Rush Job

[PastorBob]

the holster did get to dry overnight before shipping.  It looked great.  After I mailed it, guess what my wife found in my inventory bin? You guessed it, the holster I thought I had in inventory.  All is good. Off to the next build.  Thanks for all your insight and advice.  I do like the drying cabinet idea to speed up the process.  I am using Pro dye so it seems to dry pretty quickly compared to Eco-flo products.

[Dwight]

I don't know if it was Lobo . . . but I do recall a "drying box" thread we had on here some couple years or so ago.

I built one and think I posted pictures on here . . . still have it . . . use it occasionally.

Nothing more than a tall box with regular incandescent light bulbs at the bottom . . . thermostat in the door up at holster level . . . and I really like it.

Using it adds a level of hardness to my dyed holsters that I don't get from my regular drying process hanging them in the shop.  

And it only takes a couple hours and they are DRY . . .  dry.

May God bless,

Dwight

PS:  I don't use it on belts . . . holsters, knife sheaths, etc.  ONLY

[Double Daddy]

I will echo what Lobo has to say about a drying cabinet...something about setting collagens in the wet veg-tan leather hardens it as it dries.  I followed his advice (as well as that of Dwight's and a few others) some years back from another thread...copied/adapted another fella's somewhat more complex design to fit my taste/needs at the time (to each their own, eh!)...came up with this (last post on page 3 of this VERY INFORMATIVE thread):

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by Double Daddy

[Lobo]

Perhaps I should clarify my use of the drying cabinet, based upon some of the follow-up discussion.

During the wet-forming process I used another heating process to maintain 125-130F with a timer. Working from thoroughly dampened for initial forming, then 15 minutes in the heat, then detail forming, then 15 minutes in the heat, then boning. After boning the piece went into the hot box, usually 3 to 4 hours. The piece was then ready for edge work (sanding, beveling, burnishing) followed by sealing and finishing.

The "hot box" maintained 104-109F and worked very well for setting and curing dyes, sealer, and finish applications. Each piece could remain in the hot box for hours; I remember a couple of times when I left a batch in overnight because I forgot to turn it off before leaving the shop. No problems at all.

The temps maintained in the hot box were not (in my opinion) optimal for achieving the collagen effects, which require a higher level of heat.

The family who purchased my business have transitioned to a large food dehydrator, capable of maintaining the desired temperatures with plenty of air flow to evacuate evaporating moisture. I really like the dehydrator for these uses, and I wish I had known about them years earlier!

[jrdunn]

On 8/19/2021 at 5:05 AM, Lobo said:

Had another thought about this post and looked up another post I made a few years ago about a drying cabinet to help speed up production times. I remember using this on occasion to turn out a holster order in a day, using it for setting the dyes and finish coats, and complete drying after forming/boning. Easy to make, inexpensive, efficient.

 

Thanks for posting that!  I think I'll make one.

[fredk]

  I might make one, if I could find somewhere to put it. At the moment I just use a portable blow heater, on low or cold, to dry anything speedily

A bit off-topic - I used to use a similar arrangement in an old metal sports locker for drying my photographic films after processing. Mine was very basic; a few low power light bulbs fitted at the bottom,. . . .  uh, that was it, cos the top and bottom of the door and sides already had vent slots and inside near the top was a bar for hanging kit. I could dry 10 or 12 films in about 20 - 30 minutes. Long enough to get a cuppa, before the printing session.

PS. For UK readers its going to be hard to make one of these drying cabinets soon. From September 1st it'll be illegal for anyone to sell incandescent and halogen light bulbs in the UK. These are the types you need for the heat. I've stocked up  

[billybopp]

7 hours ago, fredk said:

  I might make one, if I could find somewhere to put it. At the moment I just use a portable blow heater, on low or cold, to dry anything speedily

A bit off-topic - I used to use a similar arrangement in an old metal sports locker for drying my photographic films after processing. Mine was very basic; a few low power light bulbs fitted at the bottom,. . . .  uh, that was it, cos the top and bottom of the door and sides already had vent slots and inside near the top was a bar for hanging kit. I could dry 10 or 12 films in about 20 - 30 minutes. Long enough to get a cuppa, before the printing session.

PS. For UK readers its going to be hard to make one of these drying cabinets soon. From September 1st it'll be illegal for anyone to sell incandescent and halogen light bulbs in the UK. These are the types you need for the heat. I've stocked up  

If you can't get incandescent lamps, they also make light-bulb-base heater elements that are about equivalent to a 100W incandescent lamp.

Also, if you're hurting for space, there's no reason the cabinet couldn't be made collapsible to fold down to just a few inches.  Maybe even wall mount it.

- Bill

[fredk]

17 minutes ago, billybopp said:

If you can't get incandescent lamps, they also make light-bulb-base heater elements that are about equivalent to a 100W incandescent lamp.

Thems has been banned for about a dozen years now. We used to use them in our egg hatchery but had to change to an oil-burning-blow-heater contraption

Collapsible, mmm maybe, wall mount, no place