Wet Forming: Is It Dry Enough?

[Kathleen2]

Hello, I'm fairly new to leather working but have sewn all my life. I am doing OK but I still have a lot to learn.

I have question about wet forming with veg tanned leather.

I am making some wood chisel tip covers for a client, and was telling her how I make them. She is concerned that it doesn't get dry enough and her chisels will suffer for it.

I thought they were very dry but her concerns are very valid, she spent a lot of money on her chisels.

How do I know for certain they are dry and have no moisture left? Does the leather hold a lot of moisture?

What is your experience with knife sheaths? What is the best procedure for drying? I was just leaving them sit on a shelf for a few days.

Thank you very much

Kat

[chiefjason]

Kat,

Put the shoe rack in the dryer and put them in for 40-50 minutes depending on size. As an extra benefit it will stiffen the leather. You can let them sit additional time to keep drying. And seal with an acrylic sealant on the inside too. It's what I do with my holsters.

[Tree Reaper]

You could also make them out of kydex and mold them to fit.

[cgleathercraft]

I place smaller items over a floor vent in the winter for a couple of days. Works well without driving up the electric/gas bill. Otherwise throw them in from of a fan for a few hours to a couple of days in the summer.

[dirtclod]

You don't have to get your leather soaking wet to form it around the chisel. If your worried about rust wipe a light coat of oil on the chisel before you form. When you have it formed take the chisel out and let the leather dry, overnight should be fine but you can wait as long as you want.

[Kathleen2]

Thank you all for your input. I will post a picture when I get them done. I bought some kydex to make knife covers for my son's knives, so I will run that by her too. I'm going to make a couple and put them in my convection oven on the dehydrate cycle and see what happens. I had mentioned briefly about using the chisel covered in plastic to form the cover and that went over like lead a balloon, it's what started the whole conversation about moisture still in the leather and dryness. I feel they were very dry, she decided to let them dry for a couple weeks before using. She did say they fit better than the ones I made dry.

I cut a 3 inch piece of bamboo in half and folded a 6x2 5oz veg tanned strip over it long way after wetting, then I stitched. It looks good, I didn't bevel the edges or anything because well, it's tool cover. She's going to write the chisel size on the outside. Did burnish the edge a bit with gum, just because I like it that way. I will see. Thanks again.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Kathleen2

[oltoot]

Anything I make that is going to have the potential to rust something gets hung in front of a fan for quite awhile. Another thought would be to suggest small Kydex point protector/liners within the leather scabbard, then, if by design, the chisel point is going to rest weighted on the bottom then a small, replaceble leather bumper for the bottom would protect both chisel and case, you could send her home with a baggy full of replacement bumpers.