Members Neillo Posted April 12, 2012 Members Report Posted April 12, 2012 Hey boys and girls, I've been messing around with a few different finishes lately and not been having all that much luck. I know finishing is a very big topic for discussion and also a very personal one; but I wanted to pose a question.. Is there any way to treat veg tan OR chrome tan leather to make it so waterproof that even after submersion in say, salt water, it'd be able to be dried and restored without much difficulty? I've heard of Obenauf's, mink oil and various others but have only had a bit of time and money to test these. I'm looking at making some VERY tough leather products that can withstand survival situations and other such abuse. The question comes from when i was beach fishing and seemed to have ruined my leather sandals, got me thinking! -Neillo Quote
Members Glendon Posted April 12, 2012 Members Report Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) The simple answer is no. That's why people who are fording rivers or diving or whatever, are using Kydex for sheaths these days. You can make leather water resistant so if you spill something or it gets rained on, it will come back, but making leather submersion proof isn't too realistic. I suppose if you just covered it in acrylic, but it wouldn't really be leather at that point. Edited April 12, 2012 by Glendon Quote
Members Spinner Posted April 12, 2012 Members Report Posted April 12, 2012 It could be done by using a finish like Mirror Coat or Clear Coat that is sold in woodworking stores but the properties of the finish itself would render the piece with a hard, shell like finish and wouldn't be familiar as leather in feel or performance any more. I've used it on wood vases before to make them 100% waterproof but again, it ends up looking like Glendon said, a piece sealed in a hard acrylic shell. On the plus side, that stuff is also chemical & fire resistant once completely cured! How's that for survival gear?! Quote Chris Three Mutts Customs Leather - http://www.threemuttscustoms.com
Members Neillo Posted April 12, 2012 Author Members Report Posted April 12, 2012 Ok, it seems that immersion is a no go. What would be the closest, perhaps giving the leather some sort of warm oil bath or similar? I guess in theory, you could replace all of the air in between the fibres with oil or a pliable wax and lose some of the flexibility and suppleness to gain water resistance, that's about all I've thought of. Might get some scraps and "infuse" them in some warm, thin oil overnight and see what happens. I know that purposeful immersion of leather goods will destroy them without a doubt, so for holsters for diving and other watersports, leather is out of the question, my idea is to make something where you could get caught in a rainstorm or accidentally drop the item in a pool etc and be able to salvage the item with air drying and oil or wax treatment. Quote
Members WinterBear Posted April 12, 2012 Members Report Posted April 12, 2012 Hi Neillo. Some of the topics I read here seem to be of the opinion that over-oiling anything that starts out as veg tan is as bad as not oiling at all, and maybe worse, degrading or rotting out the leather, or simply stinking when the excess oils go rancid. If you want weather resistance, it might be better to start with something that has oils and waxes as part of its tanning/finishing process, like latigo leather. Drum stuffed or hot stuffed leather might also be a possibility? You'll trade off the ability to carve or do much molding, but gain water resistance. Can I also suggest talking to the folks in the saddle and motorcycle subforms? Their products get exposed to a lot of weather, and they will probably have some suggestions. Quote I used to be an Eagle, a good ol' Eagle too...
Members Neillo Posted April 12, 2012 Author Members Report Posted April 12, 2012 Winterbear, I'm not sure latigo is in good supply in australia, at least i've never seen it at any of the merchants i visit. I have seen some oil tan kangaroo, ox and cow leather that a friend makes mocs from; that stuff seems to hold up well but as you mentioned, it sacrifices tooling ability to use something pre tanned using oil. I guess also, finding good care products for veg tan seems to be difficult around these parts, i've been looking for a rich oil and wax product like Obenaufs etc but had no luck! Quote
Members Sylvia Posted April 12, 2012 Members Report Posted April 12, 2012 Hello: On Youtube there is a video where a dude dips his leather sheath into melted wax then bakes the thing on low in the oven for a while. The result is hard and he says, it's water proof. here's one that uses beeswax Quote A teacher pointed at me with a ruler and said "At the end of this ruler is an idiot." I got detention when I asked "Which end?"
Members Glendon Posted April 12, 2012 Members Report Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) That's an interesting idea. I'll have to try that melted wax trick at some point and see what the results are. Neillo, oil tan leather would be my first choice for water resistance. I just ordered an oil tanned side I plan to use for wheelchair packs. However, as you said it can not be tooled. The best compromise probobly would be a latigo re-tan like this if you can find a supplier that can get it for your. http://springfieldle...ornado%2C8-9oz/ Edited April 12, 2012 by Glendon Quote
Ambassador The Major Posted April 12, 2012 Ambassador Report Posted April 12, 2012 Winterbear, I'm not sure latigo is in good supply in australia, at least i've never seen it at any of the merchants i visit. I have seen some oil tan kangaroo, ox and cow leather that a friend makes mocs from; that stuff seems to hold up well but as you mentioned, it sacrifices tooling ability to use something pre tanned using oil. I guess also, finding good care products for veg tan seems to be difficult around these parts, i've been looking for a rich oil and wax product like Obenaufs etc but had no luck! FYI, Latigo is what you all call white hide or red hide down-under. Quote Shawn Zoladz (The Major) dba Major Productions Everything Leather Saddles and Shoes Excluded You can lead me. You can follow me. Or you can get the hell out of my way. -Gen. Geo. S. Patton
Members Spinner Posted April 12, 2012 Members Report Posted April 12, 2012 The wax dip trick does work, apologies, I thought you were going for "purposeful submersion" versus temp scenarios. Only drawback is that extreme temps can remelt the wax making the piece soft until it cools down. There are a number of folks here that make recreation wine & water skins and leather mugs using the wax technique. Quote Chris Three Mutts Customs Leather - http://www.threemuttscustoms.com
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