Wet Forming A Holster

[Hibbert]

So I've been doing a lot of reading on here trying to better my works and realize I've been doing something completely wrong, I have been soaking my holsters in water, basically to the point of total saturation before shoving my gun and working on the holster. From what I've read two to three seconds under water is plenty but I'm a little confused about something. When I make my holster and it's ready for the forming there are times when I have to use and extreme amount of strength to get the gun all the way in and I feel like if it wasn't soaked it never would've fit. So what my question is is how do you guys deal with that problem? Am I just being overly dramatic and need to "man up" a bit? Or maybe when I finish my holster I should've sewn it in a way where there was already a considerable gap for the gun and not two layers of leather sewn flat? Please help me with this! Thanks in advance.

[TwinOaks]

First off, there's more to it than just 'douse for 2-3 seconds'. While that's typically enough water, you need to let the moisture equalize in the leather before stretching....and you might need some more moisture, depending on the leather.

The other consideration is the placement of your stitch line on the holster. As a general guide, you need to place your stitch line "1/2 the width + the thickness of the leather" from the actual outline of the gun. For example,

a Glock has a ~1 inch thick slide. Using 8oz leather we add 1/8th" (leather thickness) + 1/2" (slide thickness) for a total of 5/8ths of an inch. So, trace the pistol closely and at the slide and under the muzzle, we'd mark 5/8ths outside that tracing. At the trigger guard, it will be a bit less because the leather doesn't stretch as much. --This is for a pancake style holster with the seam pretty much in the middle. If you're making a pancake with a flat back, then additional stretching (and moisture) will be needed to get the leather to form correctly.

[Hibbert]

Thank you, that makes perfect sense to me

[particle]

I agree with TwinOaks. Actual soaking time - there isn't really a specific time you should dunk the leather. It will vary a little, depending on if it's natural or dyed, how much dye was applied, if it's dyed front and back (inside and out), quality of the leather, density of the leather, etc. But, generally speaking, you shouldn't really need to dunk it more than about 8-10 seconds, and can sometimes get away with just 2-3 seconds. Lately I've been dunking my stuff for about 7-8 seconds on average, but I vacuum form the initial shape which helps to remove some of the moisture.

[Hibbert]

I agree with TwinOaks. Actual soaking time - there isn't really a specific time you should dunk the leather. It will vary a little, depending on if it's natural or dyed, how much dye was applied, if it's dyed front and back (inside and out), quality of the leather, density of the leather, etc. But, generally speaking, you shouldn't really need to dunk it more than about 8-10 seconds, and can sometimes get away with just 2-3 seconds. Lately I've been dunking my stuff for about 7-8 seconds on average, but I vacuum form the initial shape which helps to remove some of the moisture.

I've heard of vacuum forming before, do you need to have a real strong machine for this or will a food saver work? I've not tried it because my food saver bags have little textured squares on one side and I don't want that transferring to the leather

[particle]

Give this thread a look to see my setup.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=28482&st=0&p=178649entry178649

I think some people have said they use the food saver with the bags turned inside out? The vacuum system won't do all the work - it will just minimize some of the initial effort. Depending on the level of detail you're after, you'll likely need to remove it from the bag for final detail boning.

Edited December 28, 2011 by particle

[electrathon]

I've heard of vacuum forming before, do you need to have a real strong machine for this or will a food saver work? I've not tried it because my food saver bags have little textured squares on one side and I don't want that transferring to the leather

I use a food saver a lot. I usually put a small smooth board under the holster so that the pattern does not transfer and to keep the rear side flat.

[TwinOaks]

I use a piece of waxed paper under the holster, or just rub out the marks. Really, they're shallower than even scribe lines. The little channels need to be present for the vacuum to get the air out, otherwise you can get pockets that are pinched off, so a block or sheet is needed instead of turning it inside out.

A food sealer works pretty well. You won't be able to read the serial #s through the leather, but you're talking about an appliance, not a commercial vacuum table.

[Hibbert]

Ok great, I'll experiment with this on my next project