Don't know if any of you have ever boned your own holster, but it's very easy and fun to do.

1. Take any holster that fits tight, can be already boned for another gun. The tighter, the better.
2. Soak it in warm water for about 15 min.
3. Dry off excess water, insert your gun (covered in a plastic bag of course).
4. Use blunt objects to make outline and details of gun until your satisfied with shape. (I find various kitchen knife, silverware handles work great.) It's going to have an all scratched up and dull finish at this point, but you'll fix that later.
Hint: Make sure to outline the trigger and trigger guard real well and it'll have that "snap" when inserting your gun when done.
5. Remove gun and bake holster in 200 degree oven for 40 min (make sure you remove any rubber/plastic grommets first).
6. When cooled, it'll be hard as a rock.
7. Apply a coat of shoe polish and buff to a shine.

(p.s.-the holes you see is were I removed a spring clip for IWB for which I already have for this gun.)

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Dave Ramsey Cultist

I like ideas when thought outside the box....well done

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witty signature goes here

Excellent job friend!!! Thanx for posting! I got an Italian holster with one of my 4506s from its previous owner. The holster is for some hkusp, (on this side of the Atlantic is hard enough to find 3rd gems, never mind holsters for them). So while the S&W fits nicely, not even the square trigger guard is no match for the usp trigger guard cavity!!! I really do not know what the Germans were thinking when designing that thing. (I wonder if they intended it to be shot with two fingers on the trigger, lol!!! And no, gloves can be used with any normal trigger guard in every other pistol.) Anyhow, i always wanted to do something with that holster, and now you gave me the idea!! Will try it first chance!! Thanx friend!!

Let us see it when your done. I did one for my 1066 for the same reason. You really can't mess it up because you can start all over if you don't like the results.

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Dave Ramsey Cultist

Ha! I did it!! And I consider it a success!! The pictures that follow show the holster in its original configuration, which I believe was for some HK pistol, given the original trigger guard shape. Needless to say, the 5904 had to be retained with the strap to not fall out. However, the holster is an Italian Vega, and seems to be of great quality material and craftsmanship. So, i could not find my self getting rid of it (nor owning an HK pistol lol). So, here is what I did per Hemi03 instructions. Thanks friend!!
Warmed some tap water until it started steaming. Drobed the holster in, and while it was soaking, I wrapped the 5904 with a very thin plastic bag and taped it in place. I bet surround wrap would work much better, but I did not have any of that. You will see the picture where the holster is in the water, it started turning darker. When it got all dark, I got it out of the water, wiped the extra water with a paper towel, and inserted the 5904. I found the spoon to be the most useless tool for this application. However, the rounded butt of the pen and the cap end of the magic marker did miracles! It felt like i was shaping play do. I reshaped the trigger guard on both sides of the holster, and the ejection port side and front. Whenever water was squeezed out from the shaping, I would wipe it away and not let it get sucked back in. From the beginning, I had the oven set at 70 degrees C (roughly 180F), so when I was done, I put the holster in there, with the belt loops hanging from the grill, so the holster could retain its radiused shape. And behold!! in the final pictures, you may not be able to tell, the 5904 is held in the holster upside down by the holster alone!! I hope that this can be very helpful for all those people who like me are hooked to the hooked trigger guards of the Smiths, but can not find holsters for them!! Or any other exotic or vintage pistol for that matter! Thanx again!!

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And of course one may upload only 5 pictures, so here are more...

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... and the last

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I've boned a few holsters.

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Way cool and great job! Yea, it ain't rocket science, but baking it sure makes a difference in the finished product. Now you know you can buy any holster and make it fit perfect. fwiw- Make sure you don't bake it longer than forty minutes or the edge dressing melts.

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Dave Ramsey Cultist

I make holsters - I don't modify anyone else's.


FWIW, I wouldn't recommend "baking" a holster or drying it with heat at all - it will make the leather brittle and may lead to cracking later on. Let it air dry naturally.

I left it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Then I turned it of, and cracked the oven door just an inch to let it cool down slowly. The whole process took a bit less than an hour!!!

These are some nice holsters friend!!!

Well, 'kinda true'. Absolutely don't 'bake' a wet holster or it will actually shrivel like a prune if the heat is high enough!

But: if you're not 'hot air drying' your customers' holster, you're depriving them of a long-standing practice used by major makers all over the world.

If the OP's oven has a fan inside it (called 'fan force' here, dunno what's is known as in the States anymore) AND the door is left open; then the temp he used is spot-on and the length of of time is a bit excessive but will do little harm. I.e., none to the leather, may shrink the holster too much (the origin of holster makers excusing their holsters being too tight), and any laminating may spread at the edges. The latter is the key indicator.

As mentioned, very old process. The collagen in the leather is softened by the water, the heat 'sets' it in the new position; giving it that stiff form that has only been acceptable since the 1960s (when they were still writing articles about how to 'soften your holster').

An image from the Bianchi factory in the '70s; that's a hot air dryer and the holsters are travelling through it on racks, to emerge after the 'right' amount of time, like a pizza:

bianchi early - 2010 (14).jpg

Any maker who's not doing this -- Sparks is not -- has never been in another holster factory of any size, and is robbing their customers of performance and longevity. And the benefit to the maker, is that this takes 20-30 minutes and is insensitive to the ambient temperature: Queensland Australia or Boise Idaho, takes the same time to dry into an ideal product.

Literally millions and millions of holsters have been made this way (Bianchi hit its one-millionth holster in the '70s). I've outlined the exact details of the process, on various forums, for years. Very easy to duplicate at home or shop :-).

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

Red, thanks for the advice. I do indeed use a little bit of heat when drying - I put my holsters on top of an old food dehydrator and leave them overnight, with the lid off so they don't get too much heat. By the time I finish dipping them in my finish solution they are firm enough that they sound like a plastic box when you tap on them.
But I don't trust an oven for any length of time.

As usual, there's more than one way to skin a cat.
Despite what some will tell you.

Yeah, there's several right ways..........and whole a lot of other ways.

Ya don't have to be an expert to turn out something to suit yourself.

I personally don't bone holsters, (it makes the BW or Carving look funky).
I don't bash those that do like it.
.

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

I decline to care more about another maker's customers than they do :-). Though somebody really ought to shake Safariland by the shoulders about all those reported accidents involving bystanders and police officer's Safariland holsters for Glocks with lights. Another accident his year reported already.

The thread is about boning; so it's worth noting that it only exists for makers without presses. Bianchi, Sparks, Galco though use a press first, then bone later, and I don't blame them. It highlights. Using no press, and no boning, is called 'block fitting' and is what Heiser did on some of their models 1910-1960; very old. A lengthy description is included in Packing Iron, quoting from Heiser.

More important is to drill down to the bedrock (my new favourite holstory saying) of why holsters are boned at all. It was originally devised to eliminated the high, rub spots of the leather on the pistols -- because virtually all holsters were made for revolvers. It was NOT created for retention; that is a beneficial side-effect and with a Threepersons, actually works against retention (because the tension of the welt being drawn against the frame by the unrelieved stress in the folded pocket has been released). Gaylord and Keith learnt that the hard way (44s don't bounce worth a darn).

And boning into the trigger guard opening is a secondary cause of customers reporting 'my holster's too tight'. I learnt that long ago and eliminated it; my trigger guard pockets (and I believe Galco's, too) are dead flush with the guard itself).

hi power may 13 (7).jpg

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

Red, what's the issue with the Safariland holsters? I haven't heard anything about it.

Also, are you saying that the proper way to accomplish adequate retention is with a retention screw?

Air drying, ambient temperature or slightly warmer works ok....for me.

Hot air drying is.....mostly 'hot air' used in

high volume production, it's a must. Much like kiln dried lumber.



Ask a saddle maker, they know things


.

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

Red I don't know much about holsters but that is beautiful.

Mals

I am trying to qualify for the Dumb _ _ _ of the year award

Here is my entry: Had a Lobo leather owb holster for a Glock 26. Decided to rebone it for my new Shield.

Soaked it in HOT water for 20 minutes...
inserted new shield into holster inside a freezer bag.
reshaped the trigger area and the slide area.

Was looking kinda good at that point......

SO THEN in an effort to help the drying time,
placed it in the microwave for 30 sec....(yes I said microwave for 30 seconds)......Have you ever seen a prune that was left on a rock in the Mohavie desert for about a month??????????

So If I win Dumb _ _ _ of the year..send me a pm and I will send back my address so you can send me my prize......

And yes I know who Ron White is.........

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Hipcocked45

Bendin leather is kinda like learnin to dance........


It ain't accomplished in one er two lessons, but many.


Those that never make a few false starts.....never tried.


As the ol cowboy sed about one hand..."He was full of try!"




.

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

I worked on a couple today. Both are pancake style, one for a 3 1/2" Ruger and the other for a S&W 4053TSW. For the tracing tool I used an Old Model Ruger base pin. They both turned out good for my first attempt but the profile of the semi auto looks much neater.