Aging and softening holster

[pmanton]

I bought a reproduction holster that is stiff as a board. You really have to work to get the revolver into it.
How do I age and soften it?
I thought I remembered something about soaking it in hot water then putting the revolver in it protected by a plastic bag.

Or is there a leather treatment I should use?

Thanks

 

[crazyphil]

Black Rock Leather 'N' Rich. A little dab on your fingers and work it in to
the leather. Wipe off excess with soft clean cloth. Allow plenty of time to
dry naturally. Buff to a shine with your shoe brush. Wear your holster.
It will loosen up and soften with use. If anyone tells you to put oil on it,
don't do it.

 

[luvsmiths]

I bought a reproduction holster that is stiff as a board. You really have to work to get the revolver into it.
How do I age and soften it?
I thought I remembered something about soaking it in hot water then putting the revolver in it protected by a plastic bag.

Or is there a leather treatment I should use?

Thanks

Galco makes a great product for the INSIDE called "Draw Easy Holster Lubricant"

 

[Racer X]

I usually put my pistol in a freezer ziploc bag (thicker plastic) and keep inching it in another bit every day. Eventually it fits well. That extra few mils thickness of the bag give you wiggle room to reholster/draw the pistol.

I just got a new revolver holster today, and that is exactly what I am going to do tonight.

NO WATER OR OIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[series guy]

Ballistol does a nice job on holsters and sheaths.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I bought a reproduction holster that is stiff as a board. You really have to work to get the revolver into it.
How do I age and soften it?
I thought I remembered something about soaking it in hot water then putting the revolver in it protected by a plastic bag.

What, might I ask, is a reproduction holster?

That asked, I don't think that "aging and softening" is what you have in mind and, judging by the replies, nobody else does, either. What you want is a holster that fits your handgun snugly but is easy to draw from, right?

Back in the day, and I bet still but I haven't asked anyone in years, cowboy action shooter routinely took new holsters that were too tight (typically), soaked them in warm water, and then shoved their guns into them (wrapped in plastic/plastic bags) and let the holster dry around their guns. I recollect doing it several times with a couple of holsters until they were "right".

Oiling holsters in the same way as you might oil a new baseball glove is not the same thing as doing it to a glove. You literally want the glove flexible for its intended purpose. Holsters are different. You want them to be able to retain a gun while you're moving but yield the gun up easily when you need to draw it out. And you don't want them leeching oil onto your gun or your clothing so I agree - do not put oil on the holster. If you don't want to use water that's fine, use the same method without water as described above.

 

[NFrameFred]

Not telling anyone THIS is how you do it or THIS is how you SHOULD do it . . . . THIS is what works for me, done it to many new holsters with no ill effects . . . .



I, like others have mentioned, wrap the pistol in plastic wrap or a freezer bag; then I drench the inside and outside of the holster with aerosol silicone spray - several times. I soak it until it starts to run off, then let it soak in for a few minutes and do it again. Then I place the wrapped gun in the holster and allow it to dry overnight. Sometimes, depending on the leather and the design I'll repeat the treatment again the next day - by that time when it dries I never have an issue with it after that.


I have found that the silicone spray does not permanently soften the leather as oil would (i.e. the ball glove example) and the aerosols in the spray can mostly dissipate as it dries, leaving only enough in the leather to 'slick it up' slightly. Depending on how much use the holster gets (as in shooting competitions with repeated frequent draws) I periodically went back about once a season to touch it up again with the same treatment after a few months. Been using some of those holsters treated that way for years - with no ill effect. If allowed to sit in storage for any length of time they sometimes exhibit a white waxy looking residue on the surface, but like shoe polish buffing with a soft rag removes it and slicks it right back up.


The advice is worth what you paid for it. YMMV

 

[326MOD10]

You don't want to soften the leather at all.

I am no expert by any means but I usually take some basic store bought wax paper and wrap the part of the handgun that goes into the holster in it. I then push the handgun into the holster and let it sit for a day or two.

This will loosen it up just enough to ease the draw. And the handgun isn't encased in plastic that could cause some rusting issues.

Mitch Rosen also makes a product called "Leather Lightning", or something close to that, which seems to be a silicone based product to coat the inside of your holster. It is made for the sole purpose of making the new holster easier to draw from.

I read these thing somewhere here in the past and they have both worked for me when a new carry holster is tight.

Good luck.

 

[crazyphil]

When the gun is too tight in the holster, I have also used a shot of
silicone spray to the inside of the holster. Makes it easier to slide the
gun in and out.

In an article titled HIDE FOR YOUR HANDGUN in Shooting Times,
April 1967, Skeeter Skelton tells us how to make a good holster:

"properly made, a holster is too tight for its handgun. It is
chunked into a can of water for a thorough soaking. When it
is completely wet, a cast aluminum dummy or even a genuine
specimen of the gun it is to receive is forced into it. The soggy
leather is rubbed and caressed until it conforms to every
convolution of the cylinder and slide.
The whole mess is dried together. When the form gun is
withdrawn, it leaves a pocket that fits the customer's own
hogleg like it has been sprayed on."

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

I am certainly no leather care expert, but daily use makes it soft and pliable. I bought a nice leather guitar strap that was so stiff I could hardly use it. But with a lot of use over the years, in recent days/weeks I have noticed that it has become really soft and flexible, almost like the buffalo hide strap I have. It's so soft I can't use it.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[pmanton]

Thanks all. The holster is for a M-1917 S&W US Army

 

[Ruger 13]

Neatsfoot oil!

 

[Racer X]

I like that waxed paper option over a bag. A wee bit of parafin wax inside might slick it up too.

Most of my pistols are stainless, so the rust issue isn't on my radar.

A holster I just purchased had a pic of an aluminum dummy pistol wrapped in plastic wrap, jammed into the holster to show fit/coverage of the leather up the cylinder. Letting a wet holster dry/shrink to fit as it were, assuming that the holster and the pistol are the right combination, isn't necessarily the wrong thing to do. Me, I'm not that brave.

OTOH, all but 4 of my maybe 20 pistols are stainless, or stainless/plastic.

And when I read repro holster, I instantly thought military 1911 flap holster, or 1917 revolver holster.

 

[sipowicz]

How do I age and soften it?

Thanks

Keep it from moving around and give it plenty of alcohol and fried foods.

 

[vinn]

I wounder where " they " get that " hard rock " leather. ?

 

[Oldsalt66]

There’s some really awful info in this thread.

When a holster gets soft it’s time to throw it out.

Place the handgun in either a plastic freezer bag or wrap it in ordinary wax paper and insert it forcefully into the holster.

Let it sit a few hours and try drawing from it a few times to test the fit and if necessary, reinsert it into the freezer bag or wax paper and leave it in the holster overnight.

Softeners like neatsfoot oil destroy holsters.

Holsters need to retain their stiffness, but they may need to be stretched by means of the freezer bag/wax paper method.

 

[Oldsalt66]

When the gun is too tight in the holster, I have also used a shot of
silicone spray to the inside of the holster. Makes it easier to slide the
gun in and out.

In an article titled HIDE FOR YOUR HANDGUN in Shooting Times,
April 1967, Skeeter Skelton tells us how to make a good holster:

"properly made, a holster is too tight for its handgun. It is
chunked into a can of water for a thorough soaking. When it
is completely wet, a cast aluminum dummy or even a genuine
specimen of the gun it is to receive is forced into it. The soggy
leather is rubbed and caressed until it conforms to every
convolution of the cylinder and slide.
The whole mess is dried together. When the form gun is
withdrawn, it leaves a pocket that fits the customer's own
hogleg like it has been sprayed on."

That article you’re referencing describes the manufacturing of a properly formed and therefore somewhat overly tight holster, rather than the breaking in process.

Hopefully no one becomes confused and chucks their new holster into water in order to get it to fit.

Hide For Your Handgun

 

[Leatherman-Cowboy]

pmanton

A simple application of good saddle soap will do wonders. As for water - NO,,,,water tightens the fibers up, and makes it crack. Also water may not interact with the color of the leather. I make holsters, and NEVER make a holster to tight. Rather I allow for a semi snug fit that will allow easy holstering and drawing the gun. Leather will naturally form to the gun - just like a pair of boots and dress shoes. Perhaps it would be a good idea to post a picture or two with your gun in the holster?

Thank you,

Henry