Hardening Soft Wood

Often times you come across a piece of wood that is perfect for the project you are working on. It is just the right size or has beautiful coloring in it, however, it is soft, punky or spalted which makes it difficult to cut, turn or carve.

Our Polycryl product is a wood fortifier that will harden and stabilize the soft areas. It is a non-toxic product that is safe and easy to use. Polycryl is a concentrate that you dilute with water and soak or brush on your wood. It fortifies and strengthens the wood fibers. It can be used on just the soft areas (brushed on) or the entire piece of wood can be submerged (soaked) in the Polycryl solution.

It will dry clear and not yellow your wood. Polycryl will only penetrate the soft areas of the wood so it will not affect the harder areas (it will just lay on the surface of these areas and can be wiped off with a rag).

This is a piece of punky wood that will be treated and used for carving. Most of the wood is soft, so the entire piece can be soaked.

Once the Polycryl has dried in the wood, you can apply any type of glue or finish to it.

Note that Polycryl is water soluble so if the wood will be used outdoors, it will need to have a finish applied so that it will not wash out.

What is Red Rot Leather and How to Treat it

Red rot (or redrot) is a degradation process found in leather that has been vegetable tanned. It is caused when leather reaches temperatures beyond what it can handle, has been exposed to high relative humidity or from prolonged storage.

Red rot leather appears to be powdery on the surface with a felt-like consistency to the touch and a weakened structure to the leather (bends easily).

The damage caused by red rot is irreversible, but you can prevent it from spreading by using Klucel G, a leather consolidant. Klucel G is a fine, off-white powder that when mixed with isopropyl alcohol, forms a gel that is applied lightly over the red rot area of the leather. It will dry quickly, strengthening the affected area and prevent the red rot from spreading.

Once the red rot area has been treated with Klucel G, it is recommended to treat the leather with Restoration Leather Conditioner. This is a gentle conditioner formulated for treating fragile leather. It does not contain water, as water can promote further deterioration in leather. Restoration Leather Conditioner will soften the leather, help bring out the natural color and prevent further damage. It will not darken or leave the leather tacky or oily.

This type of treatment is commonly used on leather book bindings, antique leather articles (luggage, gun holsters, saddle bags, etc.) saddles, tack and other leather items.

When to use Wood Juice

It can sometimes be confusing knowing when to use our Wood Juice product and when to use our Pentacryl product.

Both products are wood stabilizers. You soak or brush each product on the wood until it is completely saturated. The Wood Juice and Pentacryl both displace the moisture (water) that is in the wood. The products then remains in the wood coating the wood cells. As the wood dries (slowly and naturally), the coated wood cells do not shrink, thus it helps to eliminate cracking, checking and warping caused by irregular drying.

Our popular Pentacryl product works best on green or freshly cut wood. The wetter the wood is, the better Pentacryl will penetrate.

Excellent results have been obtained on all types and sizes of wood using both products.

Wood Juice is formulated to penetrate and treat dry to semi-dry wood that has a lower moisture content (typically below 20-25%). The Wood Juice formula is thinner and will penetrate the dryer wood quickly and thoroughly.

As long as there is not a finish (sealer) applied, Wood Juice can also be used to rejuvenate and condition older, dried out wood.

Small pieces can be soaked in Wood Juice, while larger pieces can be treated by brushing Wood Juice on. After either method, the wood should then be allowed to dry slowly and naturally. Wood Juice will make working with your wood easier (turning or carving) as it will help to lubricate your tools.

Restoring a Leather Japanese Gun Case

Take a look at a beautiful restoration project of an antique Japanese leather gun case using our Leather Rejuvenator.

It can be found on the Nihonto Message Board: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2554&p=91801&hilit=leather+rejuvenator#p91801

Treating Jaguar Car Seats

Questions from: Gary

I have a pair of Jaguar leather seats that were in the car and in a barn. Unfortunately, the barn door was not closed and they received at least 2 years worth of weather and sun (the doorway faced west). They are dry and stiff but semi-flexible. The color was a good tan color but it is now a very light tan color. Will your products redarken or perhaps I should say, restore them to original color or will I have to have them dyed? Perhaps I should ask, how do I restore them to usability? What do I need to do?

Answer

Gary -
It depends on how the leather was tanned. Chrome tanned leather can take temperatures over 200 degrees F, however, synthetic tanned leather can not handle temperatures that high. The high temperatures that can build inside a car can change the structure of the leather and also evaporate some of the oils out of the leather (called "cooked leather"). Excessive heat can also harden the oils in the leather which is known as varnishing. Many times this change is irreversible.

If your leather seats have been exposed to the hot sun for an extended period of time, they may have "cooked" or "varnished". Jaguar leather seats are notorious for this. Depending on what stage the seats are, I would recommend first cleaning them with the Leather Cleaner and then applying our Leather Rejuvenator to soften and protect them (apply this on a warm day) - if there is any excess after it has dried, you can wipe it off with a clean rag . This will help to bring out the natural color of the leather. If the leather is faded in some areas, you may need to have it professionally dyed to match. Success will depend upon the sevarity of the damage.

Thank you for your interest in our products.

Pentacryl Question from Customer

Question From: Loren

As I understand it, Pentacryl can be painted on a piece of green wood after it has been turned on a lathe, to prevent cracking. Is this correct? Also, can a piece of green wood be soaked in Pentacryl before turning?

Answer:

Loren -

Yes, Pentacryl is a wood stabilizer formulated to treat green wood. It can be brushed on or the wood can be soaked in it. It displaces the water in the wood and prevents shrinkage as it dries. If you will be removing quite a bit of wood from your piece on the lathe, you can turn it first, then treat it with the Pentacryl. This way, you are not wasting product on wood you will not be using. However, you can still treat it prior to turning if you will not turn it right away. This will actually make turning easier as the Pentacryl lubricates the wood.

- Try to treat your wood as soon as possible to avoid premature cracking.
- Use enough product to completely saturate your piece, you can see how much is needed from our wood calculator on our website

http://www.preservation-solutions.com/woodcalc.php

- Dry your wood slowly in a cool area away from air movement, direct sunlight and weather.

Thank you for your interest in our products.

Restoring Old Leather Question

Question:

I am the director of a Museum, we recently had a sheep skin, no wool on it, Mason Apron come in, I need to restore and preserve the apron. What would you suggest as the best solution. Thanks for your time. The condition is very bad, cracking, peeling etc. As best I can ascertain it's been in a closet around 50 years. I just need to stop the deterioration, there is no way to carry it back to original. - Jack

Answer:

Jack - I recommend treating with the Klucel G first. This is a consolident that will strengthen the leather - it forms a webbing. It comes in a powder form and you mix it with isopropyl alcohol to form a gel. Apply a thin layer (too much may darken the leather), let it dry and apply a second thin coat. After applying this, treat the leather with the Restoration Leather Conditioner. This is a gentle conditioner made for fragile leather and will help to soften and restore it's suppleness.
Thank you for your interest in our products.