Leather

Humidity chamber

A simple humidity chamber can be made using plastic sheeting. The object to be humidified is placed in a plastic tent with a jar containing 50:50 water and alcohol—methylated spirits or ethanol. The alcohol prevents mould formation in the high relative humidity environment created inside the tent. The tent is then sealed with tape.

In addition to being used to condition leather, the raised humidity can also be used to help reshape the leather. As the leather softens it can be reshaped slowly. The time taken for softening depends primarily on the leather thickness and the presence of surface coatings. The object should be removed from the chamber periodically, and progressively eased into the required shape. It is usually necessary to use padding during this process.