Hey All,
I was able to get to this project over the last week.
1. I am pretty sure these are a variety of Chinese chestnuts, or at least crossed with them, as that is what the MO Dept of Conv. is working with.
2. Not pleasant to deal with. (#1)
3. With stout gloves, pliers and a hammer, I broke them into little pieces. After getting about 2 cups worth, I gave up. (#2)
4. I dumped the broken ones and then filled a large crock pot with whole ones.
5. Filled the crock pot with water (a little over 2 liters)
6. Heated on high for 4 hours, then on low for 20 hours.
7. Drained and thanks to using a liner, just transferred those spiky things to the trash.
8. After cooling, I soaked a holster that honestly had made its way to my trash bin as I was not pleased with the cut I did.
9. Soaked the holster for 10 hours, then let it dry for a day.
10. One coat of neatsfoot oils, after it soaked in and dried, I added a coat of a mix I made of 2 parts neatsfoot, 2 parts olive oil and 1 part beeswax.
I think the colors in the picture are fairly accurate. Wished it came out a deeper color, but I typically put a cup of isopropyl alcohol in natural dye to prevent mold. I think it helps open the pores too, so need to do that and dip something else. All in all, I like it.