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MMD > Archives > January 2010 > 2010.01.14 > 05Prev  Next


Testing Pouch Leather
By Pete Knobloch

Hi Dell, I have never found any pouch leather that is 100% leak free.
I have tried using mink oil (which is really a white paste) which does
help but doesn't seal that well.  I have heard that it loses its seal
over time due to evaporation but have never tested for this.  I have
found that it has about the same effectiveness as the thinned Dow 111
which doesn't seal 100% either.  A pipe organ system is not as fussy if
the leather leaks or not.  There might be some delay but it will never
be noticed by the organist.

> To see if [sealing] is required just put the leather against
> a 1-1/4" pipe or nipple and suck.

It helps if you make a Plexiglas fixture for testing your leather.
My tester has an opening for the leather of 1 inch, with a small
tracker bar nipple on the bottom of the well.  I put a small piece
of tracker bar tubing on the nipple of the tester and sandwich the
leather between the tester and another piece of Plexiglas with a hole
in the top.  Applying a vacuum with your mouth and feeling how much
air passes through the small opening of the hose will give you a
comparison between the different samples.

I take a leather sample and mark it with a pen.  I label one side
with SEALED and the other with UNSEALED and then check both sides to
see if they have the same leakage properties.  Now I use my favorite
sealer to be tested, let it dry and then retest and compare both sides
to see how well it seals.

If you put a date on the leather sample with the type of sealer used
and stash it away for a few years, you can take it out again and use
it to compare other sealers or leathers that you buy in the future.
You might be surprised.

Pete Knobloch


(Message sent Fri 15 Jan 2010, 00:58:12 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  Leather, Pouch, Testing

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