New Project!!

OK, so I am starting a new project now that I am done with my first semester of grad school. I have 2 weeks before class starts, so I need something to do to pass the time. I recently bought a new gun, and I want to start carrying it. (Side note: I am a card carrying Utah CCW permit  holder, so I carry a gun on me whenever I get a chance.) I have been wanting to make my own holster for a while, and with the new addition, it is a perfect time to start.

This holster is based off of a new design that has become very popular. (Just for educational purposes, there are several types of holsters and you are either wearing your gun out in the open or wearing one concealed by clothing. Since I have a CCW permit, I can carry a handgun concealed by clothing.) I am making a custom IWB holster. The IWB stands for inside the waist band, where it hooks onto my belt but rests inside my pants. The holster I am making is based around a Crossbreed SuperTuck. Here is a picture of one that I already own for my 1911.

It is very ugly, but it is never seen by anyone. It is considered a hybrid holster because it is made up of two different materials: leather and kydex. Kydex is a thermoplastic that is very rigid, but when it comes in contact with heat it becomes very pliable and can be molded into many different shapes. Once it is cool, it becomes rigid again and will not lose its shape, unless heated again, but it has to be super hot for this to happen by accident. The holster's base is a large leather piece with a small molding of the gun in kydex attached. Then there are metal belt loops with 4 adjustment settings for however you want the holster to sit inside your pants. Because of the large leather backing, the weight of the gun is spread out evenly and that means added comfort. I love this holster and it is worth every penny I spent on it. But now that I know what they are, I want to make one of my own.

Ingredients:
Leather (1/4" thick)
Kydex sheet (0.06 thickness)
Chicago screws (x6)
Tee Screws (x2)
Silicone washers (x2)
Metal Washers (x2)
1/4" #6 screws (x2)

Tools:
Heat gun or toaster oven
Oven mitts
Thick gloves
Utility knife
Drill w/ drill bits
Phillips screwdriver

Now I am currently waiting for my kydex to come in the mail, so this will be a two part blog thingy. But in the meantime I will walk you through the leather working.

Leather back:
I picked up a scrap piece of leather from a leather working and saddle store here in town. Since it was a scrap it only cost me $3.50. I took in my old holster and found a piece that was perfect. While at the store I picked up the chicago screws because they were cheaper there. I came home and traced the pattern I wanted onto the leather piece and cut it out with my utility knife. I had a new blade in so it cut like a hot knife in butter.

Once everything was cut out, I wanted to round the edges over a little. This is not necessary, but it does make it look nicer. I found my wife's cuticle cutters from her manicure kit and went around the perimeter of the leather and took the edge off. After that I did the same to the reverse side. Now it is rounded on both sides and it feels great.

The next step is creating the holes for the belt loops. I placed my old holster on top to generalize where the holes needed to be and marked the holes with a pencil. After that, I went through my drill bits and found a bit that was large enough to make the holes. You can use a hole punch, but I don't have any. A drill works great. I started off slow and gradually drilled faster until I went through the piece of leather. I cleaned up the holes with the cuticle cutter just because I am OCD with stuff like that.

Now I have my leather back complete with rounded edges and belt loop holes. I didn't want to start with the holes for the kydex mold because I wanted to make it first. Once that is made I will drill through the kydex and into the leather so the holes will match. Just for fun, I put the belt loops from my old holster on to get a good look of what it will look like. Although these belt loops are metal, I am going to make mine out of the kydex material. It will be lighter that way and I can make them to fit my 1 3/4" belt.

Overall I am very satisfied with how things are turning out. The next part is going to be tricky. Molding kydex isn't extremely hard, but it can get difficult. I have worked with it before making magazine holsters for my 1911 and a phone carrier for my Droid. Working around the shape of my P250 will be different, but I am up for the challenge.