How to care for holsters

[ENNE-FRAME]

Hi there
I would like to clean this beautiful George Lawrence 131, I read on the forum that the most recommended product is Black Rock Leather N' Rich.
What is the difference between these two jars? Which one do I buy?
I would be grateful if you could explain to me the various steps to obtain an excellent result and possibly other products to polish the leather.
What do I use to spread these creams? Is natural sea sponge okay?
Thanks in advance.
Ciao da Roma

 

[Baxter6551]

Beautiful holster ! I know nothing about that product but in my experience I avoid anything that softens and that could make the holster loose shape or it's fit to gun. I use simple Kiwi shoe polish and a good horsehide shoe brush. If really dirty a light application of saddle soap and let dry prior. I used neats foot oil on rifle slings once and it softened them too much.

 

[s&wchad]

HI
I would like to clean this beautiful George Lawrence 131, I read on the forum that the most recommended product is Black Rock Leather N' Rich.
What is the difference between these two jars? Which one do I buy?

They're the same product (since 1976). My current jar has the first label shown. I'd guess they replaced the Indian chief logo because it's now politically incorrect. Buy the least expensive jar!

This manufacturer video shows how to use it.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK4CzqJ2PJA[/ame]

 

[jeeps]

Hot hair dryer kills mold on leather.

 

[chief38]

Basically all I ever do is polish holsters, pouches and belts with Lincoln or Kiwi shoe polish (Lincoln is preferred). You NEVER want to soften up leather holsters, belts or pouches! Soft = lousy retention. Stiff = great original retention. Never saddle soap a holster or gun belt!

BTW, all my CCW holsters are Horsehide and have zero retention devises added to make up for inferior retention qualities. No straps, no snaps, no velcro, no screws, etc. Just properly made in the first place out of what I believe to be the best material, Horse Hide. You never want to soften up a holster and remove those properties.

 

[rednichols]

Hi there
I would like to clean this beautiful George Lawrence 131, I read on the forum that the most recommended product is Black Rock Leather N' Rich.
What is the difference between these two jars? Which one do I buy?
I would be grateful if you could explain to me the various steps to obtain an excellent result and possibly other products to polish the leather.
What do I use to spread these creams? Is natural sea sponge okay?
Thanks in advance.
Ciao da Roma

Black Rock is mostly water and antifreeze, a little oil. It's meant for painted leather surfaces such as boots. On unpainted surfaces like gunleather the finish will darken substantially and an oily finish left behind. In my pro opinion, a no-no for gunleather and saddlery.

Indeed your holster needs nothing. Holsters have lasted since the turn of the last century (the prior century another matter) without treatments of any kind. I suspect what you're thinking is you'd like it to shine; one can use clear paste wax and gain protection from moisture.

 

[Old cop]

I used Kiwi shoe polish on my duty belt, holster, mag carriers & handcuff case for years & it kept everything looking first rate.

 

[Onomea]

I'm a Blackrock fan. A little dab will do ya, spread and rubbed in with your fingertips. Polish with a soft cloth after it dries in 20 minutes or so. In my experience it does not soften the leather. Might make tan colored leather a bit darker, but, if so, I haven't noticed.

Good stuff.

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

Black Rock is mostly water and antifreeze, a little oil. It's meant for painted leather surfaces such as boots. On unpainted surfaces like gunleather the finish will darken substantially and an oily finish left behind. In my pro opinion, a no-no for gunleather and saddlery.

Indeed your holster needs nothing. Holsters have lasted since the turn of the last century (the prior century another matter) without treatments of any kind. I suspect what you're thinking is you'd like it to shine; one can use clear paste wax and gain protection from moisture.

Hi Red
I don't want to change the stiffness of the leather of the holster by softening it, I just want to clean the blackened parts, the stitching and give shine to the leather again.

 

[chief38]

Hi Red
I don't want to change the stiffness of the leather of the holster by softening it, I just want to clean the blackened parts, the stitching and give shine to the leather again.

Then Lincoln or Kiwi Shoe brand Polish is the way to go. Lincoln is a little better FYI.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Soft cloth moistened with cool or luke-warm water should remove any surface dirt. Allow the holster to dry completely (several hours or overnight) then a light application of neutral shoe polish and buff with a soft cloth.

If you find any mold, mildew, or verdigris (green crud usually around metal hardware) that usually comes off with a bit of club soda and a soft cloth.

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

Soft cloth moistened with cool or luke-warm water should remove any surface dirt. Allow the holster to dry completely (several hours or overnight) then a light application of neutral shoe polish and buff with a soft cloth.

If you find any mold, mildew, or verdigris (green crud usually around metal hardware) that usually comes off with a bit of club soda and a soft cloth.

Your device seems the least aggressive towards leather. I'll try to do it tomorrow morning, then i'll use the wax the day after tomorrow. I'll post the pictures after the shining.

 

[luvsmiths]

A light wiping, and then Renaissance Wax.

 

[john17427]

I use Lexol products. Cleaner and conditioner.

 

[rednichols]

Lobo and I have only ever agreed on this forum once! This is not that time. How did two old guys who spent the same 50 year period in the USA gunleather biz come out of it with such different views on any of it?

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

Lobo and I have only ever agreed on this forum once! This is not that time. How did two old guys who spent the same 50 year period in the USA gunleather biz come out of it with such different views on any of it?

Sorry Red
my command of the language is absolutely not high, let's say it's really basic.
I seemed to understand that you both Lobo and you had said similar things:
clean with a damp cloth, wait until it is dry and wax.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Lobo and I have only ever agreed on this forum once! This is not that time. How did two old guys who spent the same 50 year period in the USA gunleather biz come out of it with such different views on any of it?

Red, it is probably nothing more than my lack of formal training. There were a few good books that helped me along, and some that were generally useless. For the most part I learned by doing, by discovering what worked and what failed.

It is also a possibility that there are very few absolutes in our world, frequently more than one way to achieve desired results.

Also there is no shortage of opinions on any topic.

Best regards.

 

[TheHobbyist]

^^^ Class act, good response.

 

[dirty & hairy]

They wrote a song about it.

Cool Dry Place - YouTube

 

[Warren Sear]

Keep the hair drier or other source of heat away from good boots or holsters that you value.

 

[rednichols]

Sorry Red
my command of the language is absolutely not high, let's say it's really basic.
I seemed to understand that you both Lobo and you had said similar things:
clean with a damp cloth, wait until it is dry and wax.

Didn't say that at all; hopefully I said 'stay the heck away from Black Rock' for gunleather.

Here's what I did this morning when the DeSantis holster arrived from USA:









Fiebing's Tan Kote, applied directly to the damaged holster without prior cleaning, using a sheepswool pad to rub in the TK. Cleans the detritus off, which likely was only mold, then leaves a clean, lacquered surface behind.

Notice I didn't also accommodate the coloured marks; which a black lacquer spray for leather would've caused to vanish.

I bought it only for the pleasure of making one of Gene's (a former customer of mine and one of the very best of same) that is much like a Seventrees, back into a 'keeper'. It will go into a box of holsters that I'm sending FREE to an FOH (friend of holstory) in Canada who unrelentingly has supplied research and images for Holstory the Second Edition. My prior gunleather collection went to the other two FOHs who supported the First Edition.

The Third Edition is forthcoming, if only to put a certain Texan in his place. He wanders the 'net looking for my name on forums, then jumps in with screen names to malign me; then the locals pile on in support! So, I have a stalker. How famous of me!

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

Dear friends
It's because of my poor English, I have the idea that I've started a war...
Maybe it's better if I withdraw from this battle...

 

[turnerriver]

A war usually has two or more combatants, there is no war here. Blackrock is used successfully by lots of people on this forum who can see that their holsters look great after using it, some don't like it and prefer other methods. Everyone on this forum is welcome to contribute their opinion, relate their experience and respectfully agree or disagree with others, no one can be right all the time, not even the moderator. The OP asked a simple question that should be answered by " I like this method " or "this works for me". As with literally everything in life, your mileage may vary but you're welcome to tell what your experience has been. Respectfully-repeat as necessary-respectfully.
Regards,
John Witty
Moderator

 

[rednichols]

A war usually has two or more combatants, there is no war here. Blackrock is used successfully by lots of people on this forum who can see that their holsters look great after using it, some don't like it and prefer other methods. Everyone on this forum is welcome to contribute their opinion, relate their experience and respectfully agree or disagree with others, no one can be right all the time, not even the moderator. The OP asked a simple question that should be answered by " I like this method " or "this works for me". As with literally everything in life, your mileage may vary but you're welcome to tell what your experience has been. Respectfully-repeat as necessary-respectfully.
Regards,
John Witty
Moderator

All my posts were respectful. And my opinion on Black Rock, for which I have a complete post on my blog, is an expert one based on personal testing of the product and a knowledge of what's in it. It is suited only to cleaning painted leathers such as shoes and handbags, and contains a substantial amount of poison that is antifreeze.

If this is an opinion site, then count me out, John .

 

[Shoebox1.1]

Basically all I ever do is polish holsters, pouches and belts with Lincoln or Kiwi shoe polish (Lincoln is preferred). You NEVER want to soften up leather holsters, belts or pouches! Soft = lousy retention. Stiff = great original retention. Never saddle soap a holster or gun belt!

BTW, all my CCW holsters are Horsehide and have zero retention devises added to make up for inferior retention qualities. No straps, no snaps, no velcro, no screws, etc. Just properly made in the first place out of what I believe to be the best material, Horse Hide. You never want to soften up a holster and remove those properties.

Can I get an amen!

 

[rednichols]

Can I get an amen!

A valid opinion, no doubt earned over decades of experience. To the OP's initial question you've added, basically, 'what do I expect from a holster?' and I think it's worth examining what they truly are for; that is, what they really do.

At their core, holsters do no more than allow us to keep the pistol with us at all times, in a socially acceptable manner (boy has that changed; even the Texas Rangers of the turn of the last century weren't allowed to expose their weapons), in a position that allows us to produce it for its purpose (ergonomics). That is, they are portable launch platforms for a hand weapon. Only.

The first of these was the Brill in which retention without a strap was deemed an essential feature. Because they were LEOs; it was not an essential feature of civilian gunleather. Exposed triggers, too, were required of all pistols; not today.

Which brings me to our most celebrated gunfighter of holstory, Jelly Bryce of the FBI (eventually) who began killing perps by 1930 and never did stop. His holster had zero retention, he says, and was allowed to rock forward and backward on his pistol belt to facilitate his draw which was called 'throwing' the pistol towards the target.

Which tells me that retention is not a factor, from horsehide (my personal favorite) to plastic, for real gunmen. Being able to CARRY and LAUNCH the pistol are the only two requirements.

As to LEOs and gun grabs, that has always been the responsibility of the gun makers and we gunleather designer/makers made the mistake of stepping into the breach to 'solve' that problem; leaving the gun makers to do . . . nothing.

My two cents worth.

P.S. My example of a 50 year-old Bianchi holster, known generically as the 9R-2, arrived today. Not only is the spring as strong as the day it was made (perhaps even by me) but the finish also needs NOTHING. Gunleather isn't like boots, not worn down at ground level with mud and dirt and rain etc. The factory finish will resiste most anything one can throw at it.

 

[luvsmiths]

I'd like to just add....

 

[Krogen]

As to LEOs and gun grabs, that has always been the responsibility of the gun makers and we gunleather designer/makers made the mistake of stepping into the breach to 'solve' that problem; leaving the gun makers to do . . . nothing.

Interesting post, rednichols. I am not a holster connoisseur. I'm simply a "user." I just need a simple one I can trust to hold the pistol until such time that I want it to let go.

Can you elaborate on the portion of your post I quoted above? How is it that the gunmakers are responsible? I think I'm missing the point.

 

[rednichols]

Interesting post, rednichols. I am not a holster connoisseur. I'm simply a "user." I just need a simple one I can trust to hold the pistol until such time that I want it to let go.

Can you elaborate on the portion of your post I quoted above? How is it that the gunmakers are responsible? I think I'm missing the point.

I think not. Post 27 tells us that some members here including the moderator have had enough of me and my 'opinions' .