Kydex holster project - need advice

sqwerty · June 25th, 2009, 02:49 PM

Need some advice from people who have "been there, done that" with Kydex projects.

I have decided to try my hand at creating some high-ride, OWB, pancake Kydex holsters (picture a cross between a Rusty Sherrick High Ride and a RCS Phantom). I have researched the process, obtained all the materials, made my templates, and am getting ready to dive in, but I need some advice on a few issues since this is all brand new to me...

1. Regarding the heating/molding part of the procedure, which of the following will give me the best results:

a) Cut Kydex templates slightly oversized, heat, mold in press, rivet, THEN trim to final dimensions.

b) Cut Kydex templates to final dimensions, try really hard to keep everything aligned during the molding process (seems like this might be difficult unless the heated Kydex is "stickier" than I envision), rivet.

c) Cut Kydex templates to final dimensions, sandwich sides together and place outside rivets, put a thin piece of sheet metal inside to keep the sides from sticking together (or is this necessary?), heat, carefully open and slide handgun in, mold in press, place remaining rivets.

2. Do I need to use any adhesive like contact cement or will the rivets be sufficient? The area I'm specifically concerned about is the belt slots.

3. Regarding cutting the Kydex, I'm thinking long straight cuts will get the utility knife, curves/details the jigsaw, edges fine grit sandpaper, and corners the Dremel on low speed. Good plan or not? Suggestions?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

ev239 · June 25th, 2009, 04:49 PM

I'll chime in and help with as many of the questions as I can.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sqwerty

1. Regarding the heating/molding part of the procedure, which of the following will give me the best results:

a) Cut Kydex templates slightly oversized, heat, mold in press, rivet, THEN trim to final dimensions.

b) Cut Kydex templates to final dimensions, try really hard to keep everything aligned during the molding process (seems like this might be difficult unless the heated Kydex is "stickier" than I envision), rivet.

c) Cut Kydex templates to final dimensions, sandwich sides together and place outside rivets, put a thin piece of sheet metal inside to keep the sides from sticking together (or is this necessary?), heat, carefully open and slide handgun in, mold in press, place remaining rivets.

Use method a) because you'll find that even if you measure exactly you'll probably need to trim here and there anyways so no need to sweat the final dimensions until you get to the finishing stage after molding. Kydex does not get "sticky" unless it's wayyyy overheated. You really only need to get it hot enough so it goes "limp".

Quote:

2. Do I need to use any adhesive like contact cement or will the rivets be sufficient? The area I'm specifically concerned about is the belt slots.

This depends on your design. Pancake designs are typically more difficult than scabbard designs because the pancake needs some kind of fasteners on both sides to keep it together. Rivets should be sufficient as long as you use enough of them spaced close enough together. The number really depends on the size of the firearm.

Quote:

3. Regarding cutting the Kydex, I'm thinking long straight cuts will get the utility knife, curves/details the jigsaw, edges fine grit sandpaper, and corners the Dremel on low speed. Good plan or not? Suggestions?

Depending on the thickness of your kydex you may want to try using metal snips for some of the trimming. I've found they are useful for rounding sharp edges and doing gradual curves. My favorite "tool" for finishing rough edges is a simple emory board like the ones the wife uses on her nails. They are cheap and the larger ones (about 7" inches long) are small enough to get a good hold on and yet have enough sanding area to work on a whole holster.

Hope that helps.

sqwerty · June 26th, 2009, 07:50 PM

Thanks for the reply ev239. In addition to other threads here, I found a really good picture-filled thread on this subject over at another forum. So I'm thinking I've got a pretty good idea of the procedure.

Anybody else care to chime in? Further advice gladly accepted. Probably try to make the first of four this weekend. Just trying to decide which handgun gets the dubious honor of wearing my first attempt.

QKShooter · June 26th, 2009, 10:01 PM

Long curves and straight cuts can be easily accomplished by scoring the cut with a sharp utility knife and then carefully bending - the Kydex will break right on the cut.

There is no need to cut all the way through just do a nice scoring cut.

BTW...rivets are fine/best.

No plastic cements or solvents work very well on Kydex. It is an extremely solvent resistant material.
Lacquer thinner, MEK, Acetone, Weldbond, Duco, Special Epoxy for plastics, Super Glue...forget them all.

None of them passed my informal and highly unscientific bond strength tests.

I even exactly duplicated the published solvent formulation {with the dissolved Kydex shavings} as recommended by Kydex and that sucked also.

My test was:
>
> Making sure the material was perfectly clean.
> Glueing/cementing 2" test strips together w/ a 1" overlap.
> Waiting a full 24 hours before doing anything.

and if I could pull the two pieces back apart then I called it "failed"

I have not found any readily available solvent or plastic cement that will actually "melt" and fuse two pieces of Kydex together and join them as one piece the way traditional plastic cements usually work.

jdivence · June 26th, 2009, 10:43 PM

fr those who use you actual firearm as a mold do you wrap it in anything or can kydex be formed right on the gun?

Paymeister · June 26th, 2009, 10:51 PM

Reference Section: Forming Kydex Procedure (picture intensive) parts 1 and 2 - but you've probably seen that.

southbound · June 26th, 2009, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QKShooter

Long curves and straight cuts can be easily accomplished by scoring the cut with a sharp utility knife and then carefully bending - the Kydex will break right on the cut.

There is no need to cut all the way through just do a nice scoring cut.

BTW...rivets are fine/best.

No plastic cements or solvents work very well on Kydex. It is an extremely solvent resistant material.
Lacquer thinner, MEK, Acetone, Weldbond, Duco, Special Epoxy for plastics, Super Glue...forget them all.

None of them passed my informal and highly unscientific bond strength tests.

I even exactly duplicated the published solvent formulation {with the dissolved Kydex shavings} as recommended by Kydex and that sucked also.

My test was:
>
> Making sure the material was perfectly clean.
> Glueing/cementing 2" test strips together w/ a 1" overlap.
> Waiting a full 24 hours before doing anything.

and if I could pull the two pieces back apart then I called it "failed"

I have not found any readily available solvent or plastic cement that will actually "melt" and fuse two pieces of Kydex together and join them as one piece the way traditional plastic cements usually work.

Have you tried IPS Weld On 4784 it melts nice???? You may need to wait a little longer for it to reach full strength..

"TIME TO REACH 80% OF
ULTIMATE BOND STRENGTH: 72 hours"

The specs can be found here....

southbound · June 26th, 2009, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paymeister

Reference Section: Forming Kydex Procedure (picture intensive) parts 1 and 2 - but you've probably seen that.

That's how I got my start

southbound · June 26th, 2009, 11:08 PM

Is this kinda what you want to make??

I like over kill so I use ISP Weld On with eyelets and a tension screw...

When it comes to the belt slots I use a router bit...

Hope this helps good luck...

sqwerty · June 27th, 2009, 04:37 AM

Paymeister, those threads you linked (and not finding exactly what I was looking for commercially) started this whole crazy endeavor. Oh, and the fact that $60-70 for some name brand holsters is outrageous when the price of DIY materials is less than $10 and provides a fun project.

southbound, yeah kinda. All four holsters I want to make will be for compacts or sub-compacts so I'm hoping to get as much above the beltline as possible. Consequently, the geometry of the draw and the way my elbow does/doesn't bend dictate either straight drop or minimal forward cant. BTW, nice work. Looks sturdy and functional.

June 25th, 2009, 02:49 PM	#1
sqwerty New Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: WA Posts: 4	Kydex holster project - need advice Need some advice from people who have "been there, done that" with Kydex projects. I have decided to try my hand at creating some high-ride, OWB, pancake Kydex holsters (picture a cross between a Rusty Sherrick High Ride and a RCS Phantom). I have researched the process, obtained all the materials, made my templates, and am getting ready to dive in, but I need some advice on a few issues since this is all brand new to me... 1. Regarding the heating/molding part of the procedure, which of the following will give me the best results: a) Cut Kydex templates slightly oversized, heat, mold in press, rivet, THEN trim to final dimensions. b) Cut Kydex templates to final dimensions, try really hard to keep everything aligned during the molding process (seems like this might be difficult unless the heated Kydex is "stickier" than I envision), rivet. c) Cut Kydex templates to final dimensions, sandwich sides together and place outside rivets, put a thin piece of sheet metal inside to keep the sides from sticking together (or is this necessary?), heat, carefully open and slide handgun in, mold in press, place remaining rivets. 2. Do I need to use any adhesive like contact cement or will the rivets be sufficient? The area I'm specifically concerned about is the belt slots. 3. Regarding cutting the Kydex, I'm thinking long straight cuts will get the utility knife, curves/details the jigsaw, edges fine grit sandpaper, and corners the Dremel on low speed. Good plan or not? Suggestions? Thanks for any advice you can give.

June 26th, 2009, 10:01 PM	#4
QKShooter Assistant Administrator Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Off Of The X Posts: 23,395	Long curves and straight cuts can be easily accomplished by scoring the cut with a sharp utility knife and then carefully bending - the Kydex will break right on the cut. There is no need to cut all the way through just do a nice scoring cut. BTW...rivets are fine/best. No plastic cements or solvents work very well on Kydex. It is an extremely solvent resistant material. Lacquer thinner, MEK, Acetone, Weldbond, Duco, Special Epoxy for plastics, Super Glue...forget them all. None of them passed my informal and highly unscientific bond strength tests. I even exactly duplicated the published solvent formulation {with the dissolved Kydex shavings} as recommended by Kydex and that sucked also. My test was: > > Making sure the material was perfectly clean. > Glueing/cementing 2" test strips together w/ a 1" overlap. > Waiting a full 24 hours before doing anything. and if I could pull the two pieces back apart then I called it "failed" I have not found any readily available solvent or plastic cement that will actually "melt" and fuse two pieces of Kydex together and join them as one piece the way traditional plastic cements usually work. __________________ Liberty/Tyranny ___________________________ The Day The Moon Stood Still. Be Happy! *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5lQDdegr2s*

June 26th, 2009, 10:43 PM	#5
jdivence Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ohio Posts: 260	fr those who use you actual firearm as a mold do you wrap it in anything or can kydex be formed right on the gun? __________________ The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive. Thomas Jefferson

June 26th, 2009, 10:51 PM	#6
Paymeister Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 959	Reference Section: Forming Kydex Procedure (picture intensive) parts 1 and 2 - but you've probably seen that. __________________ www.covtutor.com - a personal credentialed science/math online Pro-2A tutor for your child. [OK, I don't expect 2A to come up, but thought you would be amused.]

June 26th, 2009, 11:08 PM	#9
southbound Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: tn Posts: 239	Is this kinda what you want to make?? I like over kill so I use ISP Weld On with eyelets and a tension screw... When it comes to the belt slots I use a router bit... Hope this helps good luck... __________________ “Dollars and guns are no substitutes for brains and will power” Dwight D Eisenhower Here are some of my holsters http://handkholsters.blogspot.com/

June 26th, 2009, 07:50 PM	#3
sqwerty New Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: WA Posts: 4	Thanks for the reply ev239. In addition to other threads here, I found a really good picture-filled thread on this subject over at another forum. So I'm thinking I've got a pretty good idea of the procedure. Anybody else care to chime in? Further advice gladly accepted. Probably try to make the first of four this weekend. Just trying to decide which handgun gets the dubious honor of wearing my first attempt.

June 27th, 2009, 04:37 AM	#10
sqwerty New Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: WA Posts: 4	Paymeister, those threads you linked (and not finding exactly what I was looking for commercially) started this whole crazy endeavor. Oh, and the fact that $60-70 for some name brand holsters is outrageous when the price of DIY materials is less than $10 and provides a fun project. southbound, yeah kinda. All four holsters I want to make will be for compacts or sub-compacts so I'm hoping to get as much above the beltline as possible. Consequently, the geometry of the draw and the way my elbow does/doesn't bend dictate either straight drop or minimal forward cant. BTW, nice work. Looks sturdy and functional.

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