costumeclaire

these items are actually boiled! it is done very quickly on smaller items but for the vases etc. a longer boil time is necessary to get the leather to shrink enough to take the form of my mold. the other great thing that happens when I boil is the carving opens up and becomes very dark when dyed. this process would not be good for something like amour as it would make it brittle.

I have been boiling leather for a few years now, I make everything from jewelry to vessels. don't see many others doing this but would be curious what others come up with.

here are my latest creations!

Doug, that sounds interesting,where would one find brewers pitch?

I have been using a 3-4 mm veg tanned leather, I wrap it around a mold then a few minutes after dipping in boiling in water I remove them (otherwise they get a little hard to take off) then I treat in a variety of different ways, for me it is all experimental, of the vases I show here the darker one is dyed using a water based leather dye, they are both finished with leathe balm with atom wax. the basket is finished on the inside with a leather edge paint because I did not like the look of dye on the back of the leather and it is what I had on hand, not sure it is the right thing to be using if some one has a suggestion on a better finish I would love to know. the other vase is not water proof,

I am brand new to this forum, and very new to leather work in general. I am self taught so I really don't know what I am doing, but am happy with my results and having a blast playing! I am curious to hear what other leather workers think of my "stuff" thans