Hi:
I have Lobo Dual carry pancake holster that I have used for several years.
The holster has become loose and limp.
Is there a method I can use to stiffen the leather ?

Thanks,
Jimmy

This was posted by dfariswheel previously on the 1911forum in 2005. I personally agree with him; it's time for a new holster. It's like tires for a car, not a place to cheap out (said the guy who bought recaps as a poor teenager ).
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The sign that your holster's service life is over, is when the gun gets too loose.
It doesn't matter HOW nice the holster LOOKS, time to replace it.

You can get a temporary better fit by remolding the holster to the gun.

How you do this depends on what leather dressings or oil might be in the leather and what finish is on the outside.

If the holster will absorb water you can dunk it in a sink full of hot water and a little liquid soap as a wetting agent.

If the leather won't take water, get a bottle of common alcohol, put it in a spray bottle and spray the leather until it's good and wet.

Put the holster on a CLEAN, WHITE towel in a cool place away from sunlight and let stand.
This is known as "casing" the leather.

When the holster has returned to it's natural color, but still feels cool to the touch it's ready.
NOTE: MOST people don't let the holster stand long enough, and try working with it while it's still too wet.
Let it stand longer than you think needed. If it's too dry you can always spray some more water or alcohol on it.

When the holster is ready, insert the BARE gun into it.
DO NOT wrap the gun in ANYTHING, this will cause the leather to stretch out even worse.

Carefully mold the leather around the gun with your CLEAN fingers, pressing the leather around the prominent features like the cylinder or slide and frame.

You can also use smooth plastic or even metal tools to press the leather around and into the gun.

Once you're got the leather formed more closely to the gun, REMOVE THE GUN, and gently press the holster closed slightly to counter it's opening up when the gun was removed.

DO NOT allow the holster to dry with the gun in it, because this will cause the leather to stretch out, ruining the fit.

If the leather was at the right stage of dampness there should be little or NO moisture on the gun.
Wipe the gun down with an oily patch.

Put the holster back on a CLEAN, white, dry cloth away from heat and light, and allow to dry BONE dry.

Apply a couple of coats of neutral shoe polish.
DO NOT apply ANY oils or leather dressings, since these will soften the leather and cause it to stretch out.

This will temporarily tighten up the fit, but, this is a sure sign it's time to buy a new holster.

I shiver everytime I hear another person asking what kind of leather oils and softner to treat their holsters with........

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Hipcocked45

A soft holster can be hardened by a method that is a bit like striking a match to make sure it will work when you need it next :-). Holsters are hardened by wetting in hot water for a few seconds; re-moulded; dried in an OPEN fan-force oven (personally I use a space heater blowing into the open side of a timber box) for a half hour or so (until obviously dry); temp 140 F or so.

It's like a testing a match by striking it, though, because if the leather has degraded over time, any dry/red rot will quickly overtake the holster and the leather will actually break (I actually 'killed' a Seventrees IWB from the '60s this way) (and the reason why the 'saddle soap' treatment can be fatal to an old holster). Knowing about Lobo, I expect the leather is good and the holster not that old.

So: only if you're willing to lose the holster rather than have it stay soft and loose. Likely you'll need to rub a new finish into it after drying; I use Fiebing's Tan Kote, available at Tandy etc.

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

Try Red's suggestions. But if it doesn't please you, buy a new holster. Take the old one and nail it up on the wall of your gun room. Just to remember it.

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Dick Burg

Keep a close eye on your junk e-mail. I'm pretty sure you'll get fairly frequent offers of medication that sounds like it's designed to handle exactly that problem.

Thank you.
I have ordered a new holster from Lobo.
Jimmy

In anticipation of the arrival of my mail order Russian Bride I have ordered a gross of "That Medication".
Jimmy

I was thinking the same thing as Model520Fan, he just beat me to the punch. Great minds think alike.

You won't need a whole lot. I understand the marriage dynamic is they come to Merica, make wild love to the sucker. But once they cross the finish line, defined as being here long enough to stay, they start eating and stop bathing. Kind of like a lot of native married women. No way you'd want to touch them.

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Dick Burg

VIAGRA! LOL!

I'd call the maker - but seriously doubt any stiffining method would last long.

Kramer Leather - Horsehide Leather will retain it's shape and stiffness longer than any Leather I know of. Not cheap but the best I've ever tried in my experience!

I guess I have been doing it all wrong... I have scrubbed most if not all of my leather holsters with saddle soap.....hmmmmmm. What should I use to clean and restore them with?

Wonder if additional stitching or a tensioner screw could be installed?

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S&W Accumulator

Once your Kframe holster becomes slightly loose don't think of it as a failed Kframe holster. Think of it as perfect holster for Security Six or Dan Wesson.

Why would anyone with pride own one of those clunkers? It'd be OK to sell it to someone who already owns such stuff.

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Dick Burg

The thing that makes a leather holster stiff is called collagen.
When a holster is wet molded the collagen is softened either by using hot water, placing the leather in an oven on a low setting, using a hair dryer, etc.
Heating and molding multiple times breaks down the collagen and dries the leather.
With time and use the collagen fibers break down and can never be reformed.
The only real way to reharden a holster that's gone all soft is to replace it.

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Keep on Chooglin'

Well there you have it from a Leather Guy....... So I guess it's either Viagra or a new holster!!

Hey Snubby - U feelin' better now? Hope so!

Sciatica's all better.
Now I'm tryin' to come back from the side effects of the meds and the down time.
Got another appointment with a urologist this Monday to correct a blockage problem I seem to be having.

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Keep on Chooglin'