Finishing Leather

[Coffinmaker]

Well Hi There guys and Gals??

I'm not a leather crafter by any stretch of the imagination.  I am however, engaged in a little project to wrap the Barrel(s) of my Henry Rifles to avoid "Fried Hand Sandwich."  Once I cut it to size, punch it full of holes, I then apply some Dark Walnut Wood Stain.  Dries real fast.  But once I've stained it, what do I use to seal it??  I don't know if it really need to be sealed.  Butt one doesn't learn if one doesn't ask.  Tips and Trix??

Pretty Please 

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Howdy back, pard.

Wood stain wil probably leech out some of the natural oils and need to be treated lightly with something. Any good leather conditioner, even extra virgin olive oil can put a little life back into leather after it has been dyed.

Here's our thread on caring for leather. http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=10067.0 It should help you with ways to keep your leather supple. The information in it applies to both new and old leather.

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings My Dear Coffin!

Since I am one to babble on incessintly inccessantly forever at th drop of a hat, i thought I would chime in with a question and some observations:

what KIND of leather did you use? it is sort of important, because some is naturally corrosive to gun and knife steel.
    if you used good quality uncolored vegetable tanned Live Oak tooling leather, you are in good shape. Mostly
    if you have chrome-tanned scrap (like I often get, because, you know, CHEAP) it is full of nasty chemicals that must neutralized (sometimes not possible)
    if you have oil-tanned leather it depends...

basically, watch out for rust seal off the gun side of possible, perhaps with wax?

from THIS GUY  "loboleather"   who knows stuff:
https://www.defensivecarry.com/threads/leather-holsters-causing-rust.123742/
snip-------------------------------------------------------------------
Leather is produced by tanning animal skins. Several different methods have been used including vegetable tanning (tannin provided from vegetable sources such as tree bark), chrome tanning (chemical salts), brain tanning (using the brain of the animal rendered into a liquid solution), and good old-fashioned urine and dung methods (still in common use in some countries).

Vegetable tanning leaves no potentially damaging materials in the leather. However, vegetable tanned leather has the greatest propensity for absorbing moisture. Vegetable tanned leather can be readily formed and molded when wet, making it the most useful for holsters.

Chrome tanning leaves residual chemical salts in the leather, some of which are readily dissolved in water and corrosive to ferrous metals. Chrome tanned leather is typically soft and is frequently used for holster linings. Chrome tanned leather absorbs moisture less easily, but retains it quite well. I have seen stainless steel handguns with significant surface corrosion after being stored in leather holsters for extended periods.

Brain tanned leather is uncommon in the US. It is very soft and pliable, and very absorbant. No chemical salts are involved.

Urine and dung tanned leather is just something I don't want to have around me.

I always recommend removing the handgun from the holster after each day's use and wiping it down with an oily rag or silicone-treated cloth. The weapon should be stored separately from leather holsters and cases. Leather holsters should be stored in an area having good airflow to permit residual moisture to evaporate off.
endsnip-------------------------------------------------------------------


So, My missive is all about not rusting...
and I'm bored.

yhs
prof marvel

[Coffinmaker]

Gentelmen    (Using the term somewhat loosely   )

The thick plotters as it twer.  I made the first "wrap" from some "scraps" gifted me by my past crafter of gun rigs (since departed).  I have no clue to its origin.  Before applying the "wrap" I did liberally oil the barrel assembly before lacing the thing up.  That was a GROAN!!

The second item was also made from the same source of scrap, although a tad thicker.  Did the same routine, oiled the barrel assembly before lacing it up.

Latest iteration, a horse of a different colour.  I ran out of my gifted scraps (drat).  Had to resort to commercial sources (Tandy) and found a store nearby.  40 Miles.  Road Trip.  They had sorta what I wanted in 12 x 24 inch sections.  Hecho en Mexico.  Not domesticated.  No clue how it was tanned.  I will relate when priced, I nearly choked.  Itty bitty chunk of leather were some 'spensive!!  Woaha.  However that new piece of leather will make several more "Wraps" and maybe I"ll think up something else to make out of it.  Like a nice comfy new Straight Jacket 

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings Coffin!

It is actually quite serendipidous sarendipipty coincidental that you ask at THIS VERY MOMENT that I am soaking the ickiness
out of some of my extraordinarily cheap chrome tanned scraps!  They were all "soft" leather (sorta like thick garment leather) in
various shades of brown. I started with several different kinds in one 5 gallon bucket of clean water. They all exuded a chemically aroma.
After a hours of soaking , I added a box of cheap generic baking soda, and as expected watched the little bubbles rise. I have been doing this
for several years in order to neutralize any acidic "stuff" and to get rid of said chemical stench from cheap leather.  Once the bubbles stop I
know the acid has been neutralized.

I pulled all the leather out, but the pieces were all still bleeding color, and the water was quite red! So, now I got 3 buckets and fresh water,
In One batch the water was decidedly light brown, one sort of grey , and the last was very red. The red batch needed 4 changes of water
( soaking for a full day each time) the others only 2 .

So, now I have several  nice pieces of thick garment leather that stays soft even after drying. I intend to sew up some soft, suede-side out
inside the waist carry holsters, so it's actually ideal. These will be rather like the ubiquitous cheap soft suede holsters one sees everyhere.

My point here is that , even tho i "think" I got any chemicals out, I have been researching "best practices" to avoid corrosion. The censensus
"out in webland" is to treat the inside with either oil ( some like olive oil, some like neetsfoot, some like ballistol) or wax. Of the waxes the two
that stand out are JPW (Johnstons Paste Wax) and something called Rennaisance Museum Wax, a very wonderful but pricey product that
museum curators use to prevent corrosion. A little goes very far.

Soooo

Since I am cheap, i will be using a Beeswax based leather product I already have on the inside (skinside) of the holster.
I would suggest you try something along those lines as well. It wouold be extraordinarily upsetting to pull a handguard off and find rust!

Now perhaps the leather experts can chime in!

yhs
prof marbles

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Well, then. Sounds like you are doing right with the leather you picked up. I've heard of guys wrapping their barrels like you are doing. It's basically the equivalent of wearing a welding glove for heat protection but certainly more comfortable. Do you have a photo of one of yours?

[Cliff Fendley]

Yes please post photo if possible. I'm confused how you wrap the barrel of the Henry so it doesn't interfere with the follower. Then again sometimes I'm easily confused

[Coffinmaker]

Well Hi Guys 

Didn't know there would be such interest in my Wrap.  First and Foremost however, a CAVEAT:  None of my Henry Rifles are "OEM Stock".  They have all been converted to "Tansitional" configuration with side load gates.  The Kings Patent Gate permits removal of the Thumb Button.  You'll see in the photo.

If you consider the Wrap of an OEM Henry, There are several options.  One is a Wrap where a "Stick" is used at the top of the cartridge stack to keep the follower off the primers and to allow the hand to be further out on the barrel.  Two is where a custom short round Carrier Block ("The Smith Shop) is used with an even longer spacer which permits an even longer Wrap.

Hide and Watch This Space

[Major 2]

Photo's of Coffinmaker's wraps & Stick, Mark 1, A1 as requested 

for my two cents ..I'd use Skidmore' s leather  products  as the finish

also attached is photo of my Steyr holster with nothing more than Skidmore's Restoration cream ( exactly the same product as their leather preserve , per their own admission )

[Major 2]

While I'm at it ( but not to high jack the thread  here are two holsters restored with Skidmores

I wish I had stock in the Company ....

[Coffinmaker]

  Hi All (again) 

Just for funzies... I'm going to have a ton of leather laying around after this project is completed.  If anyone is interested, I can measure for the "Stick, Mark 1, A1" on one of my rifles and make a "short" Wrap just for show and tell.  Not a biggie.

I needed an 8 inch by 12 inch piece of leather, but had to buy 12 x 24 inches to get it.  And, Tandy is right proud of their leather.  Even if it does be "Hecho en Mexico."

I have to re-stain my most recent because the stain "Blotched"   I"ll take it off the gun and add another coat to even it out some.  Have to go get some more "Boot Laces" though.  Still, I suppose lacing is nowhere a di-fucult as stitching thru three layers doing the welting on holsters.

Hide and Watch

[Professor Marvel]

Pretty Pitchers!
Thanjks Major & Coffin!


( that's minnesota scandinavion for "thank you")

yhs
prof marvel