Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster - My first replica prop project (Update: Completed!)

I've been a huge fan of the Uncharted video game series for years now. I always thought Drake had the coolest shoulder holsters. Each game features a different design. I've always wanted one of my own and I've been doing research on and off for this project for the last couple of years. I found a lot of good information here, especially from RPF user Leatherworker. He's made a replica of each of the three holsters from the main three Uncharted games, as well as many other leather props.

So after putting it off for a long time and researching more and more, I finally decided to jump in and start trying to make my own replica. I chose to make the Uncharted 2 holster since that is my favorite of the series and it also seemed like it might be easier to make since it doesn't have the molded magazine holders. I have zero leather working experience so I expect to make many mistakes along the way. Hopefully I'll end up with a replica that I'm proud of.

Here are a couple of reference images of what I want to make:





The first thing I had to do was make a simple cast of my torso so I could easily work on this project and know that it will fit me when it's done. I made a simple cast by wrapping my torso in plastic wrap and then covering that in packing tape. I then cut it off and taped up the side when I was done. I built a simple stand for it out of spare PVC I had laying around from other projects.



Then I made a model out of paper and thin poster board to make sure the size and shape looked right.







Then I started cutting pieces out of leather.



For the stamp on the back plate I designed the NDI with an oval shape in Sketchup and then had a friend print it out on his 3d printer.



The end result had some gaps in it so I filled them in with epoxy and then sanded it down smooth. It mostly worked. There are a few gaps left that I have to fill in again but I think this should work once I have that worked out. You can see the weird spots below in the middle of the 'N' as well as in the left side of the oval.




I also cut out the leather for the main holster piece.



I then wet molded the leather around my airsoft pistol. Unfortunately this is where I've run into my first big problem. The clamps I used left a discoloration in the leather for some reason. Since the dye I will be using is not very dark, I suspect this will be noticeable in the final product. I'm likely going to make this piece over again and find another way to clamp it together. Some have suggested stitching the leather together first and then wet molding it afterwards. I might give that a try.



You can see the discoloration in this photo from where the clamps used to be.




Another problem I have having is with finding the right buckles. The in-game prop seems to have two different sized buckles on the front. One is a larger buckle with two tongues. The other is slightly smaller and only has one tongue. Both match in color and shape. I've searched all over the internet and I haven't been able to come up with anything that is very close to the in-game look. In on of Leatherworker's threads, he talks about how he actually custom cast these parts so they would look as perfect as possible. Unfortunately I don't have the necessary skill set or tools to do this myself.

For now, I bought these buckles. I'm hoping I can modify the two bigger buckles into one double-tongue buckle. Then I'm hoping to somehow alter the color so they are more a dull grey to match the in-game look. Maybe hitting them with a blow torch would work? Also these buckles have rollers and the in-game buckles do not have rollers. I can probably cut these off if I want but I might just leave them on depending on my mood when I get to that point. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.



That's it for now! I've got a lot of work done but I still have a ways to go. I need to keep working on perfecting the stamp so I can stamp it into the back plate. I also have to re-do the holster to avoid the discoloration. I also have to get started on the straps. I'll post updates here as I go.

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Hmmm... Not sure why half of my images are embedded and half turned into "attachment" links. I'll see if I can fix it somehow.

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

That's a cool stamp you made.
Going to add the smaller text?

Looks almost like you're getting ink bleed where the clamps where.
Sewing then wet forming would be a better option, that's what I did with my blaster holster.

You might want to look into taking a leather working class at a Tandy Leather store if you have one near by, or anywhere else that may offer it.

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Thanks! I would add the smaller text but I don't know what it says. I have yet to find an image that is high enough in resolution where that text is actually legible. I'm wondering if it might be the name of the person who designed the model for the game. I suppose I could replace it with my own name just so that there's something there at least.

As for ink bleed, can you elaborate? Under the clamps I put some folded up paper to help disperse the pressure and prevent the clamps from leaving marks. This mostly worked but I ended up with the discoloration instead. For two of the clamps I used magazine paper, which in hindsight was a dumb idea because I think some of the ink bled into the leather. Is that specifically what you were referring too? One of the clamps only had plain white computer paper and that still ended up discolored for some reason, so that one at least could not have been caused by ink bleeding from the paper into the leather. However the computer paper did end up turning a light brown (matching the color of the leather) so maybe the reverse happened?

I think I'll try sewing it first this time. I do need to dye the leather as well so I'm guessing the process would look like this:

1. Cut the pattern
2. Bevel the edges and create the grooved outline
3. Punch any necessary holes
4. Insert rivets / snaps (I hadn't yet reached this stage in my first attempt)
5. Sew the holster shut
6. Wet mold it
7. Dye it
8. Finish/polish/wax

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Yeah my thought was the ink from the paper being wet bled onto the leather.

I was going through my image files the other day and found a clear image of the smaller text (one of those "WOW I DIDN'T KNOW I HAD THAT" moments), but now I can't find it.
I've been looking for the last half hour.:unsure
If I can find it again I'll post it.

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Wow if you can find it that would be great! I really appreciate you taking some time to look for it. This is the best image I have of it and it's still not legible:

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Couldnt see the pictures. Eliminate the clamps and stitch it together first as others have said. Leather stretches/molds/when wet/shrinks when dries. The marks are from where the clamps were attached, leaving the marks.

On wet-molding, make sure to wrap your airsoft gun in saranwrap or a bread bag then put it in the holster. Once the leather dries, its liable to be to tight a fit if you dont. The plastic will add a little space and make a smoother draw. Also take a stick with a rounded end (like a toothbrush handle) and go along the outside of the slide and trigger guard while the leather is still wet. Makes for a more professional look and a better fit.

I'm like you. I got into leatherworking because I couldnt find stuff I wanted. And I learned a lot from trial and error. If you need any more help, I'll do what I can.

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Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Thanks Wolfwalker. I'll go with the "stitch it first" method next as it sounds like it's the best way to go. I actually did wrap my airsoft gun in saran wrap the last time and it seemed to work well. The end result seemed to be a pretty perfect fit. It was snug enough to hold onto the gun but not so much that it was difficult to insert or remove. What you say about the rounded stick makes sense, though I'm not sure if I'll do that on this project mainly because I'm trying to duplicate another design that doesn't appear to be that intricate. I'll have to think about what I really want I guess.

Another note about wet molding. I left this thing out for a full 24 hours and it still was pretty damp. I ended up taking a blow drier to it on a medium setting, being careful to heat it evenly. This seemed to dry it up pretty quick and the end result seemed alright, but I wasn't sure if this will result in a sub-par piece in the end. Is this an acceptable practice? I was going to just let it air dry but it was taking MUCH longer than I thought it should. Thanks again!

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Also you got the process pretty well worked out but dye and finish first then wet mold. If I remember right.
One thing you might do is find the holster-making dvd "Frontier Holsters with Chuck Burrows of Wild Rose Trading Company". He is/was a professional holster maker and goes into great detail. Also the holster making by Al Stohlman from Tandy Leather. There was a book by Jim R. Simmons thats pretty good if you can find it.
Hope this helps

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Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Thanks again for all the advice. I took a short break from this project which is why I haven't updated it in a bit. Really I just was trying to decide how to proceed. I've got a lot of different advice from various forums and it was tough to choose the path I wanted to take. I finally decided to just go for it and I managed to get some more work done over the weekend. I ended up cutting out a new piece of leather to re-make the holster piece. I cut this one a little bit longer, that way the back of the holster can lay flat against my side when wearing it, rather than having it be curved. I also did not use clamps this time. Rather than stitching it first though, I ended up using a bag of sand as recommended by someone on another forum. This ended up working VERY well. I wet molded the leather and then placed a plastic trash bag full of sand on top. This works really well because it conforms to the shape of the mold and has enough weight to hold everything in place.



I left the sand on there for a couple of hours, then removed it and used a hair dryer to mostly dry out the leather. I wanted to get it dry enough that it would hold its shape. It's now laying out to dry on its own while I decide my next steps.



This version of the holster looks nicer than my last one and the fit is a little bit more loose, in a good way I think. It feels like it has a solid grip on the gun but like it comes out of the holster with less effort than the last version. I feel like this one could have been made a little smaller but I I haven't decided if I care enough about that to make yet another one. I'll wait for it to completely dry before I make any decisions on that.

Here you can compare the first version (bottom) from the second (top). The second version still wasn't completely dry when this photo was taken which explains why the color is darker.

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Still hard to tell what it is:

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Thanks for that image, Checkboard. I have a very similar one I found online though the one I have doesn't look quite as sharp. I tried manipulating it with Gimp to see if I could get anything to stand out but with no luck. I don't really know what I'm doing with Gimp though when it comes to this kind of thing. I mostly was just trying various filters that I thought might help but to no avail. I might try the same process with this image since it appears to be a bit sharper than the one I have. Thanks again!

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

I thought it might have been seven letters, ending in "T", and have been playing with scrabble sites looking for a word which might have matched - but no joy.

It's strange that this discussion doesn't seem to have turned up before (not that I am any expert).

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Would you be willing to commission a second piece??

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

I might be willing to commission a piece but I'll have to wait until I finish this one to decide if I'll actually do it. I want a good idea of how much time, effort, energy, etc goes into the whole thing. I also want to be sure the end result is something I'm really proud of, and not just "ok". I'll let you know once I get to that point.

I haven't updated this thread in a few months for a couple of reasons. The big one is that I've been stuck on the buckles. I couldn't find any off the shelf buckles that were good enough for me. I looked into 3D printing them, but that was a bit expensive, so I decided to try and make metal buckles myself using a Zamak casting process. So far, I have not had success.

I started by molding the buckles with Super Sculpy. I'm not a very artistic person, so I have trouble with this kind of thing. After several hours, I ended up with something I was happy with. I molded the two buckles, and one copy of a buckle tongue.





Once I had the originals, I tried to make an RTV silicone mold using silicone I bought from Smooth-on. Notice I said tried. I apparently didn't put enough of the spray stuff in between the two parts and they ended up merging together. I managed to get the two halves somewhat pulled apart, but the mold did not turn out nearly as good as I had hoped it would as a result.



This was quite discouraging because I had already spent more money on this stuff than I would have on the 3D print from Shapeways. I decided to try using this mold anyway, but so far I haven't been able to get a good wax copy of the buckle parts. They always end up cracked or a bit off. I am just using candle wax from the store though, so maybe I need some special kind of wax?



My next step was going to be to dip the wax pieces in a mixture of water and drywall compound (I saw this online somewhere and supposedly it works as investment material). Then I was going to burn out the wax. I already purchased a big ass Zamak ingot I was planning to melt down for casting, but I haven't been able to get a good wax copy with my mold.


I think if I wanted to continue going down this road, I would need to purchase more silicone and try to make another mold. The problem is I don't want to keep sinking money into this and failing over and over again. The other option was to try and print it on Shapeways, but I was afraid to spend money there not knowing what the final product would look like. So I ended up with some analysis paralysis.

Last night I finally decided to order parts from Shapeways. I managed to keep the cost down to around $60 for all of the parts, which is nice because I thought it would be more. I don't think my 3d designed parts are 100% accurate to my reference images, but they are the best I've been able to do with my skill set and at this point I just want to move forward. Assuming they come out well, they will still look better than anything I can buy off the shelf.



I designed that stuff in Sketchup. I placed my order last night. Estimated ship date is Sept 26, which is pretty far out. However I received an email this morning stating that they are already printing my parts. Hopefully they will ship sooner than expected and I can get them maybe next week? I'll keep you posted. If these turn out well, I'll be able to move forward with cutting the straps.

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Sweet. Lemme know.
Are the 3d prints metal? You know I've been on a tight budget before and the molding putty you can find at Hobby Lobby has proven useful in a pinch.
Smooth On is beast but it takes patience and costs a bit more.
Was really interested in that metal casting process haha too bad.

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

The 3D prints are metal. That was one requirement I wasn't going to give up. I want the buckles to be metal, strong, and resistant to rust. Shapeways is printing these in stainless steel with a "polished grey" finish. It should look something like the middle one in this photograph: http://static1.sw-cdn.net/rrstatic/img/materials/steel-material-hub-20131023.jpg

From what I've read, it should be pretty strong even though it's not made as a solid piece of metal. I've seen and handled their stainless steel prints in person and the resolution is surprisingly good and the strength feels strong enough for me. The real question is will it work properly with my 3d design? Unfortunately the only way to know is to test it. I'll definitely post some photos once I get the prints back. I really hope it works! If not, it will be back to the casting process most likely.

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

Kickass. Well I wish you the best of luck. I'm currently modding my Colt 1911 and a Drake holster would make it look so sweet.
I'd love to use 3d printing for some of my projects but Ehhh never grasped the modeling phase. Looks difficult

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

I'm still waiting on the parts to come in. I'm a bit annoyed since they e-mailed me last Thursday to say that it printed out fine and they also sent me a UPS tracking number. However, UPS says it still hasn't shipped yet. I'm stuck waiting until they actually ship the things.

I also decided to buy the "U3 Explorer's ring" from Shapeways while I was waiting. This is a replica of the Uncharted 3 ring that can be printed via Shapeways in several types of metal. I chose the plain stainless steel since I read reviews saying that the polishing material tends to get stuck in the lettering. Unfortunately, even the unpolished steel had this sandy material stuck in the letters. You can see it in the photos below.


I ended up using a small sewing needle held with a pair of pliers to plug out most of the sand. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to get it out of the tiny cracks. The needle isn't thin enough. It looks much better now anyway, but if anyone has any ideas for how to get the more difficult areas cleaned, I'd love to hear them!



Just before receiving my tracking number last week, Shapeways sent me another e-mail saying my shipment might get delayed as far back as Oct 1. So I'm really hoping to hear something by tomorrow. I'll post another update once the parts arrive or if I make any other progress in the mean time.

Re: Uncharted 2 Shoulder Holster WIP - My first replica prop project

The buckles finally came in! It was painful yesterday knowing they were sitting at my house all day waiting for me while I was at work. They turned out really well. They are exactly what I designed on the computer. I'm impressed with the accuracy of these prints. That being said, I think they are probably a bit thin, especially the tongue pieces. I'm not sure these buckles would hold up to rough abuse. I'll probably end up replacing them later with something stronger and more accurate, but these should do for now. I also kind of wish I hadn't gone with the polished gray look because I wasn't able to find other hardware (rivets, snaps, etc) that match the color. Most of the other stuff with be a more shiny nickel color. I'm hoping I can age the nickel somehow to get the colors to match better. If anyone knows a good way to do this, let me know!

The buckle tongues were printed separately. The Shapeways steel printer has a limitation where it cannot print interlocking parts. I designed the tongues to be snapped onto the center bar later. I just hoped it would work.




At first the tongues didn't want to snap in place. I had to use a pair of pliers to get extra leverage. But they eventually did pop into place! I was so glad it worked.



I'd really like to get the colors of my nickel hardware to more closely match this color. Or even visa versa. Maybe I can try to electroplate these with nickel... I'm a bit hesitant to try because if it doesn't turn out well, I won't be able to get new buckles in time for Halloween. I'm trying to get this piece done by then so I can have a good Nathan Drake costume this year. I might also try hitting it with sandpaper. It's supposedly just a black polish, so maybe I can remove some of it it certain areas so it will look aged?

The employee at Tandy told me that you can drop nickel plated hardware into lemon juice to age it a bit. I'm going to try that tonight and see what happens. I've also read that PCB etchant works. I have some of that at home from a previous project so I'll try that too.

Other than that, my next step will be to cut the leather straps and get the thing completely put together using Chicago screws. This way I can put it together and verify that it fits properly without it being permanently attached. Once I know that it will work, I'll move forward with staining, stitching, etc.