Coating, Treating Etc. After Stitched Up?

[Skald]

I am soon about to make some pistol holsters, sewing and forming etc. is no problem, but I have never done anything like a gun holster before, so I have no clue about what to use after I am done with it, to make it withstand "wind & weather".

Being somewhat "tactical oriented" (still wanting to use natural materials), I wish to do stuff that you can rely on through a shit storm, so to speak. Therefore, I need professional advice about what to treat it with afterwards. There must be some stuff to help it repel water, and keep the shape etc.? I tried to search this forum, but as I don't know exactly what I am looking for, and since I don't speak English that well, I ended up pretty empty handed.

If you got any recommendations on specific brands and products, don't hesitate to mention them. And if there are any "several step procedures" involving several products, I would love to get to know too. I know that some substances makes the leather a little shiny and plastic looking, but that's no problem, as long as they work well and as announced. Rather a bit shiny/plastic looking, than endning up as a sloppy piece of leather after some rain.

[skippy]

i use resolene,applied with a damp sponge.

i like to buff the leather after its been dyed then coat with resolene and ive not had any problems yet.

[Skald]

i use resolene,applied with a damp sponge.

i like to buff the leather after its been dyed then coat with resolene and ive not had any problems yet.

It's Fiebing's Resolene I guess? When you buff it before that, do you use any sort of "buffing compound", or just a plain piece of cloth? Instinctively, it feels like resolene or similar stuff wouldn't work as well as usual, if you use something else before applying that.

If I use some colors from the Eco-Flo range of products, and treat it with "Eco-Flo Block Out Resist Finish" (there shall be some minor colored carvings), would resolene still be a good idea on top of that, or would the Block Out be good enough on it's own? I guess using products from the same range of products is a good idea, as they have been tried out together, and there are less chances of "compatibility issues".

[katsass]

I am soon about to make some pistol holsters, sewing and forming etc. is no problem, but I have never done anything like a gun holster before, so I have no clue about what to use after I am done with it, to make it withstand "wind & weather".

Being somewhat "tactical oriented" (still wanting to use natural materials), I wish to do stuff that you can rely on through a shit storm, so to speak. Therefore, I need professional advice about what to treat it with afterwards. There must be some stuff to help it repel water, and keep the shape etc.? I tried to search this forum, but as I don't know exactly what I am looking for, and since I don't speak English that well, I ended up pretty empty handed.

If you got any recommendations on specific brands and products, don't hesitate to mention them. And if there are any "several step procedures" involving several products, I would love to get to know too. I know that some substances makes the leather a little shiny and plastic looking, but that's no problem, as long as they work well and as announced. Rather a bit shiny/plastic looking, than endning up as a sloppy piece of leather after some rain.

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'Mornig Skald, First, as to keeping it's shape. I water mold all of my holsters.... that is, after dyeing and stitching and prior to applying a finish......I moisten the holster thoroughly, not 'mooshy' wet, but mailable. I stuff the weapon down into the thing and use hand pressure only to form the leather firmly around the gun. I then allow it to dry in a WARM area........about 130 to 140 degrees or so, but not too much warmer...........you don't want to cook the damned thing. It'll dry to a pretty firm shape. Contrary to most makers, I use two layers of 4/5 oz veg tanned (shoulder) leather, glued with their flesh sides together, to make my holsters. This (to me) makes for a more rigid holster than a single thickness of heavier, 8/9 oz leather, but requires more stitching. You also end up with a smooth, finished interior. As to a durable finish, I use Feibing's Leather Sheen, sprayed on with an airbrush. You can follow that (when dry) with a coat of neutral shoe polish buffed up nicely. My holsters have stood up to over 20 years of use and are still being carried to this day. Just my two cents worth, take from it what you will, and if i can give any other assistance, just ask. Mike

Edited August 15, 2010 by katsass

[Skald]

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'Mornig Skald, First, as to keeping it's shape. I water mold all of my holsters.... that is, after dyeing and stitching and prior to applying a finish......I moisten the holster thoroughly, not 'mooshy' wet, but mailable. I stuff the weapon down into the thing and use hand pressure only to form the leather firmly around the gun. I then allow it to dry in a WARM area........about 130 to 140 degrees or so, but not too much warmer...........you don't want to cook the damned thing. It'll dry to a pretty firm shape. Contrary to most makers, I use two layers of 4/5 oz veg tanned (shoulder) leather, glued with their flesh sides together, to make my holsters. This (to me) makes for a more rigid holster than a single thickness of heavier, 8/9 oz leather, but requires more stitching. You also end up with a smooth, finished interior. As to a durable finish, I use Feibing's Leather Sheen, sprayed on with an airbrush. You can follow that (when dry) with a coat of neutral shoe polish buffed up nicely. My holsters have stood up to over 20 years of use and are still being carried to this day. Just my two cents worth, take from it what you will, and if i can give any other assistance, just ask. Mike

Thank you for your in-depth description, I'll make sure to keep it in the back of my head as I give this a try.

Do you have any experience from using shellac? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shellac). I put a little extra effort in trying to find out about suitable compounds for these issues, and I came across someone mentioning shellac, for the inside of the holster. It's supposed to make the inside less rough, and also a bit more water repellent. I guess I better not use all too water proof compounds for both the inside and outside, as leather preferably should have at least some possibility to breath? Most people seem to talk about resolene however, when they prepare their holsters. Feibing's Leather Sheen, seems like a good choice as well, according to what I can make out of the product description.

When I have made stuff earlier, it has not been a matter of these form shaped things, so I have just used some old traditional Scandinavian leather care products, but they tend to soften the skin quite a bit, and that's not what you want with holsters I suppose.

[Dwight]

Skald, . . . your question is kinda like asking 5 fishermen what is the best bait on a given day. Likely as not, you'll get 6 answers:blush:

But to your question: if you only want something that will protect, . . . be kinda generic, . . . and not too high tech, . . . mix up a 50/50 batch of bees wax and neatsfoot oil. You have to heat it in a double boiler, . . . (I put mine in a jar, . . . jar in a crock pot full of water), . . . let it set up, . . . it's kinda like a paste, . . . you rub it in and stroke it with a low setting heat gun, . . . keep going until you get the sheen you want.

Buff it real good, . . . makes a "less than plastic" finish, . . . fairly durable, . . . easily repairable, . . . easy to make, . . . water repellent, . . . and looks good too.

I'm doing a full leather load carrying gear set for myself, to carry several large high capacity magazines (I'll be carrying a total of 160 rounds of .308 ammo) and I plan on using the wax/oil for my gear. It is more flexible than Resolene, which I normally use on CCW holsters.

When I use Resolene, . . . I brush on a 50/50 mixture, . . . bristle brush, . . . air dry and buff.

May God bless,

Dwight

[katsass]

Thank you for your in-depth description, I'll make sure to keep it in the back of my head as I give this a try.

Do you have any experience from using shellac? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shellac). I put a little extra effort in trying to find out about suitable compounds for these issues, and I came across someone mentioning shellac, for the inside of the holster. It's supposed to make the inside less rough, and also a bit more water repellent. I guess I better not use all too water proof compounds for both the inside and outside, as leather preferably should have at least some possibility to breath? Most people seem to talk about resolene however, when they prepare their holsters. Feibing's Leather Sheen, seems like a good choice as well, according to what I can make out of the product description.

When I have made stuff earlier, it has not been a matter of these form shaped things, so I have just used some old traditional Scandinavian leather care products, but they tend to soften the skin quite a bit, and that's not what you want with holsters I suppose.

Well Skald, I don't think I would use shellac as a finish for a holster. I'm damn near positive that you would be looking at a spiderweb of cracks in fairly short order. The only time I used a finish designed primarily for wood, was a number (30+) of years ago for a finish on leather covered rifle stocks. At that time I used clear, satin, brushing lacquer, thinned 50/50 with lacquer thinner and airbrushed on. (In the open and no smoking) I did a number of them for one individual that actually used them while he and his wife hunted Colorado.....for a number of years, and he and his wife were quite happy with them. No problem with moisture. Rifle stocks don't flex any at all, however. Here's some pics of one of those stocks while under construction. pardon the pic quality, these are digital pics taken of old 35mm prints. No digital cameras back then. Mike

[woolfe]

I mix water and resolene 50/50 in a bucket then dunk the holster and spray the excess off with an air compressor. Easy fast and a great finish.

[Skald]

Yah, I understand that there must be quite a lot different methods for the finish, as someone pointed out, as many (or more) then there are fishermen. That's partly why I asked, because knowledge and "trial and error" of others, who are a lot more experienced than myself, is truly worth more than gold.

Over all, it seems resolene might be the answer. I'll also take into consideration the generic/high-tech aspects. The thing I wonder about most when it comes to resolene, is: Will it more or less "capsule" the leather completely, making it impossible to apply other products? Seems like the interior of the holster could very well be covered with resolene, but that I use something somewhat more "generic"/organic for the outside. I guess that in the end, I'll be forced to "test drive" one of these myself for some month, before I actually make them and charge people for them. I wouldn't want to end up selling stuff that doesn't work to my military friends.

Edited August 16, 2010 by Skald

[steelhawk]

I tried Resolene with a wet sponge last night on my latest holster. It took some of the dye off. I had to re-dye parts of it, but couldn't dye all of it. I didn't like the end result.

[Bronson]

I tried Resolene with a wet sponge last night on my latest holster. It took some of the dye off. I had to re-dye parts of it, but couldn't dye all of it. I didn't like the end result.

I have had similar results with brushing on Resolene. I haven't tried dipping the holster in it but I've been told this gives good results.

I've made up a batch of the 50/50 neatsfoot and beeswax but have only tried it on scraps of leather...looks nice on the scraps though.

Bronson

[BigRiverLeather]

My biggest challenge with the finish coat is getting something that will prevent ANY bleedoff of the dye onto clothes, especially on IWB holsters. I have found the resolene gives the best results for this but I'm still searching for something better. What I don't like is the Tacky finish it leaves as well as the plastic look. Sometimes the hard shell look is ok, but I'd be happier if I could find something with a more natural finsih.

My first finish was Stain Sheen from Feibings. I like the look and feel a lot, but when applying with a sponge, Ithe dye would lift and would still bleed off onto clothes, especially in hot weather (sweat). I've almost come full circle back to that. Right now I airbrush my Resolene on with a cheap harbor freight air brush. I like this because it is very low maintenance and forgiving. Sometimes I mix the resolene 50/50 with water, sometimes I use it straight. The airbrush doesn't seem to care. Now I've been trying to get the Satin Sheen to work. When I can, I REALLY like the finsh much better, not as shiny, little or no tacky feel. The problem is the airbrush does not like it. The Satin Sheen has small platelets in it that break up the shine. These particles clog my airbrush. I might have to find a way to drill out the tiny hole in my airbrush and see if that helps.

I don't like applying anything with a spnge or brush anymore. It is just to easy to get inconsistent. For me, airbrushing is the only way to go. This goes for dyes as well, unless I am diping them or dying black which I use a foam bruash.

I've tried the 1/2 neatsfoot oil / 1/2 beeswax. Not sure this would work for me on a full holster. I can still buff out a lot of color. I want to SEAL it in. I do use it on my edges when burnishing, very nice.

[Skald]

My biggest challenge with the finish coat is getting something that will prevent ANY bleedoff of the dye onto clothes, especially on IWB holsters. I have found the resolene gives the best results for this but I'm still searching for something better. What I don't like is the Tacky finish it leaves as well as the plastic look. Sometimes the hard shell look is ok, but I'd be happier if I could find something with a more natural finsih.

My first finish was Stain Sheen from Feibings. I like the look and feel a lot, but when applying with a sponge, Ithe dye would lift and would still bleed off onto clothes, especially in hot weather (sweat). I've almost come full circle back to that. Right now I airbrush my Resolene on with a cheap harbor freight air brush. I like this because it is very low maintenance and forgiving. Sometimes I mix the resolene 50/50 with water, sometimes I use it straight. The airbrush doesn't seem to care. Now I've been trying to get the Satin Sheen to work. When I can, I REALLY like the finsh much better, not as shiny, little or no tacky feel. The problem is the airbrush does not like it. The Satin Sheen has small platelets in it that break up the shine. These particles clog my airbrush. I might have to find a way to drill out the tiny hole in my airbrush and see if that helps.

I don't like applying anything with a spnge or brush anymore. It is just to easy to get inconsistent. For me, airbrushing is the only way to go. This goes for dyes as well, unless I am diping them or dying black which I use a foam bruash.

I've tried the 1/2 neatsfoot oil / 1/2 beeswax. Not sure this would work for me on a full holster. I can still buff out a lot of color. I want to SEAL it in. I do use it on my edges when burnishing, very nice.

Thank you for that really in-depth post of yours, feels like I know a lot more of what to do right off, after this and the other posts in this thread.

I too have been thinking of airbrushing on whatever I'll use, when I come to that point. I have no "real" airbrushing kit right now, but I have some simple "hand pumped" plastic spray bottles, that I'll try and just hope for the best.