holster restoration advise

[Big Norm]

I have never used the Lexol on the dyed side of the holster.I reasoned that since this was a conditioner that I would want the have it soak in good so I only applied it to the bare leather side. The instructions on the container said to rub in vigorously with a tooth brush, so I did. I was afraid of applying too much because I did not want to turn the leather into mush. The leather really did suck the Lexol in like a sponge. The toothbrush and a lightly damp rag helped me reach the difficult areas. I have to admit that the word "conditioner" intimidated me. I was looking more for the word "preserver" on the container.


The words "water based" now bothers me although I can understand Marvins instructions on using Lexol lightly and letting the water evaporate. I think that what I was looking for was the avoidance of letting the leather dry out and that maybe some sort of oil would help in doing this. I guess that I will have to save some of the threads that are left and reread what has been said and try to digest the points that are being made. I never gave thought to applying Lexol or anything else to the dyed side of the leather.


I hope that I am not contradicting anything that anybody has said. I just came back from a short vacation and missed a lot of the discussion. But I have a few artillery rigs as well as 2 100 year old "Ideal" stocks and holsters. I want to do all that I can to keep them looking good and preventing dry rot for whoever takes them over after I am gone.