Re: [flasah] DAVID IS New to Leatherworking

 

Diann,
    I do some things different than Greg writes about, but I am sure with him on this. I wet my leather, put it in a ziplock bag, allow enough air so the plastic is off the surface of the leather and leave it for at least 8 hours, and up to 24 depending on thickness and my time frame. Some people will put leather in tupperware or plastic storage box, some will use a brown paper grocery bag, whatever. I like ziplocks, and can find those in all sizes from sanwich bags for small things up to jumbos that saddle skirts and briefcases can go in.
     For tooling, I do not soak my leather and get it sloppy wet and then bag it. It sounds like that may be what you did, and some of the texts tell you to do that. One thing to consider is that most all of the texts you can readily buy were written 30-50 years ago. The leather has changed and normally doesn't need to be drowned (soaked until the bubbles stop). You can do that, but then you have to allow for that excess moisture to leave before you start.
      How much moisture you put to the leather depends on a few things. Obviously the thicker the leather, the more you need to put on to start with. I want the moisture even all the way to the bottom. Leather is like a big dry sponge. put some moisture on the top or bottom and it will penetrate as far it can. If you just put it on the top and go to cutting, it will pull to the deeper layers and leave it too dry on top as you go. It also will not allow those lower fibers to soften and plump, and you tooling depth will not be what it can be. You have to add more for a relatively small project, and it is not as good as it could be. Another factor is where the leather came from on the hide. Denser leather from the butt and mid back will be tighter fibered. It takes a little longer for the moisture to penetrate and even out. Looser fibered areas like belly, shoulders, and neck will take the moisture faster but let it go faster to, unless slicked when damp to compress and tightern things up.
     A little experience with leather of the same tannage will tell you about how much moisture a leather needs, and what the surface should look like when you stick it in the bag. If it is still a little too damp when you take it out of the bag - add some moisture and leave it sit. Too dry, then spritz some on and let it sit for 20 minutes. Try some properly cased leather vs. quick cased and see which you prefer.
     
Bruce Johnson
www.brucejohnsonleather.com
Malachi 4:2
"windshield's bigger than the mirror, somewhere west of Laramie..." - Dave Stamey
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 5:45 AM
Subject: Re: [flasah] DAVID IS New to Leatherworking

 

I will tell you my experience with wetting/casing a belt like GB said. I
put it in the sink, left it till all the bubbles were gone, got it out, put
it in a plastic bag overnight in the fridge, got it out the next morning,
it was slimy, and wayyyyyyyyyyy to wet to do anything with. I had to let
it dry for hours before I could work it. I will never do that again.
Since then, I've made 2 belts and about to start on another one, and I like
David said, take a sponge and wet the leather, then I stamp, carve, or do
whatever I want to with it. This crap of having to put things in
containers overnight is just that. I'm sure I'll get lots of flak for
saying that, but that's my experience, and I'm sure GB will say because
I've only been doing this about 5 months that I don't know what I'm talking
about, but, that's what happened to mine. I would hate for you to have the
same experinece.
Diann

At 05:28 AM 8/14/2009 -0700, you wrote:
> David Said " For a sponge. The
>sponge is used for wetting the leather (also known as casing). "
>
>NO IT IS NOT .
>
> THAT IS CALLED WETTING THE LEATHER WITH A SPONGE.
>
> TO DETER EVAPORATION LONG ENOUGH FOR THE CELLS IN THE LEATHER TO GET
>EVENLY MOIST.
>
> Al Stohlman mentions for *** 24 HOURS *** in his Belts Galore book but
>overnight is just fine.
>
>Find a piece of marble to use instead of Granite unless you have a way to
>check for radioactivity in the Granite...' This Old House' PBS series
>talked about this lately for counter tops... and the contact distance and
>time touching a leather working stone is way higher than what would be for
>a kitchen counter top.
>
>Gregory B. Moody
>
>--- On Fri, 8/14/09, goldwings98se@sbcglobal.net <goldwings98se@sbcglobal.>
>wrote:
>
>From: goldwings98se@sbcglobal.<goldwings98se@sbcglobal.>
>Subject: Re: [flasah] Re: New to Leatherworking
>To: flasah@yahoogroups.com
>Date: Friday, August 14, 2009, 12:04 AM
>
> Ahhh. Ok so you got the 7 tools. Did you
>get a mallet also? For the granite slab I also have a rubber pad that
>I put under the slab to protect the table top your putting the slab on.
>Since you got the 7 tools and I assume a mallet, do not use a regular
>hammer, ever. You will destroy the tools and likely punch through most
>leather. As to the patters, I forgot to address that earlier. There are
>free patterns on the Tandy site and you will find a number of them around
>the internet. You mentioned a wristband and the pattern was to big. You
>might try going to kinkos and using a photo copier and reduce the pattern
>by say 5% each time until you get it to the right size. The books I
>mentioned also have a number of patterns. You might want to pick up some
>tracing film when your at Tandy. That will allow you to transfer the
>pattern from paper to the film that you can then transfer to the leather.
> Also a suggestion. Anytime you buy a project kit from Tandy make a
>outline of all the parts on some type of heavy bond paper or cardboard.
>That way you will always have the pattern and if, for example, a piece
>gets screwed up beyond repair you can get just the leather and re-cut the
>piece. Go to the grocery store and buy an ordinary cellulous sponge and
>cut it into 4 squares. Of course all of this is only suggestion and your
>true best bet is go to the Tandy store and talk to them. Do not be afraid
>to walk in and tell them you know nothing and need help. Think about
>taking a couple of their classes if your sons are really interested. If
>your ever unsure about an answer they gave you then don't hesitate to post
>the question on here. David Sawyer
>K1DRS -.- .---- -.. .-. ...
>1998 Pearl Chaparral Beige Goldwing SE
>http://www.davesgol dwing.com ----- Original Message ----- From:
>Mommyland@aol. com To: Flasah@yahoogroups. com Sent: Thursday, August
>13, 2009 7:19 PM Subject: [flasah] Re: New to Leatherworking
> I get the digest, so I'll try to reply to several of you in one
> post.
> > If you're reasonably near a Tandy store they have many options for
>you. A new book that is directed at kids is "Kidcraft Leathercraft
>Book," I recommend "Leather Crafting"
> offer classes, as well as all materials needed.
> < Thanks for the book recommendations. >><<
> #8170-00. >>Basic Leatherwork (part number 6008-00)
>Leather Crafting (part number 61891-01)
>Craftool Tech Tips (Part # 66056-00) by Al Stohlman. My opinion is most
>any book by Al Stohlman is worth it and helpful.
>
><< I'll have to go with just the boys so we can talk to the
>person at the store. >>
>If you have a granite countertop company nearby, you can ask for a kitchen
>sink cutout for a tooling surface. I have gotten some for boy scouts
free, I
>also got a couple larger ones for $1.00.
>
><< I'll have to check that out. Thanks!
>
>Kate
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
>Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.392 / Virus Database:
>270.13.54/2300 - Release Date: 08/13/09 06:11:00

__._,_.___
Free Leather Artisans Sharing a Hobby is the public list supported by the membership of the South Central Leather crafters Guild.   It is just one of the ways we will support leather crafters and promote Leather craft.  Membership in the guild is open to anyone interested in Leathercraft and Guild info can be found through the links section of this lists web site.
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