Stretching Leather With A Finish/hard Coating?

[harl]

We've started our first leather stretching project and have done some research on how to stretch leather. We purchased the leather before we started reading, so that might be part of the issue.

Case: our leather is black, probably 12-14 oz. One side is unfinished, the other side has a shiny, scrape-resistant coating similar to patent but matte instead of glossy. We soaked it in hot hot hot water for 10 minutes and tried to stretch it over our form. (For reference, we're trying to make a shoulder pauldron type piece.) The hardened side (we don't know what to call it) doesn't stretch.

So, my question is, is there ANY way to stretch this leather we bought, or is it just too bad, make a belt?

Thanks for any help or advice given.

[BillB]

I would not try to stretch 12-14 oz leather to begin with, just too thick to give very much. Since you did not state why you want to stretch the leather it is hard to recommend the type of leather to use. Leather, which is the skin of an animal, will have properties that are associated with the animal from which it came. If I were going to be making a drum and wanted to stretch the skin across the drum frame, I would be looking at either thin calf skin, or deer skin. I would also be looking for leather that is not finished. It sounds like the piece you have has a finish applied to it. Since I would soak the leather in water in order to loosen the fibers of the leather prior to stretching, the finish is going to prevent some layers of the leather from soaking up the water, thus making it hard to stretch.

Just my opinion.

BillB

[BillB]

After reading your post again, I did find the reference to the form you are using. My question is then, are you wanting to stretch the leather or just form the leather? Im either case, I would have let the leather soak for a couple of hours. If there were still bubbles coming off the rough side, then it was still taking water in and letting air out. With the thickness of the leather, I don't think you got the inner core wet.

BillB

[TomBanwell]

You need to start with veg tan leather with no finish on it.

[Dmitri]

I am not sure if you are LARPing or SCA fighing or live steel re-enacting. When I form for pauldons for SCA fighting I don't go any higher than around a 10oz. Soak well and form over a stainless steel bowl to give me my basic shape held down with clamps there will be some stretching but not much at even 10oz.. Then I harden with Bees Wax, let dry then do my finished forming with a heat gun when it is cut to shape.

I think you are just too heavy to get a good stretch or any at all. and yes I only use Veg Tan for any armour I build.