Your Kydex holster is perfect. The fit is great, the pistol snaps in, and it carries well. There is just one issue. The sweat shield is jabbing you in the side when you’re running and gunning. So you want to get rid of it. So you need to buy a new holster, right?
Wrong.
Kydex holsters can be modified easily. You can remove extra material with a saw or a sander, but we’re going to show a faster and easier method.
For this method, you need:
- Your holster
- A knife or a razor knife
- Sandpaper
- Optionally, a straight edge
- 2-5 minutes
Overview: Kydex can be scored, then snapped off, leaving a fairly clean cut. Take your straight edge, lay it across the sweat shield where you want it cut, and use the straight edge as a guide, and score the Kydex once. Bend the Kydex away from the score to snap it off. Finally, sand the edge to your liking.
Step #1: Score the Kydex
Using the tip of a sharp knife (we recommend a razor knife or an X-acto blade with a new edge), and using medium pressure, you’ll score into the Kydex in a fairly straight line where you want to break it off. You can score on either the inside or outside of the Kydex; we recommend scoring in such a way that when you bend it away from the score you have room to do so. This is not a cut; you’ll only need to make a clear mark on the surface. You’ll want to use some pressure, but not so much that you don’t have control of your blade. You will want to score down into any depressions in the Kydex. It doesn’t need to be perfect. You can miss some areas and as long as the surrounding area is scored, it will still snap cleanly. We recommend only one pass with the knife. Multiple passes can result in each scored area separating, and where the scored areas meet & diverge there will be pointy parts you’ll separately have to cut off.
Step #2: Snap the Kydex
Bending away from the scored surface, hold your fingers at the edges and push with your thumbs behind the score. This will result in the Kydex bending and separating at the score. Bend all the way back and the Kydex will snap off if your score was deep and clean enough. If not, bend back and forth until the Kydex does come off.
Step #3: Sand or polish to your taste
Using sandpaper, knock off any sharp edges. 120 grit is fine. 360 is probably better as it will leave a cleaner finish. Sand along the edge of the Kydex, paying attention to the corners and edges. Round the Kydex to your liking. When done, make sure you remove any dust (which may include sanding grit) from inside the holster.
That’s it! You’ve now customized your holster to have the sweat shield lowered to the height you prefer, or removed altogether.