Holster Hack | How to Mold a Leather Holster to Your Pistol

[@cammobunker]

What you are doing is called "Wet molding" and it's very common to do this with new holsters (and other things too). Tips and tricks here: 1) slap some oil on that gun before wrapping it. Wet leather and blued steel is a recipe for rust. 2) it works best if you soak the holster using warm water in my experience. 3) make sure you are not placing the holster near any kind of heat source while drying. DON'T try and speed up the process. It takes as long as it takes. 4) using a smooth rounded stick or piece of plastic you can gently press the leather down to more closely fit the pistol if you want. Make sure it's smooth as a baby's butt though.5) once you are done wet molding make sure you treat the leather with a good leather balm, neat's foot oil, or something that will keep the leather supple and live. 80 year old leather is going to be dry as hell, and once it's molded it's liable to begin cracking. You need to get the fats and oils back into the leather to protect it. There are many products on the market to do this You will likely find that your first application of your product vanishes in seconds as the leather soaks it up. Keep applying every day or so until the product begins to slow soaking in. You'll be surprised just how much product will be required-the leather holds a surprising amount. Tom, you probably need to do another video about how to care for holsters.

[@julianviso6701]

Thanks!!. Nice info.

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

Neatsfoot is... not the best for preservation and may accelerate rot in the long term IMO. I'm partial to beeswax & lanolin based treatments. And top of with Renaissance Wax if it's worth it.

[@a1nelson]

Came to the comments to share similar tips - especially the copious oiling of the pistol. I'd much rather clean off extra oil than rust. Also, cling film isn't ideal, nor are low-grade zip-lock bags. Freezer bags, which are much thicker and more durable, are much more trustworthy IMHO. Still, a helpful video overall.

[@CrimsonRaven51]

We were issued Sig Sauers as our service weapon. We were told to soak the holster in water and use the heavy plastic bag that the gun came in and jam it in the holster and secure the strap. After it dried the next day, we removed the gun and plastic. Wiped down the gun and oiled it. Worked fine. Going to use your technique with plastic wrap as the new Ruger I bought didn’t come with the nice heavy duty plastic bag. Thank you so much for your video.👍👍

[@Nick_B_Bad]

Good to know, I just popped some stitches trying to get my D29 marked Star B into a correct holster.

[@emmettreed272]

I tired using both neatsfoot oil and carnauba/shea butter. While softened old leather, I could not get the old leather to stretch sufficiently to fit/secure the holster flap properly. So following the video worked. Originally I hesitated using the wet process, was afraid of damaging the holster exterior and embossed stamps... but not a problem at the end. What I did discover, when the wet holster dries (maybe it is just the low humidity here) the leather really gets cold. Even with our low humidity, 2 days later I found condensation in the closed zip lock bag when checking my P 38. Before inserting the handgun into the zip lock bag I had oiled all surfaces. Interestingly the condensation accumulated on inside surfaces of the plastic bag where folded and not on handgun surfaces. No damage to the P 38.

[@byrons61]

Hey Tom another great video and many thanks for this one. I bought some of the P-38 holsters from you and they are excellent except for not being able to holster the pistol in it. Great info. Keep up the good work.

[@allanburt5250]

Fantastic practical solution 👏 must have been done that way back in the day 👍

[@javajoy100]

Awarded extra points for the Seinfeld "shrinkage" reference!

[@AlfJDale]

George Costanza, the man 👌Shrinkage, a real problem 🙂

[@debi5292]

Isopropyl alcohol will work better that water and evaporates rapidly. Tight leather boots this will nearly instantly relieve tight spots when spayed directly on the spot and let the leather form to the foot. I assume it would work fine on a leather holster. No water added.

[@kbjerke]

A plastic grocery store bag works well also. That's what I use for my holster making.

[@marcofguzman3075]

Learn something new ,great job I'll try it out hopefully soon

[@imthatguy1878]

I place my oiled pistols in a 1 gallon food storage bag before putting into the warm wet holster, I've placed them in a black shopping bag on my dashboard with the sun beating on it and it's worked well

[@cameronmccreary4758]

Gale Morgan from Lincoln, California made holsters for John Martz's "Baby Luger" pistols and he made the forms for the Baby Luger size which he used to make the holsters. His are identified by his name on the back of the holsters.

[@Felix-fy7ki]

Take a look at the edges of this pistol you forced into the holster. I had the same problem and after forcing the pistol into the holster there was some wear at the edges where the pistol lost some blueing. Was a mint Radom... :-( Furthermore I thoroughly oil the pistol before wrapping it and I also wrap it twice.

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

The acids in leather and leather treatments will eat away rust blue. Not necessarily wear.

[@Felix-fy7ki]

@@Foche_T._Schitt Rough, dry and hard leather acts like sanding paper to the edges. That's what I wanted to say. The pistol was in the holster for seconds, maybe a minute. There was no time for a chemical reaction!

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

@@Felix-fy7ki ah, ok.

[@imthatguy1878]

@@Felix-fy7ki all pistols in my holsters are slipped into 1 gallon food storage bags to go into the holsters to keep the shape

[@Felix-fy7ki]

@@imthatguy1878 I have a beautiful engraved and polished, but unblued cap and ball revolver which I store like that "swimming in oil" to prevent corrosion. But this kind of bag is not as flexible as I like it to form a holster. It may be used, but I prefer the kind of material Tom is using in the video. What is it called in english language? In German it's called "Frischhaltefolie", which means it keeps wrapped things fresh.

[@aussmith5335]

Hi, would you treat the holster with a leather feed/balm to keep it hydrated and stop cracking?

[@mrhamburger6936]

oil gun up or use some spray Automotive wax then wrap it up good stuff it in the holster

[@dalemeyer8207]

Thanks

[@jimmccue577]

Great hack! I purchased a Femaru holster from you a couple years back & it was exactly like the one you showed...unbent & pristine. Now I'm better educated on how to break it in! Thanks! BTW...do you have any Afrika Korps Femaru holsters in good condition? I'm in the market for a JHV 41 rig to complement my JHV 43 rig...

[@Buffalo49]

Will try it tonight. Thanks.

[@CaptainBash737]

I guess you could just buy a decent replica Airsoft BB gun and form the holster with that?

[@marktaniguchi7901]

Instead of using water, you can use Neatsfoot Oil on the holster and place the pistol in the holster over night. The Neatsfoot oil will soften the leather and make it more pliable. I use this on saddles, boots, gloves etc.... When I got my dads souvenirs, the holsters and belts were like card board and once the oil was applied, it was practively good as new.

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

Neetsfoot is acidic and can rot leather and stitching. It should be used sparingly. I prefer something with beeswax as a base or Renaissance Wax for rare items.

[@robertthorn9560]

@@Foche_T._Schitt would mink oil do the same without the acidic content?

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

@@robertthorn9560 I think it's still acidic. I can't give a 100% approval for anything because there is no 100+ year study of any treatments. Renaissance Wax is probably close to perfect as museums use it. You would need Vegetable tan and chrome tan hides cut into squares with controls. They would have to be treated with different products and stored in attic, basement, and climate controlled environments and some would have to be treated once and some treated regularly. Pores on leather like to be clean to breath and over application of some products can clog them. There's also things like red rot which can destroy leather.

[@ramonelizondo4098]

Wet molding! Thanks again...more for my library

[@imthatguy1878]

Coating the holster heavy with seal 1 and heating it to suck it in works too

[@angelofabbro7400]

What happens to an Ink Stamp inside the Holster, like the P37 Holster you showed at the beginning? I could imagine soaking the the leather up with water is not the best treatment for the stamp?

[@markfair8541]

Oil gun beforehand?

[@Eric_Von_Yesselstyn]

Why the "F" are some people calling everything a "HACK".. It's called a "METHOD", the word has been around for a long, long time, use it.

[@g54b95]

"METHOD". So wordy. TWO syllables. Takes extra time to say or type. "HACK". Quick! Only 4 letters! ONE syllable! Now! Now! Now! Now I have an extra second of time I wouldn't have had if I used "METHOD". Back to my 'smartphone'!! God, mankind is so screwed. 🤣

[@Eric_Von_Yesselstyn]

@@g54b95 Sounds like a bad case of ADHD to me.. 🤣

[@imthatguy1878]

@@g54b95 hahahahaha

[@e.v.squatch5835]

Could one make a better mold without risking ones firearm by using one of the technically correct blue model training devices as they are supposed to be physically identical? Also, after soaking and inserting the firearm, could a better "fit" be obtained by placing the setup in a vacuum chamber?? (I am really just curious! Love your videos and the history lessons that go with them!!!)

[@hazelcadenhead858]

Could you not achieve the same effect by soaking the holster in a fine quality leather cream like Woly, which will moisturise and soften the leather?

[@jensenwilliam5434]

Thank you!

[@Johnny-jr2lq]

Well now I know what and where my p38 holster came from. I paid I bit more than 50 dollars for mine though.

[@SonOfTheDevil666]

I’m a welder and I use the thin tig welding gloves and when they get to hot they shrink I just use wd40 and it really soaks in the leather

[@TerrBrigha]

Clp the gun good before wrapping!

[@Brahma-Astra]

u guys really enjoy good life .........

[@taurus38splul]

Spray some Remington oil on it also.

[@shuttlemanjack]

It would be great is someone would 3D print guns to use for doing this.

[@a1nelson]

I've considered roughing one out of wood, which shouldn't be too hard for the basic shape, then sealing the wood with a bag (as mentioned in the video) so it doesn't act like a sponge and dry the leather right back out. Risking destroying my vintage pistol would absolutely not be worth it. Second choice would be a freezer bag - not a cheap zip-lock. Just my 2¢.

[@AdamosDad]

3D print a gun, that way no moisture on the steel of a valuable piece.

[@gonnabeok]

Didn't you think to apply some leather-conditioning oil to make holster pliable, instead soaking it in water?... On the side note, I believe that holsters manufactured by Germans during late stage of war were made out of some sort synthetic material, rather than genuine leather.

[@454FatJack]

Alu P1 or bad shooter grade gun

[@sgtmajtrapp3391]

Very interesting but all of your videos are.

[@al.march.7457]

Hello uncle Tom ! I think its not smart to put a gun in that wet holster! Best of all to put in a blank,copy of the gun. Please accept my respects uncle Tom.!