Here's the contents of my latest blog post over at canfire.blog.com. I thought some of you might find it interesting:
I have that gene that allows me to happily, excitedly start lots and lots of projects but finish a dismally small portion of those. We'll I got another project half finished.
Several weeks ago on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk Podcast, he talked with Thomas Tedder, owner and founder of Old Faithful Holsters. Old Faithful Holsters manufacturers and sells a line of Inside the Waistband (IWB) Holsters made of top grade leather and Kydex. They also make IWB mag pouches and belts. These are the sorts of tools one needs if one is going to carry a firearm and spare ammo on a daily basis for personal protection - where permitted by law of course. Now the cool thing - OFH also makes and sells all the parts you need to mould your own Kydex parts and assembly your own custom IWB holster. You save money and you get a great product that is truly custom fitted for your handgun.
I hopped onto the OFH website after listening to the podcast and promptly found out their online commerce site won't sell/ship to Canada. No problem. A quick e-mail and a short phone call with Mr. Tedder, owner and founder, etc. etc., and my order for a full size DIY kit with the double large piece of Kydex (having never worked with Kydex before I was hedging my bets that I might just screw it up enough that I might need additional material) plus their new kit for making a IWB double mag pouch.
My Para Ordinance P16-40 is my IPSC Standard Division gun. I shoot it out of a race belt rig using a Ghost Holster. My intent was not to use this new kit for my competition .40 S&W pistol. I had in mind making a custom holster for my STI GP6C 9mm. It is a gun I purchased a couple of years back with the intention of getting into the very popular Production Division of IPSC shooting but to tell the truth, I'll be sticking around in Standard Div for some time to come. So I have a relatively uncommon pistol (the GP6), with a low expectation of finding a holster for it so what the hell, I'll make one.
OFH honoured their on air offer of a discount for Tom Gresham listeners. I then found out that it is the same ongoing discount they offer for military and LEO which they would also offer to me as a Canadian Army reservist. The kits arrived within a week and a half if I recall.
Now, like every red blooded North American Male faced with a new kit, the first thing I did was open up the bags and pull all the parts out. The leather back is heavy and very nicely finished. I opted for the standard leather but they offer several possible upgrades for a couple of dollars more. Likewise I went with the standard black Kevlar but they offer a mind boggling array of options for the Kevlar if you're feeling adventurous. Trust me I'd wear a hot pink holster if it meant I could carry it legally here in Canada. Unfortunately no so I stuck with the black.
Now the most surprising thing. Like every red blooded North American Male, I eventually dropped, picked up and sorted out all the pieces enough times to start to look at the instructions. In short, there are none. Odd I though but a quick visit to the manufacturer's web site told me that the instructions are all in video, on their web site and on You Tube. It would suck if I didn't have Internet access but then again, welcome to the 21st century.
The first think you have to do is trace your firearm and cut out the mould. I used 1/2" thick Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF), the same material they use in their online video but forget to call it MDF. I went out to Home Depot and picked up a hobby piece of 2 by 4 feet and ripped a bunch of 1 foot square pieces on my table saw. You can use similar plywood or similar thicknesses if you have it laying around I'm sure.
As per the video I traced it out and then I used my small band saw to cut out the enlarged outline to make my Kydex mould. Image 5 below shows the cut out mould. Images 4 and 6 shows the pieces of my makeshift Kydex press: a top and bottom piece, the mould piece in the middle and two pieces of foam. The video tutorials on OFH website are easy to follow. Just be sure to watch them through once or twice. It took me a week to two to gather up my parts and make my Kydex press and mould.
I used my kitchen toaster oven to soften the Kydex sheet (I cut my piece in half, as planned). I just put a small piece of aluminium foil on the grill to keep it clean, and since I had never worked with Kydex before I wasn't so sure it wouldn't melt through or at least to the grills. No problems in the end.
Well one problem. I managed to mould the Kydex backwards. I had the rough 'outside' surface against the gun and the smooth inside surface away from it. If I also had not moulded it slightly off what I wanted, I could have left it as is, called it a new fashion statement or better yet a tactical advantage, and kept going. Since I had to remould it a little to get sufficient edge distance for the fasteners, back into the oven it went. I just laid the well contoured piece upside right (or was it upside down?) and it warmed up and flattened out completely. Back into the press and this time it looked better.
In order to apply the clamping pressure on my press I simply sat on it as it cooled. I didn't bother with a bunch of wood working clamps, or even putting ammo cans of bullets on top of it. I just sat on it for the 5 minutes or so it took. Worked great.
Back to watch the video again, back to the band saw (a couple of times), and then back to the work bench. The video says to use a 5/16" drill for the holes in the Kydex. I think it also said to use a 5/16" leather punch which would be a touch too small. To open up the leather holes to properly take the T-Nuts, I just worked my way up using a series of wood drill bits in my cordless drill.
I then followed the assembly instructions. Note that as you pound your T-Nuts into the leather, put a piece of wood to sacrifice underneath it. Since the T-Nuts sit a touch proud, they act like little punches all of their own. You don't want to punch a few holes in your kitchen counter or the dining room table. Luckily I did not figure that out by trial and error.
The kit went together easy, is adjustable, holds my pistol well and is surprisingly comfortable. Not so comfortable that I'm likely to forget it is there and inadvertently wear it outside the confines of my home, but I think I could get used to it for daily carry if I had the opportunity. I think I'll work with it a bit the next time I'm at the range for some casual practice (as opposed to a match).
Most of my time was spent getting bits and parts together. One could easily go from start to finish in the span of an afternoon if you had all the tools and toys at hand. I also have a double mag pouch kit to do as well. I'll leave that for another date.
The kits are quite inexpensive. An important thing since I really don't see using it much since we're in Canada and we're raised from birth to be victims on this side of the 49th parallel. Mind you if you're remotely interested in trying your hand at working with Kydex, it is a great way to give it a shot. It is easy and fun and I'm very pleased with the final product. Sorry for the poor photo with the GP6 holstered, I'll try to get a better one the next time I have the safe opened up.
You'll even notice the last photo. I really appreciate DIY kits that leave you with extra bits. There are screws of different lengths so you can try them to see what works best. Likewise there are extra T-Nuts so you can try different heights and cants for your holster.
Great value in the kits or you can buy the complete holsters for your gun, presuming you have one more common than mine.
I have that gene that allows me to happily, excitedly start lots and lots of projects but finish a dismally small portion of those. We'll I got another project half finished.
Several weeks ago on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk Podcast, he talked with Thomas Tedder, owner and founder of Old Faithful Holsters. Old Faithful Holsters manufacturers and sells a line of Inside the Waistband (IWB) Holsters made of top grade leather and Kydex. They also make IWB mag pouches and belts. These are the sorts of tools one needs if one is going to carry a firearm and spare ammo on a daily basis for personal protection - where permitted by law of course. Now the cool thing - OFH also makes and sells all the parts you need to mould your own Kydex parts and assembly your own custom IWB holster. You save money and you get a great product that is truly custom fitted for your handgun.
I hopped onto the OFH website after listening to the podcast and promptly found out their online commerce site won't sell/ship to Canada. No problem. A quick e-mail and a short phone call with Mr. Tedder, owner and founder, etc. etc., and my order for a full size DIY kit with the double large piece of Kydex (having never worked with Kydex before I was hedging my bets that I might just screw it up enough that I might need additional material) plus their new kit for making a IWB double mag pouch.
My Para Ordinance P16-40 is my IPSC Standard Division gun. I shoot it out of a race belt rig using a Ghost Holster. My intent was not to use this new kit for my competition .40 S&W pistol. I had in mind making a custom holster for my STI GP6C 9mm. It is a gun I purchased a couple of years back with the intention of getting into the very popular Production Division of IPSC shooting but to tell the truth, I'll be sticking around in Standard Div for some time to come. So I have a relatively uncommon pistol (the GP6), with a low expectation of finding a holster for it so what the hell, I'll make one.
OFH honoured their on air offer of a discount for Tom Gresham listeners. I then found out that it is the same ongoing discount they offer for military and LEO which they would also offer to me as a Canadian Army reservist. The kits arrived within a week and a half if I recall.
Now, like every red blooded North American Male faced with a new kit, the first thing I did was open up the bags and pull all the parts out. The leather back is heavy and very nicely finished. I opted for the standard leather but they offer several possible upgrades for a couple of dollars more. Likewise I went with the standard black Kevlar but they offer a mind boggling array of options for the Kevlar if you're feeling adventurous. Trust me I'd wear a hot pink holster if it meant I could carry it legally here in Canada. Unfortunately no so I stuck with the black.
Now the most surprising thing. Like every red blooded North American Male, I eventually dropped, picked up and sorted out all the pieces enough times to start to look at the instructions. In short, there are none. Odd I though but a quick visit to the manufacturer's web site told me that the instructions are all in video, on their web site and on You Tube. It would suck if I didn't have Internet access but then again, welcome to the 21st century.
The first think you have to do is trace your firearm and cut out the mould. I used 1/2" thick Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF), the same material they use in their online video but forget to call it MDF. I went out to Home Depot and picked up a hobby piece of 2 by 4 feet and ripped a bunch of 1 foot square pieces on my table saw. You can use similar plywood or similar thicknesses if you have it laying around I'm sure.
As per the video I traced it out and then I used my small band saw to cut out the enlarged outline to make my Kydex mould. Image 5 below shows the cut out mould. Images 4 and 6 shows the pieces of my makeshift Kydex press: a top and bottom piece, the mould piece in the middle and two pieces of foam. The video tutorials on OFH website are easy to follow. Just be sure to watch them through once or twice. It took me a week to two to gather up my parts and make my Kydex press and mould.
I used my kitchen toaster oven to soften the Kydex sheet (I cut my piece in half, as planned). I just put a small piece of aluminium foil on the grill to keep it clean, and since I had never worked with Kydex before I wasn't so sure it wouldn't melt through or at least to the grills. No problems in the end.
Well one problem. I managed to mould the Kydex backwards. I had the rough 'outside' surface against the gun and the smooth inside surface away from it. If I also had not moulded it slightly off what I wanted, I could have left it as is, called it a new fashion statement or better yet a tactical advantage, and kept going. Since I had to remould it a little to get sufficient edge distance for the fasteners, back into the oven it went. I just laid the well contoured piece upside right (or was it upside down?) and it warmed up and flattened out completely. Back into the press and this time it looked better.
In order to apply the clamping pressure on my press I simply sat on it as it cooled. I didn't bother with a bunch of wood working clamps, or even putting ammo cans of bullets on top of it. I just sat on it for the 5 minutes or so it took. Worked great.
Back to watch the video again, back to the band saw (a couple of times), and then back to the work bench. The video says to use a 5/16" drill for the holes in the Kydex. I think it also said to use a 5/16" leather punch which would be a touch too small. To open up the leather holes to properly take the T-Nuts, I just worked my way up using a series of wood drill bits in my cordless drill.
I then followed the assembly instructions. Note that as you pound your T-Nuts into the leather, put a piece of wood to sacrifice underneath it. Since the T-Nuts sit a touch proud, they act like little punches all of their own. You don't want to punch a few holes in your kitchen counter or the dining room table. Luckily I did not figure that out by trial and error.
The kit went together easy, is adjustable, holds my pistol well and is surprisingly comfortable. Not so comfortable that I'm likely to forget it is there and inadvertently wear it outside the confines of my home, but I think I could get used to it for daily carry if I had the opportunity. I think I'll work with it a bit the next time I'm at the range for some casual practice (as opposed to a match).
Most of my time was spent getting bits and parts together. One could easily go from start to finish in the span of an afternoon if you had all the tools and toys at hand. I also have a double mag pouch kit to do as well. I'll leave that for another date.
The kits are quite inexpensive. An important thing since I really don't see using it much since we're in Canada and we're raised from birth to be victims on this side of the 49th parallel. Mind you if you're remotely interested in trying your hand at working with Kydex, it is a great way to give it a shot. It is easy and fun and I'm very pleased with the final product. Sorry for the poor photo with the GP6 holstered, I'll try to get a better one the next time I have the safe opened up.
You'll even notice the last photo. I really appreciate DIY kits that leave you with extra bits. There are screws of different lengths so you can try them to see what works best. Likewise there are extra T-Nuts so you can try different heights and cants for your holster.
Great value in the kits or you can buy the complete holsters for your gun, presuming you have one more common than mine.
