How does sweat affect leather?

[Kraesh]

So last Thursday I was spearing and building up a hell of a sweat that was absolutely pouring and I looked at my bracers in the light when I got home from practice at around 10:30 and they were a different shade because of the sweat so I set them out to dry. I was just wondering, what effect does sweat have on leather? What should I do next time to tend to this if it could have potentially bad effects? And how should I go about letting it dry for as little change in the leather as possible (I've heard sweat hardens leather).

-Kraesh

[Forkbeard]

Different people have different amounts of acidity in their sweat.
I sweat clear through my armor(gross, I know) and it's fine. I've done this for years with no ill effects.
I know an SCA guy who rots a pair of gloves into rags in a few weeks. His sweat just seems to eat leather. Sad, as he is a great leather worker and has to constantly make new gear.
It will mildew. Always let it dry fully in open air. Keep it clean. Put a little neatsfoot oil or some other protectant on it, if you feel like you have to do something. I've never treated my armor with anything.
We live in a desert, Karesh. It is really good for leather. You people who live near the sea, or(ugh) in the south, really need to keep an eye on the mildew thing. Humidity is a bigger problem than sweat.
If you want it to hold a shape, take it off and let it dry in that shape every time you wear it, even usually flat un hardend leather will permanently take a shape afer enough of this.
FB

[Zuloo]

thats actually how i got my bracer to fit my arm properly, at first it was ignorable but still irritating and wouldnt fit right, after a few practices i just sweat into the leather enough for it to shape itself to my arm lol

[Kraesh]

Yeah that's sorta what happened, I didn't drip sweat all over my bracers, it just went right through them from my forearms underneath, it was kinda disturbing. I think I may wear them while they dry next time, get them to form to my arms better. Alright, thanks for the help guys.

-Kraesh

[bo1]

someone told me once, so take it as you wish, that sweat forming leather is a secondary step to hardening. i dont wear armor at all anymore, but it seemed to be the case in the past. i would make something, form it, harden cook it, then it would rub me all raw for 2 practices, then fit like a glove forever.

then on a second peice, it was summer and pretty hot. i just took a hose and soaked myself with the armor on, then payed for a few hours. then took it off and hung it on my armor stand. bammo perfect fit.

ah the beauty of leather armor.

[Karyx]

someone told me once, so take it as you wish, that sweat forming leather is a secondary step to hardening. i dont wear armor at all anymore, but it seemed to be the case in the past. i would make something, form it, harden cook it, then it would rub me all raw for 2 practices, then fit like a glove forever.

then on a second peice, it was summer and pretty hot. i just took a hose and soaked myself with the armor on, then payed for a few hours. then took it off and hung it on my armor stand. bammo perfect fit.

ah the beauty of leather armor.

on a similar note:
a friend of mine wears leather boots for absolutely everything, and swears up&down that if you wear them in the shower once (not joking at all), and let them dry, they will never leave blisters or any other injury.

[Beck]

someone told me once, so take it as you wish, that sweat forming leather is a secondary step to hardening. i dont wear armor at all anymore, but it seemed to be the case in the past. i would make something, form it, harden cook it, then it would rub me all raw for 2 practices, then fit like a glove forever.

then on a second peice, it was summer and pretty hot. i just took a hose and soaked myself with the armor on, then payed for a few hours. then took it off and hung it on my armor stand. bammo perfect fit.

ah the beauty of leather armor.

on a similar note:
a friend of mine wears leather boots for absolutely everything, and swears up&down that if you wear them in the shower once (not joking at all), and let them dry, they will never leave blisters or any other injury.

Back in the olden days (they might still do it) when the Military was still wearing the black spit shined jumper boots they would wake you up in the middle of your first night at bootcamp and have you trudge through water with your boxers/swimsuit and boots on then walk the rest of the night to break in your boots.

[Tiberius Claudius]

Back in the olden days (they might still do it) when the Military was still wearing the black spit shined jumper boots they would wake you up in the middle of your first night at bootcamp and have you trudge through water with your boxers/swimsuit and boots on then walk the rest of the night to break in your boots.

We did that when I joined, except it wasn't in the middle of the night. The next group in got the brown suede boots and digital uniforms, so they didn't have to do any of that old Corps uniform maintenance stuff.

[Soo Ma Tai]

My pops always said the best way to break in new boots was to wear them through the creek and then walk 'em dry. I did the same thing with my armor when I got it, soaked it down and wore it dry, best way to make your armor fit well.

[Kraesh]

So, after a while of observation, I've noticed that my sweat doesn't have any ill affects on the leather. Although, after wearing them until they dry I've noticed that it leaves a layer of white powder on the leather. I'm guessing it's salt from the sweat, I'm going to take a damp sponge and pretty much give my bracers a sponge bath. Hopefully that works, would anybody advise against that?

-Kraesh

[Zuloo]

although i have found out that sweat does tend to soften the leather a little bit, my pauldrons went from courboil hardened that couldnt bend at all to being so soft its like they were never hardened.
so imo sweat does soften leather a bit

[Bortas]

The heat of CW was more of an issue than the moisture, imo.

-bort