I have made a few of these now, and decided to write up a tutorial.
Materials:- Kydex, any thickness, I used .060
- Grommet long enough to go through 2x kydex plus extra for forming (optional)
Tools:- Something to cut kydex--bandsaw/utility knife and ruler/dremel with cutoff wheel and steady hand.
- Something clampy--jeweler's vice or other?
- Something hot--toaster oven or kitchen oven, it won't smell it up unless you burn it
- Something Drilly--Drill press is best, hand drill could work if you're careful, drill slightly larger than your grommet
- Dremel with cutoff wheels and sanding wheels (optional for finishing)
- Shop vac with tube clamped vertical (optional for tidiness of finishing/heat deformation prevention)
- Good leather Gloves (optional but highly suggested)
- Safety glasses
Cut a square or rectangle of Kydex big enough to cover your trigger guard as much as you want. For the PF9,omgI used .060 kydex, and I tried each of 3.5", 3", and 2.7" squares. omgI suggest a 3" for a gun this size, but the one I made for a Glock took a lot more. I didn't measure it, though.
You can cut this on a band saw or with a dremel, but the cleanest I've found is with a utility knife, scoring it repeatedly (10-20 times) with light pressure to stay in the same cut. omgOnce you have one side cut, you can cut the other side about half way and snap it.
Heat the kydex to 375 degrees F. omgI use a toaster oven I bought on craigslist for $5 specifically for this purpose.
While your kydex is heating (it will only take 90 seconds or so), prep your clamp/vice/whatever. omgI use a little leather 'softjaw' pad on mine so it doesn't leave tool marks on the soft kydex.
Like so:
From here on out you have to work fast, you have about 30 seconds to get it right.
Once your kydex is as floppy and rubbery as a sheet of neoprene, pull it out (with gloves or quickness tough fingers, your choice), fold it carefully in half, and clamp the bottom tight, with the open side flush with the edge of your vice/clamp (I totally made my vice in shop class a decade ago by hand on a mill and lathe--even threaded the shaft!--by the way...never put any finish on it, I should really blue it or something.)
Still working fast before it cools, put the pistol perfectly centered in the remaining open part of the kydex, making sure it's even on both sides. omgStart to use your hands to form it generally around the sides, pretty even and close to the trigger guard, grip, and sides of the gun. omgOnce I have a part like I want it I'll blow on it...it just has to drop below 300 degrees or so to get completely solid again, so you can 'freeze' parts with a good puff of air.
Take it out of the vice once it's cooled (a minute or so), and this is what you'll have. omgIf you're not happy with it, put it back in the oven on it's side...it will flatten all the way back out to a square and you can start over! omgKydex rules!
Take a heat gun (I have a paint stripper gun that I didn't remember to take a picture) and form one little feature at once. omgIf you watch carefully you'll see the section you're heating start to billow out slightly, then it's soft. omgUse your finger (I took my glove off and sucked it up to get more detail, it's not THAT hot) to form the features you care about--in my case, i formed a bit at the front of the trigger guard and a bit at the bottom of the trigger guard right in front of the grip, one side at a time. omgYou could also use a bic lighter and just flick the flame on the part you want to adjust until it's flexible, but you'll overheat it and it will look all shiny. omgStructurally it will be fine, though. omgYou can form the 'lock' as mild or aggressive as you want. omgForm something, let it cool, try it, adjust...repeat until perfect.
Measure the shaft of the grommet you're going to use, and drill a hole as close to that size as possible. omg If you don't have a grommet, just drill a nice smooth hole and smooth the edges.
If you do have a grommet, use the grommet tool to spread the grommet, then pound it flat. omgDo this against something small and hard so you don't dent the formed kydex.
Forming kydex with a dremel to get the final features in it has two distinct disadvantages. omgOne, it blows kydex dust EVERYWHERE. omgTwo, and more importantly, it will cause enough heat to melt and deform the features you've just carefully made. omgTo solve both of those problems, I clamped the tube for my shopvac to the post on my bench, and I do all my forming directly on top of it. omgThis is a mockup picture as I had to have a hand free for the camera. omgI use both cutoff wheels and sanding drums to form the shape and round all sharp corners.
I made three different sizes starting with known-sized squares--3.5", 3", and 2.7"--I started large and measured any excess, then went smaller. I'm not sure now that they are done how I like the fit on them.
3.5":
3":
2.7"
There are two thoughts about the mag release--cover it or clearance it. I like to have it clearanced, because then you can actually drop the mag and clear before you even unholster--a unique feature to this style. If you are worried about magazine drops, you could make it cover it to prevent that. Your call.
Now that it's done, use this however you want...I use a piece of leather lanyard cord tied and looped around my belt. (sorry for the hairy belly)
Tuck it into your pocket, making sure the whole lanyard is on the inside of the gun:
With a minor cover garment it's pretty well concealed. Even with a shirt tucked in, it's not bad, and almost noone would identify that string as meaning 'gun'.
