Jason311 Report post Posted March 22, 2015 Hey all, I was curious about how I could hot stuff my own veg tan just to see what the results would be like, but a couple searches have turned up no additional information on how to do that. In fact - if you do a search for hand hot stuff leather on Google, some "interesting" info emerges! lol Anyways - if any of you can provide any info - I'd greatly appreciate it. What kind of oils to use, the process, etc. Thanks, Jason Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camano ridge Report post Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) True hot stuffing is done with heated wax and oil mixture then is pressed in pith flat or roller presses. Some use a tumbling action such as used by Horoween.You would have a difficult time replicating the process at home. However you can make a mix of Neats foot oil or mink oil and bees wax and dip your project or mop the heated mix onto your project and let it soak in. Make sure you do not get the mix to hot as it will damage the leather. I have a crock pot with a mix that I heat up and dip knife sheaths in. Here is a more detailed explanation of Horoweens process. Truth be told, there is a bit of magic involved. Each piece of leather is a natural product and the food-grade fats we use are also natural products. There is a science to tanning leather but sometimes it is more akin to cooking. Hot stuffing is a process done by very few tanneries in the world. Hot stuffing is technically part of a retanning process where we reintroduce fats/greases/oils to nourish the fibers of the skin. The retanning process is responsible for most of the leather characteristics in terms of tactile and other sensory qualities (look, feel, smell). For hot stuffing we start by steam-heating wooden drums, add retanned or veg tanned leather, and add a special blend of greases, waxes, and oils that are all propriety to Horween and mixed in house special for each product we make. Greases, waxes, and oils are pounded into the skins by the tumbling action of the heated mills. The process is specifically different from other fat liquor methods used where emulsified oils/fats are used to condition and nourish the fibers of the skin — the steam heat is not required to melt the oils/waxes/grease to penetrate the fibers. Hot stuffing is special because it allows us to use raw, less refined conditioning agents like beeswax, tallow, lanolin and paraffin. These impart very favorable characteristics, like water resistance, and we have to use the hot stuffing process to introduce them as they cannot be emulsified. Edited March 22, 2015 by camano ridge Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DavidL Report post Posted March 22, 2015 Maybe an old dryer can be used for experimentation? From what I understand fat liquoring is done after chrome tanning and veg tanning. You could take beeswax, beef fat grease (tallow), lanolin and paraffin in different ratios, grab a 2 inch by 2 inch piece of veg with the waxes and put it into some sort of cotton bag similar to a pillow case and put it through a 30 minute dryer run. Will this mess up your dryer or is this dangerous to add small amounts of waxes in the appliance I'm not sure... so try this at your own risk. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jason311 Report post Posted March 22, 2015 Camano, Thanks for all the info. I knew it was an involved process, but had seen some makers state that they hand stuffed their items. It seems to me that if you used a heated neatsfoot / bees wax mixture that it would just oil the leather well, instead of actually changing some of the temper and over-all feel. David - I have to use my dryer for its intended purpose - but I'm willing to bet it would survive one go-round, but I don't wanna be the guy to clean it up. I may still have to try the simplest option just to see how that compares with regular oiling. Thanks again! Jason Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DavidL Report post Posted March 22, 2015 an air tight bag that wont leak while going through the dryer would work for experimentation without needing to clean up anything. From there if you can work a method out it would be relatively simple to find a barrel that can rotate electronically and find a way to send hot steam into the barrel. It wouldn't be worth the time and experimentation if this is only for one piece though compared to several dozen. Good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camano ridge Report post Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) Not true the wax and and oil is absorbed to some extent and does firm up the sheath. You can also stiffen a holster or sheath simply by heating the leather after wet molding. Putting a sheath or holster in an oven at about 170 degrees for about 15 minutes will give you a very firm sheath or holster. BY the way I don't know it all but I do have 40 years experience making sheaths and holsters and have used the oil wax process for at least half of that. Have you asked those people how they hot stuff there leather. I have found some people that think rubbing hot oils and wax on a piece of leather is hot stuffing. If you do ask them i would be interested in hearing how they hot stuff their leather. Edited March 22, 2015 by camano ridge Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mikewhy Report post Posted April 4, 2015 (edited) an air tight bag that wont leak while going through the dryer I wonder if vacuum bagging won't work. The mess would at least be better contained. Edited April 4, 2015 by Mikewhy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
