Ever wondered how that piece of leather was perfectly conformed to a certain shape or why it was so rigid and inflexible? It was probably wet molded. Wet molding leather causes it to get real stiff and take on the shape of the mold. In some instances, the molds are actual items, for instance, firearms used to make holsters. In other instances, a block of wood is used as a jig to form a pouch for a utility knife or a pair of pliers.
Wet molding is typically done using veg tan leather. Some projects the wet molding will be one of the final steps, others at the beginning. For those projects, like sheaths and holsters, where it will be toward the end of the project, one will simply dip the leather item into a bath of water and completely submerge it for a few seconds. When I am making holsters, I completely dye the piece before stitching it up, so when I wet form it, it has already been stitched and dyed.
After removing from the water bath, one will immediately insert the item (firearm, knife, pliers, etc.) into the leather pouch. NOTE: If the item being inserted is made of metal, make sure to protect it by wrapping it with cellophane or placing it in a sandwich back to prevent it from getting wet. Begin to use your fingers or a boning tool to conform the leather to the item. When using your fingers, be careful not to leave fingernail imprints, scratches or transfer any contaminants. (I typically wear clean nitrile gloves to avoid transferring contaminants to the wet leather. Even with gloves, fingernail marks can be pressed into the soft leather. Make sure to have closely clipped fingernails and try using just the pad on the tip of the fingers/thumb or the heel of the hand when forming the leather). Once the initial shape is taking form, continue forming the leather to the item every 15 minutes over the next couple of hours. Let it dry overnight. Apply any finish coatings at this time. You will notice the leather has lost a lot of its pliability and has taken on the shape of the item. They are now paired for generations to come.
Another method, but very similar is to make the form using a jig prior to doing any stitching / riveting. This jig can be the exact item the leather project will end up fitting or a block of wood made to a specific shape. The same basic techniques are used. Cut the leather piece that will be used slightly larger than will be required. This will allow trimming to size once the piece is dry. Submerge the leather for a few seconds, then immediately remove from water and place over the jig. Begin conforming the wet leather to the item and repeat every 15 minutes for the next couple of hours. Let dry overnight. If the wet formed leather is to be attached to another piece of leather, say a backing, use the backing to trim the formed leather to size. Before attaching the pieces of leather together, dye them at this time if desired. Now all that is left is fastening the pieces of leather together and applying the finish coat.
Some jigs are a series of 2 blocks. The base block has a shape protruding up that the leather will be placed on when wet. The top block has an opening, allowing the shape from the base block to stick up through the top block. The leather is sandwiched between the two blocks making the mold.
If you have any items you have wet molded, make sure to share pictures of your work on the ILC forum.
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