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How to keep leather stiff?.....
- Thread starter combs6136
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2005
- Messages
- 1,331
Poorer quality leather will tend to be softer as will leather from the belly section of a hide. Fibers in the belly are longer and stretched more resulting in a less firm texture. Try shoulders, backs and use the belly for welts and belt loops. Dyeing the leather helps stiffen, too. A dehydrator works really well, as mentioned, to harden the leather. I've forgotten some sheaths in one and left them in over night with no problem. As a note, 10oz. is pretty thick for sheaths. All I use is 7/8oz. for sheaths and gun leather. Easier to work, sew and manipulate when needed.
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2001
- Messages
- 5,705
I've been making two ply sheaths for about a year now. On the inner sheath I totally saturate it in a 50/50 mix of denatured alcohol and shellac.
Generally speaking--
To make leather softer:
add moisture - temporary results
add oil - usually long term results
To make leather harder/stiffer:
remove moisture - temporary results - humidity changes results unless leather is sealed
remove the leather oils
To remove moisture, apply heat, too much heat may burn leather or cause shrinkage
To remove oil:
rinse in a solvent - alchol, acetone etc. denatured alchol, or isopropol are most controlable
wash in soapy water (not detergent, too harsh, soap)
boil in water, the longer you boil it, the harder it gets. In days of old they used to boil leather to make armor!
Saturating leather with paste wax can soften real stiff leather or or stiffen real soft leather. Apply with a rag or sponge, heat with a hair drier or heat gun until the wax melts at which point it will be asorbed by the leather. Repeat until the leather won't absorbe any more wax. DO THIS AFTER APPLYING DYE NOT BEFORE!
The above being said, try these on scrap before using on a scabbard.
Hope this helps
Jim Arbuckle
ABS JS
To make leather softer:
add moisture - temporary results
add oil - usually long term results
To make leather harder/stiffer:
remove moisture - temporary results - humidity changes results unless leather is sealed
remove the leather oils
To remove moisture, apply heat, too much heat may burn leather or cause shrinkage
To remove oil:
rinse in a solvent - alchol, acetone etc. denatured alchol, or isopropol are most controlable
wash in soapy water (not detergent, too harsh, soap)
boil in water, the longer you boil it, the harder it gets. In days of old they used to boil leather to make armor!
Saturating leather with paste wax can soften real stiff leather or or stiffen real soft leather. Apply with a rag or sponge, heat with a hair drier or heat gun until the wax melts at which point it will be asorbed by the leather. Repeat until the leather won't absorbe any more wax. DO THIS AFTER APPLYING DYE NOT BEFORE!
The above being said, try these on scrap before using on a scabbard.
Hope this helps
Jim Arbuckle
ABS JS