What to use for holster care?

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smee78

New member
Hi everyone,

I have a whole box of leather holsters I use and went to pull one out to use it and it had the green crud around the snap and it got me thinking, should I be using anythng on my holsters to "care for them"? I have a LGS that I shop at often and they let me dig around in the used holster bin sometimes to see if they have a good holster for whatever gun I'm purchasing, some are in better condition than others but I dont mind a scrach or two, but I still dont want to neglect a holster if there is a good way to clean and preserve them so I thought I would ask if any of yall use something to keep your holsters looking clean and usable?
 
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reloder56

New member
Leather holster care?

The green "crud" that forms on brass or bronze snaps and buckles is verdigris and it is unavoidable. I remove it from my retention snaps and gun belt buckles with a toothpick and an old tooth brush.
For leather care, I use a quality saddle soap and a quality leather conditioner for the exterior smooth leather, some quality shoe polish to remove any scuff marks and squirt some quality "food grade" silicone spray on the interior of my leather holsters.
Hope this info is what you're for. Regards, Gary
 
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wogpotter

New member
I've frequently seen clear shoe polish suggested. I used some on a black basket weave & it seems to be doing well a few years later.
You probably want to avoid "oils" that soften the leather.
 
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smee78

New member
Thanks everyone for your imput, for the price of good lether holsters these days you would think the gun industries would promote there own brand of clean/preserve products just like cleaning products for your gun,
 
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rodfac

New member
I've built holsters for friends and family for 30 years+. We use Snowprooof, (really any good leather wax is OK) as needed, usually once a year. Too much of any product and the leather will lose is stiffness, especially those that were wet fitted to the gun. Most people use far too much. Smear it on with your finger tips, then wipe as much of it off as you can.

And always keep your leather clean and dry...damp basements are not good. Any verdigris is a sign of damp conditions. The best to you and yours in this season of Thanksgiving, Rod
 
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Jeff22

New member
leather conditioners

A couple of years ago I was researching this topic. I had a couple of pairs of old GI leather combat boots that I wanted to put back into service, but they needed a little bit of work.

I queried one of my friends, who (like me) has many pairs of leather boots and holsters and belts and jackets.

He is also an avid motorcyclist, and so has riding boot and leather cycle jackets and even several pairs of leather riding pants he uses in the spring and fall that make him look . . . special. (One pair actually looks like leather Levi jeans. Those aren't too bizarre . . . )

In any case, these were his recommendations:

www.farnamhorse.com

Farnam Leather products
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www.leather-milk.com

Chamberlain’s Leather milk
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www.pecard.com

Pecard’s Leather care products
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www.obenaufs.com

Obenauf’s Leather Conditioner
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The only product on this list that I have used was Obenauf's leather conditioner. My friend liked Pecard's because they have a specific product line for motorcyclists


You might also check out:

Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator
www.tandyleatherfactory.com
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Doc Bailey's Leather Care products
www.leatherclear.com
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Doc Jackson's works great to rehabilitate old leather combat boots.
 
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Jeff22

New member
Leather conditioners

I forgot some:

Montana Pitch Blend (has amber pine sap in it)

www.montanapitchblend.com

(My nieces live in Montana and have horses and have used the Montana Leather Oil and the soap and liked it. I don't know if they have ever used the leather dressing)

Galco holsters also makes some leather care products as well
 
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Dfariswheel

New member
The majority of holster makers will tell you to use a wax like Johnson's Paste Wax, Renaissance Museum wax, or neutral shoe wax.

Most will tell you NOT to use any kind of leather dressing or oils.
Dressings and oils are okay if you have leather you want soft and pliable like saddles, gloves, and boots, but you DON'T want a modern holster soft and pliable.

That causes the leather to stretch and that just ruins a good holster.
By oiling or applying an oil you'll at best take years of service life off the holster, and at worse just ruin it right there.

If in doubt read the FAQ's on some holster makers sites or just ask them.
Most will recommend wax and DIS-recommend dressings and oils.
 
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AirCool65

New member
Just a note on the Lexol leather dressing... I had a bottle of it that that I used on leather car seats. It seemed to work fine, but the last time I picked it up off the shelf in my garage, the brown plastic bottle literally crumbled in my hand, kind of like an egg shell. I guess it took something out of the plastic. I've never encountered that before.
 
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aarondhgraham

New member
Keep in mind that what you’re seeing when you look at a leather holster isn’t leather, it’s leather dye which is basically a thin paint. I’ve seen this discussed several times on car-care forums.
Click to expand...

True in some cases but not particularly gun leather.

This is a correct statement for chrome-tanned upholstery and garment leathers,,,
Most gun holsters are made from vegetable tanned leather,,,
Dyes for this can be like paint but most are not.

Dfariswheel is correct in that too much oil can make your leather soft and pliable,,,
But it is really a question of amount of oil rather than type of oil.

Vegetable tanned leather is a fibrous material similar to cardboard,,,
Oil must be soaked into the fibers or it will crack when flexed,,,
But this is usually only done one time when first made.

Watch the video of John Bianchi making a leather cowboy holster,,,
He literally dunks the holster in a pan of hot neatsfoot oil.

This is necessary to replace what leaches out in wet forming.

Once a year I wash the heck out of all my leather items,,,
I use Fiebings saddle-soap and plenty of water,,,
Then I wipe on a light coat of neatsfoot oil,,,
The trick is to not over-saturate the item,,,
Just a light surface coat that soaks in.

There are tons of brand name products out there,,,
Any and all of them should work just fine,,,
Just remember to not saturate the item,,,
A little bit goes a long way.

Aarond

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