Sorry guys late to the party. This subject gets discussed every once in a while over in Sheaths and Such. Here's my input from back in 2019:
Not to muddy the waters but much of the bad rap that chrome tan gets in this regard is internet armchair expert stuff. The reality is some chrome tan is safe and some isn't. But this can also be said of veg tan too.
Exhibit A:
This Ruger Vaquero has lived in this holster for over a decade. The holster is lined in a chrome tan upholstery leather.
Some holster wear near the muzzle but not a hint of corrosion or other problems from contact with the chrome tan leather. This is an Old Model Vaquero that can handle the real heavy .45 Colt loads. It was kept loaded with heavy loads and ready to go in the holster, case we had a deal and had to go quick to the backside of the ranch. Lots of lions, tigers and bears back there! Big ones. OK no tigers but huge wild pigs!
My snake gun has a couple trillion, long trotted miles, in this holster also lined in chrome tan. Again holster wear and life but no corrosion or tarnish. This gun was old and very used when I traded for it in 82. Its been a trooper.
Exhibit B:
These rounds have been in this cartridge belt for a decade too. Verdigris is rampant! Guess what? The cartridge belt is veg tan. Go figure!
Exhibit C:
This Moore Maker Trapper has lived in this Buckaroo pouch since I bought it in the late 80s. Absolutely no tarnish or corrosion. Its in this pouch right now.
Lots of life on the blades but thats not from the pouch, thats from this cowboy knife getting used like a cowboy knife. For decades.
So I make a lot of these pouches. I tend to use my chrome tan chap leftover scraps. Good use for small pieces of this stuff. I made some out of this chap leather:
Sold one to a friend here on BF. He had tarnish problems with it right away. So we set up some experiments cause he lives in a much hotter part of Cali than I do and we wanted to see if that was the problem. It wasn't it was this leather. Tarnished my knives too, overnight. So I threw the rest of those away. I made some out of other chap (almost all chap leathers are chrome tan btw, with only one exception I can think of). I couldn't get them to tarnish the knife nor could my friend there in the San Joaquin Valley. So the lesson I learned was test drive the leather first. Even these guys, no problems:
Lately I've been using this chrome tanned water buffalo as I had lots of scraps of it. I had a real run on leggings from this, made 5 or 6 pairs in a row from this stuff, so I had lots of leftovers:
I made up a buckaroo pouch from this and stuck one of my knives in it for weeks. I even kept it in the bathroom, near the sink and the shower to see if the relative warm, moist environment would make a diff. None. I use this now for buckaroo pouches all the time and for the lining of my Rangeflap holsters:
I too firmly believe that long term storage in leather is a bad deal. I think that the leather can pick up moisture from the air and can create problems whether veg tan or chrome tan. I've gotten away with it though. Bought another gun safe and have more room now so even the Vaquero is no longer kept in the holster. I'm no chemist, above is some real life stuff though. I've made and sold hundreds and hundreds of those Rangeflap holsters and hundreds of those buckaroo pouches and the only case I ever heard of any problems was that one I sold to my friend.
Ever piece of leather has its place even bad stuff for linings. Just do something else with it:
Last edited: Dec 2, 2019
Since then I have become more convinced that having problems with leather and steel has more to do with the quality of the leather rather than the type of tannage. Quality leather goes a long ways in alleviating these problems. Carbon steel knives have been carried in leather sheaths for many, many centuries.
