juxtaposed2

Ive tooled a lot of leather fresh outta the fridge, practically dripping wet, I find it handy that wet, primarily for molding; holsters, mag pouches, cell phones cases, LARP armor, etc,..its almost like clay in that state, then I'll at least begin to carve the design once I've got em clamped in place. After drying for a day or so, I'll release it from the mold templates, dampen the area where I carved my outlines and then finish the tooling. That being said I've noticed a lot of saddle & belt makers,(with WAY more experience than me) on this forum say they ONLY tool during the "damp" stage. I'm curious as to their replies to your question. I think as long as you rehydrate, (nf oil, lexol, leather balm, leather honey,etc), once your done, you should be ok. Reason I say that is I've noticed when I tool really wet leather it comes out almost crispy dry. I believe thats why they tool in the damp stage, but not positive.

I would always punch out the charging ports, earphone plug, volume controls, etc using the wooden mold. I had some with just a tiny lip around the edge and they stayed in place just fine. But sometimes I would add a flap w/ a magnet(never hurt the cell as some claim) or velcro as an additional overlay. Makes it much easier to get the phone in and out, otherwise you have to lightly dampen the case to slip the phone in.But If you feel the the lip is too small then I would add the plastic screen cover built into the leather case. Fast Fix works well to secure it. They're really no different than the one piece TPU cases currently on the market, just made of leather.

I used to make a lot of cell phone cases and like Glendon said, they have to be molded. Wet Molded. I would start out by making an exact wooden copy of the phone(or object).You can make it out of molding compound but it cant be H2O activated after its dry. A good veg-tanned, 4-5oz or heavier, shoulder leather works best for the case. Place your wooden copy mold onto a block sightly larger than itself and start forming your wet leather(properly cased of course) around the phone mold, paying attention to ridges and buttons. I like using a reverse cut out or boarder piece of wood to encircle the molded object and help clamp down the leather. Once you've worked it into the desired shape, firmly clamp down the outlining frame. Then you can take some molding tools and press in any surface (or bottom) details. Once its dry you'll have to attach a backing piece by gluing & stitching(sewing), stapling, clinch nailing, etc. You can incorporate a top flap or belt loop out of extending the back piece, or you can add that later. If you molded the lip around the screen of your cell, and did it well, then you should be able to carefully cut out along that ridge by the screen area and the phone should stay in place. You could add a clear piece of plastic to cover the open (screen) area but most people buy the screen protectors anyways so you don't really need that. Good luck---oh and dye your pieces the desired color before assembly...much easier.

was that the leather balm with atom wax? I remember having some balm without the wax years ago but I don't know if they still made it that way. Did you buff it after it dried? cause that that still left a waxy, little shiny kinda finish when I tried it ...I'm trying to preserve that 'milled' feel.. it's real soft, with a dry or matte texture, almost a nubuck feel without the nap..

Anybody know of a product that will permanently seal or finish (weather/stain-proof) 'milled' veg tanned cowhide leather and still keep it's soft feel? I think it's tumbled and so the top grain might be slightly open, almost like suede or nubuck, but it doesn't really have a nap to it...feels kinda like thick deer or elkskin. Products I've tried; Leather balm w/atom wax, tan coat, saddle lac and resolene, and they all left a waxy or clear-coat type finish. I have not tried Eco-Flo's Block Out Resist Finish yet and that claims to dry to a matte finish. .Anybody had any luck with it? I'm thinking at best I'll hafta resort to a Scotch-guard type product like 4 Seasons or Protect-all...do they still make that?... anyways, those are more of a 'treatment' and not a permanent finish. I'm open to all ideas and suggestions, thanks for taking the time to read this, ~confounded cobbler in Traverse City

Wow thank you so much for posting this! I've been casing my leather wrong for years (soaking overnight then immediately into ziplocks in a fridge for another 24hrs) and my results have been amateur at best; inconsistent carving attributes and very, very stiff when dry. Your process makes much more sense. Thank you immeasurably, Jim

Thanks but no, we have a chain stitcher and they are...difficult.. to say the least. We really need a lock stitch like a Sutton McKay, thanks anyways.

Absolutely! Fiebings Professional Oil Dye will cover ANYTHING. It's only made in a few colors but dk brown is one of them. You can use a paint brush and get in all the small crevices. You don't even need to prep the holster your working on, unless its got a thick coat of wax or something like that on it. I've use it several times to cover old worn out holsters and belts. It covers with one coat very evenly with no streaking and hardly bleds at ALL. It takes a while to dry but once it does there's no reside, and it doesn't wipe off on clothes or anything. It's the ONLY dye I use when I need black, dk brown, light brown or saddle. I wish they made ALL the colors in oil dyes...probably somebody does...maybe someone will post a reply with a link to some...?

Hello, was just wondering if you still have this available? If so please email me at jimbwa@gmail.com, Thanks, Jim