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Sealing mold for leather

M

MY63

Old Oak
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In January I made a new pair of molds for one of the more complicated cases I make.

2021-02-14_11-44-47 by my0771, on Flickr

This picture shows the top part of the mold.

2021-04-02_06-38-29 by my0771, on Flickr

I made the molds from the wood I had which was plywood for the base and thin mdf for the top, my problem is the leather is wet when formed over the mold. As you can see I have added some plastic to keep the mdf dry. Unfortunately the plywood does not like getting wet either.
I thought about sealing them with wax but it would stop the leather from accepting dye.
Any ideas appreciated.
 
Could you have a laser cutter cut the the top of the mould from an acrylic. I don't know what thickness would be appropriate to manage the pressure you apply.

One of the member of this forum has a laser cutting business.

I'm not sure the lower part of the mould could be laser cut, but it could be cnc moulded of an inert material.
 
Would a glazing of waterproof glue not do? Epoxy would be the nuclear option if you're making a lot of them.
 
Epoxy would certainly do it, but I suspect a PU varnish would do the job a lot more easily.
 
I have plenty of solid mahogany offcuts if you need some Michael but you'd need to remake the moulds. Just shout if any good.
 
Thanks Lons all off cuts are gratefully received.
I think the P U varnish might help until I remake the molds. I do have some epoxy for an upcoming project so there will be lots of questions, in the near future.
 
How about making the mold from plastic cutting boards? You can shape it with woodwork tools, I use it for table inserts on my bandsaw and have spacers for stuff with it.
 
Thanks Dave that is worth considering, Bay Plastics are not far from me I might speak to them and see if they have any off cuts.
 
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