Changes to our blog & tutorials

Within the next day or two our blog and tutorials will be moving to a spot on our own web host. We will publish the new blog address as soon as the change is ready. -Patrick

Light Bearing Holster Tools from DIY Holster LLC

Blocking out Pistol Molds for Weaponlight Holsters

One of the great things you can do when you make a holster for yourself is to make for YOUR pistol with YOUR accessories and make it work with YOUR carry preference.  One of the most popular accessories is the rail mounted weapon light/laser.  Because of the number of different pistol brands and models compounded by the plethora of weapon lights, most manufacturers do not support the vast majority of possible gun/light combinations out there.  This tutorial will give you a start on making your own weapon light capable holster.

The primary problem when molding weapon light holsters is how to create a void in the holster that will allow the light to pass through and still cover the trigger guard effectively.

You can see in the above picture that there is a cylinder shaped void behind the light body and a rectangular void behind the light mount.  This allows the light to pass in and out of the holster with minimal drag.  There are a number of ways to create this with simple items around the house.

I’ve seen people use lengths of PVC pipe cut in half for the cylindrical block and I’ve seen all sorts of wooden or Kydex sticks for the rectangular block.  For several years I used a simple 1.25” diameter wooden dowel that I cut and carved myself for the cylindrical block and some steel welding stock for the rectangular block.  You can find these raw materials at most any hardware store.

This set up worked pretty well and allowed me to make functional holsters for myself and my friends.  But the wooden block was fragile and didn’t last very long which meant I had to remake it.  That and the cross bar attachment was easy to use, but it made the holster a little ugly.  I decided to try and make a better option.

I found a hobby shop that sold nylon rods in the same 1.25” diameter that I had been using.  I carved and cut out the nylon rods pretty much the same way as I had the wooden dowel.  I used a drill press and a 1” bit to create the hollow that covers the switches.  Then I bisected the rod on a band saw and sanded about 1/8” of material away on the inside face.  Then carved away the tail end to clear the grip of the weapon.  I also chopped ¼” off the top side so the steel bar would sit flat next to the rod.

Then I taped them to the pistol instead of using a cross bar which gave me a much cleaner look in the finished mold.

This set up has work perfectly for me and it should for you too.  The nylon rod is bomb proof and looks the same today as when I first started using it.  It will flex a bit in the mold, but it pops right back into shape for the next project.

The steel bar stock works great too and you can cut the ends to add functional or aesthetic shapes to your holster.

This system works so well we’ve decided to make so to sell it on our sales site.  We’ve acquired a basic mill and lathe to cut these out for you.  You might need to trim a bit for various weapons, but they will fit the most common pistols and lights out there.  We also plan on selling just the raw nylon rod as well if you want to try your hand at making your own out of this super-durable material.

But even if you choose not to buy our pre-made blocks, you’ll be able to duplicate our method at home when you do it yourself!

Now available for sale at DIY Holster's website