Printing blocks for wet stamping leather? Worth a bash?

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demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,691
710
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I keep seeing wooden printing blocks on Ebay for not much money and fancy trying them to wet stamp a few leather bits and bats.
Mostly a belt for my granddaughter as Ive seen some designs she would like and making a belt isnt rocket science.
Was kind of thinking about dampening the leather and putting the part I want stamped between a packer and the printing block in a vice?

Anyway, has anyone tried this method and do you have any pointers if so?
Or a better idea? Bearing in mind that theres no way on earth I'm making metal stamps up but don't mind removing the unnecessarily parts of a design I like off a wooden block.
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
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I use a couple of wooden printing blocks, and similar in resin, to emboss leather (3.5mm Veg Tan).
I dampen the leather and then put block and leather into a Victorian book press ... a giant vice!
I also use the press to emboss with metal papercraft dies - meant for cutting out paper for creating greetings cards - that I get from The Works.
 
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demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,691
710
-------------
I use a couple of wooden printing blocks, and similar in resin, to emboss leather (3.5mm Veg Tan).
I dampen the leather and then put block and leather into a Victorian book press ... a giant vice!
I also use the press to emboss with metal papercraft dies - meant for cutting out paper for creating greetings cards - that I get from The Works.

Grand, so I might be on the right lines then.
A lot of the blocks are far too big for my needs but some are either about the right size or can be reduced in size to just have the part of the design I like.
I'll have a more serious look then, cheers.
 
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demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,691
710
-------------
They should work fine as long as you press rather than hammer them. Lots of folk are using 3d printed stamps too these days tgat way
Yeah, the thing that kind of gave me the idea was an Occidental Leather high mount hammer holder which has a 3d design.
Its a fair bit posher than I'm after but shows some quite big designs can be embossed into leather.
5059.jpg


I'm not normally that keen on much design on things as its easy to overdo but figure maybe something pretty simple won't look too much.
 

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