Flattening Tandy Bag Stiffener/

[Procyon650]

I have purchased a piece of Tandy's bag stiffener material. It seems to be just the sort of thing I was looking for to use in a portfolio.

However it was shipped to me rolled up and seems to have retained the curve. I thought that when I removed the wrapping it would unroll given time but it has not. Any thoughts on a method to make this stuff flat again? I thought about rolling it the other way but this usually softens the materials that I have tried. I do not want to make this stuff more flexible.

Any suggestions?

[blue duck]

I am not sure what Tandy sells. Is it bontex or a similar type? If so the best thing to do is to unroll and lay flat on the floor so the roll has the ends on the floor and ha a hump in the middle. Weight it down with books or whatever. You are right not to try and roll it the other way. Sometimes a dry iron will help if you put the weight on it quickly. Most important is to make sure the grain is laid out correctly when you go to cut it. As hard as it is, the most important part is to store it flat. Yeah, I don't have any place for that either.

[Sylvia]

Duck... when it doubt hand it on the wall. and call it art.

[blue duck]

There you go!

[rickybobby]

I have purchased a piece of Tandy's bag stiffener material. It seems to be just the sort of thing I was looking for to use in a portfolio.

However it was shipped to me rolled up and seems to have retained the curve. I thought that when I removed the wrapping it would unroll given time but it has not. Any thoughts on a method to make this stuff flat again? I thought about rolling it the other way but this usually softens the materials that I have tried. I do not want to make this stuff more flexible.

Any suggestions?

I leave it (rolled like it comes to us but not tied) and just cut a piece when I need it, with the smaller piece I "unroll) it by working it in the opposite direction and it flattens out nice.

I have started using a plastic polymer material that I get from a "sign guy" that is in the same building as my shop. It comes in different thicknesses and is stiff but cuts great! Just score it and it snaps at the score line, even if it is a curved score line. A 4 X 8 sheet runs me about $10.00

I will try and find out the name of the stuff and post next week (Monday) I store it flat standing up behind my bench.

[Procyon650]

The "sign guy" is probably selling a product called "Sintra" It is a PVC plastic that can be cut with saws or just a sharp knife, I know that material since I ran a sign shop for 7 years.

It is a little stiffer than what I want but I can see where it would be useful in leatherwork.

I am not sure what Tandy sells. Is it bontex or a similar type? If so the best thing to do is to unroll and lay flat on the floor so the roll has the ends on the floor and ha a hump in the middle. Weight it down with books or whatever. You are right not to try and roll it the other way. Sometimes a dry iron will help if you put the weight on it quickly. Most important is to make sure the grain is laid out correctly when you go to cut it. As hard as it is, the most important part is to store it flat. Yeah, I don't have any place for that either.

What is "bontex"?

[blue duck]

Bontex is a paper type product that starts at about .014 and goes to at least .060 that I know of. Maybe more. So it can be hardly nothing to stiffen a project to so stiff there is absolutely no give once materials are applied. What sets it apart is that it is a fiber with some sort of chemical (maybe it isn't a chemical per se) that makes it mold and mildew resistant. I seem to recall it was made for handbags to be used in place of something like cardboard. It won't melt and get squishy if it gets damp and since it usually can't dry fast enough inside a bag, it won't turn smelly and ruin the bag. There are other names for it in other parts of the world, if anyone would like, I could find the name they call it in Europe.

[Pablo27]

I am not sure what Tandy sells. Is it bontex or a similar type? If so the best thing to do is to unroll and lay flat on the floor so the roll has the ends on the floor and ha a hump in the middle. Weight it down with books or whatever. You are right not to try and roll it the other way. Sometimes a dry iron will help if you put the weight on it quickly. Most important is to make sure the grain is laid out correctly when you go to cut it. As hard as it is, the most important part is to store it flat. Yeah, I don't have any place for that either.

Could you elaborate on how and why to lay out the "grain" correctly? Not sure what you mean here? Thanks so much.

[blue duck]

Bontex will have a grain, somewhat like fabric. When you gently bend it, one way it will go quite easy. Turn it 90* and it will resist. So depending on what you want to accomplish make sure you lay your pattern and cut it in the right direction. Say you were wanting it to stiffen a cylinder shape, make sure the grain goes end to end of the cylinder whether it stands up and down or lays on its side and it will create a smooth bend around the circumference. If you wanted it to hold something straight up and down the grain would run up and down. If that doesn't sound right, holler and I will draw it out. If you lay your piece of leather cross grain or against the direction you need, it will always fight you and if it is really stiff paper, it could actually change the shape of your project and make it out of whack.

[Sluggo001]

I finally have enough experience to contribute!

This is what worked for me....dampen it SLIGHTLY and roll it in the opposite direction. If you want it perfectly flat, put weight on it and let it dry.