pete Report post Posted February 2, 2008 A week or so ago someone went to a show and spoke to either Peter Main or Pete Gorrell about their casing procedure. They said that the person cased the leather then rubbed in Lexol and baby shampoo. Would the person who posted that please report as to their results. I'm hesitant about putting Lexol on a project(to keep it moist and easy to carve) if it is going to resist any additional water, change the absorption of antique, etc. Does it work ANY better than, say, carve- ease or any other casing solution? I BELIEVE that Bruce was the writer. pete Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ClayB Report post Posted February 2, 2008 I think it was Randy Cornelius that posted that. Check here Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted February 3, 2008 Pete, It was in a thread started by Randy. He saw Pete Gorrell demonstrate it at the Columbine Guild meeting. Pete I think watered, then applied the lexol and then rubbed in baby shampoo. Ben then shared a formula he was given several years ago. I usually case with ProCarve. It penetrates well and quickly. It has surfactant to help the penetration and an additive to discourage mold growth. Mold is an issue for some people in cased leather. I had it in my old shop, not a problem since I have moved. Most all of the casing solution formulas contain some sort of surfactant - dish soap, Amway product, ag chemical surfactants. etc. Some have tannery oils. taxidermy oils, glycerine, etc. About as many formulas as people using them. There is a heck of a lot of casing done with just plain old water too. Some people case with water, then use saddle soap as a top dressing. It makes the knife glide easier according to some, and holds the moisture in the leather better due to slower evaporation. I have done that a fair amount too. I mixed up some of Ben's Baby Shampoo formula (w/o listerine), and have now used a quart of it in the last few days. My comparison for now vs. Procarve. Most done side by side. I never had a kick about ProCarve. Procarve penetrates faster. For things I am molding, it will penetrate and get the job done faster. For carving, a few things I have noted. The swivel knife work was a little easier with the shampoo mix. The burnishing color was the same or better, and the piece held its case longer with the shampoo. Both basket stamped about the same. My wife preferred the basket stamping and flowers carved with the shampoo mix. She could pick them right out. Reason is that the lexol probably gave it more "color". They all oiled up pretty similar. Pieces that I cased but did not use were interesting. Once they had dried out, the Procarve piece was stiffer than it was before. The shampoo cased piece was about as flexible as before. I think a guy could recase with the shampoo mix and be OK. Many have said in the past if they have a piece dry, they add lexol if they have to recase. This mix does that. A few bits of background. These were all 7/8 to skirting weight. I case all my tooling leather at least overnight. I have not quick-cased and carved anything of that weight for several years. I like the long casing better. All of these were cased the same length of time. I don't antique much. If I do, it is over a resist anyway. Previous experience with saddle soap is that it repels my letter dye. If I am not dyeing, I like the saddle soap on big pieces - I can do a briefcase front and not recase. It will be interesting to compare the shampoo alone vs. saddlesoap on a big piece. My experience. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whinewine Report post Posted February 3, 2008 If anyone does photographic darkroom development of prints (huh? what's that?...doncha just print'em on the computer?) they would have kodak photoflo on hand- it's a surfactant to cut the tension of the water when rinsing prints- just like dishwashing detergent or baby shampoo, except without the suds. I've used it also & it works fine. russ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Randy Cornelius Report post Posted February 3, 2008 Yes, it was me that started that post. I have been using the Lexol and baby shampoo since and really like it. What I have noticed is that it reduces the build up on the knife and you don't have to strop as offen. I have dyed leather after using it and it does not make any difference that I can see. I posted a picture of a purse that I made and it was cased with the lexol and baby shampoo. Randy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grunt Report post Posted February 3, 2008 (edited) Can someone please post the formula/ratio for these ingerdients? Thanks, Nick Edited February 3, 2008 by Grunt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
electrathon Report post Posted February 3, 2008 I took a class from Pete Gorrell a few months ago. What he had us do was case the leather as we normally would. Then put lexol on half of it. Then had us cut lines accross the cased and cased with lexol areas. When you hit the area with lexol it definatly cut/glided easier through it. A simple demonstration that was easy to see and understand. I have been using it most of the time since he showed us and I do feel that it is easier to carve (in general, I have always used pro-carve alone). Aaron Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted February 3, 2008 Can someone please post the formula/ratio for these ingerdients?Thanks, Nick Nick, Thanks for the nudge, it will be a lot more searchable to have it here for the future. Ben (gtwister09) listed this in the other other thread. No More Tears Quick Casing Formula 1/2 cup Lexol 1-1/2 Cups distilled or filtered water 1 tablespoon Johnson's No More Tears Baby Shampoo 1 tablespoon Listerine Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gtwister09 Report post Posted February 3, 2008 Bruce, Sorry that I didn't repost earlier but, I hadn't been checking the forum this week. I'm glad that the formula works for you. I certainly found it to consistently give greater color. I was given the formula almost 30 years ago. I likewise performed a similar test for color way back then and also had the same results with people picking the No More Tears Formula every time. Regards, Ben Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tazzmann Report post Posted February 4, 2008 This is a good topic! I have used a 90 - 10% ratio of water to Lexol in my water bottle for years. Spray a fine mist on leather and it carves wonderfully. i have been playing with spraying with an airbrush with some good results as well, but harder for larger pieces. Never thought of using baby shampoo. <_< Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krains Report post Posted February 4, 2008 what kind of lexol do you mix in to this? I searched for it, having never heard of it before, and i see there are a few different kinds, ex. Conditioner, phCleaner, etc.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted February 4, 2008 Krains, I used the Lexol conditioner - brown jug. As an aside, I had a few emails about what leather I use the casing mix on. It was Siegel's golden oak skirting. Some guys who have used it know, it tends to be softer than Herman Oak to start with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tazzmann Report post Posted February 4, 2008 Yup, brown bottle conditioner Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
