As a possible bonus, a coloring agent could be added to the resin mix to help distinguish say a Springfield XD from an XDm so you don't grab the wrong mold off the rack.

This may have been posted in days gone by here on LW.N but I thought I would throw it out anyway.

Dennis

Michigan

[Lobo]

With respect to gun molds. Has anyone tried to "cast" a particular firearm using a mold from modelers clay? There are a couple of options here. I have not tried it yet, but might give it a shot.

What if you had 2 slabs of modelers clay. One for the left half and one for the right half of the firearm. For obvious reasons the clay would have to be wider, longer and deeper than 1/2 the thickness you are trying to achieve.

Take a sheet of kitchen plastic wrap (Saran ?) and lay it on top of the clay. Depress the firearm down to at least 1/2 halfway. If it goes a touch deeper both halves could be sanded and epoxied together for a final dimension. Do the same to the other side of the firearm. Now you have molds for both halfs. Remove the firearms and the plastic wrap. It should leave a very exact duplicate of the original firearm. Apply a release agent to ease the removal of the molded part. I doubt highly that the mold could be used more than once, but it would be worth the effort to try.

Using a resin mix (polyester) is the less expensive, I would add shreds of fine fiberglass to reinforce the piece being molded. Always do a small test batch first to check set up times as ambient temperature, humidity etc have an effect on the resin. Once you have determined that the resin will set up properly pour the resin into the molds. Once it is set and cured (overnight will probably do it) remove the firearm halves. You can check the width dimension against the original firearm. A light sanding may be required to get a flat mating surface for the two halves (maybe a bit of Dremel work as well). Epoxy the two halves and there is your replica for doing holster molding. As a possible bonus, a coloring agent could be added to the resin mix to help distinguish say a Springfield XD from an XDm so you don't grab the wrong mold off the rack.

This may have been posted in days gone by here on LW.N but I thought I would throw it out anyway.

Dennis

Michigan

Dennis: You are willing to do a whole lot of work, just to save about $40 or $50. I admire your willingness! Personally, I will keep on buying the dummy guns. Best regards!

[claybuster101]

Dennis: You are willing to do a whole lot of work, just to save about $40 or $50. I admire your willingness! Personally, I will keep on buying the dummy guns. Best regards!

I know, I know "The road to hell is paved with good intentions". My wife tells me that on a daily basis. It sure seems like all the people trying to get the replica guns have a hard time...(long waits, backorders etc) Plus many of the firearms are not available to mold a holster from (XDm for example). I might give it a shot and let ya'all know how it turns out. Since no gelcoat is involved it should be a rather straight forward process....time and money!

[ABC3]

I think Jim (The Beltman) told me he molded several of the Blue Guns. You might want to give him a call.

[lilrays]

Hello:

I don't know if this was suggested but airsoft pistols may be helpful since many are the exact size and shape of the handgun you're making. I had bought a few to aid me when I couldn't get hold of the customers actual pistol.

When I would buy one, I made sure to check the photo of the actual firearm to ensure that what I'm buying is the right one then I would try to buy it in person to get a close up look.

Hope this helps . . .

lilrays