How Long Do You All Let Your Holsters Dry?

[hestes]

Hey, all! I want to first say that I love this forum. I have found so much great information on making nice holsters that I am actually starting to sell a few holsters locally and online! Thank you all for the help!

I do have a question about dry time. How long do you let your holsters dry after you take them out of the oven/dry box before you oil (or seal them if you don't oil) them? And for those of you that oil them, how long do you let that sit before you seal it? I want to get the process down to be as efficient as I can in order to cut down on my turn around time. Right now, I'm waiting about 24 hours between wet molding and oiling and another 24 before sealing. Part of that is due to my regular day job, but if I could cut that down I could get a couple more out on the weekends.

Thanks in advance!

[Dwight]

Looks to me like you are doing it right. That is more or less my process, . . . 24 hours.

You also mention an oven/dry box, . . . and there was a thread on here a few months back, . . . I glanced at it, . . . but didn't get involved because I don't use anything but a fan and the sun (wood stove in the winter).

One of the things I hope you don't find out the hard way, . . . but dyeing a holster while there is still excess moisture is a recipe for spotty, . . . blanched, . . . ugly junk that goes into the "I should have known better" bin and the profit takes a serious hit. Same for the oil, has been my experience.

May God bless,

Dwight

[hestes]

Thanks, Dwight. I dye my leather before I wet mold so dying wet leather hasn't been an issue for me.

[mlapaglia]

Over night up to 24 hours

[Jumpout]

I don't use the oven or a dry box, and I let mine dry overnight.

[katsass]

From the grumpy old guy; Do as you're doing now, and don't worry about your turn around time, BUT, as to turn around time, I tell my customers that their holster will be ready in 'about' 30 days. That way when it is done in two weeks, they're tickled pink --- if done in under 30 days, they are happy ---- if done in around 30 days, they expect it -- and if I go over a couple of days it's still within a reasonable time element. After all, I just may want to go fishing AND, nobody expects an old fart to do ANYTHING in a hurry. There some things that just can't be sped up without the quality suffering -- make sure that a questioning customer knows that. Mike

[hestes]

Thanks for the feedback!

Katsass, you are right. I don't want the quality to suffer at all

[Red Cent]

I was always told never submit leather to heat for drying. Were they wrong?

[mlapaglia]

Depends on the leather the temp and how long.. Take a lightly moist holster put it in 125-135 deg oven for 15-20 minutes, until it gets about 125 degs. It gets really hard and holds its shape. The collagen in the leather melts and then hardens to the new shape of the holster. Makes it real firm. If you put leather in boiling water it gets like armor. In fact thats how they made leather armor in the old days.

So it all depends on why you are doing it.

I have destroyed a few pieces by not watching it and it got too hot and burned. So always be careful.

[katsass]

Red Cent:

I have no idea what your weather is like in North Carolina --- other than to imagine that it's humid --- however, I believe that most folks don't realize how warm the ground can be on a summer's day. Get hold of one of those laser dot temp gages that reads surface temps (don't go buy one of the damned things - bum it off a buddy) and check the ground surface temp in an area that has some hours of uninterrupted sunlight on it -- it can easily exceed 120 degrees on concrete, blacktop, gravel, etc. Place your soggy masterpiece slightly above the (hot) concrete, macadam, blacktop or whatever you want to call the warm surface (use a small box, a thick book (previously read), or anything that elevates it slightly above the warm (maybe hot) surface, and allow old Ma Nature to smile on it for a while, turning it once. In colder climes one can face a small space heater (set on low) into an open box with your treasure nestled inside. The thing is to warm the dead cow skin enough to allow evaporation to take place and allow that moisture to escape the area surrounding your work, BUT in so doing, never allow the leather to exceed about 135 degrees. I don't recommend the use of a standard oven for drying -- it's to damned difficult to hold your temp to a reasonable level and the moisture has a somewhat difficult time escaping. Mlapaglia has it down well. In my experience, most folks want to hurry the wet molding process so that they can see and show others their masterpiece just a bit sooner than they should. Their work suffers from that 'hurry up' mindset IMO. Mike

Edited September 14, 2013 by katsass

[SooperJake]

Red Cent:

I have no idea what your weather is like in North Carolina --- other than to imagine that it's humid --- however, I believe that most folks don't realize how warm the ground can be on a summer's day. Get hold of one of those laser dot temp gages that reads surface temps (don't go buy one of the damned things - bum it off a buddy) and check the ground surface temp in an area that has some hours of uninterrupted sunlight on it -- it can easily exceed 120 degrees on concrete, blacktop, gravel, etc. Place your soggy masterpiece slightly above the (hot) concrete, macadam, blacktop or whatever you want to call the warm surface (use a small box, a thick book (previously read), or anything that elevates it slightly above the warm (maybe hot) surface, and allow old Ma Nature to smile on it for a while, turning it once. In colder climes one can face a small space heater (set on low) into an open box with your treasure nestled inside. The thing is to warm the dead cow skin enough to allow evaporation to take place and allow that moisture to escape the area surrounding your work, BUT in so doing, never allow the leather to exceed about 135 degrees. I don't recommend the use of a standard oven for drying -- it's to damned difficult to hold your temp to a reasonable level and the moisture has a somewhat difficult time escaping. Mlapaglia has it down well. In my experience, most folks want to hurry the wet molding process so that they can see and show others their masterpiece just a bit sooner than they should. Their work suffers from that 'hurry up' mindset IMO. Mike

...and the wisdom returns as smooth and easy as a hand-tuned trigger.

[renegadelizard]

i use my regular oven...it will only go down to 170, so i put a wooden spoon in the hinges leaving it open about 3 inches...dont preheat it...20 minutes exactly and its out and off to the fan for 24 plus hours...then a quick dip in angulus mixed with water and back in front of the fan for another 24...dont use a toaster oven...ever...it makes leather break like a cracker...

[Red Cent]

I thought I had a problem with instant gratification I put what leather I need dry in front of a slow fan. And I have ruined some leather with really hot water.

Started this leather thing recently after years of cowboy shooting and all the other shooting disciplines. It is interesting to learn the nuances of the craft. What will work and what won't work and what works the best for you.

The weather here is about 2' of less snow at one time, humidity gets almost unbearable, but the fall and spring is beautiful. And I miss my mountains.

Edited September 23, 2013 by Red Cent

[katsass]

Red, the one thing that I tell those that can put up with me trying to teach then to work leather is "SLOW THE HELL DOWN". The drying of wet leather after dying, molding, and when using contact cement takes time, and it is something that just needs to be allowed to work. We all want to see the result of our work, BUT, rushed work always turns out worse than if you took your time. JMHO Mike

[Red Cent]

Katsass, that is one of my big problems. I have been making one thing at a time and it is awful to wait for cement to dry, leather to dry, dye to dry, And with a Cobra 4, sewing can get really fast.

But as the weeks (I know, I know) have passed, I am learning that if you hurry this craft, stuff happens. I have begun to get requests (money) so maybe I can start on some thinsgs and try to co-ordinate the production.

[katsass]

Red, FWIW, I work on only one order at a time - I may get into the design stage for the next in line, but I never put knife to leather on a project 'till the first one is done. You may have seen my normal response to the question "when can I expect delivery?" I tell all customers that it will be 'around' 30 days. With that in mind, if it gets done in two weeks the customer feels 'special' and is tickled. If it takes three weeks or so, it's still ahead of the time estimate and the customer is happy. If it takes a full month , it is as expected, and if over by a few days, well. stuff happens and that's still 'around' 30 days. I make sure that my customers know that nobody expects and old fart like me to do ANYTHING in a hurry, and besides that, I just might want to go fishing a time or two. Mike

[hestes]

There has been some good input here! Thanks to everyone for the tips and advice!

[Dwight]

When it comes to getting in a hurry, . . . trying to do multiple things, . . . katsass tells us never to try holding a cat and an operating dust buster at the same time, . . . let me also add never to try to "hurry" the project by putting a wet holster in a microwave oven.

Ain't tried the cat thing, . . . but wayyyyyyyyyy back in my plebe days at leather U, . . . I did try the microwave, . . . nahhhhhh wasn't a good idea.

May God bless,

Dwight

[bison]

An old cowboy once told me when we were fixing fence to "slow down son, we're in a hurry". Best advice I ever got!