Posted: 6/30/2012 1:31:15 PM EDT
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Thought I'd share it here, as well as in the mega-thread over in Survival Discussion.
My first holster; it's for my USP .45 with a TLR-3 on it, with a 12* cant (if the loops are installed in offset holes, it can be adjusted for vertical IWB carry):  
 
The press: 
Work in Progress:  
I used PVC for the light channel, which you can see collapsed. So I ended up relieving the channel with a heat gun in the end, and honestly, I like how it looks better. I'm going to make up a better jig out of wood so I can get the same great definition, but with the light channel already formed. I hate the look of the RCS et. al. that have the big honkin' tube section back behind the light; I want it to be straight all the way back, and without the screw showing for sure. To each his own, but I just don't like how that looks. After adjusting the ejection port molding out a bit, it has great retention (you can shake it upside down with a full mag in it) but it draws very quickly and smoothly, and reholsters easily. I'm going to finish the double mag holder, as well as a single AR mag holder I've got formed up. I'm currently playing with belt loop jigs so I can go OWB or IWB with any of these. |
Looks very good. It's fun and not very difficult as long as you've got some basic tools and a way to heat the kydex... and a little patience. I've made about a 20 holsters so far, some for myself, some for friends. I bought my own $20 toaster oven from Walmart, cuz the wife bitched about me "melting plastic" in hers. 
May I offer a suggestion? You've got a lot of wasted kydex there. Try making a pattern first, out of something flexible. I use that blue laminate floor underlayment foam, it's perfect. I mark it with a sharpie to exactly where it'll be when finished, then cut it out with scissors. I then write what gun it's for, and mark which side is "out", and which is "in", and keep it for possible further use (I've made 6 holsters so far for the Kahr PM/CM9, all from the original pattern. You can flip the pattern over too, if you're making a LH holster and your pattern was originally for a RH). Then you lay your pattern on the kydex in such a way to maximize it's usage, and trace it onto the kydex with a pencil. I then cut it out on a scroll saw... tin-snips works too. Depending on the size of the gun, I can get 2, maybe even 3, kydex-leather "hybrid" IWB holsters out of one sheet of kydex. Not being "picky" or a critic... just trying to help by sharing what I've learned. 
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| Thanks; that's good information! As this was my first try, I told myself not to think about waste, only results. The next project is a drop-leg with a grafted Safariland ALS hood and bolt pattern for the same gun/light, and then I'll order more Kydex and start looking at optimizing the production process. |
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Thanks for the kind words. To help others out there, I'll throw pics of my mag carrier up when I get a chance. I feel the fit and finish is much better even on my second piece. One thing I did wrong here was use a nonstandard spacing on the eyelets ("rivets") which means I can't buy the easy-to-use OWB mounting options from RCS. I misunderstood some instructions on the pattern, but then realized that I was going to have to come up with something to go OWB on that pistol holster. It is difficult to get a 1.75" belt into these loops I made, so we'll see what I come up with (maybe the pancake wing style will work well). I'm also going to go 0.125" instead of my originally-planned 0.093" on the belt loops, as now that I've got them made they don't feel substantial enough for my taste.
I might make up something for a tuckable IWB with those BladeTech loops I've got on there now, as I wear a lot of collared shirts in the summer. Also, I'm not happy with how much retention I gave up massaging the light channel after the fact. Next time I will prep with a more robust light channel guide, and then fill have my ejection port so I don't have to soften it there. That way, I'll get much better definition at the top of the holster, and I won't have to keep dicking around adjusting the ejection port in and out for proper retention without shaving kydex with the slide. I suggest anyone try this out on the cheap; I've never felt like I had this much control over the design and quality of my kit, ever. I'm going to make another belt-mounted unit for the USP/TLR-3 before making the thigh rig, as I want that one to look absolutely polished. Time to order more raw materials already! |
| Here's another little tid-bit of knowledge. When forming the holster around the gun, you need to leave a "sight channel" in the holster along the top of the slide, so your front sight won't drag on the inside of the holster. What I did to avoid the sight dragging on the draw, was find a piece of wooden doll-rod with a diameter the same, or slightly wider, than my front sight is tall. I then cut a piece long enough to fit in between the sights, and using masking tape, I taped it to the top of the slide in between front & rear sights. Now when I'd form the holster around the gun, I'd be forming it around the doll-rod also, leaving plenty of space for the front sight to come out without gouging the holster or messing up the sight. On guns with minimal sights, like the LCP or P3AT, it's not necessary. |
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That's exactly what I did, too; I trimmed a dowel so that it centers itself in the front sight dot, and then fits snugly between the rear sight posts, so I can tape it in place and know it is centered and not going anywhere. I also made channels for the light attachment screw on the left side, and for the light's rail on the right side using wooden pieces. I grabbed an old dowel that was a closet hanger (the wife won't miss it... if I'm lucky!) and I'm going to use that for the light channel next time. I thought of using a taller dowel so I could get taller sights later on, but figured why bother; I can just make another holster if I ever get tall sights.
I'll post pics of the gun once prepped for the next round. |
Here's the mag carrier. The one and only thing I would change here is to clamp the bottom shut when I adjusted the curvature, as it did separate slightly at the bottom. I'll probably spend some time tomorrow on my thigh rig now that I've got a hang of it, then when I get my next shipment in from Knifekits.com, I'll make my carry rig as well as some for family members. Between the cops and the carry permits, I think at family functions the unarmed are the minority at this point...
 
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MOAR P1CZ!!!eleventy11!on3
I finished up the duty rig; I used the Safariland 6070 hood and belt attachment, so I can put this on a thigh rig and I've got my own DIY 6004 that Safariland doesn't make themselves. All dressed up for the press:  
Hot off the press:  
Shaped, dressed, cleaned, and ready for final assembly:  
And the final product:  
 
The hood works great! Retention is adjustable with the screw by the trigger guard, and it can be carried cocked and locked or hammer down safety on with the hood up. I'm going to either pick up one of the Safariland thigh rigs, or just adapt something I've got already. I was considering just making one out of some of the scrap Kydex I've got laying around; I could make some wings for the bottom that would attach to the eyelets and support a strap around the bottom of the holster. |
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I picked up a Ryobi (is that spelled right?) pyrometer (non-contact, whatever) from Home Depot for like $30. I bought most of the hardware, clamps, etc., there because I had a bunch of 10% off coupons to use. I bring it up from 200*F to 350*F over a few minutes, and use a heat gun to pre-warm the foam and piece to be molded. I got the idea from John at PHLster (his YouTube videos are very instructive, though he's CRAZY long-winded about some stuff) and I think the incredible definition you can get when doing it this way is remarkable. Now that I've got the jigs made up, my actual EDC rig will have the same definition as the duty rig and mag holder. I'm also gonna finish my single AR mag holder and a single mag holder for the USP before making my final EDC rig, so we'll see when I get around to it. I made the double because it balances the load on my hips side-to-side.
The way I figure it, I've already got several hundred dollars worth of holsters for about a $120-140 initial investment. I'll post MOAR P1CZ when I finish up some for family members and friends later this month. |