Leather Pen Case Warning

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gerryr

gerryr

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About a month ago I bought a very nice zippered leather pen case on eBay, holds 24 pens, has a divider. I loaded it up and included a few pens that I made a couple of months ago that were finished with lacquer. Yesterday I went to take one of those pens out to show someone and it was stuck. The liner material had fused to the lacquer. The CA finished pens and resins were fine. I've never left it in my truck and it hasn't been subjected to any temperature extremes. It gets opened nearly every day. It must have been a chemical reaction, but it sure seems odd. Now I have about 5 pens that need to be refinished. I already tried buffing and that just made a bigger mess. I tried MS and DNA and both removed some of the finish where this black "gunk" was stuck to it. Two of the pens are Perfect Fits - anybody know how to get the CB off? and one is a closed end Baron.

So, if you use lacquer be very careful with leather pen cases.
 
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Gerry, I have the same kind of leather case (holds 48 pens) that I got from Woodturningz. I found out the hard way that I can't put my lacquer finished pens in it. If you can find a canvas like binder like Anthony was selling, those should work for lacquer. I just carry my lacquer finished pens in a velvet roll from CSUSA.
 
I have a question.... how long did you allow the lacquer to cure before the pens were put in the case...
nitrocellulose lacquer will cure hard enough to buff out in about 5-7 days.. but still needs about another month to fully cure and outgas the solvents.
 
I've stopped using anything except the velvet pen rolls. I've had to refinish too many pens because of similar reactions. Connie made our first couple of rolls, but at $5.99 you can't beat CSUSA's price
 
Has anyone had this same problem with these pen pouches from AS.

http://arizonasilhouette.com/ProductCart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=1086

I use laquer (thanks Wayneis [:)]) for most of my pens and don't want to ruin them. Have not had this problem yet, I just want to avoid a future problem. Buyers love these pouches as I do too. I know the pouches are "Leather Like", but I don't want to take any chances.
Mike L
 
Those should be fine, the cases that have troubles are the ones that have elastic bands that hold the pen in place. The band cuts into the finish, especially if you put the pen in the case before it cures completely. This problem comes mainly with those using the finishes that need to cure.

Wayne
 
Is it real leather? I understood that faux leather (xxxxxhydes) would stick to lacquer, and I have a Morris chair to verify that [:(!], but thought real leather was okay.

Thanks for the heads up...
 
As Wayne indicated, the finish is subject to damage until it fully cures. After that, it takes some abuse like leaving it in a hot car, using abrasives to clean or polish it, or allowing chemicals (alcohol, lighter fluid, etc.) to remain on the finish for an extended period of time. I've used the leatherette cases from Arizona Silhouette for over a year without having a single pen damaged. BTW, other leather-like plastics may melt themselves and fuse to the pen which I why I do not use plastic lined sleeves.
 
The problem with the zippered case is the lining material which is heavily textured. The elastic bands are fairly tight and press the finish into the lining. The pattern and a small amount of the lining material became embedded in the lacquer, which was well cured, not fresh. I got the case about 2 months after I switched to using CA. The cases that BB sells have a smooth interior surface and are not tight fitting. I've used one off and on for several months for a lacquer finished pen and have had any problems.
 
Finally, a problem I understand!
As a leathercrafter for the past 25 years, I can tell you that if the leather in question is chrome tanned ( as is most imported stuff ) no matter how well the leather is finished the chemicals used in the process still manage to leech out onto whatever it comes in contact with. (I learned that the hard way with the first pistol case I made.) If you want to use leather, you must put a plastic barrier between the leather and the liner. But that brings up the problem of moisture, so you need a drying agent like those little bags they put in electronics for shipping to put inside the case.
 
I have the zippered leather case being discussed earlier in this thread and the insides ARE leather. Aside from my other many hobbies, I've been a leather crafter for nearly 30 years and I should have caught this myself. Ron is absilutely right, and this case does appear to be chrome tanned. This would account for the reaction to lacquer. Since I don't have any of BB's pouches, I can't speak to that. However, if it's lined with anything other than leather, it won't matter what tanning method was used since the lining will separate the finish from the leather.
 
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