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I'll second the idea that the tallow and oils getting cold add to the stiffness.

I usually just quick case mine with a spray bottle, but I'm not doing a lot of detailed carving these days. Mostly just stamping, and I respray if it starts to get dry. If I have to leave it for a while, I respray and cover with plastic to prevent evaporation.

As to the leather being stiffer after casing, well....water reactivates the collagen in the leather fibers, and collagen is kind of a cellular 'glue'. So, once the 'glue' has been activated, it keeps the fibers in place when it dries. Oiling allows the fibers to slide against each other, and that is why too much oil can leave a piece of leather "floppy". It's a bit oversimplified, but we did have a very in depth discussion of it way back when, delving into the chemistry of the leather. I think that thread may have been lost in the crash ('09?), and I recall it from when I first got interested in leather during late '07.

Mike DeLoach

Esse Quam Videri (Be rather than Seem)

"Don't learn the tricks of the trade.....Learn the trade."

"Teach what you know......Learn what you don't."

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