How best to store my leather?

[Tallbald]

Hello again all. Today my wonderful wife and I went to American Leather Direct outside of Morgantown, KY and I bought (at my wife's insistence to get plenty) 2 double shoulders of beautiful veg tanned 7/8. No pick fee and pallets and pallets of stacked skins of every different earth tone I can imagine in thicknesses from 5/6 or so up to stuff three eighths inch thick. Can't say enough good stuff about these folks--friendly old dog out front, old machines I don't know what they are, and always have been southern courteous. But now I find myself a little concerned about storing my cache. Here in KY it can get really humid and hot--like pushing 100 degrees and 95% plus humidity. My shop is not air conditioned and with 4 indoor house dogs (2 of which are rescue Boxers) I'm reluctant to store the skins inside. If stored in my shop should the skins be rolled up in paper? Would I be better of hanging them vertically with air flow between? Thanks for suggestions. Don

[GunClick Rick]

I don't charge much for storage and just call me when ya want some for what your doin at the time,of course you'll have to pay shipping

You do nice work Tall..Somebody can tell ya,but i can't,just have to jive ya some.Can't wait to see what you make.Nice dang stitching horse..

[Slowhand Bob]

I wish I had the room to store mine flat BUT alas, all the local warehouse space was already booked up.  My real world method is to store my whole pieces rolled on shelves and drape the larger cut pieces over specially assembled Z-Racks, these have five cross bars each and help the leather straighten a bit from the roll.   

[marine-mp]

Tallbald,
   Were I you, I would make a hanging rack (pinch ends of leather between wood slats) and then cover this rack with a dark sheet.  Allow air movement between the leather.  Reasoning for dark sheet, as you know, any light source will fade leather real quick.  JMHO  Semper-fi     Mike

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

    Howdy

      I have my hides in my shop, and here in California it gets plenty hot, but that hasn't been a problem,I store my hides rolled up and put on a rack above my cutting bench, I keep my hides covered loosely  in brown paper ( one sheet covers all ), and this allows the air to circulate and also keeps the light and dust off my hides, it's work great for me for a number of years now, and is very user friendly when I need to get my leather out to cut.

           tEN wOLVES 

[Tallbald]

Thanks for the help all. I think that hanging the skins up against the wall behind a wood lathe area, but with a protective dark sheet would be best in my small shop. It may also help straighten the leather for flat surface cutting too. Air will be able to flow around it as suggested. Thanks again, Don

[rickk]

I keep my hides in my basement workshop rolled up like they arrive via UPS. They sit on a shelf, out in the open air. Some are still in the paper wrapping, some are not.  Sometimes it gets dry down there (winter), sometimes it gets humid (summer). It doesn't get too hot or too cold. I suspect that being rolled up slows any effects of change down. I have not had any issues with mold.

I do have a couple of holsters that are in a bedroom closet that gets somewhat cold in the winter. The humidity probably gets a bit high in there and the air does not move much. Mold tends to grow on them. A paper towel damp with neatsfoot oil will remove the mold, so no big deal.

I think that rolled up might be better than open.

[GunClick Rick]

I keep my old hide at work,she's a mean ole blister..

Ten Wolves is gonna gib me whippin..