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Hello, I'm looking for a little help wet moulding - I've got one mould thats turned out to be too deep and will need planing off but I'm looking now at making some more. Has anyone used MDF to make moulds in the past... has it worked? & does anyone have any hints, tips or pointers that I should know.. things that everyone wished that they knew before they embarked on the project but no one told them? I should state that at the moment I'm only looking to make bags and cases nothing more complicated than that, just some simple forms.... but I would like to know how to get consistant results and how to avoid getting marks on the leather when you're working with it. I've watched various you tube videos but they never answer all of your questions! Thank you for your help. Nu

I am having a little problem with my work, and don't know who to ask for help. The project is wet forming leather for a small pouch in a two part form. When I pull my forms apart there is a lot of staining on part of the leather. My forms are maple, with a coat of lacquer. I am soaking the leather in fairly hot water before I put them in the form. Then I am using some very modest heat to help dry them in the form. I will attach photos so you can see the problem. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

So I would like to try making flat back holsters and I am not sure how. Recently I have been playing around with making the front piece larger than the back piece. This forms a pocket which helps but does not get me all the way to a flat back. -Do you mold/form the entire front half first? If so do you use a press? if so what type and thickness of foam? -Do you use an oversize cut out of the gun to press around the form? -If the front is molded first can you stitch on a walking foot machine? Any Help would be greatly appreciated. Tony

What is the best tool for forming holsters? I have tried sharpie markers, bone folders ( from tandy) and even horn creasers also from Tandy and haven't been really happy with any of them they all see to mark the leather and I don't seem to get a real good molding from them anyway. Thanks

I'm new and struggling with when and how to bend and fold leather when making items such as a wallet. Only tried using water after tooling is done and item has dried. But wrinkles and stretch marks still show up. Also tried cutting small groove on back side with water combination. Still stretch marks. They are more pronounced after staining. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

I'm new and struggling with when and how to bend and fold leather when making items such as a wallet. Only tried using water after tooling is done and item has dried. But wrinkles and stretch marks still show up. Also tried cutting small groove on back side with water combination. Still stretch marks. They are more pronounced after staining. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Hello all, this is my first post. Leatherworking was passed down to me by my dad but was not taught (I got all his stuff when he passed away). So I have a lot of tools and have been messing around for a few years learning this and that but I want to start making my armor now and getting more serious about the craft. I have picked out the general armor I want to make, see attached photos for my inspiration. I am an archer so I need to be able to move my arms easily. I know how to make a mold of my bust to form wet leather but I do not want one single piece of leather for my breastplate. I want something pieced together like the pictures but I am wondering how to do it. Is it possible to rivet pieces together then wet and form them? or is this going to mess up the rivets? I'm going to start with a pattern on paper before I cut into leather but I was hoping for a little advice before I start to maybe save myself some time. I am a woman, if the pictures didn't give it away, so making the breasts fit is the problem here. I am also very interested in splint armor but figure I'll save that project for later when I can have my brother help me (he is a blacksmith). Any advice will help. This is my first piece of armor so I am in the dark other then what I have read and watched. thanks I love how this armor fits her. It's more warrior then what I am looking to make but I like how it is put together. I like how this covers her chest completely, I don't need to be flashing people. I really love this piece a lot. This is more what I am looking to make but I am heavier so I am wondering if the more open top of this one will work for me.