CW pistol rig.

[bjornk]

Here is my latest work. The belt, sheath, ammopouch, holster and the percussion cap pouch.

I hardened the leather on the cap-pouch with beeswax since i ran out of thick leather and i didnt want it to be to flabby, therefore the colour is a bit darker. I also hardened the sheath to the knive in the same way just for stability and a little for the looks...

I hope you like it .

/Björn

[ComputerDoctor]

Looks great! Good work:)

Sam

[Riem]

6 hours ago, bjornk said:

I hardened the leather on the cap-pouch with beeswax since i ran out of thick leather and i didnt want it to be to flabby, therefore the colour is a bit darker. I also hardened the sheath to the knive in the same way just for stability and a little for the looks...

Hi bjornk, I've not heard of "hardening leather with beeswax" before? How does that work, please? I thought that beeswax feeds and softens leather but maybe there is a technique to it that I've not encountered before. It would be interesting to learn how that is done. Thanks!

[bjornk]

Hi Riem

This is how i do it. You get some beeswax, i bought mine cheap in a store for paint and hobby - kinda like a lump of wax. I heat it up to almost liquid with a heatgun. I rub on a layer on the actuall piece of leather, go gently over it with the heatgun so the wax melts and the leather sucks it in. I repeat the process a few times. This gives the effect that the leather changes colour and when its cooled down the wax and leather combined makes the leather more rigid. Its quiete common technique with in the viking-fighters community..

After a while in use it might soften up but if so you just repeat the process..

11 hours ago, ComputerDoctor said:

Looks great! Good work:)

Sam

Thank you Sam

[Riem]

5 hours ago, bjornk said:

Hi Riem

This is how i do it. You get some beeswax, i bought mine cheap in a store for paint and hobby - kinda like a lump of wax. I heat it up to almost liquid with a heatgun. I rub on a layer on the actuall piece of leather, go gently over it with the heatgun so the wax melts and the leather sucks it in. I repeat the process a few times. This gives the effect that the leather changes colour and when its cooled down the wax and leather combined makes the leather more rigid. Its quiete common technique with in the viking-fighters community..

After a while in use it might soften up but if so you just repeat the process..

Thank you Sam

My, that's interesting. I guess it is the heat in the molten wax that causes the hardening. I haven't found a reliable supplier for beeswax, but I understand the plumber's wax ring used to seal pipe joints (mainly toilets) is made almost entirely of beeswax... I might use that to give this procedure a try on one or two projects... Thanks for explaining!

[bjornk]

Hmmm what accutally happens in the leather are im not really sure about but my guess is that since you kinda fill up the pores in the leather with was that hardens up when its cooling off i would say its the wax in the leather that makes it more rigid .. but thats only my guess....

[Matt S]

23 minutes ago, bjornk said:

Hmmm what accutally happens in the leather are im not really sure about but my guess is that since you kinda fill up the pores in the leather with was that hardens up when its cooling off i would say its the wax in the leather that makes it more rigid .. but thats only my guess....

Applying heated wax is one of the modern definitions of a process called cuir bouilli, which has used historically to harden leather, especially as armour. A bit like damascus steel there is a lot of debate, disagreement and myth as to how cuir bouilli was produced in antiquity but applying hot wax to a piece of leather causes two different mechanisms of hardening. As you say the wax soaks into leather, filling the voids between the fibres. Having done some simple experiments I have found that the harder the wax you use the harder the resulting treated leather becomes. E.g. beeswax results in a softer wax-soaked leather than paraffin wax. Further, once wax has been soaked into the leather it can be reshaped a little by the application of heat, which I presume is due to the wax softening.

Secondly the heat transferred to the leather from the wax itself does something to harden the leather. I think it cross-links the leather (which is a natural polymer) further or something but I'm no chemist and leather has been flummoxing chemists for a few centuries now.

Lovely rig, looks appropriate for a backwoods boy from that particular conflict. I'm guessing you shoot a percussion revolver?

[bjornk]

Matt S.

Thank you for the information Now i understand it a bit better..

Thank you very much, and yes i do shoot both percussion revolvers and percussion rifles.

[Matt S]

2 hours ago, Riem said:

I haven't found a reliable supplier for beeswax, but I understand the plumber's wax ring used to seal pipe joints (mainly toilets) is made almost entirely of beeswax... I might use that to give this procedure a try on one or two projects... Thanks for explaining!

I've heard that those sealing rings used to be beeswax but certainly in the States they have now changed to a less expensive substance. I don't know if we even use them on this soggy island.

You can use most waxes for this method but as I mention above the harder the wax you start with the harder the leather ends up. I made a moulded knife sheath for my girlfriend from some red bridle leather that was to soft to hold the knife securely so I soaked it in melted candles and it's hard like wood now. Maybe if paraffin wax is all you can get hold of you'll get something a bit more like beeswax by melting and mixing it with an oil of some sort?

In the UK beekeeping is a moderately popular middle-class hobby and business, which has been repopularised by the public's understanding of the decline of the honeybee and what an ecological disaster this would be. There's beekeepers in every small town that are usually very happy to sell you a bit, and if not there is a box of wax in every hardware or home improvement store. There's plenty of eBay sellers who will give quantity discounts as well -- it's widely used in the cosmetics and cake-decorating trades.