Stormtrooper - FX Holster Right-Handed to Left-Handed Conversion
The holster that came with my FX kit was a right-handed Holster. My goal is to make my FX kit closer to screen accurate, which means means I need a left-handed holster. Fortunately, the holster that came with the kit is excellent leather and smooth inside and out. This makes the holster easier to turn it inside out as I will discuss below.
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Holster is on the left-side on the majority of ANH Stormtroopers in ANH.
This is the right-handed holster that came with my kit. Since the leather is smooth on the outside and the inside, I can just turn it inside out. To do this, the stitching and rivets will have to be removed.
In the picture above, you can see from the back, that the holster is held together with basic rivets found at leather or hobby stores.
To remove these rivets, I used a drill bit a little larger than the hole in the back of the rivet. This allowed me to cut off the backing and remove the rivet from the front. I also drilled and removed the button snap because it will go on the other side.
To remove the stitching, I used an X-Acto knife to CAREFULLY cut each stitch.
This is what the holster looks like taken apart. To make the holster left-handed, fold it in the opposite direction. This way the pre-existing holes can still be used.
There is a secondary reason for making the holster left-handed other than just ANH accuracy. If you are using a MR, Hyper-firm or a real sterling, the ammo clip on the side will cause the gun to stick way out on a right-handed holster. This is probably the reason Stormtroopers are seen as left-handed in ANH. The FX holster works fine as is for a Hasbro rifle, but not very well for more accurate rifles. The holster will have to be modified by cutting more space for the ammo clip.
The template you see above is a piece of "fun foam" I bought at the hobby store to make a pattern. I wanted to make sure the gun would fit properly before cutting my expensive holster. Contact me if you are interested in a scan of my pattern and I will make it available for you.
Since I used my holster for a while before converting it, I had some minor worn spots, and it needed to be re-dyed where I cut it so I used Black Dye from the leather store and 6 layers of Super Sheen to give it a high gloss finish. Follow the directions on the bottles for best results.
To reassemble the holster, you will need rivets, a heavy-duty snap, leather sewing needle and nylon thread. These items can be obtained at leather stores, but some hobby stores also carry these basic leather supplies. Take the parts you removed from your holster to the store with you so you can make sure you get the correct replacement.
Before you stitch your holster together, replace the snap. Be sure to place it on the other side from where it was originally. The snap can be set by using a hammer and a setting tool from the leather store, or you can buy a hand tool from the fabric store.
The first step in sewing the holster together, whether it is by hand or by machine, is to make sure the pre-existing holes are lined up. The way I did this is by putting a layer of glue between the leather pieces where it will be sewn and placing leather needles in the holes to make sure they line up. Put small clamps between the needles to keep it together while it dries. Once the glue is dry, you can remove the clamps and needles and stitch the holster together.
Hand Sewing Option:
If you are hand-sewing, use two heavy-duty leather needles and tie the nylon thread at one end. Criss-cross the needles, alternating the needles over and under the holster. Make sure you keep thread taut as you go.
Leather Sewing Machine Option:
If you are using a Leather Sewing machine, just make sure you adjust the machine's stitch length to match the pre-existing holes.
Once the holster is sewn, it is time to attach the straps and reinforce the stitches with rivets. Since you are just replacing the rivets you took out, you don't have to worry about cutting holes. You will also need a special setting tool for the rivets. Rivets, like the snap, are set by hammering the top and bottom pieces together using the setting tool.
Since the leather is used to being folded in the opposite direction, it will want to lay too flat to easy fit the rifle. I suggest taking an object, like a coke bottle, that is larger than your rifle and putting it in the holster for a few days. This will help the leather conform to the new shape so your rifle can be holstered more easily.
