Help With Antiquing A Holster

[Matt Alsaker]

I've only antiqued a few items, never a holster. I'm wondering at what point in the antiquing process I should fold the flat leather around the firearm to make the body of the holster? I have my template cut and carved the design. The antiquing process I've used before is: oil, neat lac, antique, tan coat or bag coat, and two more coats of neat lac. I've only ever done this on leather that I intended on keeping flat, not folding it around a firearm. Should I complete then entire process before folding the leather around the firearm or is there a better time in the finishing process to fold the leather? I've also only ever finished holsters with Resolene (50/50 with water). Is the process mentioned earlier enough to seal the holster, do I put Resolene over the previous process, or is there another way I should be doing it?

I've got the template cut and the design tooled, then I got nervous and figured I'd better ask before I destroy the entire thing.

[electrathon]

Tool, fold and stitch. Then start the finish process.

Aaron

[particle]

Personally, I usually tool, then dye, seal, antique, stitch, form, seal. That is for using natural/white thread. I always seal with 50/50 Angelus 600 or 50/50 Resolene.

If you are using dark brown or black thread, you can antique right at the end, just prior to sealing since you won't be worried about staining your thread.

You can also mask off the thread - I've done this a couple of times when I forgot to antique it prior to stitching. But this really only works if you have a definitive border around your tooling to give a clean edge to mask around.

[Josh Ashman]

I almost always fold and stitch after antiquing then seal with 50/50 resolene (or mop & glo) & water. There really isn't a "wrong" way to go about it, although there might be ways that are easier to get a specific outcome.

Good luck,

Josh

[Matt Alsaker]

Well...here's the attempt at antiquing the holster. Most of the antique lifted, so it didn't really work out.

[particle]

Youre using dark thread - can you go ahead and antique it again?

[Matt Alsaker]

Youre using dark thread - can you go ahead and antique it again?

I applied antique paste again and then went to seal with 50/50 Resolene. It lifted again. I know you do a lot of work with an airbrush, is that how you are applying the Resolene? I don't have the ability to spray, so I apply the sealer with a sponge or dauber. On the other leather pieces I have antiqued, after the antique paste I used tan coat or bag coat (let it dry) and then neat lac both applied with scrap pieces of sheep shearling. I haven't seen any holster makers recommend this, that procedure was from a saddle maker. I don't have enough scrap sheep shearling laying around to keep using it every time I antique something.

Thanks for your help with this. I'll have to keep playing around with it.

[electrathon]

Your tooling is shallow and "soft". try tooling deeper and let the leather be a little drier. You will have crisper lines to trap the antique in. Also be very careful when wiping off the antique, wiping gently in a directional manor to allow the antiquing to stay in the deeper crevices.

Aaron