How To Paint A Kydex Holster

This is a footstep past step guide showing you how to make Kydex holsters. This is a pretty easy process, definitely easier than the shotgun shell caddies I showed you how to make in the starting time role of the "3-gun on the cheap" series.

I made this holster out of .08″ Boltaron thermoplastic. I like this thickness of plastic, as it's thick enough for most uses, yet thin enough that it's nonetheless pretty easy to piece of work with. I have found that while Boltaron is a little cheaper than Kydex, information technology does not become as much definition in the look of the holster. If you intendance about looks, you lot might desire to go with Kydex instead.

Tools:

Earlier we get started, lets make certain you have all the tools needed, here's everything I used:

Drill
Heat Gun
Dremel w/ Sanding Pulsate
Pencil
Foam (Information technology'due south a $5 camping mattress from Wal-Mart that I cut into pieces)
Utility Knife
Some blazon of oven (I employ an quondam toaster oven, and it works well, I recommend Non using the oven in your kitchen)

Cut The Plastic:

Ok, so the first step is to cut the plastic into the right size. Lay out your pistol, and figure out how much plastic is needed to wrap it like a taco. I'll be honest hither, in the flick below I didn't take quite enough and I concluded up wasting this slice, and I had to cut one a little larger. It never hurts to go a little bigger than you think you need, just in case. I like to cutting the plastic by scoring information technology with a fresh utility knife, and then bending it until it breaks.

Spacer:

Side by side, you will want to observe a slice of scrap wood, or in this instance MDF that will deed as a spacer nether the dustcover when you mold the holster. I used a slice of MDF I had in the garage that's approx. 1/2″ thick, and it works well. Alternatively, if you don't want the holster to exist adjustable, you tin can go out the spacer out and that'southward fine too.

Oven:

Now it'due south time to turn on your oven. As mentioned above, I similar to employ a pocket-size toaster oven that I bought used on Craigslist. I usually to set up information technology somewhere around the 250* setting, and I usually leave the plastic in for well-nigh two minutes. Your results may vary.

Notice the plastic is starting to gyre upwards at the edges, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I'm non actually sure why, simply it may take to practice with the temperature of the oven, I'll experiment with lower temps in the future.

Anyways, one time the plastic is workable, it's fourth dimension to mold. I usually use iii or 4 layers of foam on both acme and bottom. A lot of people build fancy presses for molding the Kydex with, just I've found that a slice of two×12 and my body weight does a better task.

You lot will desire to wrap the hot Kydex around the pistol like a taco, taking care non to burn your fingers in the process (heat resistant gloves are great!). If your pistol has especially alpine sights, you may want to tape a pencil or something along the slide to ensure a proper sight channel gets formed in the plastic, just I've not plant that to exist necessary on about pistols.

Yous need to be quick and precise when placing the pistol, Kydex, and spacer into the mold, it might take some experimenting, and don't exist agape to re-heat the Kydex in the oven if y'all didn't get information technology correct the first time.

Fourth dimension to mold!

You will want to make sure that you keep pressure level on the mold long enough for it to form correctly. If you take information technology out too early on, the Kydex volition fit the pistol poorly.

So after 5-x minutes, open the press, and you lot should accept something that looks a fleck similar this:

Next, I like to trim the excess plastic off of the holster:

Making the Recess for the Belt Attachment:

This next stride can be done when you mold the pistol the first time, but for some reason or another I decided to do information technology separately this time around. What you lot need to practice is create a recess on the side of the holster that will go against the belt, so that the screws that hold the belt attachment to the holster won't scratch up your pistol. I used 3 layers of Kydex scraps as the spacer.

I and then heated the dorsum of the holster with the oestrus gun until it was good and workable, inserted the spacer, and put the entire thing dorsum in the press. After a couple minutes, I had a proficient looking recess for the belt attachment.

After I have this part molded and finished, I'll go alee do some additional trimming to ensure that I will be able to draw the pistol comfortably, without having whatsoever parts of the holster rub my hand. This is where the Dremel's sanding pulsate really comes in handy.

Spacers:

If you used a spacer under the dustcover when you molded the holster (like I did above) you will need some sort of spacer to make full this gap in your finished product. I've found that fuel hose from your local hardware store works well, because information technology'southward by and large safety so it has a little spring to it, all the same it's rigid enough to hold everything together nicely.

I'll cut it only a hair thicker than the spacer I used (in this case, only a piddling thicker than 1/2″)

Drill a couple holes, and a with two Chicago screws, you virtually have a holster! All that's left is to polish the edges with some moisture 600 grit sandpaper, and add the belt attachment.

At present, you tin make your own belt zipper out of kydex, but beware, it will break eventually. I much prefer to use these attachments made by Bladetech. They mountain easily with three screws, and hold secure.

Notes:

Ok, in the kickoff I mentioned that using a spacer along the dustcover is optional. I recently fabricated another holster for my S&Due west M&P Pro, in which I did non use a spacer. It came out fine, however I did have to practice some additional fitting effectually the dustcover where the holster grabbed onto the pistol rail, and didn't want to let get. You lose the pick to conform the tension of the holster with this option, just you also don't have to worry about losing screws during a match.

Also, some of you are probably wondering why I didn't brand a speed cutting down the front of the holster to the ejection port. The reason for that is that this is the "three-gun On The Cheap" series, and I feel that a little actress retention is needed for 3-gun than in other games (nobody likes dropped pistols). If you would like to make the speed cut, I'd recommend using the Dremel, and a combination of the cutoff wheel, and a sanding drum to become information technology just right. Brand sure that yous don't make the cut too deep for the game/division you are shooting in.

I call up that's it! If you have any questions or comments, post upwardly in the comments below. Also, if you determine to make a holster, I'd love to see it!

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