Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Restoring old black leather holster

I have a way old well used holster that could use a little TLC. The material is starting to show signs of age, wrinkles etc, and just hard useage has taken its toll.

If it were just plain brown leather my go-to solution would be to put some Obenaufs on it and call it a day.

But this one is black, and I'd like to not only "restore" it functionally (i.e. treat the aging leather) but bring the color back up a bit.

Not sure if black shoe polish gets me there, but I suppose it is an option, even if messy. I see it as more of a surface treatment, rather than soaking deeply into the dry leather: and therefore an incomplete solution.

So I figure I'd ask the fire...

Lexon-oil NF. Best to treat the leather. Then polish it.

You might consider black leather dye to restore the color. Most leather dyes are alcohol based and dry out the leather to some degree. After you dye it you can use a leather conditioner like mentioned above. There are lots of conditioners.

Has similar project, found this...

https://nautarch.tamu.edu/CRL/conservationmanual/File7.htm

It depends on the holster and use, but a surface treatment might be preferable. A boned leather holster should be stiff enough and hold its shape to retain the handgun. I wouldn't want to overly soften the leather. I'd probably just use a leather dye like Fiebing's.

Need some pics.

That would certainly help!

i use something museums use on old leather, such as indian war saddle scabbards etc, it's called pecards. works great

Black leather dye. Let dry, then buff with shoe brush. Put a light coat of Neatsfoot oil only on the slick side of the leather. Let dry and buff again. Then apply neutral shoe polish, let dry and buff again. That will be as good as it is ever going to look.

I find neatsfoot oil softens leather. As jog mentioned, avoid doing that.

I’d use leather dye and then a rubbed coat of bees wax.

If you are going to dye...use Pro Dye from Feibings.


Pro Dye...not regular dye.

A bit of it on the smooth side restores the lost moisture. Any on the rough side turns it into a dishrag.

I’m aware. 👍

For a holster, I’d still go with wax.

You don't need to do it often, but if you ever see the start of dry cracking, you'd better if you want to keep it.

I've spent years making holsters. To tool them and/or mold them, you have to wet the leather with water. Much like taking a shower does to your skin, the moisture removes natural oils from the leather. For longevity, you need to replace the oil. The slick side meters it well, while the rough side soaks it up like a sponge. DO NOT oil the inside of a holster!

Gotcha Greg. Thanks.

Hey, thanks guys. I'll run with this!

I ruined two Filson double belts using Neatsfoot oil...dried the leather and got big cracks every 1/8in. the entire length of the belts. The Neatsfoot oil went into the garbage.

Leather is a dead, rotting organic material with a limited lifespan. Leather contains natural oils that water, sweat, and time removes. Neatsfoot oil is a replacement for these oils that are lost. It isn’t magic, but used correctly, will extend the life of a leather product. Used incorrectly, it will soften the leather product and render it useless. It will not dry leather. There are other products meant to seal and protect leather. Resolene, wax, etc. are meant for this purpose.