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  1. #1
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    How to make a Kydex holster Picture Tutorial

    I posted this up on my favorite 1911 forum, but figured this might be of interest to a lot of folks here as well. I couldn't find anyone who make a kydex rig for my particular gun a Springfield Armory TRP full rail, so... I made my own. I have worked with Kydex before fabbing up knife sheaths so this wasn't exactly brand new to me.


    To make a Kydex holster you are going to need several things:

    • The gun or a mold of your gun.
    • Kydex (I use .060" or .080" or a mix)
    • A kydex press (more on that later)
    • A custom knife to cut the kydex (this is mandatory! ) Mine is a Brad Southard!
    • Rivets I use #8-10 1/4" black coated brass rivets
    • A press or punch/die set to seat the rivets
    • Some sandpaper or fancy belt grinder
    • A punch (mine is spring loaded)
    • 1/4" drill bit and press/drill
    • Assorted clamps
    • A pencil
    • Safety glasses
    • A cookie sheet that will never see baked goods again
    • Gloves
    • One awesome an understanding wife (aka use of the oven)

    I am sure there is more but that should get you started. You can buy everything kydex specific from knifekits.com the other stuff you ought to have around or perhaps just consider buying one… I’m just saying!

  2. #2
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    To start you are going to want to heat up your oven to 350* and get the cookie sheet out. Now you are going to want to lay out your gun onto your Kydex and mark where you want to cut it.

    I prefer the pancake style hoslters compared to the taco wrap as it makes a nicer finished product. This means you will need two seperate sheets of kydex to make this style holster. You will want to leave about 1.5"-2" on either side of the holster.



    I use a larger piece on the body side of the holster as it allows me to cover more of the gun and keeps all the little bits from poking me. I like to leave enough material on the front side to fully cover the trigger with room to spare.



    Once you measure it out, score the marks with a few passes of the knife, you don't need to cut all the way through it will bend and pop like sheetrock on the line you cut.





    Did I mention this MUST be done with a custom knife? Thanks again Brad!
    Last edited by Rezarf2; 10-15-10 at 23:26.

  3. #3
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    Once you get your Kydex cut to size you are going to want to start baking it. I see a lot of dudes using dedicated toaster ovens for this (probably a good idea) but I use an old cookie sheet and toss the kydex in for 10 minutes at 350*. If you don't use a cookie sheet you will run the risk of warping the edges to a point that they will not mold. Also, if you run no cookie sheet you will need significantly less time in the oven YMMV.



    While your kydex is heating up (and thus becoming flexible enough to mold) you can start setting up your kydex press. You want everything laid out because the second the kydex comes out of the oven it will begin cooling rapidly so you want to make sure everything is laid out and ready.

    Here is a few pictures of my kydex press. It is made from several layers of MDF and lagged together in a few spots. I used a few inexpensive gate hinges found at the local home improvement store. I have the press bolted through my workbench so it can't move around on me once I start the molding process. It is pretty simple but here is a tip, DON'T SKIMP ON THE FOAM! Quality foam is the key to getting nice detail on your holsters. It is expensive but lasts just about forever. I have seen a lot of guys use the blue camp mats from wally-world and they simply will not yield the highest quality holster... there my rant is over. :biglaugh:







    Here is a shot of how and what I lay out before grabbing the kydex out of the oven (I actually will have the gloves on by the time I pull it). I like to lay out the gun on the foam so I can drop the body side (larger) piece down first layout the gun then add the outter piece of kydex.


  4. #4
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    Once you pull the kydex you do need to work fast. If I cannot get the gun into the press within about 90 seconds or so, I will throw it back into the oven and try again... the warmer your kydex is the better detail your holster will reveal when it is molded.

    So throw the first side down (textured side down) place the gun on top of the kydex- NOW IS THE TIME TO SET YOUR DESIRED CANT OF DRAW. Then place the outter piece on top of the gun (textured side up).



    Here is one more tip for this kind of press. The lid when pulled into position wants to "pull" the kydex towards the rear of the press. So I hold onto the top piece of kydex until I can't keep my fingers in there any more due to closing the press. This keeps the top piece from shifting positions. Crank down on the press with clamps... don't be gentle, you are going to hurt anything. I use the quick clamp kind as they clamp fast... again think about how fast your kydex is cooling off.



    Let the foam do its thing now and press the gun. I leave the kydex on the gun in the press for about 8-10 minutes. Once you open the press your mold should look like this



    At this point the kydex can still be shaped but just barely. You don't want to just pull it off the foam as it will tend to stick a bit. I let the foam pull away from the kydex on its own a bit, then remove it. It is important to try to make sure the area the two pieces are coming together remain flat. Tweek it by hand then give it a minute or so in the freezer to set the mold.


  5. #5
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    Once it has cooled off you should be able to pop the pieces apart and you will have a nice crisp mold of your gun... ain't it purdy. :rock:



    Now you need to begin to decide how you want your holster to look. I use a pencil to begin to mark out where I want to trim and clean it up with a ruler. I was working on my Springfield Armory TRP full rail operator and a friend of mine was putting together one for his M&P 9mm. The only thing to consider at this point is leaving enough straight edge to creat your holes to mount your belt loops onto... more on that later.



    Next it is time to cut the holster to shape. I use a knife again where ever possible as it takes off the material cleanly. For tight area's of kydex removal just use a pair of pliers to get the leverage you need to break the score lines.



    Here is a picture of how I like the back of my 1911 holster to look. I like to just cover the safety so that it cannot be bumped off. We will relieve the other side of the mold so that it inserts and draws without touching the kydex at the end when we dial in the final fit.


  6. #6
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    Now you have two halves that have been rough shaped that should look something like this...



    Now I take my halves over to my belt/disk combo sander. This makes fast work of cleaning up the edges. You don't need a dedicated machine like this to make a holster, you could use a dremel or even do it by hand but this tool makes this job a snap.



    What may appear to be only a 3x5" index card is actually a high-tech template to locate the holes for my belt loops. I mark two sets of holes, about 3/4" apart to give me 3/4" of adjustment once on my belt. This also allows you to use IWB clips from one of the major players like Comp-tac.

    I told you it was high-tech

    I place a spring loaded punch into the holes and fire away at the edge of the holster. The first hole is set at a measured distance from the top and it is set in a specific distance from the edge, this makes it repeatable for both sides by simply flipping the card over to the opposite side. Here is what it allows me to do repeatedly and quickly...




  7. #7
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    Thanks for the post! I read this and ordered up some kydex to make a holster for my CZ 82. I would also like to know where you got the foam?

  8. #8
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    Amazing! I've seen a kydex holster tutorial on another forum before, but the examples didn't look half as good as yours! Thanks for the info!

  9. #9
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    kydex holster

    Here's my latest try with a light

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by odiesplace View Post
    Here's my latest try with a light
    what did you use for a spacer over the trigger guard?
    And did you do the textured side facing in?

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