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Old 07-28-2018, 12:57 PM
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Default Softening Vintage Leather Holsters

I bought some new old stock vintage Bianchi holsters.

As so much time has passed since manufacture, I can not use several of them because they are as hard as a rock.

Is there a way to soften them up?

Slathering them inside and out in leather conditioner and putting them in a plastic bag or something?

I don’t want to resell them, and give someone else the same problem, but rather get to use them. Nothing like old Bianchi leather in my book.

Any suggestions, Red or others?
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Old 07-28-2018, 03:17 PM
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Go up and click on the Search function. Enter: Basic Leather Care?
You will find advice from Lobo, Red, and others.
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Old 07-28-2018, 07:43 PM
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I just finished doing my annual treatment of my military holsters ranging in age from WWI to Viet Nam era. I use Leather New saddle soap. some of these were hard as a rock when I got them and it takes a few treatments. no overnight solutions I know of. lots of TLC required. lee
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Old 07-28-2018, 08:00 PM
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First, start thinking about taking some time to deal with these old holsters. Don't expect anything to provide an instant fix.

Second, start thinking about very light applications of traditional products intended to treat leather without making it limp or useless. Multiple very light applications will be better than any single attempt to achieve a goal.

Glycerin-based saddle soap might be a good start. Again, very light applications, allowed some time to be absorbed, then buffed off and the piece set aside for a couple of days. Apply treatments only to the top grain side (outer smooth surface); applying anything to the flesh side (inner rough surface) will result in rapid absorption and loss of control over the process. Basically what you are doing is rehydrating older dried out vegetable tanned leather. You are not re-tanning the hide, and you are not refinishing the holster.

Do not overdo the process. As the leather begins to exhibit a dull gloss or inner glow it is time to stop. Beyond that I would treat the piece like any other, requiring nothing more than an occasional very light application of neutral shoe polish, allowed to settle, then buffed off with a soft cloth.

Stay away from any oily or greasy "leather treatment". All these will do is to saturate the leather fibers and render the piece limp and useless over time.
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Old 07-29-2018, 05:11 AM
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Bianchi holsters would only be 'hard as a rock' by design; there is nothing about the aging process that would harden them beyond specification. Perhaps then they've been exposed to unnatural storage conditions in which case I'd ask for pics of them.
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