THIS IS CLARINO!

[crazyphil]

Clarino is an artificial leather, claimed to be lighter and stronger
than real animal leather. Clarino was developed in 1964 and
marketed by the Kuraray Co. of Japan.

Clarino is used extensively, by many holster manufacturers, for
holsters and other law enforcement products.

Over on the Wolfram to Smith & Wesson thread, the discussion
was about Wessonhide. THE PILGRAM wondered if his shiny
black holsters were Wessonhide. That is how I "discovered"
Clarino. It can easily be mistaken for patent leather.

In 1980 Smith & Wesson offered three choices for their holsters.
Cowhide, Wessonhide, and Clarino.

It is not unusual to see a holster on the big auction site,
advertised as leather, but in reality is Wessonhide. S&W's
Wessonhide holsters were their Pioneer model identified by
the model number 19. (The often encountered model 21 was
S&W's Blazer model.)

Some of you, especially former law enforcement people, may
have some Clarino lurking in your collection. It is difficult to
identify. It was (and is) used by so many makers that I will
probably never learn the model numbers used by them.

Please add what you know about Clarino. Inquiring minds
(like mine) want to know. And if you have photos of holsters
that you know are made of Clarino please post them.

By the way, there is a 1978 S&W holster Fit Chart here
on the forum: 1978 S&W Leather Catalog and Holster Fit Chart

Naugahyde is another leather, but I think the elusive Nauga
might be extinct now.

Here is a Don Hume Bulwark model H900-AS-1-4-BKC-R
photos left to right:
Front
Back
With model 67, Bianchi belt, HKS speed loaders, & cap.

 

[Lonestar57]

I don't have any Clarino leather gear to show but when I started in LE (1979) our department approved three types of black duty gear since it was on your dime to purchase. Plain, Basket Weave, and or Clarino. I never cared much for the look of Clarino. It was too shiny for my taste and those that did buy it found out very quickly how it would scuff up easily. We had a Mr. Perfect type that wore it then one day he chased a suspect on foot but fell flat on his face on a concrete sidewalk. He never could get his gear back to look very good so he eventually scraped it.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Back in the day, at least in my neck o' the sand flats, cities wore plain black, counties wore basketweave (brown or black), and Missouri Highway Patrol troopers wore clarino, black for troopers up to Sergeant, and brown for Lieutenant and above (including shoes). You don't see much basketweave any more. Troopers still wear the shiny stuff, but the brown has gone the way of the dodo bird . . .

 

[THE PILGRIM]

When you have this is the day to oil up the dried holsters,
You notice that the probably Clarino does not absorb any oil.

 

[crazyphil]

I read that the smell test is useful. Clarino smells like chemicals. Leather
smells like leather. Then I also read that S&W put real leather welts in
their Wessonhides to give it the smell of leather. Tricky!

 

[gwpercle]

When I was about 9 a man was hired to re upholster our old sofa in a brown Naugahyde , I wanted to make a holster for my cap gun ... he gave me a nice scrap of the infamous Naugahyde with which I cobbled together a holster held together with kite string and electrical tape , after looking over my work the kind man brought it back to his shop and sewed the holster together properly on his commercial sewing machine .
It served quite well for many years...it was even brown and kinda almost looked like some sort of leather ... As a 9 year old I couldn't have been happier if it had been stamped El Paso Saddlery instead of Andre's Upholstery Shop !
Gary

 

[29aholic]

The problem with Naugahyde is it takes the pelts of so many of those little ****ers to make anything so it is very time consuming.

 

[jimgoldth]

Clarino was mandated by my Police Department after 1985. It looks good and is easy to clean but cracks in time and replacement is the only way to resolve the problem. I like real leather but for sharp looking leather goods Clarino works for uniform wear.

 

[KSDeputy]

I hate the stuff, had to wear it for 30 years. The public wasn't too impressed either. One person asked me if I worked for a pimp.

 

[gwpercle]

The problem with Naugahyde is it takes the pelts of so many of those little ****ers to make anything so it is very time consuming.

The good thing is the Nauga was able to shed his "skin" , like taking off a coat, and then he quickly grew a new one.

No killing and skinning required...when you caught one they just took it off and gave you their old coat and ran off ...a never ending supply !

At least that's what the upholstery man told this 9 year old...was he just woofing me ?

Gary

 

[just plain joe]

When I came on the Job in 1979, Clarino was an option for shoes only in our agency. We were required to have black, basket-weave leather for holster, cuff case, belt, belt keepers, etc.

Clarino looked nice but was problematic especially when subjected to hard use. I had some luck keeping my shoes shiny with Pledge spray wax. But sooner or later they became scuffed up and this type damage would not polish out unlike leather which could be re-dyed and then polished. As has been said it also cracked. I have also heard it referred to as "patent leather".

For my two cents it's good for ceremonial units only.

 

[SG-688]

Maker list from 1978 ad

Before Clarino was Corfam. A major feature is that both were 'breathable' - making them suitable for footwear.

I have an ad from a 1978 police magazine.
---------------------------------------------------

CLARINO LOOKS BETTER LONGER

CLARINO is better than leather. It has a brilliant finish
that keeps shining. Just wipe it with a dry cloth to maintain
that sharp appearance. No other care is necessary.
CLARINO equipment is lightweight. And it does not distort
or stain when it gets wet.
Thousands of policemen have found that their CLARINO
equipment lasts longer, looks better, and it is easier to
care for than any other material. Including leather. These
are the manufacturers who use CLARINO now - next
time you order , why not specify CLARINO?

BRAUER BROS., ST LOUIS, MO • BIANCHI LEATHER TEMECULA. CA •
BUCHEIMER, FREDERICK, MD • C. M. LEATHER, TULSA, OK • DEHNER, OMAHA, NE • STAN FRISBIE, PORTLAND, OR • GARRETTE POLICE SHOOTING SUPPLIES. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK • H.W.C. POLICE EQUIPMENT, NY, NY • LW. HOLT LEATHER, E. ST LOUIS, IL • DON HUME LEATHER, MIAMI. OK • LOOPER LEATHER, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK • MALONE'S CUSTOM LEATHER, HOUSTON, TX • MIXSON LEATHERCRAFT, HIALEAH, FL • ROY'S CUSTOM LEATHER, MAGNOLIA, AK • S&J LEATHER, RENTON, WA • SAFARILANO, MONROVIA, CA • SMITH & WESSON LEATHER, SPRINGFIELD, MA •

CLARINO The Material Difference
45 HOLTON ST., WINCHESTER, MA 01890
617-729-4705

 

[CJWinOR]

Minnesota maroon

Going on thirty years ago I was a deputy sheriff in Iowa. The uniform store I frequented had a contract for Minnesota duty gear that was a maroon color. It was common enough that the store stocked holsters for a number of different handguns, so it was more than a highway patrol color.

"Cordovan" is the correct name for the color I was referring to. Apparently Safariland still makes it in special runs.

 

[LPD256]

My Dad had black leather that he spit-shined nearly everyday. I believe my Sam Browne was Corfam. Not as shiny as Clarino, but easy to care for. It currently hangs in my garage/man cave. It’s all cracked and shows it’s age. And now has a Crosman S&W Magnum in the holster for display purposes. It seems to have shrunk by about 4 inches based on my experience of trying it on and finding the ends of the belt didn’t touch.....

 

[crazyphil]

I read that Brauer Brothers used clarino in some of their holsters. So I examined this
Brauer Brothers and believe it probably is clarino. It is too perfect, no blems or wrinkle
that you would usually see in real leather. And it smells more like chemicals than
leather.

 

[Gamecock]

I prefer the luxury of Corinthian leather.

SG-688, did you ever see a Corfam holster? I never did. Saw Corfam shoes in the Air Force.

 

[les.b]

Well, I remember that we had either Corfam or Clarino. I still have some holsters and Belts around somewhere, but I do remember that they were made by Don Hume. We later went to plain leather. Many of us had complained about the synthetic stuff, and my department finally did away with the Ckarino or whatever it was.

Best Regards, Les

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

WOW I learn some sh....er stuff on this forum!!

 

[Doug M.]

Clarino, like other shiny stuff in uniform, is a major safety hazard and allowing it should result in BRUTAL discipline for command officers. Every cop should be wearing subdued gear, badge patches instead of metal badges, and headgear should prohibited except only for foul weather gear or helmets. The only exception is honor guard duty.

 

[GerSan69]

High-gloss Clarino is very easy to spot. I remember "low-gloss" being mentioned as an option in the old days, but I don't think I've ever seen it in person. I bought a set of the shiny stuff back in 1984, after a bad car wreck left me with 7 broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and blood-soaked leather gear. I sold it to another officer a couple years later. It was very easy to maintain, but as was already mentioned, a scuff was nearly impossible to fix. I still know a few cops back in Denver that use it, but they are primarily working office or PR jobs.