Electric engraver available at Menards, although I also saw one at Harbor Freight. Both were around $10.00. Home Depot has a Dremel brand which is a lot nicer and is is under $20.00. Having used both, I would get the Dremel.

It is actually black, just the way the camera took the photo. And it is for a S&W 5904.

<meta charset="utf-8"></meta>Do tell!

You heat just those areas with a heat source like a heat gun or something similar.

Someone sticky this thing....

can you explain your process from start to finish???

Form your kydex for $10


Ok, this is for anyone that wants to make an IWB holster, or in any situation where the kydex is formed to the entire gun with one side on a flat surface. However, I believe that it could be used to fabricate a holster where each sheet is half the gun.


First off, you need a vacuum bag like you use for clothes/blankets/etc. I got a package of two "large" "original space bags" for $10. The large is way big but nice for the amount of room.


You will also need the following household items:
A flat, rigid sheet of something that will fit in the bag but won't bend or twist. I used thick cardboard, but a plastic cutting board or similar should work. I wouldn't use plywood unless all edges and corners had been beveled and sanded smooth (don't want to poke a hole in the bag)
a lightweight hand towel, or terry towel
A vacuum cleaner with a detachable hose
another towel soaked in cold water

The steps are simple

First, get your flat piece of something, set your gun on it, and cover your gun with the towel. Stick everything in the bag, seal, and vacuum out the air. Practice this until you can get the whole thing in the bag quickly without dropping or otherwise messing everything up.

Then, gather your materials, tape your pencil to your front sight channel, rough cut your kydex, and figure out how you want it molded.

After you have everything together, heat your kydex. Place your gun on the cardboard, then place the heated kydex on the gun, followed by the towel. Position and roughly form the kydex by hand, then stick it in the bag. (sorry, no photo)


Then, seal the bag and apply the vacuum. While the air is being sucked out, use your hands to work the kydex in place through the bag:


Once you can feel that everything is going where it should, place the wet towel over the kydex. I was a little concerned about melting the bag at first, but my fears were unfounded. However, this helps to keep the bag cool while cooling the kydex:


After it's cool, open the bag and you should have something that looks like this:


I trimmed this with a cutoff wheel in a dremel, then sanded the edges using a powered "corner cat" style finish sander.


The best part: I can still use the bags for their originally intended use!

heh. pretty neat.

Active retention, with the strap for added safety when carrying cocked and locked.

Kydex was done using the "vacuum bag" method.

My leatherwork skills need some polishing...

The ingenuity around this joint is beginning to frighten me!

(that's a compliment, pilotman )





Now you've got me eyeballing our shop Ingersoll Rand compressor. It has two sets of ¾" female threads on the intake side (under the filters),.. and that thing can suck a 747 through a ¾" pipe...

Holds just fine. The point where you put the vacuum hose is a one way valve, so you can pull the hose off and it'll stay sealed.

The distance between my two boards when parallel is 1 3/8". It ended up at that because I do both OWB and IWB stuff and wanted the versatility.

Here it goes. Please keep in mind that this is just what I've come up with and like they say "your mileage may vary". Also I've never really done a picture intensive How-To before so if this is totally incoherant, I apologize.

First thing you need is a good press. This one I made out of 1/4" steel with and industrial hinge and the Kydex forming foam from knifekits. Absolutely no flex here.






You need a gun to use for the mold, a sheet of kydex, and a pencil to layout some guide lines. I start on this Glock 19 buy cutting two squares out of the sheet. Use a ruler to cut a even piece helps limit scrap. Simply score with a utility knife and snap off. For the front I use a 6"x6" piece and because this one will be getting a sweatguard, a 6"x8" piece for the back. I lay out the gun at the angle I want and trace the outline on the back piece of kydex. I always start with the back piece first.




Using a dedicated toaster oven set at 350, I heat the piece of kydex untill it is nice and pliable. Keep checking the piece every few seconds until it is soft enough for use. If you leave it in too long it will shrink or worse, melt and you will have to scap the piece. I then pull the hot kydex out, lay it in my press, line the mold up with the outline I drew earlier, and clamp the press. I do the back first, then once it has cooled and before moving anything I do the front piece, lining up the edges of the two pieces of kydex before clamping. I have found having your front and back pieces nice and even saves a lot of frustration later when trying to drill the rivet holes.





Once these halves cool, sketch out how you want the basic shape to look. Keep in mind to fully cover the trigger guard and I make sure to remove any material around the magazine release. You don't want a holster tightened up against the body to accidently bump the release. I then cut out the top edge of the front piece and the ingsweatguard area of the rear piece. The shears in the photo are available from Harbor Freight and work awesome at cutting the thinner kydex. Cut away from your lines and do the final shaping with a stone wheel or sander. I find the stone wheel on a bench grinder works best for me.





Next I lay out the rivet locations. I use a hole guide to give me consistent results. Making sure to leave plenty of room to set the curve later, I mark the locations using a pencil. Then I go back and mark these spots with a hammer and nail used as a center punch. The kydex drill bit I use has a nice sharp point and these punch marks help guide the bit when starting to cut the hole. The kydex bit is available from knifekits as well and works great. I clamp the two halves with strong mini clamps and keep the mold in the middle to ensure alignment. Then I go through and drill all the rivet holes. It may be necissary to remove a clamp to reach certain hole marks. If this is needed I insert a rivet in the nearest, already drilled hole to hold the pieces together but I do not press the rivet yet. There is enough friction there to hold the two pieces in alignment. Once you finish all the holes, pull the two piece apart and clean up any flash left from the bit. This will keep your edges looking clean when you finish them later.





Go through and install all the rivets, front to back for a cleaner look, and press flare them out. I use a half ton arbor press form Harbor Freight and the rivet flare dies from knifekits. This is a very clean and pretty inexpesive set up for someone that might do a few holsters. I drilled out the press head and installed the top die using set screws. Aligned the bottom die and did the same. I can do all the rivets on a holster body in about 15 seconds and they are perfect.

Swinkster, or anyone else...
Pretty much every holster I see consists of two pieces of kydex joined down the centerline of the gun. I am wanting to try a flat backed holster for my LCP and a G23, where the entire depth of the gun will be covered by the front half. The purpose, obviously, is to be able to attach these holsters to flat surfaces.
In order to do that, do I just replace the bottom piece of foam with a smooth hard surface, or are other steps necessary? Do I need to put both pieces of foam on the top side to get that deep of a mold? Any special considerations?

This will be my first attempt, my kydex order should be in today.
Thanks