Homemade Holsters!

[alpmc]

I've seen several threads on homemade holsters but some are scattered around the forum. I hope this thread will be a place for everyone to showcase their homemade holsters and techniques.

I took an interest in making my own holsters when I saw the expense and lead times of those commercially available. I decided to see if I could make my own. I used 0.060 ABS plastic instead of Kydex. I bought a 4' x 8' sheet for $38.00 locally. Takes a bit more heat to work with but it's basically the same as Kydex. The leather lining on this holster is 2 oz Herman oak. I had to experiment with adhesives, but I think I've found one that works. More on that later. I did glue the leather before I formed it to the gun. I used a homemade vacuum press to form the ABS to the gun. I'll try to get some photo's of that behemoth later. The leather backing is 6 to 7 oz vegetable tanned. I did not dye this one but I burnished the edges with Gum Tragancanth and treated the leather with Fiebings Tan-Kote. The fasteners were found at a local hardware store. I chose the metal clips from Tandy for their cost and availability. There are 1/8" rubber washers between the leather and the clips to provide room for tucking.

Here is my very first attempt. It is a hybrid design for my Sig P238. I don't care much for the color of the fasteners, but who's going to see them!


Retention is great and the draw is very quiet.


This photo shows the leather lining.


Here's the back. The t-nuts are flush and you can't feel them at all.


Hope to see some of the holsters the rest of you are making.
I have made a hybrid mag holder that I will photograph later. Anyone know how many photos I can upload to photobucket on the free plan?

[RoyGBiv]

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[WildBill]

alpmc - Nice job on the holster. I have one suggestion, and that is to cover the back side of the T-nuts so that they don't corrode from sweat.

[alpmc]

Thanks RoyGBiv!

Wild Bill - That's a great suggestion! I did think of that but it was after I treated the back of the holster. I'm told that I would have a hard time getting anything to stick (permanently) now! I will do it on the holster I'm working on now for my EMP.

[WildBill]

Wild Bill - That's a great suggestion! I did think of that but it was after I treated the back of the holster. I'm told that I would have a hard time getting anything to stick (permanently) now! I will do it on the holster I'm working on now for my EMP.

What do you treat it with?

[alpmc]

Wild Bill - I used Tan-Kote. I asked the local leather working guys if I could adhere over the treatment, they said it would probably not last long if I did. I may still try it though.

Here is what I made yesterday. It's a mag holder for my EMP mags.




You can see here that the leather cost me $2.99. The whole thing cost about $6.00 to make.

[WildBill]

Wild Bill - I used Tan-Kote. I asked the local leather working guys if I could adhere over the treatment, they said it would probably not last long if I did. I may still try it though.

I don't know the composition of Tan-Kote, but you might be able to sand off the coating on the metal so that you would get good adhesion. Maybe a fine grit Dremel tool could be used to remove it. Or you can wait until you make your next holster.

That's a fine looking magazine holder. Most of the commercially available mag holders seem to be way overpriced.

[BobCat]

Your work is beautiful.

My only foray into holster making was many, many years ago... as a child I was watching The Magnificent Seven on TV (saw it in the movie theater when it was first released), and I did not have a holster for my die-cast cap-and-ball Colt. Gathered shirt cardboard, naugahyde, and lanyard lacing during a commercial, and by the end of the movie I had a holster - cardboard inside, black naugahye showing, fit the revolver pretty well.

If I though I could make one for my CZ75 half as nice as your work, I would.

Regards,
Andrew

[MasterOfNone]

Wild Bill - I used Tan-Kote. I asked the local leather working guys if I could adhere over the treatment, they said it would probably not last long if I did. I may still try it though.

I don't know the composition of Tan-Kote, but you might be able to sand off the coating on the metal so that you would get good adhesion. Maybe a fine grit Dremel tool could be used to remove it. Or you can wait until you make your next holster.

That's a fine looking magazine holder. Most of the commercially available mag holders seem to be way overpriced.

I may be missing something, but if the nuts are currently coated with a substance (Tan-Kote) to which no other coating is likely to stick, aren't they already protected from sweat?

[WildBill]

Wild Bill - I used Tan-Kote. I asked the local leather working guys if I could adhere over the treatment, they said it would probably not last long if I did. I may still try it though.

I don't know the composition of Tan-Kote, but you might be able to sand off the coating on the metal so that you would get good adhesion. Maybe a fine grit Dremel tool could be used to remove it. Or you can wait until you make your next holster.

That's a fine looking magazine holder. Most of the commercially available mag holders seem to be way overpriced.

I may be missing something, but if the nuts are currently coated with a substance (Tan-Kote) to which no other coating is likely to stick, aren't they already protected from sweat?

This was a just a suggestion. I have never used this product so I am making an educated guess. Maybe some coatings may have a problem adhering to the leather, but the fastener is a different material. Sticking to a surface and being water permeable are different properties. It is also possible that the fasteners are stainless steel or plated so they won't rust.

Tan-Kote it is mostly sodium tetraborate, which is soluble in water so I don't think it would coat the fasteners to make them resistant to corrosion. It would be easy enough to test. Just put a couple drops of water on the nuts and let them sit overnight. If they don't rust, then you are probably okay.

[alpmc]

Bobcat - Thanks for the props! I also did not think I could make my own, but there is enough instruction available on the internet that it was easier than I thought it would be! YouTube and gun forums are great places to look. I bet you could easily make one for your CZ75!

Wild Bill - I was thinking of lining the entire back of the holster with suede. Since I thoroughly soaked the back with the tan-kote, I've been told the contact cement would give up the ghost in short order. I think I can get the tan-kote off the metal as you suggested and I'm open to ideas on how to water/sweatproof them. I don't think the t-nuts will rust but the machine bolts will, especially since I had to grid them down to shorten them. Thanks for the props on the mag holder......I'm improving slightly.

I'm starting work on a new hybrid for my EMP. I'll post progress shots soon.

[High Calibre Hottie]

When we make our "doubled" (Backed) holsters, when use a groover and hand stitch the two together. The suede would be to thin to groove but you don't even really need to subset the stitches. I'll try and get some pics up this weekend.

[Lonest4r]

I have been working on making my own custom holsters over the last couple of months. I will post some pictures tonight when I get home. Some of the early ones are a bit er.. rough, you might say, but I am improving my technique and hopefully I will have some extra money for a groover and over stitch wheel in the near future. Great Job by the way. EDIT:(sorry i got rather busy last night, hopefully i can get them up in the next couple of days)

[WildBill]

I think I can get the tan-kote off the metal as you suggested and I'm open to ideas on how to water/sweatproof them. I don't think the t-nuts will rust but the machine bolts will, especially since I had to grind them down to shorten them.

It might be as simple as a thin coat of clear nail polish, epoxy, or superglue.

[alpmc]

When we make our "doubled" (Backed) holsters, when use a groover and hand stitch the two together. The suede would be to thin to groove but you don't even really need to subset the stitches. I'll try and get some pics up this weekend.

I've thought about stitching but my budget won't let me buy a nice Tippmann Boss! I wish! I don't know much about hand stitching but it's on my list of things to learn! I do have a groover though. Can't wait to see some of your pictures!

Lonest4r - Thanks for the props! Let's see some photo's........even the rough ones! I found a complete set of leather working tools at a garage sale that I picked up for $20.00 and it came with an over stitch wheel. I need to learn how to use it and put it to work.

Wild Bill - I happened to have some clear nail polish laying around that I used on another of my projects so I will try that! Thanks for the suggestion!