Boiled Leather Vases

[costumeclaire]

I am brand new to this forum, and very new to leather work in general. I am self taught so I really don't know what I am doing, but am happy with my results and having a blast playing!

I am curious to hear what other leather workers think of my "stuff"

thans

[Northmount]

This is really neat. Great idea. It's great to see other people's ideas and work. Gives great inspiration.

Tom

[Havamal]

Welcome aboard!

You will find this site a great resourse for ideas and information and the people are great when it comes to input!

Those vases are pretty cool!

What are you lining coating the interior with for water proofing?

[whiteeugene]

Those are really neat do you form them over something to keep the shape, what grade of leather do you use and what kind of paint or stain.

Thanks Doug

[mikesmith648]

sweet!!!

[costumeclaire]

I have been using a 3-4 mm veg tanned leather, I wrap it around a mold then a few minutes after dipping in boiling in water I remove them (otherwise they get a little hard to take off) then I treat in a variety of different ways, for me it is all experimental, of the vases I show here the darker one is dyed using a water based leather dye, they are both finished with leathe balm with atom wax. the basket is finished on the inside with a leather edge paint because I did not like the look of dye on the back of the leather and it is what I had on hand, not sure it is the right thing to be using if some one has a suggestion on a better finish I would love to know. the other vase is not water proof,

[immiketoo]

Those are, well, beautiful!

[immiketoo]

Claire, you should spray truck bed liner or something like that inside those. Then they would be waterproof!

[RClubb]

Nice! Cool idea.

[keableleather]

Very interesting and creative! I like!

[cem]

That's some nice work there Claire, I especially like the first one.

Cheers,

Clair

[whiteeugene]

I have been using a 3-4 mm veg tanned leather, I wrap it around a mold then a few minutes after dipping in boiling in water I remove them (otherwise they get a little hard to take off) then I treat in a variety of different ways, for me it is all experimental, of the vases I show here the darker one is dyed using a water based leather dye, they are both finished with leathe balm with atom wax. the basket is finished on the inside with a leather edge paint because I did not like the look of dye on the back of the leather and it is what I had on hand, not sure it is the right thing to be using if some one has a suggestion on a better finish I would love to know. the other vase is not water proof,

I wonder if brewer's pitch would seal it.

[2hole]

Very nice indeed. Keep up the great work

[costumeclaire]

Doug, that sounds interesting,where would one find brewers pitch?

[Nerull]

Hi Costumeclaire. Nice vases!

I just wanted to comment on he fact that you put the leather in boiling water. Since I've made a few pieces of armor using "cuir bouilli"/ "boiled leather" as well I did some research on the larp costume making forums and got the following info:

• the "boiled leather" name doesn't actually come from the fact that you boil the leather, but from the fact that tiny air bubbles leak out of it when you immerse it in water, creating the effect of boiling, even in cold water
  
• the hotter the water in which you put the leather, the harder it'll be when dry but also the more brittle.
  
• For armour I/larpers usually use warm tap water and have water of about 40°C (104°F) and leave the leather in the water until all the bubbles are gone. When it's put into shape and left to dry it stays in the same shape and is still pretty supple (meaning It can be bent to work it without breaking it and it goes back into shape once released).
  

Just my 0.02€.