Vacuum Molding

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

Woodworkers have regularly glued veneer (which need constant even pressure) by placing them in a vacuum bag and turning the vacuum on ...

I have and new Civil War era flapped military holster which never really 'fit' my Pietta Remington.

So I put the Pietta into three bread bags, soaked the holster in Vinagaroon, and put it and a piece of grated melamine i2X2 in a plastic bag and vacuumed it (at a friends house and with his vacuum rig).

Again, I will let you know about the results when i pick it up today ...

[outrider]

I would be interested in the outcome of your experimaent.  I have a complete list of the components for a vcuum system but as of yet have not purchased any of the parts.

[Massive]

I have been vac bagging for 20 years or more.  Never on leather so far, but I am fairly familiar with the systems, there are some cheap or near free systems, out there.  Gets more complicated the less you want to run the motor.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Massive,

I bought a 2 X 2 bag ... but ended up using a friends 2 X 4 bag ... talk about overkill!

I dunked the holster in Vinagaroon, put the '58 Remmie in three bread bags.

Then I put the whole cavalry holster and pistol inside the 2x4 bag and sealed it after putting a couple of shop rags around the front and back of the machine  ... my friend had a 2X4 piece of melamine-wrapped MDF with softened edges and a grid of groves facing the side to be ...

Then I sealed the bag and applied a vacuum for 24 Hours.

The result is exactly how I wished ... the holster looks like it has been through rain storms and a lot of time on the hip of a cavalry man ...

TTFN,

[Marshal Will Wingam]

If you have a picture of that holster, WW, please post it for us. It sounds like it came out good.

[Slickshot]

WadWatsonEllis,

I simply cannot picture in my head all you did to mold your holster...Is there any way you could post a few pictures of the process you described...

Many thanks,

Slickshot

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Sliickshot,

Unfortunately I didnt take any pics ... but there is a lot about vacumm molding holsters on the net ... this guy made his own you Tube:



TTFN,

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Okey-doke, WW. Thanks.

[ChuckBurrows]

FWIW - vacuum molding of holsters has been done for many years and is the method most often used by many of the major manufacturers

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Chuck Burrows,

I found that out when I went back to check on the vacuum after 24 hours ... my woodworking compatriot mentioned that he had had found many 'hits' discussing vacuuming leather on the internet ... and I thought I was so smart and unique ...

Now I am planning to soften the holster even more and keep it from cracking by putting a layer of Skidmore cream on the outside of the holster .... if I can just find my nitrile gloves ...sigh.

TTFN,

[ChuckBurrows]

A lot of guys who do it on a small basis use one of those food vacuum pack deals - the better ones at least seem to work real well - guess I'm old fashioned though becuase I still prefer to hand mold..........

and yep I've re-invented the wheel so to speak a few times in my life as well then found out it had been done many times before..

[Slickshot]

Thanks for that info and the utube link...


Slickshot

[WaddWatsonEllis]

In short, the surgery was a success but the patient died .... *sigh*

The holster came out really well ... looks like it has been ridden by Cavalry ... through the rain and humidity of a Southern War ...

But the pistol was a almost a total loss ... the barrel and frame of the Pietta '58 had surface pitting throughout ... my next door neighbor got all the pitting out, but burnished off most of the bluing in the process ( i.e., almost 'defarbed'). The pistol will be great for reenactments, as it has that worn-down-by-the-holster  look ... but I would not want to trust anything beyond wad or floral foam in it ... I just don't feel good about the barrel. I am just too old and set in my ways to learn to eat with my left hand ... or even take a chance that might mean I would have to learn ...

The extra cylinder is still pristine, though ... so if it fits a late model gun, it is looking like a trip to Boomtown and Cabela's is in order ....

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Bummer, WW. Pits are no fun.

How about sending it to a gunsmith and have the barrel re-lined. Drop in the extra cylinder and Boom! You're back in business. Literally.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Marshall,

I have a foot into both worlds; that of Living History and another foot in SASS.

The '58 Remington for Living History will be fine for some pitting; and the lack of bluing on the barrel will just make it look more 'lived in' .... but I am waiting for a Maynard Rifle to be made, and it is then that I will use the 'defarbed' one for living history and a 'new" Pietta 1858 Remington reproduction for SASS ....

And since the Maynard will not be ready until Yuletide, I have a lot of time to pick up an 1858 Remington (Pietta) .... perhaps wait until Cabelas has another sale or someone wants to sell theirs?

[WaddWatsonEllis]

 
If I had it to do again I would buy a holster mold and wait for it to be delivered .... BEFORE I started any molding!


And this company has molds for most black powder weapons ....

Raymond Tipton <tiptoncompany@gmail.com>

[daddyeaux]

Guys I spent about $400 putting a vacuum system together from Veneer Supplies. I used it once but was not happy with the results. First the bag would not hold a steady vacuum when the pump was turned off. Second it did not draw down the bag on the pistol tight enough. But I only tried this once and have not had time to tweak it further. I'm sure I can correct those problems. I will send pics of the system if ya'll want me to. In theory is sounds like a very good process.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Daddyeaux,

I agree ... I am a woodworker as well and went to a fellow woodworker who was also a  retired engineer.

He had tweaked his system until it worked right for him ... his first system was not strong enough for sustained 24 Hr vacuuming ... so he bought another system that had a stronger motor and a vacuum gauge ... and the pump has a system that reads the vacuum reading and automatically comes on and brings the vacuum within prescribed limits ....

I have not problem with the process ... I will just use a 'blue' gun from now on to do the molding .... and if you PM me I will get the names of all his systems ... although it might take a little while to see him  (in order to get the information) ....

[Slowhand Bob]

Since I am mostly interested in less of a molded look I prefer the practice of placing the holster between two layers of rubber and pressing it in my hydraulic press as desired.  This allows me to leave the pressure applied for a few minutes and I suppose then that one could remove it and add exra boning to get the higher molded look.  By the way, I do use plastic bags when doing this to protect the leather from being marred or discolored by the rubber I use.  My press is a 20 ton HF floor model and works well for several molding chores I now perform.

[Bugscuffle]

All other considerations aside, just how much vaccuum pump (power, suction, cfm or what ever vaccuum pumps are rated in)  is requiired to mold a holster?