Wet molding and Boning a holster

[camano ridge]

you will find that bellies are the softest stretchiest part and are not going to harden up. Since you practiced and made a holster now get some good leather. You don't have to spend a bunch. Springfield sells herman oak single shoulders for $5.75 per sq ft 5-7 sqft average. They also have 1 square foot and 1 x 2 sqft pieces if you don't want to by a shoulder. However for about $30.00 plus shipping you have a good piece of leather that will make several holsters (depending on style). I would also reccomend going more toward 6-7oz for concealed carry holsters. Having said that even if you use tandy shoulder it will harden far better then the belly leather.

[malabar]

I use a lightly different technique than most of the makers here.

I soak my holsters to start to make it easier to stretch the leather.

Insert the gun/model into the holster.

Cut any slots, stamp the logo

Vacuum-mold it. Let set in the bag a bit.

Set on wooden drying rack in cold oven. Turn on convection to lowest temp (170). Set for 10 minutes.

Take out of oven when alarm sounds. Bone the details.

But back in the warm oven for another 12-15 minutes.

Check detail boning, make any adjustments necessary. Let air dry overnight.

This can make for a very firm holster. I typically use 8-10 ounce drum-dyed Hermann Oak. if you want it harder, bake a little longer.

tk

[Boriqua]

Thanks Comano ridge: I think my stich line may be too far from the triger guard and the underside of the gun. I just remolded it. we'll see if it works now. I have stitched a couple that were so tight the gun wouldnt even fit in the holster to try to mold. i try to allow 1/2 the thickness plus a little extra but this time i went by a tutural on a holster site and it may have been to far out. I dont have pictures. thanks again "Undie"

Its so great to see a variety of different techniques. Now I have to try them all.

While doing a careful wet mold is nice and aesthetic pleasing it will not make up for a good pattern and tight stitching. I measure the gun along the slide width and break it in half. I then cut and sew my pieces together and sand my edges. If I am doing oil dye I dye it now. I use a small syringe type thingy and wet the inside of the holster. I use the back end of a kitchen tool .. my favorite at the moment is the spatula, I broke the handle off the other one so the wife is not pleased. I open the holster up nicely then stick my gun in there and mold with my fingers and the front end of a .45 snap cap. I only leave the gun in for an hour and then carefully pull it out. Whenever I have left the gun in over night the holster tended to be looser than I wanted. Currently I just put my holster in the Arizona sun for a while .. 1 hr or so and then bring it in to dry over night. The gun can be turned upside down and you could dance the night away with it upside down and it aint goin no where and is hard as a rock. The stitching to me is all of it though but that is just the way I do it and there are FAR more learned here than I.

Alex

[Jumpout]

I wet my leather jsut enough so that it changes color all over, inside and out. I reckon for about 8 - 10 seconds in the sink filled with water. I like to start with the trigger guard. Otherwise I have found if you do that last the leather will shift on the gun when you push down to get a nice mold in the trigger guard. Not much, but enough that I don't like it. So I start with the trigger guard and then go to the ejection port. These two places are where I get the retention I want on the holster. The line between the slide and the frame is next and then any other lines on the gun I want to accent.

I let the holster sit with the pistol inside until the outside of the holster is dry. Then I will remove the pistol and let the inside dry, being careful not affect the fit when I remove the gun. Once the holster is dry I dye it. I prefer oil dye as it penetrates better. I have found that depending on the detail I put into the holster the boning will close the cells on the leather and regular dye will take several coats to penetrate those closed cells nicely.

The tools I use to mold my lines in the holster are a modeling tool sold by Tandy and that black edging tool that is rounded on one end and looks like a knife on the other.

For my edges I use glycerine soap and a wooden knitting needle I found at Wal-Mart and cut the top part off of. It is tapered at one end for getting into tight curves and about 3/8" wide throughout the thickest part. I've found it is reall good for edges.