Casing Solution

[bex DK]

I was afraid you'd say that. Never seen the stuff over here. Lexol we brought back from the US on our last trip...

[rcsaddles]

With casing and carving being a weak point in my leatherwork, I will try to get a little info here also. When you have the formula, do you sponge it onto teh leather and then put it in a bag in the fridge? I have a fairly big carving project coming up and would like to know rather than make my own mistakes that others have made. Always better to learn from others mistakes rather than make them also.

Thanks

[bruce johnson]

I have used a couple bottles of Johnson No More Tears and one generic in between with no differences I can tell.

Joe,

I slather it on with a woolskin scrap used like a sponge (another way to use up those scraps). It depends on the weight of the leather how much and how many applications. Usually I go over it pretty heavy once and let it sit for about 5 min. Apply another coat if needed and see how fast it soaks in. If it goes pretty fast I'll hit it again. My general rule of thumb is about one good application for every 4 oz of leather. One of those things that experience with your own leathers will dial it in for you. I put it in a ziplock with enough air to keep the plastic off the face of the leather. Those big blue storage ziplocks are great. Next day or that night, it is usually ready to go. If too wet I leave it out under a fan. Too dry and I mist on some of the mix with a spray bottle and just leave it sit out for a while checking for more needed or not. I don't refrigerate anymore.

[gtwister09]

Joe,

I have pretty much used No More Tears over the years. However with that said like Bruce I have tried "generics". I have only found one bottle that didn't work when my kids were younger and we purchased some generics. When I looked up the listed compounds on that brand there were a lot of differences between it and No More Tears by Johnson. By the way that generic one that I used burned the kids eyes as well...so that may have only been a coincidence but something to think about. From that point on Johnson's was the only one purchased for the kids.

My suggestion is to start off with No More Tears and see the difference and then you can gauge others against that. However if you cannot get it in some places then try the other. I stick with it now after that one bad batch of generic (I cannot remember the name of the brand because I pretty much stuck with Johnson's after that) but you never know that could happen with anything that allows QC to diminish.

Your mileage may vary as always...

Like Bruce stated, I had about the same impressions as he did (maybe not exact but similar). I started off with water/overnight casing and top dressed/slicked saddle soap and have tried Procarve on several occasions over the years only to return to this formula.

Regards,

Ben

P.S. I have also used it as a quick casing solution as well for teaching kids but prefer long term or overnight casing to quick casing. In some ways quick casing may seem like a misnomer and elicits some strong passions...

[terirae]

Do the ingredients in the casing formula ever give you a problem when applying the final finish since the lexol has oil in it?

[bruce johnson]

In a word, "no". I have not had problems with any finish or dye after casing with this mix. I had problems with dye on some of the other formulas I have tried - never with this. All of my stuff has had additional NF added to it before I finish anyway, so a little Lexol in the case is no concern. I finish with Tankote, Bagkote, and Leathersheen. Not sure how true it is, but guys have written on some of these forums that one of the "fat liquors" used to treat the leather in the tanning process is the same as Lexol. It already may have some in it to begin with.

[hidepounder]

I have been using Ben's casing formula also. I keep it in a big plastic bottle and when I want to use it I pour it in a big pan and dunk my leather just as I did when using water with Joy soap. When I'm finished I pour it into a really wide mouth pitcher that I found and then pour it back into the bottle.

I think it makes some difference when cutting tough leather and a big difference when cutting leather that doesn't have a tendency to be sticky. I agree about stropping. I think I strop less. I haven't experienced a big difference in burnish, however I think that is due to the size patterns I've been tooling recently. I suspect when tooling an average size pattern on skirting leather where you can put some "heat" on your tools that there will be a big difference in burnish. I have not seen any impact on finishes either.

[sdkid]

I have always used straight water foir casing. I believe I will try this. I have two questions though. 1) What is the purpose of the listerine? 2) I usually start soon after the water is applied, what is the best solution for this method?

[bruce johnson]

The listerine has thymol which has antifungal properties and helps prevent mold. I have used it for (forgive the semantics Bob)"quick casing" on little things out of thinner leather and it does alright. I have used Procarve and my feeling is that the Procarve penetrates a little faster. That makes sense, since the Lexol probably slows the absorption a bit over just a surfactant like the Procarve. My other impression is that Procarve will evaporate faster too though.

[oldtimer]

Doug,

Here's how I mix it - 1-1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup lexol conditioner (brown jug), 1-2 tbs baby shampoo, 1 tbsp listerine (brown). Actually I mix it in a two liter bottle and measure by eye now.

Is that Listerine mouthwash ??? brown ????