What To Do With A Wet Luger?

[cirelaw]

I hope the day never comes but what if your lugers get wet or sit in water for some time due to a forced rushed evacuation? I already suggested the rubbermaid container~What if they are submerged for any length of time. Should they remain in water until they can be saved? How do you save a drowned luger? What about wet leather?

[Vlim]

Remove the grips and chuck it in a bucket of oil. The luger, not the grips and the holster.

Let the grips air dry. Forced drying may crack them.

If the pistol was in the water a short time, it may be ok, but expect major rust issues if it spent a lot of time in the water. Not much can be done, except removal of active rust. Marks will be left and the gun will never return to what it once was.

Come to think of it:
When the grips are removed and the pistol is submerged in an oil bath in a closed container, that should give it good protection against flooding for a while? Even storing it in an air tight (vacuum) enclosure should work?

[ithacaartist]

I use a Foodsaver on a Handi-wrapped gun inside a dampened holster to mold the holster to the gun, but preserving/protecting a gun with the system seems like a very effective approach. It is air and water tight.

[cirelaw]

Remove the grips. mark on inside on paper tape to match the gun. Store grips in ziplock and store with guns separetly~ Store each in gallon zip lock bags and store in Rubbermade containers. I will store leather seperetly and seal the top with gorilla tape or like!

[kurusu]

How about not let them get wet in the first place? I keep mine in tupperware type boxes, they are moisture and waterproof.
They stack neatly inside the gun safe.

And my house is 500 feet above sea level. If I ever get my feet wet I expect to see Ol' Noah and his ark.

There is one Luger inside each of these.

[Dave Sanders]

Is there a chance for condensation to form in those containers, especially in a humid environment? We are really dry out here in the desert, so I don't know much about humid environments except is sweat a lot when in one.
Dave

[cirelaw]

Good point<Ill seal each in a double zip~lock bag and seal them in the plastic rubbermade. We always have our a/c on, low hummidity! Anything is better than doing nothing! Thank You!!

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by Dave Sanders

Is there a chance for condensation to form in those containers, especially in a humid environment? We are really dry out here in the desert, so I don't know much about humid environments except is sweat a lot when in one.
Dave

I suppose whatever ambient moisture is in the air when the lid is sealed would be in there. Toss one of those silica gel packs in with the clean, oiled gun and forget the worries! Just make sure to put the Tupperware someplace it can't float away!

[cirelaw]

A Just In Case Question For Dave~ What if a leather holster gets soaking wet in fresh water??? I'm asking as it had to be pretty wet in the trenches!!

[cirelaw]

Dave, Good Point, I'll put it in a high place ie top of wash machine or dryer! Would you stuff them with white cotton socks? Assume for conversation, you have a soaking wet WW1 holster that has been sitting over the weekend in water, what do you suggest? I am asking as a member on our other forum suggested keeping the holster on the top rack of your oven on low heat! I don't know what he means by low heat~ Any truth to this method~ What causes cracking on the leather and can it be remedied? I guess I owe you both a Free Will! Luvya!

[Dave Sanders]

Those poor guys in the trenches probably weren't as concerned as we are these days about wet holsters. They probably just dried them off the best they could and didn't care beyond that. They weren't putting out a few hundred dollars to get one like we do. I don't know enough about keeping leather when it gets wet and hope I don't have to experience it. That is a bad plan if I were living in TX now, I know.

[cirelaw]

The problem is we often ask the question far to late! We are blessed with some of the greatest minds on the subject. Once they are gone unfortunately so are many answers. In Law School we were taught that often the questions are far more important than the answers! I prefer both!

[ithacaartist]

Jerry can set us straight if I'm off base, but I think any time leather gets wet it will at least take on a darker tone, and probably shrink a little bit when it dries. If the entire holster has been soaked, it may dry out to the darker tone in a fairly even fashion. Leather does NOT like heat! Air drying is best. Rubbing pure lanolin repeatedly into a warm holster can make its leather more flexible, but it, too, darkens the leather.

[Sonofeugene]

I wouldn't trust one of those Tupperware containers.

Get a vacuum sealer, place the gun and some silica gel packets (dried out) in the bag, flood the bag with dry nitrogen, and quickly vacuum and seal.

[cirelaw]

You would need an industrial size sealer and most can't afford one~ It is a wonderful suggestion though A tuppware properly sealed and taped will be waterproof and placed on top of a wash machine will stay dry in water placed above the waterline! Its amazing any holsters survived the muddy war! I guess that is why we have more lugers than holsters!

[Eugen]

I am sure there were many collector grade guns that got "wet" in all the Harvey flooding. I wonder how many were severely damaged or totally lost? So many heirlooms and irreplaceable valuables affected that we don't hear much about in the news.

[cirelaw]

Next on the list ERMA~ https://www.accuweather.com/en/weath...he-us/70002598

[kurusu]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

I suppose whatever ambient moisture is in the air when the lid is sealed would be in there. Toss one of those silica gel packs in with the clean, oiled gun and forget the worries! Just make sure to put the Tupperware someplace it can't float away!

My thoughts exactly.

If concerned about air moisture I would add a pack of desiccant.

They won't float away inside the gun safe that is inside the safe house.

And as I said. At 500 feet above sea level. If I get a flood, it is THE FLOOD.

[cirelaw]

Should be no prob here in Florida. Our A/C is always on and I'm surrounded by lugers~ I would individually put them in a ziplock bag as tight as possible~

[cirelaw]

Mario, we are at least ten feet above sea level and we can flood. Heres are backyard. All that rain doesn't get absorbed even in sand Of highways, parking lots, etc. When the alligators are at my back door its too late! Thank God maybe not this year! What A Mess!