Harden leather?

[combs6136]

I am making a sheath for a hunter....What is the best way to stiffen the 10 oz. leather sheath?:.........thanks...........carl

 

[rayban]

You'll see lots of ways here but a couple I know of....dry it with heat, like a heat/fan dryer ...or dip it in bees wax, it will harden as well as make it water proof.

 

[Kid Couteau]

Wet it down with hot water

This causes it to shrink some and it hardens it

Search courboulis armor for how to

Kid

 

[Grease]

Ever heard of boiled leather armor? It was literally that - boiled leather. Hot water will harden it. But, as stated, it will get smaller. Armor normally had to be made a bit too large before hardening.

 

[Wild Rose]

The best treatise I know of online for using the cuir bouilli method of hardening leather
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/leather/hl.html

While some folks do use boiling water, after 40+ years building hardened leather items I have found it is unneccessary and can cause major problems....