Need some advise from the leather experts! I know that when you receive new holsters from El Paso Saddlery and other makers, they come in a heavy duty plastic bag. I have seen "new" holsters in old gun shops that were also in their original plastic bags from the 1970's. They appeared to be good as new.

I know verdigris can be a big problem on some leather goods.

So how do you store your treasures and working leather?

I also want to thank you folks for the previous advice on using the product "Blackrock Leather 'N' Rich"! That stuff is really magic goo for leather!!!

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Miss My Buddy crsides!!

I have a little over 100 holsters right now collected over the past 5 years or so and I keep all of them in new individual ziplock bags inside cardboard boxes (I believe I've read that turnerriver stores his similarly, which gave me the idea). I clean them thoroughly before storage and have found, upon subsequent inspections, only a single holster that developed new verdigris while stored this way, which I chalk up to a less than perfect cleaning job I must have performed on that one. Getting rid of as much existing verdigris as possible is probably the best way to prevent it from recurring.

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SWHF #448

I throw mine in a box,or a drawer,or in the safe with a gun in it,or just leave 'em spread out all over "my room" so I can look at 'em.
f.t.

'Course they've all received the Black Rock treatment.

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South Carolina-God's country

I've wondered about this sort of thing myself. I store my unused holsters in a cardboard box. Many of them were bought used and had signs of verdigris on the snap enclosures. I tried cleaning them with a toothbrush and applying a polisher but wonder if it is still able to spread once the green appears.

I've always thought that leather being a natural product it should be allowed to breathe and stored openly. Wouldn't a plastic bag trap moisture over time?

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

I store mine in a large plastic storage box like the ones you buy in Target or Wal-Mart of The Container Store (that's where I got mine). Most of the holsters are in the original plastic bags that they came in as well. No moisture, no verdigris, nothing untoward that I can see and some of the holsters are O L D!!!!

***GRJ***

It's possible a bag will trap moisture in a moist environment but if the bagged items are dry prior to bagging and stored in a dry area, it's not a problem. Contrary to popular belief, plastic bags, even ziplocks, "breathe" to a small extent. They're not perfectly airtight.

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SWHF #448

I've always just wiped them down with a silicone rag and stored them in the bag they came in

All leather articles have an inherent tendency to collect and hold moisture. Moisture may come from the atmosphere or from the user's body during use.

Newly made holsters have had moisture levels intentionally reduced to a minimum during the manufacturing and finishing process. Storing them in plastic is not likely to result in any problems.

However, once a holster has been put to use, exposed to the atmosphere and user's body during use, there will always be some moisture absorption and retention.

I recommend removing the handgun from the holster after each day's use. The handgun should be wiped down with an oily rag or silicone-treated cloth. The holster should be stored separately in an area having good air flow to allow residual moisture to evaporate away.

Verdigris is a growth resulting from chemical reactions between metal (especially brass and other copper alloys) and finished leather in close contact, usually experienced as a greenish crusty moldy-looking crud around the metal parts (rivets, snaps, buckles, or cartridge carriers such as loops or pouches in contact with the ammunition). Verdigris can easily be removed using a little bit of club soda and an old toothbrush, followed by a light application of wax to seal off exposed leather fibers (neutral shoe polish or Johnson's Paste Wax work nicely, NOTE: LIGHT application, occasionally applied, not HEAVY APPLICATIONS REPEATEDLY APPLIED, which will excessively soften the leather and overcome holster forming).

The important thing to remember is that leather is a naturally absorbent fibrous material made from the hides of animals, subject to molds, mildew, and rot, all of which are much more likely to occur in an environment including moisture. Clean and dry are the major goals. Excessive heat must be avoided.

I had read somewhere (probably here) about using wax to seal off the fibers and I have done that on most of mine. I actually went one step further thanks to the advice of one of the forum members. I hit the places where verdigris grows with a hair dryer to heat them up and (hopefully) cause the melted wax to flow around them better. I don't know if it works or hurts, but in my mind, it made sense.

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Miss My Buddy crsides!!

By accident I have found a way to store holsters that seems to work. When we purchased our current house the previous owners left a quite elaborate system of, for want of a better description, bin drawers in the master bed room closet.They are metal wire mesh construction. I would imagine they are pricey and not something I would ever buy, but before my better half could fill those bins on "my side" with shoes, I beat her to it, and filled em up with my own style of cowhide.

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LEX ET ORDO

My wife just complains about the holsters all over the table.
Honestly, when I'm sending finished leather out, I don't like to put it in plastic. At home I leave it out so it can breathe.

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Keep on Chooglin'

When I read your post, it made me laugh at myself. When I get a newly made holster, I take it out of the plastic bag and breathe in deeply (read....smell it). Love the smell of that new holster!
I must be some sort of freak.

snubbyfan,
Being in the business, do you get tired of the smell?

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Miss My Buddy crsides!!