holster cleaning
 

How would one go about cleaning a brown or light tan color holster without changing the color? I bought an 6" Interarms holster at a show that is very dirty and is in dire need of a scrub and conditioning but I know that most cleaners (i.e. saddle soap) will darken the leather. Pls advise. Thanks.

I would use a bit of saddle soap and gently wash it off with a soft cloth, not soaking the leather, keeping the cloth damp, but not very wet....


Ed

ADMIN: I changed my reply to reflect the correct kind of soap to use

Thanks Ed...I thought about a mild soap but won't this dry the leather out a bit? What do you use to condition the leather?

lots of controversy about conditioning it. Depends on what shape it is in. NEVER use neets oil / mink oil as they break the fibers down.

Best to leave it alone, but if it requires it, the I use Connollys'. Works good, doesn't leave a film like Peccards does,

ed

Will do. I think I'll run a little test with different products and post pics later for everyone. There has to be a product somewhere that doesn't change the color and still restore. Some of the really old holsters I've seen look like they are about to crumble into a dust pile at any moment.

I would use a mild dish soap? Ed, I know you have not taken up drinking so there must be another reason you have gone insane....Dish soap is synthetic and a liquid. It almost always has scent added...I would never use it as you will never get it out of the leather. For cleaning I use saddle soap in an aresol can. It is very light and does an excellent job of cleaning.
This subject has been beat to death but I will say one thing. If you do not want to change the present color do not put anything on the leather. Let the air and moisture suck the life right out.
Connoly's is primarily lanolin. A natural substance that is not alien to leather. It will darken leather because it adds something to the surface. It is usually a very pleasing change that will be darker at first and lighten up over the next few days. Jerry Burney

Jerry, I guess I was wrong, but I distinctly remember you telling me a "tiny" bit of soap... I thought some soap would be needed to loosen the dirt and grime? Would you use just water or nothing?


Oh, okay, I was thinking saddle soap was bad for leather holsters, I stand corrected although I have used dish soap on more than one occassion, however, I am always very careful and use it VERY lightly and not much water on my rag that I use.

I have read about this problem some posts in the past.
I have cleaned my C96 webbing, and some holsters with - cat litter - (advice of a luger forum member in the past) an have deposed it into my greenhouse several weeks to heat it up and repeated it some times after cleaning it again with a soft brush.
Leather did not get damaged and the dirt and oil went out gently.

I would use Lexol leather cleaner. Add a very small amount to water and scrub gently with sponge. Allow to air dry slowly. This stuff creates a mild detergent solution that will also remove oils from the leather. To replace the oils, I would use Connolly's as suggested here. If the leather was more dry and in need of conditioning, I use a product from ColorPlus called "Soffener"; but again this would only be required if the leather has lost is suppleness. Go slowly and incrementally and apply only what is necessary.

I use a shoe care product from the Nordstroms' department store called "Leather Lotion". It does not add color, does not tint the stitching, smooths over minor 'scuff" marks, and buffs to a nice satin sheen on the next day with a smooth, white cotton cloth.

I use it on all my Swiss holsters, as well, and am very pleased with the results.

My wife gave me this tip as she has used the stuff for years on her vintage hand-bags she inherited from her mother which are made of exotic leathers and skins.