Finish On Inside Of Holster

[LeatherWerks]

I've been making a few holsters now and getting better at it. One thing I wish was better is the finish on the inside of the holster. I don't line my holsters, so what should I do? Is these some chemical/product that I need to apply to come up with a better finish?

Thanks,

Steve

Edited July 18, 2012 by LeatherWerks

[mlapaglia]

What leather are you using? By that I mean where are you buying it from? Herman Oak leather has a great flesh side that really does not need anything other than dye if you want a different color. If you have cheaper leather like the stuff from Tandy you can treat it with Gum Trag. Put some on and rub in in with a burnisher. I used a wooden dowel to smooth the leather after the gum trag is applied. That works really well then give it a coat of resoline 50/50 with water.

It all depends on what you are looking for.

[KAYAK45]

I picked up some stuff, from advice on this site, for "KG9". This is a silicone type paste that polishes and smooths the inside of a holster.

Works pretty good. Forget where I bought it, but a GOOGLE aught to answer that.

One problem I foresee is the inside is so slick retention may be a effected.

Kevin

[particle]

The texture of the flesh side of your holster will largely depend on how well it was split. For example - if you buy a hide that is 8-10oz, the areas that are 10oz will likely have a nice, clean shaving on the flesh. But, the areas that are 8oz were border-line too thin for the splitter's blade(s) to make contact with the flesh, so it could be a little (or a lot) fuzzy. I've been requesting my 8-10oz hides be split to 8oz to help remove most of the fuzzies. For the record, this is Wickett & Craig that I'm referring to.

If your flesh is fuzzy, I suggest you sand the back to remove most of the fuzzy strands. I've even hit mine with an orbital sander - just make sure your work surface is clean/smooth so it doesn't mess up the grain side as you sand it.

Once the holster is formed and ready for final finish, I'll coat the interior with Gum Trag and burnish the interior to smooth it out. Once it dries, it gets a nice, heavy application of 50/50 water/acrylic finish so it soaks into the flesh pretty well to help stiffen the leather.