Casing Question

[Rawhide]

....Why? Because someone suggested I try it and I liked it!....

Bob, this is why I started using the baby shampoo and lexol formula...Bottom line is for me it keeps the leather flexible when it drys, so it's not hard as a rock and I like the burnish it gives...I got the suggestion from Bruce Johnson and have been using it ever since...

[Bryan]

Man, some really great info here! Thanks guys! So, it sounds like time is really not a factor as much as a proper & consistant moisture content. Is that right? With my work schedule I may not get back to tooling for a whole week. So that's o-k as long as I pay attention & re-wet when needed?

Also David, when you refer to compressing the leather with a "glassing" method, is that the same as "slicking"? Thats another topic I'm very interested in. Never heard of it till I came here.

Thanks again guys, really great!

[kevinhopkins]

Hi...one of the upshots of all this, is moisture content, as pretty much everyone has noted. And, as everyone has noted, the fridge does prevent mold, and keeps the leather from drying out. The carve eeze, shampoo, joy, and whatever else that we add to the water simply helps the leather to carve a bit smoother. But if you use some of those solutions too many times, the surface of the leather can begin to stiffen up, and not accept either water or dye terribly well. And you'd want to remember, that when you wet leather, and you're happily tooling away, and you notice that it seems a bit dry, and you need to add moisture, keep in mind that the leather is already wet...... it's just not wet enough! So be sparing as you add water. The conclusion of the matter is that for leather to tool well, and form well, the proper moisture content is needed. And it's experience that will tell you what that moisture level is. When you use quality leathers like Hermann Oak, or Wickett and Craig, or others of similar quality, moisture content will always be easier to deal with, simply because the leather is on your side! Happy Hammering!

Kevin

[hidepounder]

Man, some really great info here! Thanks guys! So, it sounds like time is really not a factor as much as a proper & consistant moisture content. Is that right? With my work schedule I may not get back to tooling for a whole week. So that's o-k as long as I pay attention & re-wet when needed?

Also David, when you refer to compressing the leather with a "glassing" method, is that the same as "slicking"? Thats another topic I'm very interested in. Never heard of it till I came here.

Thanks again guys, really great!

Yes Bryan, that is right. If you have a long stretch between tooling sessions, I suggest using the palstic wrap and tooling small sections at a time. I will say, though, a week is a long time to try to keep everything together.

I can't answer for David, but I'm confident that he is talking about slicking....and I agree with him....I slick everything also, before I tool. It does a great job of compacting the leather fibers and creating a more uniform surface to cut and tool. I use a smooth piece of glass that has a wood handle glued to it...made by Barry King. You can use acrylic or wood slickers also, however, they are easily nicked which puts scratches in the leather. In addition, slicking helps to take out some of the stretch out of the leather when you tool. I slick when I case and again before I cut the piece to size.

Hope this helps,

Bob

Edited May 14, 2009 by hidepounder

[whinewine]

Russ...I edited this because when I re-read your post I realized that your explanation of a sufuctant was really referring to detergents. Does that mean we should be using detergents instead of soap, or do they both accomplish the same thing?

Bob:

I am not a scientist, but there is a difference between soap & detergent. From what I remember from high school chemistry (several centuries ago), I think soap merely surrounds the dirt particles & allows them to be flushed away (think saddle soap- doesn't penetrate deeply & is not used for casing) whereas a detergent/surfactant breaks the surface tension of the water to allow for deeper cleaning by greater penetration. Photoflo is a detergent but doesn't make suds, so I'm thinking that what we think of 'detergent' actually has something in it to cause it to 'suds up' (maybe some soap???) to help flush away the dirt after the detergent has penetrated better than water and soap alone. So a tiny bit of baby shampoo added to the solution is more important as a detergent agent rather than the sudsing part itself, I would think.

russ

[DreadPirateRedbeard]

As a solution to having the tooling become fainter when you re-wet; try glassing the leather first. This compacting of the leather will prevent the tooling from raising back up.

I don't use refrigeration because I don't like it at all. I can re-wet leather a dozen times in tooling a complex piece and it doesn't become harder or more difficult to tool.

Just a suggestion, this is what I do.

David Theobald

What is glassing? What tools or chemicals does it take and how is it done?

[David]

With reference to glassing.... it is the same as slicking.... I've heard it called both I was having an issue with a piece of leather. As I was beveling my knife cuts, other close-by beveling was popping back up, it was very frustrating. I happened to mention this when Jim Linnell was at the Cincinnati Tandy store. He immediately ask if I was glassing or slicking the leather. I also bought a glassing tool/slicker from Barry King .... great .... GREAT tool.... thank you Barry. It totally eliminated the problem.

The procedure is to case the leather and then firmly pull the slicker over the leather from several directions while applying considerable pressure. This compacts the leather and also makes it smooth as a baby's.... well you know.

CAUTION..... DON'T drop your glassing tool on a concrete floor!! Don't ask me how I know that.

David Theobald

[Bryan]

With all this I should be able to make some pretty big improvements!

I can't say thanks enough! I love this place!

-Bryan