Basic Leather Care?

[crazyphil]

Sno-Seal is good stuff, but keep that hair dryer away from leather! Nothing needs to be "melted into" leather. Just wipe off the excess.

I'm sure Mr. Know-it-all will soon stop by to let is know the real way to care for leather products.

I'm not sure who you call Mr. Know-it-all, but I am sure that it
could not be me. The exchange in posts 12 and 13 of your
thread Pawn Shop Bucheimer Snag gives me a pretty good clue.

I know it can be a little irritating, to those of us who think we
know a little, when someone corrects us. But in this particular
case the "know-it-all" actually does know just about all. He has
been incorrect a few times, but when he is he is quick to say so.

Kinda reminds me of when Harry Truman was President. In
1948 he went on a whistle stop campaign. Speaking from the
back platform of the train. (I actually got to see him. They
let school out so we could.) At one of the stops someone in
the crowd yelled "Give em Hell Harry". The President responded:
"I tell the truth and they just think it's Hell."

 

[prairieviper]

I normally do what is recommended for care and maintenance by the holster maker. Details vary somewhat between well known makers but for the most part, the basics are the same.

There are always those that believe they know more than the holster maker, just as there are those that believe they know more about gun care and maintenance than S&W, SIG, Glock or other firearm manufacturers. In some (although rare) cases that might be true but for most of us, it isn't.

I believe that should a problem arise, whether it is with a firearm, vehicle or even a holster, your chances of getting the problem resolved to your satisfaction is much better if you have followed the manufacturers instructions.

 

[TAROMAN]

I used Ballistol on dried out leather with good results.

 

[rednichols]

For routine maintenance I always recommend neutral shoe polish, lightly applied to exterior surfaces, buffed with a soft cloth.

Basically just an inert wax, provides some protection against moisture and surface abrasion without saturating the leather. The neutral polish has no dye content so it won't stain clothing. If you have minor scratches or abrasions to deal with those can be touched up with leather dye (or a felt-tip of the proper color), then apply the neutral shoe polish.

Oily or greasy preparations are to be avoided because over time they will saturate the leather, softening it and overcoming the form-fitting qualities.

Ray's advice is excellent though I don't follow it. That is, using neutral shoe polish has all those benefits and adds a hard shell of protection against bangs and scratches. It is not, of course, what holster manufacturers do; and so I follow in their footsteps and suggest either Fiebings harness dressing or tan kote. On the other hand they can't be had at the local suoermarket like shoe wax!

 

[Dahak]

I have a new magazine holster which is my first leather firearm accessory. The search function led me here, so here comes my miracle of thread resurrection. I also nominated this thread for the notable thread listing in this subforum. With that, here goes....

My brand new relentless tactical single stack mag holder is here and is very tight. Okay, it is brand new leather so that is to be expected. My shoe care experience has me well armed with the soft and supple products most notably Saphir Medaille d'Or Renovator – All-Purpose Leather Shoe Cleaner & Conditioner which is amazing for shoes.

However, soft and supple seems like the wrong answer for our purposes. I want to accelerate the break-in process and make sure I take care of the leather properly.

1) Is my instinct correct that aside from polishes that I do NOT want to use shoe conditioners on holster leather?
2) Ballistol says leather care, but Ballistol says it can do everything and the fact that it leaves a slick film on slide rails indicates to me that I don't want to use it on leather when I am not looking for field expedient solutions.
3) How can I accelerate the break-in process without going too far? At this moment, I'm just storing my mag in the holster and letting the natural molding process work its magic, which will probably take a week or more to become functional and a month or so finalize.
Thanks!

 

[ContinentalOp]

You can wrap a mag in plastic wrap or a plastic ziploc sandwich bag, then stick in the mag pouch. Leave it overnight. Check the fit with just the mag. If it's still too tight, repeat, checking daily.

My current mag pouch was quite tight when new. I ended up adding a second, and then a third bag. Off and on, it's taken over a month to get it where it's at now. A mag is fairly loose in the pouch, and will fall out after a couple of shakes, when it's not being worn. When worn, it's still quite snug, but I can get the mag out without too much difficulty. And the mag will not be falling out. I do have to twist the mag back and forth while inserting it in the pouch, though.

Go slowly. Check often. It's better to have a mag pouch that's a little too snug than one that's too loose.

If all else fails, contact the maker. They may be able to offer some suggestions.

There are also threads in this subforum discussing how to break-in holsters. Much of the same applies to mag pouches, so I'd suggest doing a search if you haven't already.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Despite this being an old thread, I'll add that I use Kiwi Neutral Paste Wax on my leather gear every once in a while. Probably not as often as I should.

Another use I have for Kiwi Neutral Paste Wax is to apply it to belt and holster contact points to minimize that "squeak" that sometimes comes with using leather gear.

 

[saemetric]

All my Bianchi's get Kiwi shoe polish. Protects and smells good.

 

[SDH]

Leather 'N Rich++++
Heard about it here and it's the best I've used!