Holster color & care

[Balder]

Gentlemen,

Is there a difference in issue between brown and black holsters? Or does it have to do with production date?

Also, I'd like some advice on how to preserve the holster in the pictures. Since I live in Europe, please keep in mind that I can probably not get hold of the brand names that you are using over there; but I would like to know what ingredients to look for in leather oil/paste.

Balder

[Norme]

Hi, Third Reich holsters are found in black, brown, or 2 tone (black front brown back), with all black being the most common. I enclose photos of a 2 tone holster similar to yours.
Peccards Leather Dressing (a British product) seems to be the preservative of choice over here. Regards, Norm

[George Anderson]

Peccards is great for hunting boots but the last thing you ever want to put on an old piece of leather. If anything must be used try Connaly's Hide Food. It is made in England and widely used for the care of automobile leather interiors.

[Mauser George]

AMEN GEORGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards,

George

[FNorm]

If you can't find any of those, look for something that's mostly lanolin. I like Fiebings's 'Care - 4' For a first treatment. A liquid that soaks in well. Makes it easy to get the inside too. Followed a few days later with Connolly's exterior only.

FN

[wlyon]

If you use Peccards watch over your shoulder for Jerry B. I can almost hear him already. As has been said use Peccards on your field boots and Connolly's on your holsters. If you switch this you will have a pair of leaking boots and a gummy ruined holster. Bill

[tudorbug]

Balder:

Connolly's Hide Food is on Ebay. sold from Germany.

David

[Balder]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for all your inputs, I appreciate it. However, I would think that what's good for leather boots is also good for holsters - granted they have been tanned in the same manner.

Yesterday I gave several of my holsters a light treatment with my rather expensive Kiwi leather lotion ("Kiwi Lederpflege" in German, there is no English text on the jar) that I use with excellent results on my antique leather chairs. The result was very nice on the holsters as well, it remains to be seen for how long. The lotion is rich on lanolin and does not contain silicone.

Balder

[Edward Tinker]

Originally Posted by Balder

... However, I would think that what's good for leather boots is also good for holsters - granted they have been tanned in the same manner.

...

NO, they are different. If you are using them for use in the army, sure, but if you you are trying to preserve them, then DON'T treat them the same.

Boots to be used and preserved from water is a big differnce than for holsters.


Stuff for boots is to be make them SOFTER to walk in and keep the water out, holsters have a different use...

Ed

[Balder]

Originally Posted by Edward Tinker

.....Stuff for boots is to be make them SOFTER to walk in and keep the water out, holsters have a different use...

Ed

Ed,

With all due respect, I have to partly disagree with you. I've been using (and maintaining) leather trekking/hiking boots for almost 40 years now. I also spent ten years as an Army officer, wearing all-leather boots every day. Well, with rubber soles, of course.

In my humble opinion, the purpose of treating the leather in these boots is not to make them softer to walk in, but to preserve them, make them somewhat supple and, most important, to keep the water out.

In the Army during the '80s we were told that liquid silicone was the new space-age miracle cure to make our boots water-proof. In deed it did, but it also made them really soft, to the point where they more or less lost their shape. This is not something you want to walk in for miles, they give no support to your foot. It also turned out that the stitched seams didn't really like the silicone since it more or less dissolved the thread. So - silicone is out.

We used P-38s and P-08s in the Army until the Glock 17 was introduced in the early/mid-80s. We also used the original pre-1945 holsters for them. The recommended treatment for the holsters was black shoe polish. I am in the possession of several of these holsters that must have been exposed to shoe polish for God knows how many times since 1945 - and they still look great. The leather is still very nice and somewhat supple, but it also maintains the "stiffness" and shape that a holster requires. I mention this not to recommend shoe polish as a cure for holsters, but to give some backing to my claim that, in general, what's good for holsters is also good for boots.

I really enjoy the in-depth discussions on this board, where difference in opinion is treated in a civilized way. I hope I haven't opened a can of worms with this response.

Respectfully,

Balder

[George Anderson]

Balder, your purpose/goal in the army was, like mine, keep the moisture out and protect your footwear. In dealing with sixty to one hundred year old leather your purpose is to preserve. Most foot wear treatments like Peccards contain petroleum base products that soften leather while slowly breaking down the leather fibers. These products also stain and darken both the leather and flax stitching.

I have actually used Peccards in the past to "age" a modern replacement strap that I have had to add to a piece. Peccards does a great job in this respect and quickly adds sixty years to the appearance of leather.