Tip to Colorize your Kydex holster

[gimike]

Many of our customers have asked us about alternate colors for Kydex. Kydex does come in a few different colors, but most times it’s only for the thinner sheets or it is gaudy colors that not many people would want. Since it’s such a common question, I thought I’d post a very simple do-it-yourself method.

We’ve played around with DuraCoat on Kydex to change the color of Kydex or to add a camouflage pattern to our holsters. DuraCoat will hold up pretty well, but does not bond to Kydex as well as we had hoped. Perhaps we didn’t follow all the steps as diligently as we should have, or perhaps there are less expensive solutions that work as well or better.

The Kydex company recommends Sherwin Williams SuperPaint, Duration or Polane paints. They also recommend Cardinal Polyurethane 6400 Series paint. If you’d like to change the color of your favorite Kydex holster, here is an inexpensive tip. Try Rust-Oleum. We’ve gotten some of our best results by simply spraying Rust-Oleum to the outside surface of Kydex and baking it in the oven at low heat. Now, I am NOT suggesting you put your favorite holster into the oven at any temperature. Depending on the thickness of Kydex used to form your holster, a mere 150 degrees F could cause your holster to lose some of its shape (the thickness we use requires around 190 degrees to mold, but many holster makers use a thinner material). At higher temperatures, you can watch your prized holster melt into an unrecognizable blob.

For best results, wipe all surfaces to be painted with Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) or rubbing alcohol. Lightly sand the surface with a fine grit sandpaper, and wipe again with alcohol to remove all debris. After painting, before the paint is completely dry, heat your holster with a hair dryer (no closer than 10 inches). As the paint and holster heat up, they will form a bond with each other that should be scratch resistant. Of course, if you bump your holster against something hard enough to remove a thin layer of Kydex, the paint will be gone too. I would not recommend using a heat gun or an oven for curing your paint unless you have a lot of experience with painting, molding and curing of Kydex. Any questions about this process can e-mail [email protected]. I plan on adding a camouflage pattern to one of my holsters soon.

[longlane]

We've had a lot of luck with Fusion (by Krylon I think). Just an idea, and thanks for the post. May well tone down a holster or two.