EcoFlow Easy Carve Solution

[Hilly]

I'm wondering how many use this? Do you feel it makes any difference in your carving/tooling?

I used packing tape on the back of my project, and wet it using EcoFlow in the water. I applied it to my 8-9oz. leather until the water no longer soaked in quickly, but not so much as to soak completely through my leather. I set it aside under plastic for about 20 minutes and when I took it out, the leather felt nearly dry. It dried very quickly - dry and no loger cool to the touch in about 75 minutes. I've also used it on 4-5oz. leather, and it dried even faster. <_< I think I prefer using just plain tap water.

[Beaverslayer]

I use it all the time for the simple reason that it has additives in it to prevent the leather from molding. It also seems to help the tool slide along easilier.

Ken

[Rawhide]

here's my version of pro carve. I use a gallon of distilled water and pour off about half a cup to a cup. Take two lemons and microwave them for 20-30 seconds. Roll them back and forth on the countertop with pressure from the palm of my hand. This bursts the capillaries inside. Now slice them in half with a sharp knife (if it's not sharp you will have to push on the knife an loose a lot of juice). I use a manual juice extractor, but I'm sure you could use a powered one. Extract as much juice as you can and then filter ALL the pulp out. Use a paper towel if you don't have anything to filter with. Pour the lemon juice into the distlled water. Add some drops of plain Dawn dishwashing liquid. (don't use any lotion soap). Now you've got a good carving solution. Also don't use the lemonjuice in the green bottle use actual lemons and extract the juice yourself. The lemon juice will prevent the mold from maturing and the dawn will soften the leather.

Marlon

[howardb]

Hilly,

I use it. I think the purpose of it is you don't have to let the leather dry down as far as plain water before carving. The "soap" in it helps the knife glide. I like it for cutting while slightly on the damp side (not wet). Tooling still works best at the "right" casing.

The soap also helps the water draw in faster. I know the pro's don't like to re-wet during carving, but it works well for me with my limited contiguous carving times. It seems to work better for me than plain water, and I'd bet that comparison would vary with how hard the plain water is.

My tuppence,

Brent

[bruce johnson]

Hilly,

I have used the ProCarve for several years, and like it. It contains an antifungal, and I was having mold problems before I started using it. I have not tried the new Ecoflow alternative, and my TLF guy doesn't know for sure if it is antifungal. Does anybody know?? He was out when I last ordered, so I have yet to try it. I really started using the Procarve after a couple guys from down south told me that gear they made from leather that had been cased in Procarve failed to grow mold even on the finished product. Whatever the antifiungal is (reported to be a eucalyptus derivative) remains in the leather enough to slow mold growth?

I am a little old-fashioned I guess. Most all of my stuff has been cased. I tape the backs, wet it up good, wet it again in about 10 minutes, and bag it for 8-24 hours. That leather (doesn't matter whose it is) will cut better, stamp cleaner, and give me better color. Ocassionally I have to do the Tandy class quick case, but the results are never the same as if I had let it sit and really soften, even out, and the fibers swell. It takes some palnning ahead, but the results are worth it to me.

A few reasons I can think of as to why your leather seemed to dry quicker with casing solution than without. The amount of moisture may be the same, but the CS water has lower surface tension and penetrates faster. That water doesn't evaporate any faster, but will penetrate to the deeper layers faster, leaving the surface realtively more dry. The other may have to do with the leather. Some tannages with more oils hold the moisture in the upper layers, while the CS water penetrates that faster.

[Kani]

Bruce what do you mean by Tandy class quick case? I haven't heard of that. I am new at this whole thing. Thanks

Hilly,

I have used the ProCarve for several years, and like it. It contains an antifungal, and I was having mold problems before I started using it. I have not tried the new Ecoflow alternative, and my TLF guy doesn't know for sure if it is antifungal. Does anybody know?? He was out when I last ordered, so I have yet to try it. I really started using the Procarve after a couple guys from down south told me that gear they made from leather that had been cased in Procarve failed to grow mold even on the finished product. Whatever the antifiungal is (reported to be a eucalyptus derivative) remains in the leather enough to slow mold growth?

I am a little old-fashioned I guess. Most all of my stuff has been cased. I tape the backs, wet it up good, wet it again in about 10 minutes, and bag it for 8-24 hours. That leather (doesn't matter whose it is) will cut better, stamp cleaner, and give me better color. Ocassionally I have to do theTandy class quick case, but the results are never the same as if I had let it sit and really soften, even out, and the fibers swell. It takes some palnning ahead, but the results are worth it to me.

A few reasons I can think of as to why your leather seemed to dry quicker with casing solution than without. The amount of moisture may be the same, but the CS water has lower surface tension and penetrates faster. That water doesn't evaporate any faster, but will penetrate to the deeper layers faster, leaving the surface realtively more dry. The other may have to do with the leather. Some tannages with more oils hold the moisture in the upper layers, while the CS water penetrates that faster.

[pete]

make sure that you case with REALLYWARM water. It opens the leather better and quicker than cold or luke warm.

pea-aire'

[ClayB]

I think the quick case that Bruce mentions is just wetting your leather and letting it come back to it's original color, but still cool to the touch. That's what is usually done in classes because you dont have time to do the soaking, bagging, sitting for a few hours method. I agree with Bruce, the old fashioned method does have it's advantages if you have time to plan in advance. A lot of how you choose to case depends on your leather. When I helped out at the kids class in Sheridan last spring, that leather out of those kits dried out really quickly and we were constantly adding water. I think soaking and bagging that leather would have helped it a bunch. I have been using mostly Herman Oak leather and I can get pretty good results with quick casing, but I still think it's better to bag it if you have time. You are going to get better burnish when tooling, and you will be able to carve and stamp a lot longer without re-wetting. That's my thought anyway.

Clay

[gtwister09]

Bruce,

Ask them for the MSDS of the product. They should have that available for all products. That may help answer the question but not always.

Regards,

Ben

[Roger]

i just use a few drops of dawn. i have had stuff bagged for quite a few days with no problems

[Billy P]

I too usually use the Pro-Carve from Tandy, but haven't tried any of the new stuff. I think that you can still get the original from Bee Carve or something like that, anyway the company that makes the Pro-Carve. Sometimes I'll do like some of the rest of ya'll and just put a couple of drops of Dawn or Pure Ivory dish detergent in my little bowl of water. I have even quick cased the leather with a sponge and my casing solution and then wetting it really well in the sink with hot water, then bag and tag until I can get to it. That seems to work the best as far as ease of Carving/Tooling goes. I guess it is just what ever works best for us at any given time. Sometimes we don't have the time to case the leather the best way and just have to do what we have to do, LOL. Rawhide I haven't tried the lemons like that, but I'm going too. Most of the time lemons around my place are lemonade, or with tokillya, lick it, slamit, suckit, pretty much my favorite way, LOL, .Anyway my pennies worth, and I am not near as experienced as most of the others are at this. Billy P