Treating Leather

[BFaehn]

I've just been dabbling into things so I've made some belts, dog collars and spur straps for my nephews and family. I feel like the leather is still very stiff. I am self taught and really do t k ow much on the care of leather, so I didn't know if maybe that is part of my problem. I use veg tan but I've also used Herman Oak and both seem to have the same fell, stiffness. 

[Bert03241]

Veg tan is fairly stiff. if you want to make it more pliable there are several leather conditioners out there. Rub some Mink oil into the raw leather , or google leather conditioners.

[Heartless]

yup, need a conditioner, and you need to actually work the leather to loosen it up/make it more pliable. the thicker the leather, the stiffer it will be.

btw - Hermann Oak is veg tan, just a specific tannery that produces a high quality product - kind of like the difference between a Hyundai and Rolls Royce. Both are vehicles, but one is built to a much higher standard

[Frodo]

Belts and straps

wrap around a pole and pull back and forth in a quick motion 

wallets and other flat objects. Wad them up repeat, repeat repeat 

 

[Hags]

Ditto the pole. I keep a cheap vise on the side bench with a piece of old closet rod (1.5 in?) That I run my straps on. I build a lot of chest rigs a d the shoulder straps are kinda rough and stiff after finishing (Hermann Oak). Running over the rod loosens them up and smooths the back pretty well.

Edited October 28, 2023 by Hags
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