Wet Forming Holster

[Red Cent]

OK. I use an old vacuum sealer that we used to use for leftovers and such. 5 minutes and I have 98% molded piece of leather. I push and shove on the leather a little bit, then remove the gun.

The difference is that I build "half" pancake holsters and mold the front piece only.

[shooter55]

I also use the blue guns and leave it in until it's dry. If I take it out before, the leather shrinks and makes the fit a little more snug than it should be. Then I have to put the blue gun in a freezer bag (sometimes 2) and let it sit overnight to stretch it back out. The freezer bag has been my friend.

[Rednichols]

Then I remove the gun and place the holster in the convection oven at 120 to 130 degF for and hour or so.

This is excellent advice. However, none of the other advice in this or the other posts will give you best results.

Best results: tub of hot water that is hot enough that you can put your hand in. Keep the holster under no more than 5 seconds. Put the wet holster in a sandwich bag for a half hour. Then when you insert your pistol or mould, do your moulding using the "boning" technique (it need not be a bone or antler; I simply use the round end of a plastic paintbrush handle). Then with the pistol or mould removed, dry it in the oven at the temp listed above WITH THE DOOR OPEN until it no longer feels lightly damp the the touch (an hour won't hurt it). You'll know if you go too hot, or if you leave the oven door closed, or in the oven too long: there will be obvious damage to the leather.

Keeping it in the plastic bag is called "casing" and is not unique to holsters. What it does for vegetable leather, is make it more clay-like for moulding; and the grain side of the leather will darken where the tool rubs to give contrast that sharpens the look of the boning. This cannot be accomplished with leather that has been merely wetted.

It's really just that simple. Millions of first-quality holsters have been made this way over the last half century. No, it is not the way the oldies did it, including Heiser, Lawrence, Myers, etc. They used a "blocking" technique and ambient heat. The wet moulding by boning that we know today was given its initial momentum by Chic Gaylord, and successfully adapting it to production lines was done first by John Bianchi and continues at Gallagher's place. The latter two use presses to do the main work, and the boning is detailing only.

You'll always get the very best results using this method.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Rednichols

[SooperJake]

I do not leave the gun or the mold in the holster for drying. After vacuum molding and hand boning, I heat-set the holster in a Nuwave oven for about 5 minutes at around 130°F. Let it cool a few minutes then reinsert the gun/mold for final detailing. I then let it dry completely at room temperature. No less than 24 hours. It takes a firm set with a low risk of cracking from drying too rapid. Afterward. I condition with Bick 4 followed by my usual finishing process depending on what is desired.

[Dwight]

Mine go in the holster, . . . into the vac forming bag, . . . get formed, . . . removed from the bag, . . . checked for correctness, . . . and removed.

Total time in the wet leather is no more than 4 or 5 minutes.

I use the weapon itself if it is available, . . . blue guns when that won't work, . . . and wooden replicas when the back is up against the wall. They are all treated the same, . . .

And thanks for the detailed post, Rednichols.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited January 16, 2014 by Dwight

[chiefjason]

I'll throw my .02 onto the pile. I form the holster. Then put the leather in my clothes dryer on a shoe rack. Run it on high heat for 30 minutes. The dryer is more of an indirect heat than the oven. And the shoe rack does not have food grease on it like my oven. After getting greasy lines on the leather I looked for another option. The dryer is also constantly circulating the hot air around the leather. I've been very happy with the results.

Red, that's twice I've seen you mention casing a holster. I've got a few coming up and I need to try that out.

[shooter55]

For those of you that take the gun out of the holster prior to being dry.....are you having any issues with the gun being too tight when re-inserting into the now dry holster? How do you remedy this, if so? If not, why is the leather not shrinking? Always looking for a better way.

For drying, I use a converted nightstand, lined with reflective insulation inside, and a heat lamp installed in the top for my little oven. Have wooden dowels placed inside to keep holsters suspended.

Edited January 17, 2014 by shooter55

[St8LineGunsmith]

According to all the diversity of the comments made how the individual holster maker wet forms a holster there is no set in stone method in order to achieve the same end result.

one thing that is for sure a necessary part of any wet forming procedure is the leather must be wet, period

Every other step is pretty much at the discretion of the maker.

Edited January 17, 2014 by St8LineGunsmith

[Eaglestroker]

I'll throw my .02 onto the pile. I form the holster. Then put the leather in my clothes dryer on a shoe rack. Run it on high heat for 30 minutes. The dryer is more of an indirect heat than the oven. And the shoe rack does not have food grease on it like my oven. After getting greasy lines on the leather I looked for another option. The dryer is also constantly circulating the hot air around the leather. I've been very happy with the results.

I've been using my converted filing cabinet for about two years now, basically a hot plate, bathroom fan, and some racks in the top drawer. I love the dryer idea and have an extra dryer at the shop.... Seems like the clothes dryer is better suited to dealing with humidity as well.

[camano ridge]

Shooter 55, If your holster drys a little tight take your gun or mold put it in a Ziplock Freezer bag then put the gun or mold and bag into the holster forcing in to the position you want it. Let it sit over night (no wetting of the holster is necassary for this). In the morning remove the gun or mold and reinsert into the holster without the bag, you should have a nice comfortable fit.