A Holster "in The Oven" Question!

[bitone40]

ok here is my set up . I have a little over thermometer to watch the temp carefully , I have the oven on the lowest setting which is rght before the 100 degree mark and I get right below the 150 mark on the thermo so im asuming is is in the 130-140 range and turn it on when I start forming so it can be ready when im done and then set the timer for 20 min and it turns off when done . I cut two of the wires on the rack to i can supend the holster so it wont give it "grill marks" if I leave it to long here are some pics and I picked the oven up off of craiglist for 20 bucks ,

[Shorts]

A good rule of thumb is treat your leather like you would your skin. If it would burn you, it will burn your leather.

140* is about what it gets in a Texas attic in the summer, or in a vehicle with the windows rolled up. Gradual sustained heat is better than a big hot flash when your drying out the holsters. Even better is warmer dry airflow to keep the humidity out. Humidity can be hell on the dye finish. I have trouble with black dyes sometimes getting it where I need. It doesn't like a damp piece of leather.

I use a little space heater (keeps the room warmer & dryer in the winter than the rest of the house) and a hair dryer for my drying needs. I found the oven/kitchen environment introduces surface contaminants and hazards that would not be present in my leather-only shop environment. I also found that the oven rack would leave a mark on the back of the holster where it made contact. I started laying down a scrap piece of leather so the holster would sit on it. I decided to quit the oven because it was getting complicated and convoluted for what I was needing to do. I just needed warmer moving air - duh - hair dryer and space heather. I'd suggest setting up a particular little corner in your work area for drying so you can keep an easy dedicated setup.

[Bronson]

My oven also only goes down to 170 on it's lowest setting. I hang my holsters from a bent piece of coat hanger in the oven when I turn it on. When it hits 170 a beeper goes off to let me know it's preheated then I set the timer for 5 minutes. If it's still damp after that 5 minutes I shut the heat off and crack the oven door and let it sit in there for another 5 or 10 minutes. So far it has worked well. It warms the leather up slowly and I don't let it sit the full heat for very long. The holsters end up firm but not brittle.

Bronson

[Jaymack]

I don't have a lot of experience except that I've made plenty of mistakes while learning about leather. Leather is a skin and reacts accordingly. Put some neatsfoot oil on it and place it in the sun and it tans and changes color. heat it too much and it burns. I struggle with the time it takes to case it properly while waiting to carve and stamp it, but every time I try to rush the process, I damage the leather. Just my 2 cents.

Thank goodness for black dye!

John

Edited November 4, 2010 by Jaymack

[ShortBBL]

Here is how it all turned out......

[GrampaJoel]

Ya gotta love black dye! Makes everything alright.

Looks good btw.

[Reaper]

Looking nice, did you treat the hard parts so they won't crack? Or did you catch it before it baked to that point?

Black is definitely a savior at times, thats for sure....

 

[ShortBBL]

Looking nice, did you treat the hard parts so they won't crack? Or did you catch it before it baked to that point?

Black is definitely a savior at times, thats for sure....

It didn't get that hard. I thought it was just not dry..... alas..... it was marked for life. Yes, Black dye is ones best friend in times like these!