what happened here?

[tashabear]

I'm making a notebook cover. I just cut out the leather, and went to case it to start tooling the design, and this happened:

(Sorry for the blurry photo, but you can see what I need y'all to see well enough.)

Parts of it wouldn't absorb the water. This has never happened to me before -- why did it happen now, and how do I fix it?

Thanks, folks!

[hidepounder]

I've never seen this before. Wow! Maybe when it dries you could clean it with oxalic acid...I don't know....oxalic acid would make it more difficult to cut, though...I think......what kind of leather and where did you get it?

[tashabear]

I've never seen this before. Wow! Maybe when it dries you could clean it with oxalic acid...I don't know....oxalic acid would make it more difficult to cut, though...I think......what kind of leather and where did you get it?

Just regular 7-8 oz veg tan from Tandy. I may call Froghunter tomorrow and ask him if he's seen it before; it's just way too late/early to bother him with it. So I'm bothering y'all now. :-)

I tried rubbing it down with denatured alcohol, because it's beading up like it's greasy. It didn't feel greasy, though, and I'm pretty sure the surface I placed it on was clean and non-greasy. Haven't tried water on it since then, but we'll see. I certainly can't tool it like this, and I bet Eco-Flo dyes will bead up like straight water does. Spirit dyes might work better, so it might be salvageable for something, but I'd like to not have to cut another piece.

[badger]

Tasha,

Looks like some kind of contamination for sure. Did you check your casing sponge? Just in case? It may have picked up something.

If you have a contaminated scrap, try rubbing it down with acetone (nail polish remover). It'll shift just about anything.

Cheers,

Badger

Oh, this'll cheer you up: http://www.fireflyarchive.com

B

[tashabear]

Tasha,

Looks like some kind of contamination for sure. Did you check your casing sponge? Just in case? It may have picked up something.

If you have a contaminated scrap, try rubbing it down with acetone (nail polish remover). It'll shift just about anything.

Cheers,

Badger

Oh, this'll cheer you up: http://www.fireflyarchive.com

B

It was a brand new sponge. I spent ten minutes just rinsing it out. I do have some acetone, though, purchased for just such an occasion (I've given up on nail polish; I can't find a color that compliments the dye in my cuticles). I'll give that a whirl. Thanks! (And thanks for the link!)

T

[CitizenKate]

If it's something oily or waxy that got on the leather and preventing absorption, maybe going over it with some deglazer will clean it off.

Kate

[tashabear]

If it's something oily or waxy that got on the leather and preventing absorption, maybe going over it with some deglazer will clean it off.

Kate

That I don't have. If the acetone doesn't work, though, I may go get some, but since I'm on a deadline, it looks like I'll also be cutting a new piece. I may try wetting that part of the side before I bother, though.

[Leerwerker]

You just need something to help marry the leather to the water - either a few drops of saddle soap in the casing water, or some of the carve-eaze sold by Tandy.

Hope this helps!

[tashabear]

You just need something to help marry the leather to the water - either a few drops of saddle soap in the casing water, or some of the carve-eaze sold by Tandy.

Hope this helps!

But I've never had leather not absorb water -- it literally beaded up on the surface! And I cut the previous book cover from the bit right next to this. Why is this piece behaving so differently?

[King's X]

I'm making a notebook cover. I just cut out the leather, and went to case it to start tooling the design, and this happened:

(Sorry for the blurry photo, but you can see what I need y'all to see well enough.)

Parts of it wouldn't absorb the water. This has never happened to me before -- why did it happen now, and how do I fix it?

Thanks, folks!

This is what happen to my market bag that I reported problems when finishing it. Same issue. I happen to visit Hidecrafters and talked with George Hurst. He told me that it was probably the tanning process. His best guessimate was that they washed it with too much acid and bleach. He didn't see the leather, but it came out pretty bad. Luckily, you got to see issues of front. I didn't know better and went ahead and craved it knowing that it was very hard to carve. I took the remainder back and got a credit. I now purchase HO and I just received my first hide. It looks and feels much better. Cut a small piece and sample a flower or leaves and finish it to see how it will come out. I don't believe you will like it. Good luck.

[MADMAX22]

I think its the tannery. I use to think that maybe its tandy from having the stuff out in a store but I dont think thats usually the case. Ive gotten that a few times but usually in smaller areas and honestly trying to clean it doenst really help atleast in my case. Its like its something from when it was tanned so theres not much you can do for it.

Ive only scene it in there thicker stuff (8/9). That is also the only leather that I have scene the spongy problem I had with a few pieces.

One thing I would like to add is that you will probably have a problem dying it as well. Even if you get it cased properly.

[Leerwerker]

But I've never had leather not absorb water -- it literally beaded up on the surface! And I cut the previous book cover from the bit right next to this. Why is this piece behaving so differently?

I have had the same happing - I shared a double shoulder with a friend: my piece, no problem! Half of the part he took, would not soak in the water; and it is he who told me about his remedy, which was saddle soap.

This might be an altogether case, but you never know. Because it is an organic material, leather is not predictable. When I decorate leather by oxidizing it, water will bead on the still-wet part of the leather. And yet, when it dries out I can so a second oxidizing without a problem at all. It makes it an interesting hobby!

[tashabear]

I think its the tannery. I use to think that maybe its tandy from having the stuff out in a store but I dont think thats usually the case. Ive gotten that a few times but usually in smaller areas and honestly trying to clean it doenst really help atleast in my case. Its like its something from when it was tanned so theres not much you can do for it.

Ive only scene it in there thicker stuff (8/9). That is also the only leather that I have scene the spongy problem I had with a few pieces.

One thing I would like to add is that you will probably have a problem dying it as well. Even if you get it cased properly.

Then why, when I cut another bookcover from the same side, the same area of that side, did it case just fine? Seriously: these two pieces shared a cut line. If it was the first piece I'd cut from that side I'd agree with you, but it's not.

It's just so weird...

[Suze]

maybe the hide sat in a "crumple" long enough to damage it?

in just a section of the hide.

I think that I would wet down the whole thing and see what happens.

(this from the fabric chick)

[MedusaOblongata]

If a combination of acetone and sandpaper won't do it, try leaving it as is, if not for this particular project, then for the next. If this leather looks different than all other leathers, make something unique out of the hide's unique look. How hard would it be to reproduce that exact Rorschach on a different piece of leather? You've got something special there. Make the most of it.

[Bree]

Take it back to Tandy with your photos and ask them to verify the defect by casing it themselves. They should replace the leather. You should not have to wash your veg-tan in acids or deglazers. Tandy should be providing a veg-tan product that is at minimum caseable.

My $.02.

[HarryB]

Wow, that's a new one on me. Never seen veg tan do anything like that before. Has to be in the basic tanning process. Looks like they began to stuff it and changed their mind. Are those scratches on the leather also? Simple solution: use a different piece of leather for now and take that piece back!

[MADMAX22]

Then why, when I cut another bookcover from the same side, the same area of that side, did it case just fine? Seriously: these two pieces shared a cut line. If it was the first piece I'd cut from that side I'd agree with you, but it's not.

It's just so weird...

The couple of times I have had it the noncasable portion was either a small circle or are about 10" roughly. Not huge but big enough. Another time it was the lower portion toward the belly about 1/4 of the belly section, kind of like ya dipped it in something.

That being said I have not ran into it very often. However I have also shyed away from getting leather from tandy lately. For me atleast it was a 50min drive with a bridge toll so it just wasnt feasable anymore.

[Kustomizer]

I had the same thing happen to my last seat I started, I started tooling it anyways for practice, but will also try the saddlesoap to see if it fixes it. I cut a piece from right next to it and it is fine.

[Lea01]

as i am new and learning about this stuff...

forgive me if it's a certain type of sponge that you use but thought i'd give some input re: sponges

If it is the typical aborbing good sponges you buy from the groc. store I wonder if this is what could be what had happened...

I bought a couple of packs of sponges different times...and they felt spightly lightly damp when I opened the packages...

I just thought that the first time I opened up a pkg that perhaps the store I got it from the whole box gotten wet (as I live in a wet/ damp type of climate as I live near the ocean.

After buying a new pkg of sponges a month later again it was alittle damp kind of I went back to the store and looked closely at all the sponges same thing for all......I then searched the net as I was questioning if / why sponges were like thins...

Surprisingly I had found out that new sponges are soaked slightly to prevent sponges from allowing bacteria breeding and other stuff. I don't know what the stuff they put sponges in then it is pkged but it isn't water.

You have to give a good good rincing of the sponges . Apearently it's a safe non-toxic liquid..I'd check with other pkgs of where you bought your sponge from see if got this stuff in it...(look at the clear plastic to see if there is a inside film...or buying another sponge and check if it's a sponge free of this liquid or has this liqid stuff....by squeezing the sponge you can't tell unless you actualy feel directly the sponge itself...( i found that they started doing this over the last few months...

le us know what you find out what happened

Lea

[jana]

Actually I have had this problem, after it was all said and done, I went to a pretty reliable source that told me that it was too much tanning oil/fat liquor that was used in the tanning process. I ended up casing the whole piece and sticking it in a plastic bag overnight, I was able to carve and tool it, but it left a greasy residue on my tools, also I could only leave the project natural because any testing I did with any type of acrylic based product was splotchy. I had to use it, at the time I didn't have a choice.

Good Luck to you

[Deno]

I would have questioned the sponge too. Some come with chemicals in them to add to their shelf life. My dad always used a chunk of natural sponge. They are a bit harder to find and a bit more expensive, but that's what he swore by.

[Suze]

I would have questioned the sponge too. Some come with chemicals in them to add to their shelf life. My dad always used a chunk of natural sponge. They are a bit harder to find and a bit more expensive, but that's what he swore by.

aren't the sponges they sell for painting on your walls - natural sea sponges?

I can walk into about any paint department and find them.

more expensive - yes

hard to find - no

[KatieG]

I've seen that happen once or twice on perfectly good hides.. nothing quite that large though.... I'm thinking it might be the tanning as well.

Try soaking it, not sponging it, to case it. Yanno, til the bubbles stop. (I've managed to dunk some oil-tanned before to make it wet enough to carve... soaking helps, in that case. If there's a way in, the water will find it. If it's too wet, well, wait a few minutes.)

I disagree that it should "be replaced" - one part is no big deal. Heck, that water pattern looks really neat! Just dyed and made into a cover or something similar would look wonderfully distressed.

I don't think I've used a sponge more than once or twice.. always been a good dunk or a spray bottle... so I can't comment on that to save my life. ^__^.

[busted]

I'm making a notebook cover. I just cut out the leather, and went to case it to start tooling the design, and this happened:

(Sorry for the blurry photo, but you can see what I need y'all to see well enough.)

Parts of it wouldn't absorb the water. This has never happened to me before -- why did it happen now, and how do I fix it?

Thanks, folks!

Sounds as though those someone at Tandy or where ever this piece came from made a

bobo. It sounds and looks like a piece of harness leather if it is harness leather you will not remove

the waxes and oils from the material I think you better find another piece

of leather.

Bussted