Convection Ovens For Drying Holsters

[Randyc]

Hey Guys,

I'm to the point in the holster business where I'm considering purchasing a convection oven.

After wet molding and boning. How long would I leave a holster in the oven and at what temprature?

Could I dry more then one holster at the same time ie. 1 or 2 on each shelf?

Can I use the oven after I apply an acryiic finish to speed up the drying process, and at what temprature and for how long?

Thanks Guys!

Randy

[Denster]

Randy

I leave them in for 30min at between 120 and 130 degreesF. Helps to have an oven thermometer you can see through the glass window as the dial will not be correct and over 140 will curl things.

[Denster]

Couple of other things I forgot to mention. I don't completely dry the holsters in the oven although it does speed the drying process. 30 min at 120deg is enough to release collagens in the leatherto stiffen it. I can get four large holsters or six smaller holsters at a time in mine. Got it on sale at Wal-Mart for $39. On the acrylic finishes don't know on that.

[WaG35]

What does the convection do for the holsters? Does it just speed the drying process or is there some other benefits? Just curious, never heard of this before.- Tony

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

Randy, I personally use 120 degrees for forty-five minutes right after boning (I don't bone until the holster looks dry but feels damp). You can put as many holsters ad you have room for at one time. If you can find them, get some ceramic bricks to put in the bottom of the oven and they will help to keep the temperature more consistent.

Once I pull the holsters out I set them in front of a fan for another 45 minutes. At this point I sand and finish all of my stitched edges, before applying acrylic. I have found that the fastest way to get the acrylic to set up is moving air. I am able to handle them after about 30 seconds in front of a fan on the high setting. I leave them in front of a fan overnight to completely dry.

[TwinOaks]

Wag35,

The convection ovens use a small fan to circulate the air inside the oven. It produces a bit more 'even' heating, and helps to eliminate hot spots in the oven.

When baking holsters, we like to get to the magic temperature, and have it everywhere in the oven instead of only at one or two places. That keeps from having two good holsters, two that are a little damp/soft, and one that looks like road kill.

[WaG35]

What effect does drying them in the oven have on the leather. Does it make for a harder holster? Our oven in the kitchen is a convection oven but I don't think the temp will go as low as what has been mentioned.

Wag35,

The convection ovens use a small fan to circulate the air inside the oven. It produces a bit more 'even' heating, and helps to eliminate hot spots in the oven.

When baking holsters, we like to get to the magic temperature, and have it everywhere in the oven instead of only at one or two places. That keeps from having two good holsters, two that are a little damp/soft, and one that looks like road kill.

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

The faster you dry a holster, the harder it gets. Just don't use too much heat or you will cause cracking or make the leather brittle, which will hurt the longevity of the holster's service life.

[WaG35]

Thanks, I just checked the ovenn in the kitchen, and 170 is as low as it will go.

[CampbellRandall]

Have you guys considered a food dehydrator?

EXAMPLE

Cheap and you don't have to worry about cooked leather.

[Randyc]

Hey Guys, thanks for the replys. Looks like I may be buying myself a convection oven for Christmas.

Randy

[Bingo]

I popped my latest one into our big oven at about 100 degrees (I guess...?) after it had dried naturally for about 18 hours. Seems like it got a lot of the ambient moisture out and made the leather stiffer than air drying would have. I think I'll stick it in again right before I put the tan-kote on so I get all of the ambient moisture out.