Making Your Own Dummies

[Bobby hdflame]

http://www.smooth-on...1290/index.html

This is a very COOL site that I think may have a lot of potential for the holster makers out there. They have systems to make a mold and reproduce just about anything you can think of, in GREAT DETAIL. Take some time to look around their site, and look at some of the how to's and videos.

There is enough on the site to keep you busy several hours, just looking around and admiring some of the work that has been done with their products.

Hope this helps someone!

Bobby

Here's another link I guess I should've added:

http://www.smooth-on.com/media.php

Edited December 7, 2010 by Bobby hdflame

[Nooj]

That's exactly what I was thinking of doing. The only worry I had was whether or not the silicone used to make the mold with would seep into the little nooks and crannies and cause trouble.

There is another site that has similar products, and some how to videos. www.alumilite.com

Nooj

[Bobby hdflame]

That's exactly what I was thinking of doing. The only worry I had was whether or not the silicone used to make the mold with would seep into the little nooks and crannies and cause trouble.

There is another site that has similar products, and some how to videos. www.alumilite.com

Nooj

I'm sure we're not the first ones to think of this. I would call the number on the site and talk to someone. I'll bet they could tell you exactly how to do it! Let us know if you find out anything.

I know someone that has used their pour in place foam to make motorcycle seats. They just poured the foam right on top of the seat pan. They have a lot of cool products with limits only to our imaginations!

[Shorts]

I think this comes up now and again, making your own dummy guns. It would probably be worth it for guns that are rare or not currently produced on the market. But for a regular production it might be a wash. Just as an aside, any dummies produced from this can only be for personal use and not sold for profit. There is a patent that prevents anyone from profiting off resin casts. You either have to pay royalties or use a different molding material. This topic usually ends up in catfight.

To mold you will need to plug the barrel and cylinders. Stick the mag in too. There's a good chance you'll get the stuff in the nooks and crannies if it's in liquid form. If you use the clay there probably won't be too much clean up inside the gun. I think if the gun is oiled up nice it should be no problem doing a detailed strip and cleaning it up. Cleaners, brushes, toothpicks, Qtips should be able to take care of any residue. An idea that might prevent runoff through nooks and crannies is to use some wax (if the wax isnt melted off into the chemical). Or you could always vacuum seal the gun before molding it. I think one of the dummy gun manf does this. I can see the stretch marks on their casts. But be aware, while a small measure, the plastic does add width to the gun which changes the dimensions. Hundredths and thousandths of an inch might matter.

Just some things to bear in mind if you do this. I still want to see someone put up some results. I keep telling myself I'm gonna try it on a full gun but haven't. I've done a couple barrel extensions but not a full gun.

[Bobby hdflame]

I think this comes up now and again, making your own dummy guns. It would probably be worth it for guns that are rare or not currently produced on the market. But for a regular production it might be a wash. Just as an aside, any dummies produced from this can only be for personal use and not sold for profit. There is a patent that prevents anyone from profiting off resin casts. You either have to pay royalties or use a different molding material. This topic usually ends up in catfight.

To mold you will need to plug the barrel and cylinders. Stick the mag in too. There's a good chance you'll get the stuff in the nooks and crannies if it's in liquid form. If you use the clay there probably won't be too much clean up inside the gun. I think if the gun is oiled up nice it should be no problem doing a detailed strip and cleaning it up. Cleaners, brushes, toothpicks, Qtips should be able to take care of any residue. An idea that might prevent runoff through nooks and crannies is to use some wax (if the wax isnt melted off into the chemical). Or you could always vacuum seal the gun before molding it. I think one of the dummy gun manf does this. I can see the stretch marks on their casts. But be aware, while a small measure, the plastic does add width to the gun which changes the dimensions. Hundredths and thousandths of an inch might matter.

Just some things to bear in mind if you do this. I still want to see someone put up some results. I keep telling myself I'm gonna try it on a full gun but haven't. I've done a couple barrel extensions but not a full gun.

That site just looks like it has so many possibilities! I read on here where some guns were hard to find dummies for, so I thought it might help someone.

I've thought about using it to make castings for use in embossing a design into leather.

Maybe someone will post some insight from actual experience with it. I also thought about calling the company.

Bobby

[Lobo]

As Monica has pointed out, this topic comes up with some frequency.

The bottom line, from my perspective, is this: if I need a forming piece (dummy gun or actual firearm) to make a holster, either there is a manufacturer offering the dummy, or I will have to find the actual firearm to fill the order. Maybe the customer can provide the piece, maybe that is not practical (interstate transfers are seriously restricted by federal law, and costs can be high for shipping, FFL transfer fees, etc).

To make a dummy gun I will have to have the actual firearm to make the mold. If I have access to the actual firearm, I no longer need the dummy gun.

If I wish to make dummy guns to sell to others, I will still need the actual firearm to make the mold. As Monica has noted, there are patent issues along this road that might bite us in places we don't want to be bitten.

I have several dozen dummies, and continue to add more as demand requires. I also have a reasonably good collection of vintage and out-of-production handguns that I use to form holsters with. I am not willing to invest in a dummy unless there is a reasonably good and predictable demand for holsters. If there is a reasonably good and predictable demand for holsters, I would rather spend a few hundred dollars for the actual firearm than to invest $50 or so in a dummy that has very little market value after I am done with it, while the actual firearm will not only retain its current value but will appreciate at a rate far exceeding inflation (good quality firearms have appreciated in value by more than double the inflation rate over the past 50 years or so). Another factor to consider is that, as a holster maker, the acquisition of a forming piece to complete an order is a tax-deductible business expense; what other business allows me to build my collection and write off the expense of doing so?

So, for most applications I have decided to buy the actual firearms and have something of tangible (and growing) value in the future. Even a $500 investment is recovered in relatively short order, so long as there is reasonable demand for holsters for that model.

Your method may vary.

Best regards.

Edited December 11, 2010 by Lobo

[Bobby hdflame]

As Monica has pointed out, this topic comes up with some frequency.

The bottom line, from my perspective, is this: if I need a forming piece (dummy gun or actual firearm) to make a holster, either there is a manufacturer offering the dummy, or I will have to find the actual firearm to fill the order. Maybe the customer can provide the piece, maybe that is not practical (interstate transfers are seriously restricted by federal law, and costs can be high for shipping, FFL transfer fees, etc).

To make a dummy gun I will have to have the actual firearm to make the mold. If I have access to the actual firearm, I no longer need the dummy gun.

If I wish to make dummy guns to sell to others, I will still need the actual firearm to make the mold. As Monica has noted, there are patent issues along this road that might bite us in places we don't want to be bitten.

I have several dozen dummies, and continue to add more as demand requires. I also have a reasonably good collection of vintage and out-of-production handguns that I use to form holsters with. I am not willing to invest in a dummy unless there is a reasonably good and predictable demand for holsters. If there is a reasonably good and predictable demand for holsters, I would rather spend a few hundred dollars for the actual firearm than to invest $50 or so in a dummy that has very little market value after I am done with it, while the actual firearm will not only retain its current value but will appreciate at a rate far exceeding inflation (good quality firearms have appreciated in value by more than double the inflation rate over the past 50 years or so). Another factor to consider is that, as a holster maker, the acquisition of a forming piece to complete an order is a tax-deductible business expense; what other business allows me to build my collection and write off the expense of doing so?

So, for most applications I have decided to buy the actual firearms and have something of tangible (and growing) value in the future. Even a $500 investment is recovered in relatively short order, so long as there is reasonable demand for holsters for that model.

Your method may vary.

Best regards.

Buying the gun makes sense. But I would think it would be nice if you had a cheap easy way to reproduce it as a dummy for your own future use...especially if you decided to cash in on your investment! I don't know if the link I posted would be the answer, just posted for thought, which it seems to have generated.

[Nooj]

While I like the thought of buying the gun that I'm making a holster for, since I'm only a hobbyist, it's not the most practical. Budget willing, I'll do it though :-) In my case, I'm extremely slow in my production, and have had a friend's pistol for a number of weeks now- so, if I were to be able to make a dummy for a reasonable cost and time investment, I wouldn't have to hold someone's gun very long and I'd have the dummy for future use. That's just me though. I don't have a shop or even a dedicated work area, and I work a lot- plus I procrastinate.

Also, I would prefer an accurate dummy over wet forming using the real firearm.

Nooj