How Do I...

[Highlands858]

How do I finish the flesh side of a holster so that it's protected from the gunmetal. I like the look of an unfinished flesh side, but once the gun gets up and against it it gets scraped and torn to shreds. What can I do to protect it from the gunmetal? Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

[BillB]

The only way I know to "finish" the flesh side is to:

1. using 100 grit sand paper, sand it as smooth as possible;

2. apply beeswax by hand rubbing it into the surface with a rag until it melts and forms a "smooth" surface.

BillB

[KAYAK45]

How to finish flesh side of leather to act finished but look unfinished???

Don't know. LOL

A really good product for the inside of holsters is "KG9". Don't remember where I bought, but GOOGLE should do it.

Use very little, it's slick and polishes with burnishing. I use before assembly for ease of application and burnish, but many use it on existing pieces. Learned of it on a gun forum. Sand, apply and burnish!

Good Luck

Kevin

[katsass]

How do I finish the flesh side of a holster so that it's protected from the gunmetal. I like the look of an unfinished flesh side, but once the gun gets up and against it it gets scraped and torn to shreds. What can I do to protect it from the gunmetal? Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

I'm a bit confused, just what kind of shooter are you stuffing into a holster that gets the holster "torn to shreds"? I have made a holster or two over the last 50 years or so, but have never had any gun tear one to shreds. Maybe a pic would help me understand. Mike

[TwinOaks]

I'm a bit confused, just what kind of shooter are you stuffing into a holster that gets the holster "torn to shreds"?

Ruger MkII, or any other model with a gut-hook front sight!!!!! Maybe even something with high rise target sights. That's how I learned about sight channels.

I think the issue here is with the quality of the flesh side of the leather. If it's extremely stringy, it will become un-matted through wear, resulting in the 'torn to shreds'. You can have the look of 'unfinished' leather for a little while, but the act of holstering or drawing from the holster will, in itself, cause burnishing of the leather where the gun is in contact with it. You CAN have un-dyed leather, relatively easily, and still protect the leather. When I run into stringy leather, I 'glue' it down by spraying lightly with water, burnishing, then applying resolene (actually, I use Mop-n-glo now....thank's Mike!!!). This creates a light finish on the inside of the holster that maintains the look of 'natural', while still protecting the leather. Perhaps the best way to address the issue is to make a lined holster, using 2/3 oz for the liner. That gives you the unfinished interior you want, and puts the grain side (the strongest and smoothest part) against the gun. My most recent is a Judge holster, but I've used liners on holsters for lots of things from LCPs to a 8 inch 686 with an Aristocrat sight rib, to a Highway Patrolman.......still waiting on the green light for the 10" SBH....

It adds a bit more cost, and a little more work to making the holster....but the results are WELL worth it.

[katsass]

Ruger MkII, or any other model with a gut-hook front sight!!!!! Maybe even something with high rise target sights. That's how I learned about sight channels.

I think the issue here is with the quality of the flesh side of the leather. If it's extremely stringy, it will become un-matted through wear, resulting in the 'torn to shreds'. You can have the look of 'unfinished' leather for a little while, but the act of holstering or drawing from the holster will, in itself, cause burnishing of the leather where the gun is in contact with it. You CAN have un-dyed leather, relatively easily, and still protect the leather. When I run into stringy leather, I 'glue' it down by spraying lightly with water, burnishing, then applying resolene (actually, I use Mop-n-glo now....thank's Mike!!!). This creates a light finish on the inside of the holster that maintains the look of 'natural', while still protecting the leather. Perhaps the best way to address the issue is to make a lined holster, using 2/3 oz for the liner. That gives you the unfinished interior you want, and puts the grain side (the strongest and smoothest part) against the gun. My most recent is a Judge holster, but I've used liners on holsters for lots of things from LCPs to a 8 inch 686 with an Aristocrat sight rib, to a Highway Patrolman.......still waiting on the green light for the 10" SBH....

It adds a bit more cost, and a little more work to making the holster....but the results are WELL worth it.

OK, I see what he's talking about ... I had visions of the entire interior looking like an old string mop. For stringy leather on the flesh side, I hit it on a bench type belt sander with about 80 grit .... with a piece of wood to back the leather and keep it even. Uhhhh ....keep a tight hold in the skin. FWIW .... I use 3/4 oz as my light leather for a liner. Mike

[Blackey Cole]

Have you tried bag kote?

[Highlands858]

Ruger MkII, or any other model with a gut-hook front sight!!!!! Maybe even something with high rise target sights. That's how I learned about sight channels.

I think the issue here is with the quality of the flesh side of the leather. If it's extremely stringy, it will become un-matted through wear, resulting in the 'torn to shreds'. You can have the look of 'unfinished' leather for a little while, but the act of holstering or drawing from the holster will, in itself, cause burnishing of the leather where the gun is in contact with it. You CAN have un-dyed leather, relatively easily, and still protect the leather. When I run into stringy leather, I 'glue' it down by spraying lightly with water, burnishing, then applying resolene (actually, I use Mop-n-glo now....thank's Mike!!!). This creates a light finish on the inside of the holster that maintains the look of 'natural', while still protecting the leather. Perhaps the best way to address the issue is to make a lined holster, using 2/3 oz for the liner. That gives you the unfinished interior you want, and puts the grain side (the strongest and smoothest part) against the gun. My most recent is a Judge holster, but I've used liners on holsters for lots of things from LCPs to a 8 inch 686 with an Aristocrat sight rib, to a Highway Patrolman.......still waiting on the green light for the 10" SBH....

It adds a bit more cost, and a little more work to making the holster....but the results are WELL worth it.

Yes, this type of wear is what I meant. I guess I was being a bit dramatic when I said "torn to shreds." Oops!

Here are my first two holsters, from left to right:

Bad pictures, I know. I don't mind the grooves caused by the safety, sights, and fire controls, I just don't like my guns wearing into the raw leather and creating strings. Maybe I need to think about buying some higher quality leather now that my first few projects have been finished? The leather I've bought has all been from Tandy, and I hear they're not the best, but I'm still a newbie so I don't know what I may be missing out on.

When you say you use resolene or Mop-n-glo, do you mean acrylic resolene? That's what I got to finish my paintjobs. And do you mean Mop-n-glo for floors? I'm intrigued...

I'm not sure how to make a lined holster, but willing to try. I don't mind the cost or extra work, or the trial and error, but where do I begin? Anyone have a link to a tutorial?

Also, does anyone have pictures of their finished flesh sides, protected from wear against gunmetal? Preferably very used holster pictures to give me an idea of how they'll look after they're worn in.

Thanks so much for your responses. You all are my greatest resource.

[katsass]

Highlands; As to making a lined holster. I make almost all of my holsters from two layers of light leather, which, when bonded together, equal a single piece of about 9/10 oz.veg tanned. leather. I prefer this to using the heavier leather and applying a thinner inner layer .... but that's just me. I think my stuff comes out more firm and/or rigid than a single piece of heavier leather. All I do is rough cut two pieces of the light stuff. Then I coat the flesh sides with a good contact cement (I use Weldwood Contact, but NOT the gel formula) allow them to dry to the touch, then stick them together and roll them with an old wallpaper roller. After that I just transfer my pattern and treat the thing a a single thickness of leather ... with two smooth sides. One main difference is that ALL edges need to be stitched, (like this little guy in the pic). As to the use of Mop and Glo. I dilute it 1/2 and 1/2 with water, and use an airbrush for application. I 'mist' on a coat and allow it to penetrate and dry, then one more misted coat. That's it. Mike

[katsass]

Also, does anyone have pictures of their finished flesh sides, protected from wear against gunmetal? Preferably very used holster pictures to give me an idea of how they'll look after they're worn in.

Thanks so much for your responses. You all are my greatest resource.

Highlands, as I have previously indicated I make most of my stuff out of two layers of leather bonded flesh side to flesh side. For this reason I have no pics of a holster with a flesh side showing. I decided to show you a holster made by me about three years ago. It is one that I carry often and the pic of it's interior shows pretty well why I go to the extra effort to make them the way I do. That pic was taken this morning. Mike

[Dwight]

You may use any product you wish on the outside of the holster, . . . but for all the holsters I have done, . . . I totally, 100%, without any reservation, . . . prefer to use Resolene on the inside of the holster.

Except for the time a guy tried to force another model into a formed holster, . . . I've never had any bad problems on the inside of those that were Resolene coated, . . . it forms a protective layer that is tops in my book.

May God bless,

Dwight