Re: [flasah] Casing

 

Greg,
 
Forgive me for piggybacking on your response here, but there is a technique to deal with adding moisture here that probably should be repeated. As you pointed out, the use of backing prohibits the addition of moisture through the back of the leather which is what we all used to do. However casing can still be maintained while using a backing by tooling in sections and keeping the untooled areas sealed in plastic wrap.
 
I build a lot of rope bags that have a 21" diameter face. Depending on the size of my pattern, tooling time ranges between 12 and 16 continuous hours.....sometimes more. And as you stated there is no way to preserve casing in that amount of time. I am able to preserve the casing, however, without addiing moisture by breaking the tooling down in small sections that I can complete quickly. Each time I complete a section I uncover the next section and start out on freshly cased leather. Doing this takes a little thinking ahead and the plastic wrap can be a nuisance, however the benefit of controlling the stretch outweighs the nuisance factor for me. I might add also, that if in the course of handling and setting the piece up it dries a little, I will add moisture with a spray bottle before covering the untooled area with the plastic wrap. In essence, using the plastic wrap just extends the casing process. I point this out because using this technique takes away the time factor for anyone...whether they are a slow tooler (as I am) or not.
 
In Dale's case I think the other reason for the rapid drying is because the leather isn't really cased. If it is put up too wet then that's how it comes out...too wet. Soaked is soaked! Then when he takes the leather out it is just drying normally. The trick is to achieve the maximum saturation at a level that is toolable and holding it there. It sounds more difficult than it is.
 
Hope this helps.....
 
(thanks for the piggyback, Greg!)
 
Bobby
 
 
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: GB
Sent: Friday, September 11, 2009 7:54 AM
Subject: RE: [flasah] Casing

 

"Once it does, from this point on the drying process seems to shift into
high gear and it almost always dries quicker than I can finish the
tooling. I always wind up having to add moisture to finish."--Dale

Dale, You do not have a problem and you are not working too slow.
As has been mentioned ... the moisture in the air and the temperature and movement of the air in the room affect the drying rate of the project.
  Put a fan on it if you need to for that ' looong ' initial stage out of the case.

As to working slow... that is really not a problem if you use a water spritzer on the backside regularly.  I have mentioned this with respect to the discussion about not gluing things to the back of your project... that shoots people in the foot right from the start because it takes away the option of spritzing from the BACK SIDE...

  Reread Bob Park's fine statement on the process if you do not believe me and the others who have been saying that rewetting the top side once stamping is started takes away crispness of the impressions.... some do not care or believe me when I say that... but the physics are obvious to others.

If things worked out that I hit the exact moisture content for not adding any water to a billfold back I figured everything had gone just right...
but even with my speed at that time.... if I got a phone call or someone cut their finger and I had to go deal with that... simply spritzing took away the problem.
  My father carved many full sides... there is no way anyone , even trying to keep the unworked section covered could do those large projects without having to rewet...and he knew he did not want to rewet the TOP SIDE... so he anticipated the water flow from the bottom and spritzed regularly... many of his pictures took 10-14 hours at one sitting. He did not stop for meals... mom brought sandwiches and coffee....and of course he had nicotine to keep him going.
  Gregory B. Moody

--- On Wed, 9/9/09, Wolvenstien <choochoocomm@comcast.net> wrote:



Not to beat a dead horse with this subject after the past furious
discussion, but I'm just wondering if I'm doing something wrong. It
seems that no matter which method I use to wet the leather (sponge,
submersing, even waiting for all the bubbles to stop) I'm having this
problem. Maybe it's just that I'm too slow, bit I don't think so.
After unwrapping my leather the next day, it usually takes a looooong
time for the natural color of the leather to return to the grain side.
Once it does, from this point on the drying process seems to shift into
high gear and it almost always dries quicker than I can finish the
tooling. I always wind up having to add moisture to finish.

--
Dale Erwin
Av. Circunvalació n CEC-2
Los Girasoles de Huampaní
Lurigancho, Lima 15, PERU
http://www.casaerwi n.org

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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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