stiff leather holster
- Thread starter buster1
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Put two - three layers of blue masking tape on the gun where it is tight, then force it in the holster and leave it there for a day.
When you take the tape off it should have stretched enough to be 'just right'.
BTW: You want it to rub a little, and be a smooth yet tight fit..
A loose fitting holster will wear the finish off slopping around in the holster.
rc
When you take the tape off it should have stretched enough to be 'just right'.
BTW: You want it to rub a little, and be a smooth yet tight fit..
A loose fitting holster will wear the finish off slopping around in the holster.
rc
Red Cent
Member
What RC said.
If it won't go, put a damp rag inside the holster for a minute or two. Not soaking wet. All you want to do is soften just mm or two. Then try the gun. The cylinder will "sink" into the leather.
If it won't go, put a damp rag inside the holster for a minute or two. Not soaking wet. All you want to do is soften just mm or two. Then try the gun. The cylinder will "sink" into the leather.
el indio
Member
If you use water inside the holster, wrap your revolver in plastic wrap to keep it dry. Then let it sit over night. It should be shaped and dry be then. facebook.com/randjsp
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CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Whatever you do, don't treat it like a baseball glove and soak it in oil. You'll ruin it. Oil isn't bad for leather but it's overuse is.
g.willikers
Member
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Saddle Soap and the like is used to soften ball gloves and horse gear.
It's available at sporting goods stores.
But holsters often have an inner lining that can be harmed.
So, some care is required there.
Silicone oil, lightly applied, works.
It's available at sporting goods stores.
But holsters often have an inner lining that can be harmed.
So, some care is required there.
Silicone oil, lightly applied, works.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
And will destroy the value of a good leather holster. You DON'T want to soften up a holster.
Use the tape or baggie trick and then live with it for a while. It will wear in and fit properly without losing the vital tension that makes it an holster and not a gun pouch.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Saddle soap is fine for cleaning.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Right. For mild cleaning, used sparingly. "... and the like..." found at sporting goods stores can be lots of stuff like mink oil and other leather softening/conditioning products like you might use on a baseball glove. Don't want that near my holsters. In fact, I've never gotten a holster so dirty that I've felt the need to break out the saddle soap. A very lightly dampened rag would usually be more than enough.
george burns
Member
Google it, there are several ways to do what you are trying to achieve, I know I have seen it more than once.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...firingline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368556, here you go.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...firingline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368556, here you go.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
The danger in any of this stuff is not its use but its over-use. Leather does not need to be conditioned more than about once or twice a year and even then, only very lightly. Through the tanning process as well as the process that turns hides into holsters and belts, natural moisture is lost and has to be replenished. Especially when using spirit-based dyes. Any good maker will condition his leather before it goes out the door. John Bianchi dips his in warm neatsfoot oil. Others use Skidmore's or Lexol and some, like myself, use extra virgin olive oil. Done right, you replenish the natural moisture without making the leather overly soft. Use too much and the cells within the material absorb more oil than they can hold and burst. This is irreparable damage. This is what makes a baseball glove soft when soaked in oil.
A lot of misconceptions have been formed because your average off-the-shelf leathermaker advises not to use any oil at all. That's because they'd rather YOU have to replace your holster after 10-20yrs because it dried out, than to replace one six months old under warranty because someone over-oiled it like a baseball glove.
Sunray
Member
Leather stretches when wet and shrinks as it dries. Wet forming it will fix your issue.
Run it under a tap until it's wet, but not dripping(literally in and out) then stick your Blackhawk(not a bad thing to wrap it in saran wrap) in and let it dry. Then use regular shoe polish on it.
Silicone spray and oils not made for leather are bad things to put on anything made of leather.
"...Saddle soap is fine for cleaning...." So is plain soap and water. Gently.
Run it under a tap until it's wet, but not dripping(literally in and out) then stick your Blackhawk(not a bad thing to wrap it in saran wrap) in and let it dry. Then use regular shoe polish on it.
Silicone spray and oils not made for leather are bad things to put on anything made of leather.
"...Saddle soap is fine for cleaning...." So is plain soap and water. Gently.
ivankerley
Member
be careful if you have intricate tooling/carving, or any special dye finishes… especially if youre going to start molding on it with water and a boning tool… wont turn out well
gene
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Yep! That tooling will start to disappear.
Extra virgin olive oil is not "made for leather" (or is it?) and it works just fine.
g.willikers
Member
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- Aug 25, 2007
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What are we talking about here?
Leather, yes?
Cowhide, not silk or gossamer.
Consider what it did for the cow, suffering years of cow sweat and tree scratching.
It's the stuff ancient armies used for armor.
Or what holsters endure - all kind of chemicals, lubes and solvents.
It's doubtful anything we are discussing here is going to do much harm.
Leather, yes?
Cowhide, not silk or gossamer.
Consider what it did for the cow, suffering years of cow sweat and tree scratching.
It's the stuff ancient armies used for armor.
Or what holsters endure - all kind of chemicals, lubes and solvents.
It's doubtful anything we are discussing here is going to do much harm.
JTQ
Member
There is a difference between the leather in your shoes or a baseball glove and a holster. Shoes, and ball glove you want them flexible to work properly. A holster needs to be stiff to retain the gun properly.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Leather is tough stuff but it's not indestructible. Treat it poorly and it will fail. Soak it in oil like folks do with baseball gloves and you will ruin it. That damage is completely irreversible. Soak a tooled holster in water and start trying to reshape it and you will ruin the tooling. Just soaking a stamped holster in water can cause the impressions to rise.
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