How to Finish a Leather Holster

Finishing a holster is one of my favorite steps. I prefer the hot wax dip method which I detail in the second half of this video. There are numerous ways to finish leather goods but these stand out as the top two. The first – with Bag Kote is more for efficiency and speed. The second – hot wax dip, would excel in durability and weatherproofing.

A Few Extra Notes

Holsters should not be oiled at any point. Oil will soften the holster and it’ll flex and give too much. This rule applies for the life of a holster.

If finishing with Bag Kote you can actually water it down up to 20%. This can help get more even lines and less bubbling. Remember you just want to spread on a thin even coating inside and out. If you ever have to re-apply down the road, you can simply wipe off any accumulated dirt, and apply a coat right on top of the original. This is the beauty of resin finishes as opposed to acrylic based ones. With acrylic it’s a giant pain in the butt to re-apply properly.

The hot wax dipping portion of the video is pretty self explanatory. Just make sure to get that temperature right around 180 degrees F  before dipping. You’ll only dip for a few seconds, pull out and melt off the wax with the heat gun. During the first day or two the holster will want to contract a bit, so you can counteract this effect by leaving the unloaded gun placed in a shopping bag or the slim bags I sell in the shop, then inserted into the holster.

If you want to take your edges to an even shinier level, you can apply some Columbus wax to the edge and buff it down. This will give a glossy look.