Boil or Wax harden leather??
- Thread starter El Jayo
- Start date
ive dabbled in leather....but i am by no means an expert.
my understanding is wax boiling will slightly harden the leather to help it hold shape, but not really to the point of providing protection for 'armor' applications.....so its mostly used for pouches, bags, cups, ect.
boil hardening will provide a lot harder leather, which is what youd look for in armor......but it also makes the leather more brittle and prone to cracking.......this process also causes the leather to shrink considerably.
my understanding is wax boiling will slightly harden the leather to help it hold shape, but not really to the point of providing protection for 'armor' applications.....so its mostly used for pouches, bags, cups, ect.
boil hardening will provide a lot harder leather, which is what youd look for in armor......but it also makes the leather more brittle and prone to cracking.......this process also causes the leather to shrink considerably.
Thanks very much for the reply mcameron
I suppose however i should be more specific with my project. I am in the process of making Boromirs bracers from LOTR i am using real leather and im trying to making them real and battle ready bracers. What method of hardening the leather should i use?
I suppose however i should be more specific with my project. I am in the process of making Boromirs bracers from LOTR i am using real leather and im trying to making them real and battle ready bracers. What method of hardening the leather should i use?
again, not a leather expert here by any means.......but if i were building this, i would go with wax hardening.....mainly because they are going to be in contact with sweat and i feel that the wax will help protect the leather from the salts in the sweat.....also, if they are going to be taken on and off repeatedly, the wax will help the leather remain supple and resist cracking.
SmilingOtter
Master Member
Check out this thread:
http://www.therpf.com/f24/leather-armour-216451/
http://www.therpf.com/f24/leather-armour-216451/
Lifeburn
Sr Member
I just put my leather pieces in a tub of hot water for about 15 minutes. Take them out, pat them dry, then shape them and let them dry for about a day. This process makes them hard but not brittle.
Also, this will make you lose a little detail in your designs if you tooled them into the leather, but not much.
Also, this will make you lose a little detail in your designs if you tooled them into the leather, but not much.
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