Hardening or molding garmet side.

[RasputinKarkadof]

Hi there! Thanks for the oportunity in advance for participating in such forums. I'm an amateur leather worker designing mostly leather harnesses, chokers, masks and such, however, I love pushing the boundaries of what can be done by experimenting. Recently I've bought this black garmet side, its still on the way here but in the meantime I was thinking of fun things to do with it once it arrives. Now I know it's not veg-tan but even so, is there a way of hardening/molding such leather? My guess is the wet molding won't be possible. 

I appreciate any help that can be given.

 

P.S. attached can be seen the specifications of the leather.

[johnv474]

You can search reddit.com/r/leathercraft for hardening leather and you will find one study that suggests stearic acid.  That said, stiffening a garment side is a little bit like buying cardboard and then trying to build a house with it.

[chuck123wapati]

Cuir Bouilli is a very old way of hardening veg tan. I have no idea about hardening other types of tanned leather but is a good place to start your search. If it wont harden you may be able to glue or sew it to some veg tan underlay. Good luck.

[Matt S]

@RasputinKarkadof That garment hide will be really quite thin, floppy and stretchy. You might have some success moulding it with the application of heat but it won't be stiff enough to hold its shape without some sort of support. For practical purposes you'd have to wrap it around something else that provides the ridigity or strength -- a wooden box, a plastic form, or some webbing for instance.

In terms of fetish gear your best uses would be lighter or layered garments (obviously). Maybe some light floggers. You could maybe make some restraints, harnesses etc. by wrapping and sewing around webbing, or lining a stiffer, heavier leather.

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