Oven Cleaner To Antique Leather

[Johnny B]

I read somewhere that you can use oven cleaner to antique leather. Any ideas on this?

Thanks in advance,

Johnny

[JJLeatherworks]

Look at the MSDS sheet for Easy off oven cleaner. The active ingredient is sodium hydroxide (lye). It will burn your skin on contact, and would react the same to the leather. I don't know if I would try it, the lye will keep burning the flesh until the reaction between the flesh and lye are equalized or flushed from the surface. If that is the effect you are looking for you might try lye crystals that soap makers use or lye sold as a drain opener. dilute it heavily adding the lye to the water, not the other way around. I think you would have more control of the reaction. Be careful, lye burns hurt like h*ll. Keep the lye away from other household chemicals, severe reactions can occur and in some cases chlorine gas will be released!

I read somewhere that you can use oven cleaner to antique leather. Any ideas on this?

Thanks in advance,

Johnny

Edited December 30, 2010 by JJLeatherworks

[ChuckBurrows]

As noted Easy off is basically lye and that "burns" and thus dries out the surface of the leather giving it crackelure as appears on OLD leather goods. One does need to take care when using it. I would HIGHLY recommend getting Tim Albert's book on 18th Century Pouches - he gives instructions on how to use this method and yes it is widely used by makers of aged goods.....

http://store.scurlockpublishing.com/recreatingthe18thcenturyhuntingpouchbytcalbert.aspx

For some other info on aging leather see this article.........

http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/aging-leather-zurl.jpg

hope this helps......

Edited December 30, 2010 by ChuckBurrows

[Johnny B]

Thanks for the info.

[JJLeatherworks]

Hey! Thanks for the links, its just the resources I have been looking for. Some thirty years ago I built my own Hawken rifle and always wanted to make the rest of the accouterments but never had the time. Resources like this seemed to disappear. I thought everyone moved on into cowboy action shooting, glad to see it is still alive. I prefer to shoot black powder, but the folks downwind of me at the range don't care for it much. Kind of limits my options sometimes.

As noted Easy off is basically lye and that "burns" and thus dries out the surface of the leather giving it crackelure as appears on OLD leather goods. One does need to take care when using it. I would HIGHLY recommend getting Tim Albert's book on 18th Century Pouches - he gives instructions on how to use this method and yes it is widely used by makers of aged goods.....

http://store.scurloc...bytcalbert.aspx

For some other info on aging leather see this article.........

http://www.wrtcleath...eather-zurl.jpg

hope this helps......

[Johnny B]

Hey! Thanks for the links, its just the resources I have been looking for. Some thirty years ago I built my own Hawken rifle and always wanted to make the rest of the accouterments but never had the time. Resources like this seemed to disappear. I thought everyone moved on into cowboy action shooting, glad to see it is still alive. I prefer to shoot black powder, but the folks downwind of me at the range don't care for it much. Kind of limits my options sometimes.

I own 4 BP rifles and three BP pistols. Real BP guns not this inline stuff out there now days. It is rare that I shoot anything but BP anymore. Kinda like an addiction. Luckily I can shoot right out in my back yard.

I just finished a new possibles pouch and want it to look "Old" Read somewhere about using the oven cleaner. I have tried it on several pieces of scrap and seems to work pretty good. Experimenting with different times and strengths right now to get the exact effect I want. Now if I can get the nerve to try it on my new possibles pouch that I made over Christmas. LOL