What Do You Put Your Wet Molded Holster On When You Oven Dry It?

[hestes]

Thank you all for the replies! Now I have several options to try.

@Particle, thanks for the excellent youtube videos!

[SooperJake]

I use a cotton cloth covered piece of horse blanket wool and keep the temp about 135° F for about 10 minutes, then air dry the rest of the way, most times.

[Eaglestroker]

I made a dryer using a filing cabinet, a hot plate, and a bathroom fan. I can hang the items from the divider bars while drying.

[chiefjason]

Toaster ovens are notorious for uneven heating, and higher than wanted temperatures. Be really careful. I use my large oven. My oven does not go any lower than 180, but I don't pre heat it. And I'm more careful if I put items in after it's heated up. I used to have a incandescent bulb in a box that I used. Bulb on the bottom, wire to hang the holsters from on the top. I like the oven better. And I have used the clothes dryer as well and it works fine if you have a rack for it.

[Bronson]

The few I have done I bent some s hooks from a coat hanger and the hung the holster from.the top oven rack.

That's what I do. My oven's lowest temp is 170 but I don't preheat it. I hang the holster turn the oven on and 15-20 minutes later it's done.

Bronson

[Steven Kelley]

As I'm typing this, I see Steven Kelley replied - his is a great option too! Steven, I'd love to see a photo of your box if you'd care to share.

Below are a few pics of my drying box. It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. I can fit about 15 holsters in it at a time, which is about the perfect size as that's approximately how many I mold at a time normally. Since it's about 115 outside today, I have the heater moved way back from the box. Actually, probably just a fan would do on summer days in Phoenix. When it's cooler, I move the heater closer to the box. It will hold a temp within 2° all day long if needed.

[malabar]

I dry mine in a convection oven, and I use wooden racks to hold my holsters.

[hestes]

Below are a few pics of my drying box. It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. I can fit about 15 holsters in it at a time, which is about the perfect size as that's approximately how many I mold at a time normally. Since it's about 115 outside today, I have the heater moved way back from the box. Actually, probably just a fan would do on summer days in Phoenix. When it's cooler, I move the heater closer to the box. It will hold a temp within 2° all day long if needed.

Thanks for posting the pictures! I think I'm going to have to give this a try!

[renegadelizard]

170 in the oven, prop the door open about two inches with a wooden spoon...put it on the rack and bake for 20 minutes....if you are getting bake lines in your leather, its too wet when you molded it and put it in...let it dry out a bit before you wet mold and a little after you have molded it...

[particle]

Steven - thanks for sharing! Nice looking setup you have there. Man, I can't imagine forming 15 holsters at a time. It takes me, on average, about 15 minutes per holster to form it. But, that includes punching the belt slots (easier to punch when the leather is wet so the slots don't tear out on the grain side), and beveling and burnishing the slots. I usually only have about 3, maybe 4 items in the oven at a time - guess I need to pick up the pace!!

I don't remember off-hand what my oven's lowest setting is, but mine has a Warm setting. I just have to remember visually about how far the knob is rotated, but I can get mine to hold around 135-140 fairly easily, though I have to keep an eye on it since sometimes the heat will spike randomly.