Veg-tan cracked on me, help?

[twinklestarchild]

Your concern about creating a stain mark is legitimate, especially on older leather. One of the things you can do to help alleviate that, is to take a sponge and wet the leather farther down the belt , essentially "tapering" the moisture off to nothing, thereby eliminating a stain line. Usually this is not necessary, however.

Bob

Great advice, thanks for the tip. Seems like common sense, I'm just still learning what qualifies as "common" sense when it comes to leather.

[JoeNots]

I wish i read all this an hour ago! oh well. the crack isn't too bad & i made the belt for myself. learn something new everyday.

i was told by a friend that i should use Lexol Leather Conditioner. Anyone ever use that with good or bad results in the case of cracking?

Thanks,

Joe

[BillB]

Just thought I would add some thoughts from my experiences.

1. Leather, after all, is the skin from some animal that has been removed and gone through a preservative process called tanning;

2. It is no longer receiving the natural oils that would keep it supple;

3. Dyes, Stains, finishes can remove what ever oils, e.g. alcohol base, are present regardless of age and make the leather brittle;

4. Aging will also cause the leather to become brittle as the liquid component of the oil evaporates;

5. Some dyes, stains and finishes may added oils back into the leather, e.g. oil based;

6. Water will provide a temporary substitute but will evaporate as well and return the leather to its previous state;

7. Prior to working with any leather, new or old, it needs to be prepared, e.g. casing if being tooled, saturation wetting if being folded or bent into a form that is be be retained, deglazed to remove oils prior to dyeing or staining; oiled to increase flexibility if being used like a strap or belt, etc.

8. Sometimes normal use will keep the leather "oiled", e.g. our hands produce oils.

I just finished a holster using 50 year old leather. I spent as much time preparing the leather as I did tooling and working the leather, but the natural color that the leather had due to its aging was worth it.

BillB.