I made a Kydex press that is really better suited for a Pancake holster than a Taco style but I think it should work for both. I'm using .080 Kydex.

Foam held in place with Velcro:


I made this stand to preheat the gun if needed. I believe it will help retain heat to obtain high definition during the molding process:


I prefer the 2 screw clips from FOMI - wider and more stable - than a single screw design. They should hold better on the belt.

Spacers and sight tunnel.



The sight tunnel is created by the piece of yard-art plastic tubing with the ends modified to fit the front and rear sights. This worked pretty good but I believe in the future I'll let this piece extend a bit beyond the front and rear site to maintain a better straight line.

The wood piece under the trigger is about 1/8" thick - just enough to allow for a rubber spacer for retention adjustment if needed.

I don't want to do any cutting until I verify the couple of areas that need improvement - sight channel and clip mounting.

The right side of the gun (not shown) has 2 rubber faucet washers taped to create space for nuts where the FOMI 2-screw clip (common for IWB holsters) will attach. I have these slopping the wrong way. It would place the gun at negative cant so this will need repair/modification.



Results:

Right side:


Left side:


I believe this style can be used for inside or outside carry (providing they do NOT have a body shield on either side) by moving the clip to the right or left side. I'd like to see someone put the dimples and holes on both sides for this flexibility. I may do that if I can find a good clean way to add space for the t-nuts inside.

I also think this could be made "Tuckable" by a simple 3" deep U shaped piece the same width as the clip between the clip and holster.

I liked what I have seen from Overwatch/Treadstone Holsters (PastureOfMuppets) in what he is doing. Very high quality holsters.

I hate to point this out, but you didn't fill in the ejection port, unless you are planning on cutting that out... let's just say retention will be a bit more than you want!

You also might want to channel out the slide lock with a little wooden dowel. Anything that can catch will catch.

I hope you pressed it with a magazine in there as well... I have spent more time than I want to admit fixing the magazines ability to release freely by forgetting that.

Don't sweat heating the gun to much when you press. The real trick is to have a soft enough foam - most places sell stuff I find a little too hard. If you do need to, warm the gun up on the foam - warm foam will help if it's firmer stuff.

If you find the Kydex has gone too deep in the trigger guard, try wrapping some painters tape around so it comes out shallower.

Looks like you are also aiming for adjustable retention? I have come to two conclusions. First, when you tighten it it pulls the holster out of whack, and raises the kydex covering the trigger guard. It gives more pressure on the front of the trigger guard, but relieves it from around the rest so the gun can wiggle in there a bit when retention is cranked.

Frankly, if you do it right you don't need adjustable retention.



If you want any advice or help, feel free to hit me up. You definitely have the right idea. A little persistence and you'll end up with a decent holster... or as many as you want.

You can reheat Kydex quit a few times, so don't be afraid to start over.



Actually looking better than my first pancake. That's some nice pattern Kydex you have as well.

I like the washer idea, but the idea of having to measure that over and over again hurts my head. Should be pretty slick though for making occasional holsters. Just be prepared to play with how high you want the screw end of the clip. Took me a few runs to figure out the right tension so it was neither too easy or too hard to release the clip. I can measure what I came up with if that helps.



Your press is waaaaaaaaay nicer than mine. You honestly wouldn't believe what mine look like...

Ian,

I am so glad to hear from you after seeing your quality! Sincerely.

I believe I have tossed the concern for adjustable retention. I suspect you can apply a little overall heat and make the holster "grab" how you want.

I never thought about the ejector port. I may have to re-heat with a heat gun and press that back out.

I decided heating the gun isn't necessary too. I just heat the Kydex sheet a bit more and it works fine.

The foam is definitely firm. I may modify my press to accommodate another 1/2" top and bottom to give the gun a better chance to sink into the Kydex and foam. As it is, when the lid is closed flat the gun is approx 1.4 thick and there is only 2" total space counting the compressed foam - which isn't much.

When I look at some I find my compression detail is much deeper than others which I thought was not going to be enough. Now it is likely too deep. Oh well, that's what learning is all about.

Visit www.insanekydexcreations.com | Custom Quality Made and here Colors | www.insanekydexcreations.com for some good looking Kydex patterns on holsters and mag holders. They are pretty awesome.

Your holster looks darn good for a first timer. I have attempted a few projects and learn something new each time. I finally figured out not to over-think the retention. If you use the front of the trigger guard to retain the gun it's easy to tweak it to your liking. This OWB holster I made for a friend is one of my better attempts, when he shared it on his FB page a bunch of his buds asked me to make one for them too.

__________________
"Shall not be infringed"

Seriously, the quality is just a result of serious and obstinate single mindedness... my wife's not a fan of that trait



[quote[I believe I have tossed the concern for adjustable retention. I suspect you can apply a little overall heat and make the holster "grab" how you want.[/quote

Absolutely. A damp cloth and a hairdryer or a low power heat gun.

Oh, top tip... get a cheap *** heat gun. You don't need crazy hot, you need controllable heat.

Plastacine and thin plastic to put over it works best. I hit some wood with a sander to make one for my M&P 9 which is the only actual gun I mold from now.

It can help, but it's more if you want that crazy definition. People sweat that too much. As long as it's crisp and clean, I'm happy. Overdoing it just creates unnecessary drag. I want all the retention in one place so it "pops".

What clamps are you using? I found the blue ones in Home Depot are rock solid. I forget the name of them.

Clamps are one thing not to skimp on. Learned that the expensive way...

That, that and more that.


And that...




That's a crisp looking holster sir.

Thanks PastureOfMuppets and Black Sheep. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experiences.

I did re-do the forming. Actually I now have more definition than I had. I'm sure that is NOT good but I'll work on that.

I have sanded the general shape and it looks pretty good. I'm still waiting on the P.O. for delivery of some hardware from KnifeKits.com. I want to put a couple grommets in place before cutting and shaping much more to keep everything in place.

One thing I've done is extend the sight tunnel spacer past both ends to retain the straightness and keep the opening from pinching. That did help. I suspect that was caused by he excessive pressure of the form without the extended plastic tube.

I honestly doubt it. You need to go a little nuts to get there and pretty soft foam...

If there are any other tools you need, let me know and I can probably point you to the best place.

Here is what I have now. This was taken before I started shaping the holster. I need to fix the raised area for the FOMI clip - it slipped when I stood on the press (1 at a time, please) The flap that is folded over is gone - outside the holster perimeter.



Waiting on hardware (in the mail) and a heat gun tomorrow.

The ultra detailed forming looks cool but I think you'll find it difficult to get the gun in and out of the holster.

__________________
"Shall not be infringed"

Well, it seems I am experiencing all the issues some of you have pointed out.

Since the start I now have at least 1 magazine that won't drop out of the gun after pressing the mag release button. It is still smooth but must be pulled rather than just gravity. Might fix a bit with a little oil but it is snug.

I did some rough cutting on the holster for shaping with a table saw. I learned that cutting the Kydex is ok when the Kydex is supported near the cutting edge. If suspended, the Kydex will splinter and possibly shatter. I will see how a Dremel with a thin grinder disk works.

I was able to smooth out the large raised area for the clip attachment by using a heat gun. That worked very well. Still need to work on he ejector port and possibly the slide indentations at the muzzle.

Thanks to you PastureOfMuppets and Black Sheep in particular for your comments.

Pencil doesn't show up well on this plastic and pattern in particular so I am going to use black electrical tape to define the shape. Should work fine.

Ah, yes... you need to mold out anything that will catch in the Kydex - seeing it at that angle I can see the attachment mount needs to be blocked out.

Images of my first Kydex Holster for an S&W M&P .40 in the Kydex Highlander Color and Pattern. My first pretty much complete.

I don't have much new to add but I did end up with a couple hairline fractures in the Kydex. I suspect these happened when I tried to cut some rough shaping with a table saw. The table saw works well when the material is well supported near the point of contact with the blade. However when I was trying to shape-cut I held it off the table to avoid cutting through both sides and it wanted to splinter and shatter. Not good. The Dremel with the wafer thin disk cuts much better and cleaner.

The sight channel ended up a bit larger than I wanted but really isn't too bad. I heated it to fix the symmetry over the sight line and it didn't return to the same size. Oh well...

To make the space for the binding post heads for the clip it was much easier to add that after the final shaping rather than try to make a raised area during the press molding process. I just used a think piece of wood the width of the clip and slid it under the Kydex and reheated that area with a heat gun. As soon as it was hot, I used a smaller piece of left over foam and pressed it over the area - it worked very well.

The heat gun works great - Wagner - $22.00 at Lowes - I believe it was the least expensive they offered.

Left bottom view:


Right bottom view:


Left rear view:


Right rear view:


Right upright view:


It has been a great learning experience and fun project. Doing anything with guns is fun I do believe I have a new hobby and it isn't too expensive to play.

That came out really well! Well worth sticking with

Actually it did. I need to figure out what to do about the fractures - Superglue or leave them alone.

As far as retention I still need to loosen it up a bit. Too many spots holding on while drawing.

Thanks for your suggestions along the way. I appreciate it.

Hmmm. I don't think you are going to be able to do with fractures but try stuff.

Superglue might burn the hell out of it so I really have no suggestions I'm afraid - it's not something I have seen or had to deal with.

If you have more Kydex left, it might be just worth taking what you have learned and re-iterating. Figure out where those bite spots are (the rail, the controls) and block them out with small popsicle sticks.

Time to move on to making another holster.

This is my sons Ruger P95DC and he thinks he wants to obtain his CWP. I will make a Black Carbon Fiber Kydex IWB holster for him.




Completed the holster. I keep learning - this was a bit different due to the depth and thickness of the ambidextrous de-cocker lever, slide release and overall pistol.

Ruger P95DC with a Kydex Black Carbon Fiber holster.