Kydex Holster help

[BMartin1776]

I want to make a holster for my 1911 does anyone have experience making kydex holsters, pouches etc?

[BrokerB]

Youtube has lots of experience
: )

[Gunsmith Dan]

If you do not want your finish damaged make sure to glue some sort of soft plastic, felt, leather etc. linings as Kydex itself is abrasive on finishes (originally made as a wear resistant flooring for airplanes). Kydex also when it get warm is more prone to getting dirt, sand and other stuff imbedded inside of it as well.

All those that will post after me "I use Kydex for years and my finishes have no damage" have holsters that are lined with a softer material so they do not wear finishes. If your finish starts to prematurely wear and you call customer service for a warranty issue the first question they will ask you is "Do you use a Kydex holster".

[BMartin1776]

Will the high heat from the kydex cause any damage to my 1911, mags etc? Should I remove my "soft" hogue grip? should all the surface area of gun be taped that will come in contact with the kydex? Do I have to worry about the glue from tape adhering to the gun?

[jkgts1]

Will the high heat from the kydex cause any damage to my 1911, mags etc? Should I remove my "soft" hogue grip? should all the surface area of gun be taped that will come in contact with the kydex? Do I have to worry about the glue from tape adhering to the gun?

Heat should not damage anything, but get blue painters tape and put a layer over the gun. I would remove the grips. You going to press with foam? If you use foam warming up the foam will yield better definition. It is advisable to get the temp of the kydex to the correct temp. I don't remember the exact temp, look it up. Heat it slowly. Are you going to use a toaster oven? There is a ton of info on youtube. You will need a heat gun to do fine tension adjustments, maybe not necessary but makes it easier. If you plan one using a heat gun for everything, you might not get the best results. Heating the kydex in a toaster oven or old electric oven is best. I use an old electric oven that I use for powder coating.

[BMartin1776]

Heat should not damage anything, but get blue painters tape and put a layer over the gun. I would remove the grips. You going to press with foam? If you use foam warming up the foam will yield better definition. It is advisable to get the temp of the kydex to the correct temp. I don't remember the exact temp, look it up. Heat it slowly. Are you going to use a toaster oven? There is a ton of info on youtube. You will need a heat gun to do fine tension adjustments, maybe not necessary but makes it easier. If you plan one using a heat gun for everything, you might not get the best results. Heating the kydex in a toaster oven or old electric oven is best. I use an old electric oven that I use for powder coating.

Ive experimented in making some small mag pouches but am trying a new way to make a holster that is more eye appealing than status quo. I am using foam from large kneeling pad I got for gardening for my press. As I understood from some vids it is an alternative vs the ones sold. Its dense but Im not sure if it is correct as Ive had a hard time to got tight molding of objects.

[AreWeFree]

This is a very good video on making kydex holsters and covers the entire process. It's a long video, but it was cool to see all of the steps and he explains it well. It also convinced me I don't want to make holsters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wntntfsrfEQ

[jkgts1]

Ive experimented in making some small mag pouches but am trying a new way to make a holster that is more eye appealing than status quo. I am using foam from large kneeling pad I got for gardening for my press. As I understood from some vids it is an alternative vs the ones sold. Its dense but Im not sure if it is correct as Ive had a hard time to got tight molding of objects.

I think the kneeling pads might be too thin, if they are like the ones I've seen. I think to get good definition, you need less dense foam and thicker, than what you are using. I think you have to invest in the correct foam to get decent results. The foam, rivets, and rivet tool are the only specialized things I bought. I didn't plan on high volume production, so I could not justify all the other fancy equipment.

[BMartin1776]

I think the kneeling pads might be too thin, if they are like the ones I've seen. I think to get good definition, you need less dense foam and thicker, than what you are using. I think you have to invest in the correct foam to get decent results. The foam, rivets, and rivet tool are the only specialized things I bought. I didn't plan on high volume production, so I could not justify all the other fancy equipment.

the pads are pretty big and an inch thick I don't want to spend too much right now until I perfect this design work out the bugs. In theory its very eye appealing and streamlined (something I hope that can be applied to mag pouches) I just have to make it happen and looks like it will take a few extra steps

[skale240]

Great info so far.

If you are using a toaster oven to heat, make sure to get it to temp before placing the kydex in there. Throwing it in a cold oven then turning it on can cause the kydex to shrink or burn. I use a flat electric skillet to heat my kydex up but will be upgrading to a tshirt press soon. the skillet works way better than the oven IMO.

Have you built a press already? Try out the foam you have and if it doesn't work out invest in some. Knifekits foam is not as dense and gives pretty good definition. Foam from indexfasteners is more on the dense side. The trick to getting good definition is making sure the kydex is heated up to the proper temp.

Another thing to think about is hole spacing for the rivets. I used to do 1" from center of the hole but now switched to 3/4" as most injection molded belt loops that I buy are spaced that way.

Good luck! It's fun but can be frustrating if you don't have the right tools.

[fourviesws]

your finish starts to prematurely wear and you call customer service for a warranty issue the first question they will ask you is "Do you use a Kydex holster".

[jkgts1]

Great info so far.

If you are using a toaster oven to heat, make sure to get it to temp before placing the kydex in there. Throwing it in a cold oven then turning it on can cause the kydex to shrink or burn. I use a flat electric skillet to heat my kydex up but will be upgrading to a tshirt press soon. the skillet works way better than the oven IMO.

Have you built a press already? Try out the foam you have and if it doesn't work out invest in some. Knifekits foam is not as dense and gives pretty good definition. Foam from indexfasteners is more on the dense side. The trick to getting good definition is making sure the kydex is heated up to the proper temp.

Another thing to think about is hole spacing for the rivets. I used to do 1" from center of the hole but now switched to 3/4" as most injection molded belt loops that I buy are spaced that way.

Good luck! It's fun but can be frustrating if you don't have the right tools.

I do the opposite. I put kydex in the oven and bring heat up slowly and it's worked for me. I'm sure either technique works as long you don't over heat it. Those toaster ovens are not very accurate, with temp. My toaster oven I use for small parts doesn't have numerical temp values. So, i have to adjust temp by how much I leave the door open, lol.

[jkgts1]

your finish starts to prematurely wear and you call customer service for a warranty issue the first question they will ask you is "Do you use a Kydex holster".

Any finish will wear eventually, I actually like the wear, let's you know you are using it. Gives the weapon character.