casing leather

[Tkleather1]

Well thanks for all of the input it sure helps me figure out the RIGHT way to do it. I realized that I have been missing a few things and I will definetly try some of those things. Thanks again for all of the input.

[MarkB]

Mark,

I have used the Pro-Carve and I think it does help when leather is really tough, however I find that casing with the soap is better for me. I have a whole bottle of the stuff I will probably never use. More often than not I find that people aren't getting their swivel knife blades sharp enough and look to products like Pro-Carve to make the difference. Every now and then, however, I try it again.

Bob

ABOSOLUTELY!

Bob

I tried it because Jeremiah Watt uses it or may have never tried it. I'm with you on the sharp knife and I think practice with the swivel knife is also important. I think you have to have a feel for your knife so you make better knife cuts. IMHO

For me a thinner blade work better than a thick one. What do you think.

[flathat4life]

Could some of you maybe expand on your preferance of slickers. On my Dale Harwood DVD's, he has one made of Lignum Vitae that he likes alot but it looks like something i would have to get the hard wood for and then make. Is there any advantage to it over the glass. I know Barry King makes a glass slicker thats on his website for half resonable price that i'v had my eye's on for a few weeks. Also, is there any where else that i could buy one of either the wood or glass. I know we're at the point here that it just comes to a guys personal preferance but I'm curious to hear your opinions anyway.

Thanks to all of you for takeing the time to post your process on topics like this. I always learn somthing new and greatly appreciate it!

Thanks

Jed

Edited March 27, 2009 by flathat4life

[King's X]

I picked up my glass slicker from Hobby Lobby from the scrapbooking area, I believe. It is a little 3"x3" square piece. Good luck

You might want to conduct a search for casing solution. I remember Rawhide (Marlon) and another member had a pretty good thread going.

Greetings from Round Rock, Texas

[flathat4life]

I picked up my glass slicker from Hobby Lobby from the scrapbooking area, I believe. It is a little 3"x3" square piece. Good luck

You might want to conduct a search for casing solution. I remember Rawhide (Marlon) and another member had a pretty good thread going.

Greetings from Round Rock, Texas

Thanks ATX,

I'll do that.....I'm gessing that i would prefer my slicker to have some size to it. Exspecially since i plan on starting in the saddle making and will be tooling on alot of larger items. Someone can correct me if i'm wrong but it seems to me that the wider the slicker is, the more consistant it will be in slicking a desent size project. Plus it will speed up the process alittle. I'm looking at aleast 6 inches wide, with a desent thickness to the rounded slicking edge, and enough hight that its comfortable to use.... Maybe you exsperts could verify this just incase i end up making my own.

Thanks Again,

jed

Edited March 27, 2009 by flathat4life

[King's X]

There you go. I do this craft as my hobby, big different. What I am finding out is you pay for what you get. You buy cheap, you get cheap! I have been purchasing a couple of BK tools and boy is there a difference. Now, I am sell all two hundred of my crafttools to turn around and purchase a few more top line tools. I just went crazy at the beginning and amast these tools. some have never been used.

Anyways, purchase the best since you want to do this for a business, that I would agree with. As for me, estate sales and a BK tool here and there will be quite fine for me.

Good luck.

Greetings from Round Rock, Texas

[Timbo]

So does the ivory soap get washed off after the carving is done or wipe it off or what exactly??? Never heard of ivory soap before just wondering what happens to when it's all done.

Tim

[hidepounder]

Sorry for not replying sooner....I was out of town for a week and then lost track of this thread!

MarkB,

For me, the type of blade I use depends completely on what size pattern and what weight leather I'm using. For larger patterns and heavier leather I use a 5/8" barrel with a 5/8" HG straight blade. In the other extreme, on a small pattern on light leather I will use a 3/8" barrel witha 1/4" angled HG blade. In general, I do agree that a thinner blade is easier to use, however it may not leave a wide enough cut to easily apply larger bevelers. Consequently I use a variety of knives (I'm a toolaholic!).

flathat4life,

I like the glass slicker that Barry makes...it's edge is very smooth, it has some weight to it which I like. I also have some wood slickers, but the edge is easily dinged which leaves marks on your leather. In addition, I live in a really dry climate and have trouble with expensive wood slickers cracking. I also have an acrylic slicker and it's edge gts dinged easily also.

Tim,

The Ivory soap doesn't seem to effect anything like finishes, etc. I'm not sure if the soap actually lubricates the knife blade in the leather or if it prevents the crystaline (sp) build-up from forming on the knife blade which causes drag....I suspect it does both! In any case, I think it probably penetrates the leather and combines with other chemical residue which is there. I have never found it to effect dye or antique or Neat-Lac, etc.

Bob

[Bryan]

Lots of great info here! I've got another question to add to the subject. How long can you keep your leather "cased"? I haven't tried keeping it in the fridge yet, so I'm sure that will help, but how long till it's just no good?

-Thanks

[richard55]

hi, i am fairly new to leather work , and cassing never enter my mind,i read a lot about it but there is this question , i spray my leather before working whit it

do i have to case it dip it in wather like what everybody say, or just spraying like i do does the same ting

oufff i am confuse, so please help me ,

will try to comme back to this article if not please whrite me

p/s sorry for my english not so good , i am french canadien