Homemade holster press

[rybord]

Have any ever considered using closed cell foam?

Ray

[10x]

Im going to pick one of those presses up from Harbor Freight. I have a 20% off coupon to boot. I have already ordered the 40d rubber. I think I like the way this works. Thanks for the ideas.

[carljc72]

Any chance of seeing the inside of your press? Thanks.

I will try to take a couple more pics and get them on here soon.

Have any ever considered using closed cell foam?

Ray

I have no experience with it but maybe other members could respond.

Carl

[carljc72]

Here are a few more photos...forgive the quality (CELL PHONE)

[JoelR]

I really like the simplicity. I was going to build a beefly vacuum-table, but this is making me rethink. Only issue I have is this would wreck havoc on my wrists having to torque down 6 bolts. How much pressure is actually on this when compressed? Is it too much to modify the 4 end-bolts to be simply guide pins and have 1" steel square tubing or similar that gets torqued down by the two center bolts?

[ps0303]

I was thinking the same thing. You would only have to screw down two nuts instead of 6. I don't see why it wouldn't work. Just use rigid steel so it won't give any under the pressure.

[carljc72]

I would have used fewer bolts but did not have the steel. I used coupling nuts to extend them long enough to used my cordless drill with a 3/4 deep socket. No strain...when they get snug, I move to the next. I don't know how much pressure it generates...but it works. If I guessed...less than 40 ft/lbs on the 1/2" nuts.

Edited July 15, 2009 by carljc72

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

I use a press to save time and wear and tear on my knuckles and wrists. If you have physical limitations than this may be a cheaper solution than using a hydraulic press, but I don't know that it will save you any time. It could allow you to "be a dad" and leave the work area for a while as mentioned, but I really only leave the holsters in the press for less than a minute. It might also be a good way to learn where your boning lines should be. It is definitely a creative solution that costs a little less (and that's always a good thing).

Now with all that said, I still encourage everyone to get good at boning the shape of your holsters by hand (especially hobbyists or casual builders). It is my opinion that you should learn to hand sew, hand bone, and edge your leather by hand before you resort to tools that do the work for you or speed things up. It gives you a better understanding of the craft, not to mention more appreciation for the work that goes into a holster when you don't take short cuts. It also shows you what kind of results you should be trying to emulate with your machines if you are trying to save time without sacrificing quality.

So do I think that cutting, edging and shaping by hand is better? Not exactly; it is a great education to start with, though. Once you have a good understanding of hand work and the use of machinery, I think it is possible to produce a superior product in less time. In my opinion, it is so much better to use a machine as a tool than as a crutch. Just something to think about as you decide what kind of tools you will spend your hard earned dollars on.

[carljc72]

Now with all that said, I still encourage everyone to get good at boning the shape of your holsters by hand (especially hobbyists or casual builders). It is my opinion that you should learn to hand sew, hand bone, and edge your leather by hand before you resort to tools that do the work for you or speed things up. It gives you a better understanding of the craft, not to mention more appreciation for the work that goes into a holster when you don't take short cuts...

I have to agree. Well said. I built it as an aide. My boning still needs plenty of practice even with the help of a press. I personnally don't want to turn out cookie cutter holsters that are only made by machines. My hands being on it is what makes it a custom leather work.

[Jared]

Just a thought... but if you are wanting more pressure.. you might try securing the top and using a floor jack to get 1-3 tons of pressure and that would be considerably cheaper than buying a press. I come from metal working (Boilermaker) and cheap easy, and whatever is handy is usually somewhere in the description of the tools I will use.