Thread: Scale/Strop rehydration .....

.
.
Has anyone tried using a vacuum chamber to pull in the neatsfoot oil into the horn scales, or mineral oil into the bone or ivory?
...or neatsfoot oil/mink oil into a strop?

I don't think the strop needs a vacuum. The fibers are perpendicular to the strop face. Oil and water sink in easily.
OTOH, using a vacuum probably won't hurt except for pulling the moisture out of the leather. The leather should stay around 21% moisture.

How many people have access to a vacuum chamber?

.
.
I do, and I want to use it if it will help.

Don't know of anyone doing that, but I would certainly try it if I had a vacuum chamber. I wonder if there is a chance of oversaturating the scales/leather to the point where there is an oily residue for a while.
I remember someone using a vacuum bag to mold wet leather when making a holster. Not exactly the same, but thought it was worth mentioning.
If you try it, I would be interested in hearing what you learn. Even methods that don't work can be learned from.

Do you stabilize wood with your setup?

Originally Posted by JP5

Don't know of anyone doing that, but I would certainly try it if I had a vacuum chamber. I wonder if there is a chance of oversaturating the scales/leather to the point where there is an oily residue for a while.
I remember someone using a vacuum bag to mold wet leather when making a holster. Not exactly the same, but thought it was worth mentioning.
If you try it, I would be interested in hearing what you learn. Even methods that don't work can be learned from.

Do you stabilize wood with your setup?

My brother used my vacuum pump and built his own chamber from 1/2" acrylic. He used that setup to stabilize some spalted maple.
I had several years earlier used a "pressure pot" made from a spray painter that we had outfitted with a couple of gauges. That was used to also stabilize some spalted maple with polyurethane. It took a bit of time to dry but was very effective.
From the above post by Rolodave I can see that it would not be useful for leather. However, I can see that it may work very well for horns and bones. It would simply give a faster result.
I do have some very dry Texas Longhorn horns that may benefit from this method as well as some old Sheffield razors.
Wish me luck.

I have played around some with bone and my vacuum chamber. I have to say it is helpful with dye and hydration. Not woohoo this is the bees knees but helpful. Before I had a vacuum I had some crazy chalky chippy bone that was close to unusable and Roy ran them through his vacuum chamber with mineral oil that helped it a lot. I have rehydrated some old bone scales too, and it sped up the hydrating process.

Is a vacuum chamber something we could make, like a mason jar, a rubber squeeze bulb and a one way check valve?

Or heating the fluid on the stove and soaking the jar in boiling water then adding the hot fluid, the item and sealing it with the lid then leaving it.

Or does a person have to buy them commercially if so, what are we looking at?

Like Rez said, I think Roy tried the bone and horn thing with decent results.

Steve, you can buy one at harbor freight. And I know some folks have made them. Its has to seal and pull a vacuum and hold that for hours if not days. I have an A.C. evac setup I had thought of trying. Just never got around to it.

.
.
A vacuum chamber can be made from a mason jar with a lid, a one-way check valve, and a one-way brake bleeder. Gssixgun had a thread on this in the past. Check with him or someone may have a link. I simply went overboard and bought a vacuum pump because it is much easier and faster at removing the air.