Sweat Resistant Iwb

[JDM]

Living here in the Arizona desert, I sweat in the summer when outdoors. A lot. The sweat shield (which is actually intended more as a shield for my skin) on the 1911 pancake holster I made a couple years ago and have been using since has been thoroughly soaked countless times.

Now I want to make an IWB holster. It will get wet also, probably more so since it will be in closer contact with my body. Got to looking at several designs and noticed the Milt Sparks Heritage holster: http://www.miltsparks.com/Heritage.htm

It is a lot like the old Summer Special, except it is made with two layers of leather glued together ala Katsass' usual method. They advertise it as having a "waterproof liner" between the inner and outer leather.

That got me to thinking. Do they use a separate membrane, or is the contact cement between the two leather layers waterproof? So, I did a test. I used a scrap of nice, what looks to be 9ish ounce Hermann Oak leather (which is very smooth on the flesh side). I cut some squares a little over an inch and glued them together using Weldwood contact cement. Pounded together. I also brushed some cement along the edges of the leather to serve as a dam.

I let that dry overnight. Then, I set my glued piece on a kitchen plate along with a single layer of the same leather. I dripped water on the top, adding more as it soaked in, not allowing it to run down the sides. Eventually the leather became so saturated that a puddle remained on the surface.

After 15-20 minutes, the single layer was soaked all the way through and was leaving moisture on the plate beneath it.

After a full 2 hours, the bottom half of the double layer showed no signs of moisture.

So, based on this I'd say contact cement is a decent moisture barrier. How practical that will prove for keeping a pistol drier in an IWB holster is still a question, as sweat could drip and/or wick down the inside of the "sweat shield." Still, it has me seriously considering going with a laminated holster instead of single layer.

[Dwight]

You might also want to put an extra coat of Resolene on that inside face.

I'm a person given to very heavy perspiration, . . . and while my Cactus holster only has one layer between me and the 1911, . . . I don't find any evidence of moisture, . . . most of the time.

When I do, . . . it's on the dust cover, . . . up near the rear sight, . . . and equally spread around, . . . I've always considered it condensation.

Good luck with your project, . . . keep us updated.

May God bless,

Dwight

[BHPshooter]

I also sweat heavily, especially in the summer, and I've gone to some fairly ridiculous extremes to try to mitigate that. I've even tried applying Rustoleum Never Wet (search for it on YouTube) to the side of the holster that goes against the body. Although it did help, the coating is very fragile, and ugly as sin.

For me, the best thing I've found is to make sure that the holster dries completely. I have a "carry rotation" of holsters. I'll wear one for a day, and then set it aside to dry while I wear the next one in the rotation. It means I have several identical holsters, but it was good practice.

Wes

[harley45]

HMmmmmm carry rotation on holsters=reason to buiild more for myself!!!!

[TwinOaks]

I'm inclined to agree with Dwight's assessment of it being condensation. Moisture gets places that it just CAN'T get to if it was only soaking through.

If you find that you still get moisture wicking through all layers of leather (as summer gets warmer) you could always insert a piece of Tyvek between the layers as you build.

[BDAZ]

Tyvek is a good idea but I think a piece of Gortex is a better one since it is used in shoes and designed to be glued and laminated to leather.

Cya!

Bob