blm/42 P-08 holster leather

were the holster leathers of different qualities on these or any other P-08 holsters? just got one with blm/42 over eagle/swastika over WaA23 between loops + P-08 marked.the leather shows wear but is rather shiny compared to others I've seen.inside flap is penciled name GELLER.I bought it from a very reputable dealer as an original piece. I hav'nt put it under a black light to check the stitching. any thoughts, comments appreciated. dan p.

[John Sabato]

Perhaps one of the holster experts can comment here on any published standards for Luger Holsters that were used by the manufacturers.


The only 'bad' leather I have ever seen on an original German Luger holster was the result of owner/user abuse.


Now as far as other countries go, it can be anything... As an example, I have seen Bulgarian Luger holsters that ranged from as nice as the German originals to looking like they were made out of worn out saddle bags...


-John

[lugerholsterrepair]

Oh, let me count the ways! I have personally taken apart hundreds of original holsters, Army's Navie"s,Police,civilian...You name it I've taken them down to their underwear.


Most of the very early holsters were meticulesly crafted out of very fine leather. The sheen or gloss was highly pronounced. Leather thickness was carefully considered. Through WW1 the standards were really consistent. The only real difference I have found in early holsters was the Type 1 and type 2 6'' Navy holster. It was made with leather that seems a little different in the holsters I have examined. Thread was quite thin too...


Threads vary widely even on the same holster. Some is thick and some is thin.

Later in WW2 is when you see some drastic changes in construction, leather thickness and thread size. WW2 holsters in general seem to be of leather that can be thicker and the thread can be quite thick as well. You would think this would be the opposite but there is room for speculation here. The leather seems to be less pliable too...Maybe not tanned as thourghly or as well. The construction seems to be flawed too on some WW2 holsters I have examined. Probably due to slave labor doing the work instead of German saddlers. This is a subject that has given me countless hours of enjoyment as there are plenty of holsters out there to study and I am lucky enough to get to tear them apart! Too long for here though! Jerry

[Marvin]

Jerry,


Your observations concur with what I have observed with the WWII style holsters. The worst quality Luger holster I have seen, and it was not that bad, was the "lyo" holster made in Poland. The leather was much thinner and more "pliable" than the German holsters. The one "lyo" which I have is in VG/Exc condition, but the quality of finish, leather, etc. just is not to the normal standards we accustomed to seeing.


Marvin

I was abale to show the holster I POSTED QUESTION ABOUT FINISH today at the Ventura gun show to 5 different Luger collectors and every one of them commented" VERY NICE ORIGINAL blm/42 holster". which really pleased me. and, I was able to get a E/135 loading tool for a reasonable price.So now I have a complete rig for my byf42. thanks for all the great comments.

Here are some additional thoughts. The early luger holsters were very fine leather with high gloss surfaces. The tanning method appears to have changed around 1937 and the holsters became "white-creamy" on the inner surfaces. It almost looks chalky. The earlier holsters had a darker, rougher leather inner surface. I have a dtu41 black luger holster that is very high gloss with the chalky inner surfaces and have what I believe is a very very late luger holster that lacks maker stamp but is WaA inspected and it is, as lugerholsterrepair states, noticably thicker than earlier luger leather. It is also a flat black finish relative to the thin high gloss surface finish on earlier luger holsters.


As WW2 progressed, manufacturing standards changed to enable methods appropriate for manufacturing under difficult war conditions. Aircraft were made in caves and the tolerances on parts were set so that field assembly under adverse conditions and quick repair using available parts was possible. Instead of form molded hard holsters (essentially a "box" to completely contain a pistol) the new standard was for soft holsters made from cut pieces of thin leather. Each part could be readily repaired in the field with simple materials and parts could be made from lots of soft materials just as the holster could be used for lots of purposes. I can't claim I was there to know this was the logic but it is a theme appearing in many items manufactured by the Germans after 1942 and has been suggested by others.


dave

[G.T.]

Is a simple matter of what part of the hide was used! Cow hide is typically thick across the back and thin along the extremes.....I have seen nice holsters made of both! till...later...G.T.

By the way, isn't it bml/42 rather than blm/42?

[lugerholsterrepair]

Mlm, Hides are different thicknesses yes, but in modern times the ability to split a whole hide is easy and common. That is to say the whole hide ends up pretty much the same thickness. I have used a smaller than whole hide machine to trim thickness of straps etc. So to assume that the whole hides were used without splitting is an assumtion without much basis in fact. Whole hides that have not been split can be up to one half inch thick! Jerry

[G.T.]

Hi Jerry! Yes, I'm well aware of the splitting process, my only point being that less attention would probably be paid to this area as the war progressed! Also, parts of the hide that were not utilized earlier, may have well been used for holster construction later, as seen in the many multi-colored late war combinations.....then to top it off, you have the addition of pigskin parts and pieces! Although the thought of a half inch thick P.08 holster, does conjure up some unique visions! till...later....G.T.

[lugerholsterrepair]

Gt. Brought up some points I had not thought of!

[G.T.]

BTW Jerry! I have seen the pictures of the outstanding work that you do! My hat is off to you! till...later....G.T.

[lugerholsterrepair]

Thanks for the compliment G.T. I try to maintain a level of craftsmanship that would compare with the turn of the century. Appreciate the kind words. Jerry