Wet forming

[ewayne53]

For those of you who wet form. What thickness leather do you use? And does it matter what kind of leather as in stiffness or ply able?

Thanks in advance for your help 

 

 

[toxo]

You'll find it difficult with anything but veg tan and the thinner it is, the easier it is.

[Lobo]

Wet forming is a process that can only be used with vegetable tanned or rawhide, otherwise the formed shape has little way of being retained. Weight of the leather is determined by the intended purposes. I regularly used 7/8 for most holster applications, but 8/9 and heavier for really heavy pieces. I also did thousands of holsters made with two layers of leather cemented together, flesh side to flesh side, then made into holsters with total finished thickness/weight of 12-15 oz. All of these can be wet-formed, the differences being in the effort required to do the forming work and the drying times required.

For most applications in our shop I found that water at room temperature worked just fine. I have also worked with very warm water, which tends to penetrate more quickly. My usual procedure was to immerse a holster into room-temp water for about one second per ounce of leather weight (7/8 oz. leather for about 7 to 8 seconds), then proceed with the basic forming to the handgun. I then placed the new piece into a drying cabinet (more later) with internal temperature controlled at 120-130F for ten minutes. Next step was the first detailed forming using the "boning" technique (smooth tools to force the leather into a final contour). Then another ten minutes in the heated drying cabinet, followed by a second "boning" to finish that process. That was followed by an hour or so in the heated drying cabinet.

Horsehide requires much longer exposure to water prior to the forming. It is far more dense than cowhide and resists moisture infiltration, usually requiring 30 minutes or more in the water before wet-forming could be done.

The application of heat in the 120-130F range has the effect of releasing the collagens in the leather fibers and a significant hardening effect on the final formed piece that enhances the wet-forming process and provides a more lasting effect.

My drying cabinet was made from a kitchen wall cabinet 18"W X 30"H X 12" depth. I drilled dozens of 1/4" holes in the top to allow heated air to escape, and holes lower on the sides and back to draw in fresh air by convection. The heat source was made with two porcelain keyless light fixtures at the bottom controlled by a rheostat (dimmer switch) with 120V house current as the power source and 100W light bulbs to produce the heat. A thermometer near the top provided the internal air temperature, and the rheostat allowed control within the desired range. Drying holsters were hung on wire hooks inside the cabinet. Capacity was about 12 holsters at a time.

All this might sound a bit primitive, but it worked very well for many years during which I produced 1500 to 2000 pieces every year for customers in all 50 US states and 33 other countries. All of my cutting was done by hand, assembly by hand, stitching on a Cobra Class 4 (Leather Machine Company, highly recommended) machine, wet-forming and boning by hand, and all finish work by hand methods. The only power tools in the shop were the stitching machine, a drill press, and a sander (for edge dressing).

I retired 5 years ago with over a million in the bank, so maybe such primitive methods are still worth considering.

[chiefjason]

The front of my holsters are 8 oz veg tan.  Wet leather.  Case in bag for 15 minutes.  Mold.  Dry in dryer on shoe rack for 40 minutes for a single or an hour for two.  

[Double Daddy]

I use a construction/wet forming process very similar to Lobo's. After spending much time looking on here and elsewhere at different folks' idea's for drying cabinets, I built my own, using a fellow leatherworker's wiring diagram and parts list...my cabinet maker-uncle built the box and I wired & outfitted the rest. Porcelain heater elements (commonly used for brooder boxes), computer cooling fans, electronic temp/fan controls, a timer and thermostat...it holds temp nicely and has helped me fashion many a holster over the last three years that it's been in use...here's the link...go back a page for the original builder's blog link for his build details.

 

Edited October 30, 2020 by Double Daddy

[Johnny]

 

I use room temperature water and currently let my holsters air dry over night, sometimes in front of a fan no heat.

I like the drying cabinet idea, does it help the holster maintain its shape better?

 

Thanks
Johnny

[Dwight]

1 hour ago, Johnny said:

 

I use room temperature water and currently let my holsters air dry over night, sometimes in front of a fan no heat.

I like the drying cabinet idea, does it help the holster maintain its shape better?

 

Thanks
Johnny

I have never noticed it making any difference as far as the shape is concerned . . . but the holster will definitely be a bit more firm coming out of a hot box.

My hot box is very similar to Lobo's . . . but I have 3 bulbs in the bottom . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited October 30, 2020 by Dwight

[ewayne53]

I can do holsters and knife sheaths as shown in the first picture. My problem comes with doing cases. I did the first brown case with a fair amount of work but I was able to get it done. The second case and a couple similar I couldn't get the leather stretched enough. I used 6/7oz leather. What am I doing wrong?

[Rahere]

It's too thick for your plans. Possibly consider forming a liner, then the  outer shell, using clingfilm to stop them binding. Both 3oz leather.

Edited November 3, 2020 by Rahere