Cuir Bouilli / Hardened Leather

Just a few words on this. "Cuir Bouilli" - the term may have undergone changes in meaning depending on when and where it was used.
So, Leather boiled or soaked in hot water, and, when soft, moulded or pressed into any required form, on becoming dry and hard it retains the form given to it, and offers considerable resistance to cuts, blows, etc.
The word was in common English use from 14th to 16th century, after which it is not found till modern times, when it appears as borrowed from modern French.

So how do I make "Cuir Bouilli"
- Simple Soaking
- Hot water Soaking
- Boiling Water Soaking
- A Variation of boiling water Soaking

Simple Soaking

- The first, and the easiest, is to soak the leather in cold water (as long as you want to, suggestions range from 15 minutes to 12 hours or longer) then form it and let it dry. Soaking leather to make it harder is really more appropriate for vegetable tanned leather.



































































































Hot Water Soaking

The hotter the water you soak it in, the harder it will be when it dries. However, each bit of leather has it's own point at which the water is TOO hot, and will be cooked by it. If this happens, your best bet is to keep it hot, and stretch it out on a form and let it dry.
















































































- Boiling Water Soaking

If you decide that you want to place your leather into boiling water, be prepared to have your leather shrink and harden very quickly. Thus making it very hard, but very brittle.. ( like a papad). So this is not the best option to take while you are experimenting.


- A Variation of boiling water Soaking

After trying multiple ways of moulding the leather and trying to acheive a specific kind of hardness, I tried a variation in my experimentation which would be placing the whole form you are working with and keeping it in the boiling water for not more than about 2 minutes.

What this does is to cause chemicals in the leather to liquify and polymerize and thus it shrivels into plastic hardness, giving you a relatively hard surface.
BUT, because every skin has a different molecular structure, every skin behaves differently once you dip it in hot or cold water. So chances are possible of you receiving an unexpected result.. Dont lose heart.. Keep trying.. !!










































































Let the leather cool and dry on the former itself.