changing a leather holster color

[foszoe]

I am a left hander so holsters are always harder to find.

I prefer black because I believe it stands out less.

I can buy a LH tan holster for $81. I can order a custom LH black holster for 159$. I would like this holster for 3 different guns.

Other than being cheap, I can afford the $159 but that means to stay in budget I can only order 1/month.

If I can change the holster color on my own, I could order 2 Thought perhaps a little sanding etc.

Is there a way to turn a tan holster to black without completely ruining the holster? I wouldn't care about the edges or body side of the holster too much, but would definitely want to do the side facing outwards.

Thanks in advance for any good info!

 

[printcraft]

Spray paint?

 

[lrdudley]

freekforge may be able to answer your question. It sure looks like he is an accomplished leather smith.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/threads/mexican-loop-field-holster.524504/#post-9246799

 

[Hkindiana]

leather dye is available at any leather shop/boot store. You can dye them yourself (easy, I’ve done several) or you can pay them a few bucks to do it for you

 

[foszoe]

leather dye is available at any leather shop/boot store. You can dye them yourself (easy, I’ve done several) or you can pay them a few bucks to do it for you

Do you need to sand off the previous dye?

 

[actaeon277]

the dye is usually applied BEFORE the leather is sealed.

 

[snapping turtle]

 

[jcj54]

There is a clear solvent that is used to clean the leather. It can remove much if the sealer. Then you apply the black dye, usually 2 or 3 coats, letting it dry thoroughly between coats. Last, apply a sealer. Done it many times. 1 bottle of each should do 3 holsters.

 

[freekforge]

Depending on the finish you may be able to just dye and seal it. I've died bianchi holsters with no prep work before. I've also done a few refurbs on vintage holsters where I stripped the remaining finish with a Mr clean magic eraser. I use the magic erasers to remove any marks on bare leather too, their handy to keep around if you use a lot of leather.