How to mould a holster that's really hard

[mliebs8]

How do makers like Milt Sparks get their holsters to mould so hard? I have one here and it's super stiff.

Edited April 4, 2008 by mliebs8

[Rayban]

How do makers like Milt Sparks get their holsters to mould so hard? I have one here and it's super stiff.

...well .....all the blood rushes to it....

But seriously, I make knife sheaths, and I like them to end up hard as well. I get them wet when all the carving/stamping/stitching work is done and let them dry by a heat source. The sun works well, if you have it. In the winter I place them by a heat vent...not directly on it....just close enough to catch the warm air flow.

I understand some folks use a melted wax method.....but i haven't done that....yet....

[Billsotx]

Tony Kanaley owner of Milt Sparks is on this forum. Maybe he'll answer that for you. I suspect part of it is in the leather he buys.

Leather ain't leather. The best holes are made from veg-tan hides. If you buy from W&C try pasted, HO calls it Mossback. If you want black, buy drum dyed or you'll have fun with rub-off.

[Srigs]

Hot wet forming (dunking the stitched holster in hot tap water is how I do it), forming process (pressing and hand boning) and then air drying before dyeing. Once dried it will be stiff, then dyeing the holster will stiffen it up and lastly the top coat will finish the process. The thicker the leather the harder the leather will become.

Rub off is not a huge problem as long as you buff off any extra. I don't buy pre-dyed leather.

[Regis]

I do much the same as SRigs but, I do use a heat gun for some of the drying. When the shape is stable, I go inside & out with heat gun until the whole thing is a bit too hot to hold. I'll do that 2 or 3 times while drying and it seem to make a noticable difference in hardness.

My 2c

Regis

[Temporary]

After initial wet molding, I let the holster dry, then place on the gun or knife and bake it at around 150 in the oven for 30 minutes or some.

Keep in mind, you want the leather close to dry, or the heat with cause it to shrink and then deform.