don't ever do this-

[Ole South]

To accelerate the drying process 'safely'; pack your holster,shoe,mask whatever with and/or in newspaper and change it out every 20-30mins. The tighter the better! That's the only way we could get completely sodden cleats (kangaroo or calfskin) ready for next day play during tournaments. You can run a hairdryer all night and only part will dry... until what's still wet wicks in!

[mtroyalguy]

When I was starting out with masks, one (or maybe more) of the tutorials mentioned casing with boiling water. I also didn't know the difference between veg and chrome tanned. So I had a mask cut out from a scrap of chrome tan white leather from the scrap bin. Dropped it in the boiling water and watched as it not only shrank, but shrank unevenly so I couldn't salvage it as a decoration/doll mask.

I regularly use the oven to dry my masks, I have occasionally ended up with grill marks when I wasn't watching closely, but they have always been of the back or light enough that they can be covered by the acrylics I use to paint the masks.

[Pip]

Boiling water will shrink leather in a hurry as well. How do I know? Well, see, I have this friend............

We must have the same friend, I know someone not to far from me who found that out too, he also put his hand in front of his head knife once, ruined his project and nearly his fingers. Silly boy he has learned those lessons but continues to need teaching on new ideologies. Pip

[Handstitched]

I just spent 2 hours(happily) making a thin pocket holster for myself. My first. It was for a Ruger 380 lcp.

All finished and a perfect fit and draw. The leather was still wet from forming (why I wet it I don't know as it was 4oz or so.

I wanted to dry it and "cure it" a bit so I put it in the microwave. I set it for 10 seconds and after 2 it shrank to the size of a marble.

PLEASE- someone tell me that they have done stupid things like that before!!!!

I still have the template so off I go again-

ah well.......this is how we learn I am told.

pete

Be glad you weren't hard boiling an egg in the m/wave, like my ex once did. She may as well have been m/waving a hand grenade.

It took a good hour to clean the kitchen.

( I know its off topic....but its funny)

HS

[terrypen]

I know someone who tried to quick dry a coaster... dang that sucker got hot and hard in a hurry!... err or so I was told!

[Boriqua]

the hair dryer and box works great if you have to push the drying.Couple of things I learned. I poke the hole in the box for the nozzle but point the nozzle at the back of the box. I put the object on a rack so its not sitting on the box floor. small racks can be had at 3 for a dollar at the local dollar store. Now here is the important part. I poke holes in box over by the piece and I never point the nozzle at the item. I dont use it often but if I just gotta gotta gotta push the drying this has worked great and gently. Sometimes depending on the object I will tape in a little cardboard divider between the hair dryer nozzle and the object.

[TRHLeather]

Boriqua, I love the idea of a drying box. Without the dryer blowing directly on the leather, it should dry evenly.

When I was starting with leather I tried to expedite the drying in a warm oven. The shrinkage wasn't the worst part. When I tried to bend the bracelet around my wrist, it cracked. The oven had hardened the leather so even the one bracelet I had salvaged had crack marks all along the edges.

Live and learn.

[Oldtoolsniper]

Um I've never done anything I've " learned" from..

Go to the thrift store and find a dehydrator for a couple of bucks. Cut the plastic with an old soldering iron (outside) or a dremel tool and modify it to your hearts content. The round ones seem to be the easiest to find, that means as you find more you can stack them higher to get different temperatures. They are hotter lower and closer to the element.

[TexasJack]

I've done the microwave AND the oven mistake before! Both were on pre-made sheaths (before I started doing leatherwork) and, as others have described, were incredible failures!!

If you're not making mistakes, then you're not trying hard enough to do new things. A Greek philosopher once said, "I love my mistakes." You CAN love them if you learn from them.

But here's the way you get out from under the embarrassment of screwing up a piece: You simply tell anyone who sees it that it was a "prototype".

[Eccho]

People often ask why some of my items are so "cheap" compared to the ready available market. I simply tell the truth....."you are buying one of my mistakes, when I get it perfect You will pay 5 times that amount". They usually get a laugh and buy it anyway. We are....and should be....our own worst critics. The Good Lord's sun is still the best dryer in the world.