Handgun temperature for molding kydex?

[Sirshredalot]

Hey guys....Been looking for a holster that I cant find...so I wanna make one...(high riding, fast drawing, canted kydex OWB holster with minimal material)

Ive got a heat gun, and I can get kydex.

My question is...how hot is "too hot" for a hand gun and its finish?

Kydex molds at about 150-200(fixed) degress f.

Blueing is done hot and I know that steel and aluminum both will take much higher temperatures before distortion occurs....BUT!

Should I worry about molding kydex over an actual gun?..say a gun that i cant get a "blue gun" model of....like an officer size 1911?

I dont want to damage my gun or its finish...even though 150-200(fixed) degrees isnt that "hot" in the temperature world....(the temperature that kydex softens at...roughly).

What do you think?...EXPERIENCE?

How hot does a gun get after rapid fire?...how much can an alloy frame take?...how fast does kydex "mold"?

The kydex will take the heat rather than the bare gun...but the gun will soak SOME of the heat in the molding process...Id assume that people do this all the time(holster makers)...but I dont want to become the "example" with my irreplaceable 1911.

I could start with a gun of " lesser value", but all my guns are valuable to me...regardless of the price...kydex is cheap...my guns are not.

Please and thank you
God bless
-Shred

 

[Double T]

It will be fine. The barrel gets hotter than that during a range session, and bluing is a form of oxidation.

People mold kydex over real guns all the time, and it will give you a better fit than a blue gun anyway.

 

[Dragon]

I've made 4 holsters on my XD with no problems at all. Kydex I used was .080" and .125" by the way, and don't use .125 it's too thick.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Whoa... 300-350. I had no idea it'd take that much heat.

I was able to greatly soften some kydex belt loops with just a hair dryer; almost had it molded how I wanted it, but I was 1 hand short on my attempt.

sorry for the hijack.

-J-

 

[Double T]

Also, 350 seems high. Set it in your toaster oven and it should soften enough at about 150 or so (I think)

YMMV, but I haven't been lucky with kydex without vacuum forming. There are blueprints tuts if you google homemade vac table.

 

[Sirshredalot]

Hmm...I feel that I was mis-informed about the temperature..but thats a good thing.

If it works at less than 200 degree we're good to go...IM makin my own freakin holster!

Thanks for the replies....and I'll post some pictures up if/when I get it done...dont hold your breath though.

God bless
-Shred

 

[Sirshredalot]

Ok wait...Im going to change my mind AGAIN...temperature.

I tried downloading some technical data from kydex.com but adobe isnt working right now....But theres no way it SHOULD mold at 150 degrees.

Direct sunlight can be hotter than 150 degrees....and you cant toast anything in a toaster oven at 150 degrees.....hmm.

If kydex deforms that easy...I dont want a holster made out of it if my gun gets hot enough to deform the holster from regular shooting.

Might have to get out the old heat gun and laser thermometer and do some testing.....everything I have read states molding temperatures between 300-350 degrees f.

 

[Rob377]

Ok wait...Im going to change my mind AGAIN...temperature.

I tried downloading some technical data from kydex.com but adobe isnt working right now....But theres no way it SHOULD mold at 150 degrees.

Direct sunlight can be hotter than 150 degrees....and you cant toast anything in a toaster oven at 150 degrees.....hmm.

If kydex deforms that easy...I dont want a holster made out of it if my gun gets hot enough to deform the holster from regular shooting.

Might have to get out the old heat gun and laser thermometer and do some testing.....everything I have read states molding temperatures between 300-350 degrees f.

I've made a few holsters out of kydex. Anything under 350 or so, and it doesn't mold well at all.

I put the sheets in the oven at 350. If I don't get them on the gun and into the foam press within a minute or 2, I put 'em back in the oven. They cool quickly. Anything over 350 and the kydex gets a sheen to it. From what I've seen, 350 is the sweet spot.

I've used one gun a few times as the mold. Hasn't hurt the finish at all, and the gun doesn't seem to get horribly hot, even after 10-15 minutes in the press. It gets warm, but not unbearably so.

 

[Double T]

Lol, that's probably why it didn't work without a strong vac then. Sorry man!

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

There's a BIG difference between pliability (what I was working with) and moldability...

You're probably gonna want at least 320, but 350 gives you more wiggle room / work room time until cooling.

-J-

 

[GPD177]

350.....trust me I have done a lot of them, and no damage to the guns.

 

[Sirshredalot]

Anyone care to post pictures of their homemade holsters?

Im going to try and do a "one piece" design...and only use rivets for fastening the belt loop and I'll add a tension screw.

God bless
-Shred

 

[BrewerGeorge]

Maybe not what you're looking for, but Paul at PJ Holster will make just about anything you ask for. If you don't see what you're looking for, email Paul and ask. I have 3 different holsters of his; I love them.

 

[Rob377]

Anyone care to post pictures of their homemade holsters?

Im going to try and do a "one piece" design...and only use rivets for fastening the belt loop and I'll add a tension screw.

God bless
-Shred

I haven't tried the one piece "taco" style yet, but had been planning on it.

The screws don't match, and it was actually a holster I made for a Sig p226, then reheated and remolded for a CZ. Still turned out pretty good.

 

[BlueEagle]

I have made probably 30 or 40 holsters out of Kydex. I have always used real guns, and the only time the heat had any effect on one was when I molded one for a Taurus that had their "ribber" rubber grips on it. One of the little ribs got a little malformed because of the heat from the heat gun; NOT from the Kydex.

Their solid rubber grips, on the other hand, I have had no problem with. I generally heat my .06 Kydex to 275 degrees, and for .08, I'll do 300. This has worked fine for me, and done zero damage to any of the guns, except for the situation described above. If you are worried about your grips or any other part, though, you can take a damp paper towel and wrap it around the part you want to protect.

Also, my holsters are for resale, not for myself, so I've been VERY concerned about the finish on my customers guns, and I can without a doubt say that the temperatures I use are very safe for the finish of the firearms. Just watch out for thin or light rubber pieces on grips; may want to remove grip plates or cover them up, just in case.

Here are three that I made one day...

 

[cranduit]

The technical data says 360-385 for 0.060" to 0.125", 350ish seems to work for most people. I picked up an IR thermometer last week and checked it out, my sheet gets to about 350-370 while the toaster is set at about 160ish so that's probably where people are getting the low number.

My holsters got a bit better with the thermometer (only made the 2 mag pouches) as I was either over-heating or under-heating before. The Kel-tec holsters were just kind of thrown together, but they're the only gun holsters I've made. I've bought holsters for my carry guns, and I make mag pouches as I don't think they're really worth $30ish that a lot of people charge.

 

[BlueEagle]

Yeah, I just experimented with mine. I found that at higher temperatures, you passed through the "good malleable range" fairly quickly and it started to curl, shrivel, and melt. Using a lower temperature, (275 for me,) gave me a wider window to pull it out and work with it.

 

[Kisada]

I see it's been a bit since the last post, but figured I'd throw my in.

Using mostly .080" thickness, you need to get the temp of the sheet to about ~350F, but I wouldn't push it too much past that. If I remember from previous exp., the .060" should get to about ~320F without glossing and/or shrinking.

Also, if like me, you are using a non-convection toaster oven, the core temp of your sheets and the oven itself will be way off from what the dial is set at. My oven is about 80-100F hotter than my temp dial says (hence the reason an IR thermometer is nice, but not absolutely necessary). When the kydex is ready it should have the malleability/floppiness of a slice of cheese.

It also works better to turn the oven on the lowest setting, toss the sheet in and slowly bump the temp every fews mins. Once you hit around ~250F you can start raising the temp quicker until you get to where you need, based on thickness of kydex you are using. The cheaper your $20 Wal-mart oven is (like mine), the higher likeliness of greater disparity between dial setting and "real" internal temperature.


Hope this might be of some use to others doing their own holster thing.

 

[Kisada]

350.....trust me I have done a lot of them, and no damage to the guns.

The one thing I'd like to add to this, and it's not heat-related, is if you're molding a polymer gun, make sure there is a mag inserted, with some snap-caps if available, to prevent warping of the mag well from the pressure. I've personally not had that issue, but have read of it happening on various forums around the innerwebs.

 

[millsusaf]

After making hundreds of holsters, I have found 275 is the sweet spot. If I get wrapped up in something else I don't melt material or get shiny spots. It takes a min or so longer to get pliable but I have found it also says pliable longer when heated for a couple minutes at 275.

I used to heat them at 300 but melted/shined too many pieces ruining them. That got old.

Good luck.