Cracking leather

[OLDNSLOW]

From what I understand as well as read the title or oil based dyes is somewhat of a misnomer in the labeling of the dye.  there is no oil in the dye it all contains alcohol to some degree, so with that being said I imaging someone will come along to disprove or prove the concept.  However even if they do I always oil all my leather when done wet forming because if the alcohol did suck out some of the oils the water sure did so I oil but not to the point of being soggy or over saturated, I figure it cant hurt as long as it is not to much.  I have never asked for the MSDS sheets only going by what I have read on the bottles.

[oldsparky]

Thanks for the reply's. 

I guess it needed wet with water or oil. I wish I could find it to post a picture. As I was making this holster without a known pattern I folded the leather around the pistol more times than I can count. It wasn't until after dying the cracks happened. the leather would crack when flexed maybe just a 10 percent bend and the leather would crack all over like it had been heat damaged. Before thudding I had flexed the leather over and over coming up with the design. It seemed like the dye did something to the leather. The dye also didn’t penetrate much. Another thing is the leather was in a loose roll from when I bought the leather. I have used the dye on other leather and it was not the problem.

 

Anyway thanks for the help. I knew to wet with water before shaping. I didn’t know I could oil before dying. I am glad that was posted.

 

Thanks, Sparky

[wlg190861]

On ‎11‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 3:12 AM, KingsCountyLeather said:

I made a leather belt for a hairdresser’s apron this week and the exact same thing happened... I did oil it after dying as always and when the  leather started cracking, I oiled it again and again. Still the same. The leather was also from Tandy in the UK. 

Here’s a pic, it looks like a vintage belt now.

That is low grade leather. You get what you pay for. I understand you had good intentions but you need to buy quality leather for great results.

[KingsCountyLeather]

20 hours ago, wlg190861 said:

That is low grade leather. You get what you pay for. I understand you had good intentions but you need to buy quality leather for great results.

You are right! But you must allow inexperienced leather workers to make mistakes?

When you are new to leather craft, you expect the suppliers of leather to sell you good quality leather...

Now,... nearly a year into the craft, I don’t buy anything from Tandy. 

I now know not to use that piece of leather for anything important again.

[wlg190861]

On ‎12‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 2:56 AM, KingsCountyLeather said:

You are right! But you must allow inexperienced leather workers to make mistakes?

When you are new to leather craft, you expect the suppliers of leather to sell you good quality leather...

Now,... nearly a year into the craft, I don’t buy anything from Tandy. 

I now know not to use that piece of leather for anything important again.

Yes I understand being new, no disrespect, just telling the truth. Another thing, don't roll your leather up, that is for shipping only.Leave it hanging.

[flagshipsupply]

I have been crafting with veg tan for about 6 years now, & I haven't seen leather crack when bent a single once!! This is a very bizarre occurrence from my perspective. The only thing I can think of is that the leather may have been extremely old sitting around in Tandy's dry warehouses for years before it hit the shelves. Or just a fluke. 

[oldsparky]

I also had never had leather crack once. What else comes to mind is I have old belts and tack that set in a hot horse trailer that don’t crack, my boots bend everyday and I have some in the closet that are 30 years old and they don’t crack when I put them on. I need to buy some more leather and need to find a supplier that has a reputation on line. I will post that as a question.