[Hellsgate] Glue Hardening Instructions for Leather Jacks

[Stephanie Kohan]

Giovanni has asked that I pass on the following glue hardening instructions
to everyone who is working on/plans to work on a leather jack. He found the
instructions on www.armourarchive.org.


1. Soak the piece of leather in, room temp., water until saturated (the
bubbles stop coming out).

2. Let sit overnight (called" Casing the leather"). This allows it to dry
somewhat, while still leaving the core of the leather wet.

3. Do all necessary tooling, shaping, etc. during this step. The outside of
the leather will appear to be slightly damp, to fully dry (color-wise) but
will still be decently limp (as wet leather is).

4. Soak in a mixture of 1 part Titebond III to 10 parts water until all
visible bubbles stop Coming up (about 5 -15 min). Take out of solution, and
wipe off extra glue with your hands, to prevent buildup on dried piece. I
typically find I need to have the glue slightly warm to allow the most glue
to mix in with the water, and swirl several times with my hand before
dipping the piece in.

5. Place in an oven at between 180-200 deg. Place on wax paper, or a piece
of wood to prevent charring from cookie sheet or grate. Check on the piece
every 5-15 min, as it will sometimes sag. Gently adjust shaping with your
hands .Pull out when the ends of the piece seem to be completely dry.
Allowing, all of the, piece to dry in the oven will cause the ends to char
and overcook.

6. Leave out in room temperature for a couple of days. The leather will
continue to harden slightly.

7. After a few days, seal with your preferred method.