Jimmypie Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 someones given me a safariland holster for a G17/22 w/light. Model number is 6004-837, which according to safarilands website is for a G17 etc with Glocks own tac light (tac3166). now i know that people have heated up there kydex holsters to loosen them up a bit, but how far can you go? ideally i want to remould it for an M3 tac light, it looks like it would work.The pistol fits fine, its just the taclight part that needs re-shaping. My questions are. Whats the best heating method, boiling water, oven or hairdryer/heatgun? Is there a Melt point or point of no return? has anyone drastically altered there safariland holster successfully? this holster was a freebie, so im up for giving it a go, but obviously only have one shot, any help or advice greatly appreciated, Regards, jim. Link to post Share on other sites
leejinwen Posted March 29, 2011 Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 bake it Link to post Share on other sites
Jimmypie Posted March 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 a great helpful answer........ Link to post Share on other sites
frogfish Posted March 29, 2011 Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 Actually it was a great answer, baking is an effective way to heat the whole holster for you to form it. You can try doing it by hand, but forming Kydex isn't exactly as easy as it sounds. While you have more than one shot (as long as you dont overheat the kydex) you will need substantial pressure (enough that it could damage cheap clone parts or your airsoft glock) to mold the new light's form and in the end the fit still won't be "right", on top of that unless your light is real and your pistol is made from heat resistant polymer, you run the risk of melting it if you get it too hot. Lastly you need to find a way to remove Safariland's liner before you mold it. ITS tactical has a good primer on Kydex forming, and the knifekits forums can probably take you much farther than I can. Link to post Share on other sites
Jimmypie Posted March 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 Actually it was a great answer, baking is an effective way to heat the whole holster for you to form it. You can try doing it by hand, but forming Kydex isn't exactly as easy as it sounds. While you have more than one shot (as long as you dont overheat the kydex) you will need substantial pressure (enough that it could damage cheap clone parts or your airsoft glock) to mold the new light's form and in the end the fit still won't be "right", on top of that unless your light is real and your pistol is made from heat resistant polymer, you run the risk of melting it if you get it too hot. Lastly you need to find a way to remove Safariland's liner before you mold it. ITS tactical has a good primer on Kydex forming, and the knifekits forums can probably take you much farther than I can. a bit more like it, what sort of temperature? how long for?what am i looking for, just about pliable or further?, its a ksc glock with metal slide, and an m3 clone, once the holster is warm enough do i need to leave the pistol in till it cools down? or keep repeating the process? as said in my first post, the pistol fits fine, will baking the whole holster affect this? You say remove the liner, i dont think thats an option is it? its firmly glued/bonded i think, or will this come free once the holster is warmed up. are there guides or how too's with step by step instructions on working with kydex. Thanks Frogfish, any more info would be great. Link to post Share on other sites
ThaFlash Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 How close is the fit with the M3 light? I would use a heat gun on only the area that needs to be molded, with the gun in the holster (well, heat it without the gun, then insert the gun when the kydex starts to get pliable). Heating kydex up to 250 degrees (or whatever the tutorials state) makes it like a piece of leather. Worst case, you flatten the light area and have a glock holster. Link to post Share on other sites
ertgunner Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 Be careful you do not want heat the kydex too far beyond 200 degree, it will turn really soft and you will stretch the kydex too much. EDIT: if its really close the best way to go about it is only heat up the part that is tight carefully with a heat gun. Link to post Share on other sites
frogfish Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 I really recommend doing a little reading on someplace like the knife kits forums about holster making, or there are some good youtube videos, it will teach you what you need to know in order to do what you need to do right, and it will teach you what you can do incase you mess up. Link to post Share on other sites
Hatchet Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 I have a 6004-832 which is the G17 for M3. If you want to have a go with that before melting your own let me know. I have found that in the past a KSC Glock with Genuine M3 didn't fit well, but might be different with a clone. Link to post Share on other sites
Jimmypie Posted March 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 great stuff guys, im going to have a go on this at the weekend, thanks for all the replies, keep em coming if you think of any other tips, I dont think its going to need that much, the glock light its made for is narrow ,similar width to the frame but deeper, form top of slide to bottom of light, the m3 light is quite wide, so it looks like a question of squashing the light part of the holster up towards the frame/slide, if that makes sense. i think i'll try the heat gun method first, fail that then in the oven it goes. Thanks guys, Jim. p.s. Hatchet, if it all goes wrong, i'll give you a shout, because thats what ill be looking to buy. Link to post Share on other sites
ThaFlash Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 Is it possible to loosen the holster all the way, sort of pry it open and then slide the glock in? because then it would be much easier to mold. Link to post Share on other sites
TeowneD Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 Is it possible to loosen the holster all the way, sort of pry it open and then slide the glock in? because then it would be much easier to mold. no, that wouldnt be a very good idea. Safarilands are moulded to fit each gun+light combo. prying it open and shut wouldnt give the required retention a propper moulded safariland holster should have. re-moulding with heat is the best option to get that snug fit. -brendan Link to post Share on other sites
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