I have come into possession of a WW II vintage German Luger holster. The holster is in sound condition and was originally dyed black. However due to storage conditions the front of the holster is badly faded. What should I use to re-dye the holster black? I can post a picture if necesssary but there in no black at all on the front of the holster. Actually this photo makes it look darker than it actually is.
Jim

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Normally I am a strong believer that if a gun/holster/etc is yours, do whatever makes you happy---however, there are exceptions, and your holster is one.
WWII equippage (esp. Nazi items) are very collectible, but only if in original condition---

You could sell your holster to a collector and buy one that has been modded or a repro and be $$ ahead.

I successfully died a brown holster, to black, using black leather shoe die, followed up by black shoe polish, followed up, after letting it dry thoroughly for a month, with a good coat of paste wax, and buffed it.

Sounds like the best most profitable idea to me. I would not re dye it. But you do as you please and the other suggestion on dying it will work fine if that is what you decide to do.

Eddie

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Grumpy Old Man With a Gun

Refinishing any collectible is almost invariably a very bad idea. As stated previously, you'd be best served by selling what you have and getting a good looking repro.

Bruce

There's often some irony involved in collectible weapons.

For example, back in the day when really nice 1903 Springfields, M1 Garands and M1 Carbines would show up, you'd occasionally see a 1903 that had obviously spent a great deal of time in an old school unit between the wars where the stock was hand rubbed with linseed oil once or twice a week and had a spectacular finish. The gun would be 100% correct and original - except for the hand rubbed stock finish.

Collectors would recoil in horror at the "non original" condition, even though it was a 100% normal condition for the issued arm in service, as evidenced by a significant number of vets from that era who were still alive at the time talking about how those fine rifles came about.

It was the difference between a rifle in "factory original" or "never issued" condition versus one that's in a still excellent condition that actually represents how it looked and was used in service.

Let's extend that to a holster, where the collectors are much less appalled. They are less appalled as polishing a holster is a normal part of holster care and does not materially change the “original” condition of the hloster nor count as a restoration.

Here's a 1918 DWM P.08 Luger in very nice condition with a period correct spare magazine and a period correct 1917 stamped German military holster.

In this case there is some polish that's been removed after some moron stuck a price tag on it at some point in the past.



But it's just shoe polish. The rest of the wear on the finish is the normal finish wear you'd see in an issued holster, with some wear on the edges of the flap and on the tip, as well as some fairly normal weathering around the magazine pouch.

Assuming you were issued this pistol and holster in 1941, after it had been used in 1918, and perhaps used again or just stored between the wars, what would you do with it? You'd polish it to prevent getting your head handed to you by someone who expected your leather equipment to look presentable.

In that regard, polishing the holster isn't going to put it in a non standard condition.

Here’s the same Luger with the same holster after a polish with the correct color polish. The light is softer and there's no glare as in the earlier picture, but there's no dying involved with the holster.



In both pictures, it is a WWI war German military holster that is worth around $350 holster in this condition, the only real difference is that the "after" polish holster will actually get $350 where the "before" polish holster will not. Set the two side by side with the same price, which one would you buy? The one that looks like it;s been cared fir . Duh.

If you look on the Simpson's limited site you'll see the same holster in similar condition with price tags in the $325-$375 range, even including some where "light dying" is indicated. Polishing to bring a holster back to it's normal condition isn't "dying" and it isn't "restoration", it's just normal holster care and it won't kill the value.

----

On the other hand....

You're talking about dying your holster black. The image isn't great but it appears to be a WWI or Weimar era hardshell P.08 holster and virtually all of those were brown. Black started showing up in the German military holsters around 1936 but brown was still the predominant color until about 1941, and by then the strap/stud holster was the norm, not the strap and buckle design.

So, find out for sure what it is and what color it's supposed to be - Dark Brown versus Black - then polish it with an appropriate color polish.

I'm the original poster and the color had been black as it's WW II vintage.
I talked to a leather restorer who specializes in holsters and he told the correct black dye to use to get the color back. It now looks great.
If anyone is interested it's Fieburgs Black leather dye and it can be purchased online.

Jim

Exactly what BB57 said!!! I have a massive WWII collection, and you had better believe all the leather has been brought back to nice condition using the correct products. That always includes shoe polish. It includes leather dye when/if needed. Much of what you do will actually preserve the leather. If you have ever seen a Civil War collection that includes leather that hasn't been restored/cared for, you know what I mean.

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Dr. B

A well considered and logical treatise!

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

I agree with azpolock. A WWll holster should be kept in it's original worn condition IMHO.

I have successfully dyed a bunch of holsters, belts and bullet pouches from tan and brown to black recently. I find the most important part is the prep and stripping of the old finish as thoroughly as possible. The actual dying from a lighter color to a darker one is the easy part.

When I was younger and less knowledgable all my holsters were made in tan or a light brown shade. After a bunch of years I realized that while basic black may not be as good looking or stylish, it is certainly less obvious when your jacket, shirt, or garment rides up, blows open or holster peaks out. Black blends in much better with Blue Jeans (my usual daily garb) as does a black belt. That is why I have been dying holsters, belts etc. black that were not previously that color.

My SAA Cowboy Rigs are the exception (I like brown or russet the best) - - HEY, gotta look good out there!

I usually leave the Military holsters alone as far as trying to change or brighten up any colors. German equipment especially gets thumbs down looks when it's been worked over. Dyed/re-dyed items colors the normally white stitching. 'Shoe Polished' is a common description when Axis holsters are being sold and it's not there to draw an enhancement to the value,,just the opposite.

Some gentle care done with cleaners and even some polishes can remove grime, dirt and clean up some scuffs and damage to a better appearance as BB57 has shown.
Leather goods don't last forever in pliable, usable condition after all, and preserving them as best we can is a good direction to go in.
But keep them as original in appearance as possible,,that's the restoration & conservation part of the game.
Some are just naturally in better condition than others at this point,,accept that.
They went through Wars and storage conditions that ranged from standard duty to primitive. They can't all have survived as safe-queens. Don't try to make them into one.

JMO of course.