What Are You Using To Wet Mold Your Holsters? Examples Please.

[Shooter McGavin]

Harbor Freight 6 ton benchtop press with 1" thick 40 durometer rubber top and bottom sandwiched between two 1/4" thick plates. Its easy to press too hard though which compresses the leather too much for any real detail work. I mostly just use it to press the leather lightly and still do the detail work by hand. The press just halps me locate the lines and whatnot plus saves a ton of wear and tear on my thumbs.

[RoosterShooter]

Thanks for the input. I might 'fiddle' with the idea of a vacuum sealer after Christmas. Wait ... I might just put that on my 'Wish List'.

[Red Cent]

Most common "home" vacuums will draw some moisture out of the product. Not enough, but the leather will keep a good form if handled carefully and allowed to dry. It does show the important lines if one would like to further form the holster. And, as stated, you can form while the vacuum exists.

[SooperJake]

Just a note on vacuum presses and rubber. I tried to combine the two ideas, 40 durometer rubber sheet and a vacuum press. It doesn't work. I'm using these items for molding currently. http://www.veneersupplies.com/products/Dura-Max-Elite-Polyurethane-Vacuum-Bag-2-x-4.html 2x4ft bag. http://www.veneersupplies.com/categories/Vacuum__Press__Items/Vacuum__Press__Kits/ the $82.50 kit on that link. http://www.harborfreight.com/25-cfm-vacuum-pump-98076.html that pump. http://www.sculpey.com/products/tool/sculpey-style-detail-tools-set-3 3pc ball- end tool set http://www.polymerclayexpress.com/products/tools/clay-working-tools/bone-folder and a couple odd pieces I made from whitetail antler or wood.

[SooperJake]

Casing your leather just like you would for tooling often helps with the detailing being crisper, especially when you are doing all the boning by hand. . Dunk the holster then bag it over night. Might be worth a try. Also, I think too often we see a holster molded too far, to where it looks like the pistol itself. That level of molding isn't necessary for retention. It might look cool to some, but I don't care for it.

[supercub]

I use pretty much the same setup as Jake with the exception of the bag. I went cheap and use the vinyl bag. That's a mistake, spend the money for a good bag. When the vinyl bag wears out I will replace it with a poly bag. With the exception of the bag, I'm really happy with the results from this type of vacuum setup.

I used a food saver bag years ago when I first started molding leather. It worked okay, but the bags were a little pricey. I also tried the foam in a hydraulic press. The dedicated vacuum pump like Jake uses is a FAR superior method. It may seem a little expensive, but it does a really good job and makes the process a lot easier. I haven't tried a home vacuum cleaner and space saver type bags, but I would be surprised if they pulled enough vacuum to do an adequate job.