Leather Tooling A Belt

[charles canillas]

Hi, I've been making leather projects for a few months now, wallets,clutch purses,etc. I have made a belt, and am now on my second one. I damp the leather with a wet sponge, and do a small section at a time, other wise it will dry off before I finish, and I don't want to damp too often. If I case a bely, like pull it through water, and let it sit, will I be able to do the whole belt at one time. For me, it takes quite a while to cut and tool a belt. Thanks

[Cyberthrasher]

Probably not. My method for guitar straps would probably help you.

I work with 7/8 oz when doing guitar straps, so it can stand to get a little more water. I run it under the tub with warm water front and back then let it sit for a couple of hours until it's turning natural color in the center with some darker spots around the edges. At that time, I wrap it up in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge at least over night, though I feel my results are better with 2 nights. When I wrap it, I use multiple pieces of plastic and wrap it in sections that I think I can do in one sitting. If I can't do them in one sitting, they're at least logical spots to work on one at a time. Then, when it's time to work, I only unwrap that one section and leave the rest in plastic so that it doesn't lose its moisture. Sometimes as I'm working I'll need to spray the flesh side with a mist of water (it will pull UP through the leather to the surface and not over-saturate your tooling you've already done). Once I'm done with a section, or for the night, I spray the back with a little water again and wrap it up to put back in the fridge. This ensures that the part you've been working on won't suck the moisture out of the wrapped sections and will maintain a consistent moisture level throughout the project. This is pretty much what I do with anything that will require more than one sitting.

Edited December 26, 2013 by Cyberthrasher