Casing leather question

[Just George]

I would like to know what some of you do to case your leather.  I'm new at this art and find it very interesting.  Just how long should a 5/6 oz square about 6" on each side stay in the water?  Any help will be greatly appreciated (and followed).

Thanks.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

With harness/strap leather, I just dunk mine in plain water for about 5 seconds or so. I keep a spray bottle handy to re-wet it if needed. That seems to be fine for tooling or stamping. With some leathers, you will need to leave it in longer but it depends on the leather. If you have a scrap, you can try it a little at a time until it is wet enough then do the work piece for the total time.

[Rascal Ralph]

JG- a little trick to remember is that if you re-wet a piece after it's been tooled on, the moisture added may lift some of the leather that has been tooled down. If you need to leave a piece unfinished, put it in a plastic bag, and leave it in your refrigerator. The piece will stay moist and seldom needs additional moisture. Don't work wet leather, let it lose some moisture untill it works "just right". try a few pices of scrap to learn the right color to start tooling. RR.

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[Just George]

Hey!  Thanks guys.  I tried a few tests.  I waited until all the bubbles stopped.  Then I took the sample out and placed them in a zip lock bag.  I expelled as much air as I could.  This morning I thought I had a science project in the zip lock!  MOLD!  Well, maybe less time in the bag.  I will keep trying.

I like the idea of a spray bottle.  I will try that.  Here in the desert the air is usually very dry.  By keeping the spray off the already tooled parts I hope to reduce the amount of "lifting".  THanks guys.  I really appreciate your thoughts.

JJ

[Rascal Ralph]

George- youneed to read the instructions again! It didn't say soak leather and put in bag! It said you can put a piece your working on in a bag, THEN IN THE REFRIGERATOR, to retain the moisture. There would be no mold. Stick to the spray bottle, youll learn. RR.

[Trapper Trent]

A few drops of lemon in the wetting solution will help retard mold.  Also, a drop or two of clear dishwashing liquiud will make the water penetrate better, and it will carve smoothly.

If you want a commercial solution, try Pro-Carve Concentrate (Tandy number 2249-01).

[Just George]

You guys are alright!  Thanks so much.  I've found this leather stuff to be a lot of fun.  It's really nice when you stand back from the work and see what you did!  Thanks again, and again.