I am always curious about the special characters of leather. As a type of organic material, its reaction to light, heat, water and time surprises me all the time.
This time I wanted to test if I can harden a soft piece of leather and make it into a standalone form.
I started by cutting long elliptical holes all over this sheet of leather for some extra flexibility when I need to stretch it.
Then I soaked the piece leather in boiled water for 2 minutes. I didn’t have a picture here because my camera got really steamy when I tried to take a picture over boiling water. But you get the drill—boil water, put the piece in, and probably don’t use the same pot for noodle soup again.
After I took it out, the leather got extremely soft and buttery. I quickly stretched it over a cube shape and clamped it. It started hardening quick fast but I left it overnight until it completely dried.
The second day it can stand alone and hold the shape really well. I removed the clamp and sew the edge.
Leather is a beautiful material isn’t it.
