Messed it up.

[Sleepy Floyd]

Brand new Holsters were a little snug.  Wife suggested to do what she did to her tight holsters.  Use spray silicone in the inside of the holster and cover the guns with a good rag and shove them in.  They fit much better.  However, a side effect is I went from a nice medium brown holster to a dark almost black shade.

Can I re dye them?

[Major 2]

You can take a light color and darken it with dye.... but you can't really undo too dark....

[Sleepy Floyd]

That makes sense.

I'll live with it.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Interesting idea to use spray silicone. It's probably similar to alcohol in how it temporarily softens the leather so it will stretch. Much like wet molding the holsters only quicker. Perhaps the carrier for the silicone will evaporate out of the leather.

[Sleepy Floyd]

I hope so.  To accelerate that process I'll be placing the holsters, in the sun today.

[Major 2]

Hmmm...not sure sunlight will do ya 

silicone has a high resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light, I'm thinking all you'll do is shrink the holster back some..
which is what you were trying to cure...


This may be weird , you might try to sweat it .... steam may draw some of the silicone oil out.

[dwight55]

Just FWIW, . . . never spray anything into an holster or on a belt, . . . unless you are prepared for a change of the scenery involved in said holster or belt.

Loosening up a tight holster is simple, . . . put the gun in a plastic bag, . . . shove it into the holster, . . . leave it over night, . . . take it out, . . . remove the bag, . . . the gun should fit.  If it is still a bit snug, . . . put it in two bags, . . . shove it in, . . . leave it over night.

Works every time, . . . and doesn't alter the scenery.

May God bless,
Dwight

[Major 2]

very true Dwight ....but I think he wants sorta un-ring the bell, as it were 

[Cliff Fendley]

Next time try water.

[Sleepy Floyd]

The bell has been unrung.  Placed the holsters in the Arizona sun for a few hours.  Good as new.

I think it is time I played with some leather and tried my hand at this.

Time to read and learn.

[dwight55]

Woo-hoo, . . . glad to hear that !!!

The old sun has been doing lots of good things for many, many years, . . . just add one more from this experience.

May God bless,
Dwight

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Does it still fit?

[Sleepy Floyd]

Fits like a champ.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Interesting idea to use spray silicone. It's probably similar to alcohol in how it temporarily softens the leather so it will stretch. Much like wet molding the holsters only quicker. Perhaps the carrier for the silicone will evaporate out of the leather.

+1, I think over time the silicon will dry and the color will come back, you just need to give it time and patience, you cant rush leather, doing so can cause more damage than you want, leave it be, just stay out of any beauty contest for a while.....


tEN wOLVES 

[Sleepy Floyd]

I have not won a beauty contest in a long, long time.