Water casing vs oil

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

How do the 2 casing techniques stack up to each other? When would oil casing be preferable to water?

[DieselTech]

I guess I never heard of such technique as casing with oil. 

I thought all casing was done with water. 

[Mablung]

Never heard of that, either, and don’t think it would work. If you truly soak the leather with oil, you will create an irredeemable, soggy mess. 

[dikman]

Yep, never heard of it and don't see how it could work. Casing requires damping the leather and then letting it partially dry, oil doesn't dry out.

Feel free to try it, however and post your results to let us know what happens.

[Northmount]

5 hours ago, ThisIsMyFirstRodeo said:

How do the 2 casing techniques stack up to each other? When would oil casing be preferable to water?

Where did you hear about or find info on "oil casing".  We need to know the source and their reliability.

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

It was from one of the Tandy guys, so I would think it was at least a real technique. I believe it was in regards to dyeing or forming, rather than tooling, but I also have the short term memory of a springer spaniel chasing squirrels under a disco ball. 
From my own logic, I don’t think it would have great tooling value unless you were pounding the crap out of it.

[TonyV]

If I have an old, dry piece of leather I want to carve, I will sometimes apply a bit of NFO a day or so before I case it.  Seems to help restore the body sometimes, but I'm definitely not casing with oil.

Some people use a light application of neatsfoot oil after carving. Some people use a light application of NFO before dying, others after dying, or both.  Still not casing with oil.

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

It seems likely that that’s what he was referring to, and that I likely misheard

[Littlef]

14 hours ago, ThisIsMyFirstRodeo said:

It seems likely that that’s what he was referring to, and that I likely misheard

Yea, I think you might have misunderstood what he was talking about. --- It's a common process to lightly oil leather prior to dyeing it.  It can help distribute the dye more evenly, and prevent some blotchiness.  You would do this in a later process, after you have stamped the leather.  Casing the leather (with water) is a process to get a proper hydration level so the leather will take the stamping.... and make the nice burnishing marks in the stamping which makes it really pop.  You case the leather before you stamp it.        When I first started, I remember talking to the guys in Tandy, and they would just overload me with information, and then by the time I got home, everything they said would be jumbled in my head.   Like most things, there's definitely a learning curve.  

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

On 12/23/2024 at 8:44 AM, Littlef said:

Yea, I think you might have misunderstood what he was talking about. --- It's a common process to lightly oil leather prior to dyeing it.  It can help distribute the dye more evenly, and prevent some blotchiness.  You would do this in a later process, after you have stamped the leather.  Casing the leather (with water) is a process to get a proper hydration level so the leather will take the stamping.... and make the nice burnishing marks in the stamping which makes it really pop.  You case the leather before you stamp it.        When I first started, I remember talking to the guys in Tandy, and they would just overload me with information, and then by the time I got home, everything they said would be jumbled in my head.   Like most things, there's definitely a learning curve.  

Thank you for that, it is probably the answer I was looking for.