Whacha Been Up To......

Horsewright said:
I use a $9 crockpot from Walmart. I just keep the oil in there all the time. Got two in fact.
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Well that’ll work too 👍😉😁

I use the toaster oven to warm my leather also 👍 I set it at 90° and let sit after wet molding. Thanks Dave for the tip on that one 👍😁
 
I use a $9 crockpot from Walmart. I just keep the oil in there all the time
000Robert said:
They don't get the oil too hot?
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No I just keep it on low. I only plug em in when I’m gonna use em. I let em warm for about 15 minutes before I use the oil.
 
duramax said:
Well that’ll work too 👍😉😁

I use the toaster oven to warm my leather also 👍 I set it at 90° and let sit after wet molding. Thanks Dave for the tip on that one 👍😁
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Does the leather shrink more the way you dry it as opposed to letting it air dry? I usually just let mine air dry, but I'm a hobbyist and don't do it for money.
 
000Robert said:
Does the leather shrink more the way you dry it as opposed to letting it air dry? I usually just let mine air dry, but I'm a hobbyist and don't do it for money.
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I don’t think it really shrinks more. I don’t run the heat higher than 150° I will say the leather gets firmer using heat. Horsewright Horsewright shows this technique in one of his tutorials. That’s where I picked it up from. I’m sure Dave will be along to fill in the blanks. :-)

This is after binding cement cures overnight. I’ve done it sooner but you have to go light on water and really pay attention !!!
I damp the sheath with room temp water. Then dunk for oh say 40 secs in very hot too the touch water. Then wet mold or fit to knife, then oven for hours like 3 + I like lower heat longer times. I try to not make jerky out of the sheath lol.
 
duramax said:
I don’t think it really shrinks more. I don’t run the heat higher than 150° I will say the leather gets firmer using heat. Horsewright Horsewright shows this technique in one of his tutorials. That’s where I picked it up from. I’m sure Dave will be along to fill in the blanks. :)

This is after binding cement cures overnight. I’ve done it sooner but you have to go light on water and really pay attention !!!
I damp the sheath with room temp water. Then dunk for oh say 40 secs in very hot too the touch water. Then wet mold or fit to knife, then oven for hours like 3 + I like lower heat longer times. I try to not make jerky out of the sheath lol.
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Thanks. I don't wet my leather that much before I wet mold it. But I do get it wetter than I would for stamping, and I wet it on the backside as well.
 
On a sheath or holster, bout the only things I wet mold, I put it in the water that has Pro Carv mixed until it sinks. Then I pull it out and place on an old towel. I will cut slots, trim off backside overhang, sand edges, edge and power rub edges all before wet molding but while wet. After wet molding I do bake them in the oven for three hours and turning them over after every hour. I set an alarm so I don’t forget. I run em at 178f. We have a double oven in the kitchen so I can do quite a few at a time. After the third hour I take em out and lightly oil with the already warm oil. The baking does give them much more firmness and body than air drying. I got that trick from an old saddlemaker that got it from an older holstermaker.
 
Horsewright said:
On a sheath or holster, bout the only things I wet mold, I put it in the water that has Pro Carv mixed until it sinks. Then I pull it out and place on an old towel. I will cut slots, trim off backside overhang, sand edges, edge and power rub edges all before wet molding but while wet. After wet molding I do bake them in the oven for three hours and turning them over after every hour. I set an alarm so I don’t forget. I run em at 178f. We have a double oven in the kitchen so I can do quite a few at a time. After the third hour I take em out and lightly oil with the already warm oil. The baking does give them much more firmness and body than air drying. I got that trick from an old saddlemaker that got it from an older holstermaker.
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It seems like 178F would set them on fire.
 

You got City hands Mr Hooper

;)

I'd say the rough and tumble life on the range certainly will toughen the hands but Dave knows what he's talking about with all the knives he's made!
G2
 
Horsewright said:
I think knife making even more.
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Yeah, I forgot about the knives.
Well I just ordered me some stuff from Weaver - a 1 1/2" Master Tool Oblong punch, 3/64" Beveler, Leatherworking hammer, and some stamps and other stuff. I ordered some QuikSlik from Barry King Tools. I also ordered a little 1 1/2 quart croc pot for the Neatsfoot Oil.
 
Oops if you are thinking of slots on say a pancake sheath with the 1.5” punch it’s gonna be too small. Seems like the leather expands a hair after it gets punched. I have a 2” punch for belt slots. Have two 2”s and two 1”s but no 1.5”. However, Weaver is very good on returns if that’s what it is for.
 
Horsewright said:
Oops if you are thinking of slots on say a pancake sheath with the 1.5” punch it’s gonna be too small. Seems like the leather expands a hair after it gets punched. I have a 2” punch for belt slots. Have two 2”s and two 1”s but no 1.5”. However, Weaver is very good on returns if that’s what it is for.
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I couldn't afford to buy both punches this month, so I bought the 1 1/2" punch to use for my vertical sheathes. I figured that for more horizontal sheathes, after I punch out the holes for the 1 1/2 inches I can just slide up a little and punch the holes out wider to 2 inches or whatever. If it looks like crap doing it that way then I'll buy a 2" punch when I can afford to.
 
I do that too with 2” slots when I need 2.5” slots. It could always be better. I’m looking at having a custom 2.5 made
 
Horsewright said:
I do that too with 2” slots when I need 2.5” slots. It could always be better. I’m looking at having a custom 2.5 made
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The 2" punch is also wider than the 1.5" punch, so that would come in handy for thicker belts. How wide would you want the 2.5" punch to be? The same as the 2"?
 
Man, I love these little glass custard cups! They will be perfect for keeping oil and stuff in since they have plastic lids. And they will be nice for washing small parts with alcohol, acetone, or whatever and keeping my distilled water for casing leather in. These will be better than the mason jars and plastic bowls that I have been using.

Glass Cup-1a.jpg
 
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