What Is The Best Tool For Forming Holsters?

[charlescrawford]

What is the best tool for forming holsters? I have tried sharpie markers, bone folders ( from tandy) and even horn creasers also from Tandy and haven't been really happy with any of them they all see to mark the leather and I don't seem to get a real good molding from them anyway.

Thanks

[chiefjason]

I go in this order; thumbs, back side of my edger, toothbrush handle. You will want something rounded and smooth for the big forms around the slide and trigger IMO. I start on the slide side and work my way over the top to the trigger side. Once the big shapes are blocked in I go back with modeling tools, folders, and such to do the detail work.

Make sure the water content of the leather is right. Which takes some time to figure out. Too wet, and it molds then starts to release before it sets. To dry and it does not mold well.

[camano ridge]

All of the tools you mentioned and the tools ChiefJason mentioned work great. If you are having trouble getting good defenition or not holding the defenition as it dries then the problem as Chiefjason mentioned it may well be the casing or your leather and not your tools. I usually wet my leather do a general molding then let it set for a few hours then come back and do detail molding. It works for me.

Edited September 30, 2013 by camano ridge

[Jeff L]

Best tool I have is a 12 ton shop press from harbor freight... Sandwich the gun and wet holster between a dense foam and some plywood and crank it down.

[charlescrawford]

Jason & Camano, How long do you guys soak your holsters? Once I finish dying I let it sit over night. Then the next day I submerge it for 1-2 minutes at the most and start forming it the best I can. Our home office is generally the hottest room in the house so once I get done I put the holster with the blue gun still inside on top of the bookshelf and let it finish drying for 24-36 hrs before I touch it. I don't do the oven trick because our oven doesn't do that low....lol

[Denster]

One to two minutes submerged is your problem. You have super saturated your leather. All it takes is a four or five second dunk then let the leather start to return to it's natural color and insert the gun and form.

[charlescrawford]

So if you do a quick dunk like will it soak in enough to mold and come back like mentioned below? How long do you generally have to do get it molded? Most of my holsters are 7-9 depending on style.

All of the tools you mentioned and the tools ChiefJason mentioned work great. If you are having trouble getting good defenition or not holding the defenition as it dries then the problem as Chiefjason mentioned it may well be the casing or your leather and not your tools. I usually wet my leather do a general molding then let it set for a few hours then come back and do detail molding. It works for me.

[camano ridge]

Like Denster said way to much soaking time. I wet it just until it is wet through and plyable. That actualy doesn't take much. Like was stated 5 - 15 seconds if it doesn't feel plyable enogh give it another quick dunk. You need it just soft enough for it to allow you to move the leather around. You will have plenty of time. Like I said I usualy do an initial rough molding then come back when the leather is a little drier and refine my molding. Take some scrap leather and practice get it wet wrap it around something and mold do it at different levels of wettness you will soon learn when it works best.

[chiefjason]

Like said above, just a few seconds under the faucet for me. Get it completely wet, then another quick once over. If I have a reinforcement piece I may try to let the water run over it a couple more seconds. Total, less than 20 seconds for any holster I do. Then I let it set a few minutes to let the water soak in good, and let the water on top evaporate. Then you've got 15 to 20 minutes of working time. Once you get used to it you will start to notice the leather changing as it dries.

Once it's molded I put the shoe rack in the dryer and run it on high for about 20 minutes to force dry it. This heat changes the characteristics of the leather and makes it stiffer and firms up the mold.

[charlescrawford]

When you let the water on top evaporate do you mean you let it come back to where it is starting to show it's dry color or just where the surface is dry?

[chiefjason]

It will lighten up in color as it sets. By the time I get to it there is no water on the surface and it's usually starting to lighten up. I'm getting a better feel for it now, so it's hard to give a time. If it feels too soft I'll let it set there longer. Sometimes I can just prep my tools and get right to work though. It's not a long wait though, minute or two at most. The less time I run water over it the less it has to set too.

Like everything else leather, it's trail and error and getting a feel for the material.

[Jumpout]

I use a bone folder and a modeling spoon to mold my holsters. I use warm water and drop of dish soap. I dunk the holster and bring it right out, flip it over and dunk it and bring it right out again. I dunk it just enough to let all the leather change color. Then insert the gun and begin molding. Sometimes I use an arbor press and other times I use my fingers but I always detail everything with the bone folder and the modeling spoon.

[Colt W Knight]

Best tool I have is a 12 ton shop press from harbor freight... Sandwich the gun and wet holster between a dense foam and some plywood and crank it down.

Would love to see a picture that!

[katsass]

Well, I guess that I'll jump in and probably irritate a few here. First off, I think that we must determine what is expected from your forming/molding procedure. If you are expecting to end up with a holster that is so closely formed to the shooter that you can read the cartridge designation in the ejection port, and you rely on this and a deeply molded trigger guard to provide the major portion of the holster's retention (as so many do) -- you are wasting pot load of time. If you want a god, properly molded and useful holster, use your hands. I say this not just because I don't like the appearance of an overly molded holster, but because retention must be realized from the friction of the leather in relation to the majority of the shooter and not just a couple of places that will give up in a short time, If you consider the situation, you can see that a deeply formed ejection port area MUST loosen up in rather a short time. Every time you draw and/or holster the shooter, the leather in that area is pushed out of the way, and will shortly soften to the point that it no longer has any retention value - and on top of that, in time, it also begins to look kind of ratty. The same goes for the trigger guard area. So, I mold holsters this way, just as I was taught by a pretty decent holster maker, from times gone by. First, wet the thing down - I don't care how much you put in, on, or around the thing - just get it wet. Then, put it somewhere and wait. You can work on another project, watch the idiot box or, (possibly my favorite) locate an adult beverage and relax for a bit. When the holster seems to be almost dry - showing a uniform color but being just cool to the touch, it's ready to work, it's 'cased'. Stuff the shooter (covered with a plastic bag or two), blue gun, or whatever into your masterpiece. If it goes in easily, you have a problem that only a closer stitch line will cure. If you need to force the gun a bit to seat it in the rig - so much the better. Now, the finest tool for this work is readily available to all of us - our grubby, stubby mitts (if too dirty wear gloves), Work,push, cajole, and even caress the leather around the shooter until it forms tightly to the said firearm. Now, put it somewhere that warm air will flow over it, and leave it alone. Go finish your adult beverage, chase mama around the house, try milking a duck - just do anything but mess with it. When you think it's good and dry, wait another hour or so. Gently ease the artillery from the leather pouch and ------- because the interior is NOT dry, replace the holster to it's original position so that it WILL dry --- ie. put it back and leave it alone 'till tomorrow. From there on oil (and wait) and proceed with your favorite finish. Just a long story from a grumpy old guy that learned from another old guy way back when, and one that doesn't have anything better to do at this time.. Mike

Edited October 5, 2013 by katsass

[LederRudi]

Well, I guess that I'll jump in and probably irritate a few here. ...

Always a pleasure to read your contributions, Mike!

[charlescrawford]

Mike,

Yes thank you for your input! I am wanting something that fits fairly tight. Some folks out here in Colorado want a snap closure on their holsters while others just want a tight fit that keeps it in until you take it out. I have been wondering how to prevent the leather from giving over time I think I read something in the forum at one time about it but remember now what the tip was....lol One of the issue I keep having is once I mold around the trigger guard and indent some in the trigger area I always end up pulling which ever I did first out! frustrating....lol Mike do you not do the tight molded holsters like avengers?

[katsass]

Well Charles, as I said before, the first thing about making a holster (for auto pistol or wheelgun) is to stitch that puppy up so that it takes some effort to insert it into the damp holster when molding. One thing to remember is that the stiffness, rigidity, firmness, or whatever the hell you want to call it, is created in the top layer of the grain (smooth) side of the poor dead cow's skin. The stuff forms up when warm water is used to moisten the rig for molding, followed by SOME heat (NEVER more than about 140 degrees) to dry it back out. I usually use old Ma Nature's smile -- unless it happens to be in the dead of winter. Now, I make my holsters from two layers of leather which provided for twice the firming up action, and it also lines the rig with smooth leather. Firmness is critical in the retention of your shooter, but NO, I do not form the holster tightly enough to view the entire outline of the shooter as many do, but in my holsters, almost all places that the leather touches the firearm provides friction and the shooter stays where it needs to be. Here's a pic of one of my avenger style rigs. Mike

Edited October 6, 2013 by katsass

[longtooth]

Three fingers of Jack and I'll be to bombed to play with the holster til the next day. Laughing.

[katsass]

Longtooth, that isn't all that bad. The biggest mistake for folks starting out is trying to moving too quickly. Waaay back, once in a while I'd get a bit carried away while working out problems with an exciting new idea or project,.and take a sip of my favorite Bourbon County nectar -- it just seemed to help me think (ha). A little later, It would seem proper to have a drop or two of the Maker's Mark, do a bit more, try another drop or two, and so one for not too much longer. More than once I have awakened just to fearfully head to the shop to see just what the hell I'd done. I quit that long ago. Mike

Edited October 11, 2013 by katsass

[peacock]

Well, I guess that I'll jump in and probably irritate a few here. First off, I think that we must determine what is expected from your forming/molding procedure. If you are expecting to end up with a holster that is so closely formed to the shooter that you can read the cartridge designation in the ejection port, and you rely on this and a deeply molded trigger guard to provide the major portion of the holster's retention (as so many do) -- you are wasting pot load of time. If you want a god, properly molded and useful holster, use your hands. I say this not just because I don't like the appearance of an overly molded holster, but because retention must be realized from the friction of the leather in relation to the majority of the shooter and not just a couple of places that will give up in a short time, If you consider the situation, you can see that a deeply formed ejection port area MUST loosen up in rather a short time. Every time you draw and/or holster the shooter, the leather in that area is pushed out of the way, and will shortly soften to the point that it no longer has any retention value - and on top of that, in time, it also begins to look kind of ratty. The same goes for the trigger guard area. So, I mold holsters this way, just as I was taught by a pretty decent holster maker, from times gone by. First, wet the thing down - I don't care how much you put in, on, or around the thing - just get it wet. Then, put it somewhere and wait. You can work on another project, watch the idiot box or, (possibly my favorite) locate an adult beverage and relax for a bit. When the holster seems to be almost dry - showing a uniform color but being just cool to the touch, it's ready to work, it's 'cased'. Stuff the shooter (covered with a plastic bag or two), blue gun, or whatever into your masterpiece. If it goes in easily, you have a problem that only a closer stitch line will cure. If you need to force the gun a bit to seat it in the rig - so much the better. Now, the finest tool for this work is readily available to all of us - our grubby, stubby mitts (if too dirty wear gloves), Work,push, cajole, and even caress the leather around the shooter until it forms tightly to the said firearm. Now, put it somewhere that warm air will flow over it, and leave it alone. Go finish your adult beverage, chase mama around the house, try milking a duck - just do anything but mess with it. When you think it's good and dry, wait another hour or so. Gently ease the artillery from the leather pouch and ------- because the interior is NOT dry, replace the holster to it's original position so that it WILL dry --- ie. put it back and leave it alone 'till tomorrow. From there on oil (and wait) and proceed with your favorite finish. Just a long story from a grumpy old guy that learned from another old guy way back when, and one that doesn't have anything better to do at this time.. Mike

haha!!! that's a great way to say it!!!! I do mine the same way with the exception if trying to milk a duck. I have ben known to chase a chicken through the yard

[homefront]

As a complete noobie, I really appreciate reading replies like those katsass created here. VERY helpful. Thanks!

[Greg528it]

I also JUST started, I did experiment with using a vacuum storage bag. Between my house vac, then a Mini Mite hand vacuum pump. It formed, pulled the leather down tight. I even tried putting a large silica pack in with one, to try and give the moisture a place to go. Umm the moisture has no place to go. But once I pulled it out of the bag and let air dry, it kept it's shape very nicely. It sure saved a LOT of pressing with my tired old fingers.

[lws380]

I went to Fastenal and bought various sizes of stainless steel ball bearings and some 1/4 stainless rod. Took them to a welding shop and had then weld the rods onto the ball bearings. I think the sizes of ball bearings were 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4. Here is a picture. I find myself using the two smaller ones the most and the 3/8 predominately. I use them around the trigger guard mostly. Buff them up real shinny on your buffer and they are good to go. They could probably use a better handle, but I generally just use a piece of wool scrap as a pad to protect my hand. And I use a Tandy boning tool too.

Edited March 23, 2014 by lws380

[charlescrawford]

As a complete noobie, I really appreciate reading replies like those katsass created here. VERY helpful. Thanks!

Katasss is a wealth of knowledge I have found. I have only been doing this a couple years and to be honest I love his common sense approach to things.

[charlescrawford]

Since my last posting a few weeks ago my wife had gotten me a manual thin air press from a group up in Canada that makes them for the skate board industry. Originally I reservations but after using it for a couple months now and seeing now holster clients like it that bought holsters before I got the press and now after they love it. The press puts about 300psi and boy is it a work out but the retention it gives tooled holsters is amazing. I generally do a base stain then wet the holster put the BG in it and thin air press it for 2-5 minutes as tights as I can then release it and let it finish drying. Then a day later with the BG still in it I finish dying. Then remove BG for inside work. Once everything is set I burnish and seal. The thin air press ran us $60 and can be reused over and over.

www.roarocket.com