Some Rookie Stamping Leatherwork

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Hey Guys and Galls,

Yesterday I found the time to do my first ever Stamping, or leathertooling, it was a real break as I was anticipating this moment for the past 2 months ^^
and in prospect of a quiver for a friend I wanted to try one of my designs.

I used a swivel knife, and 4 stamps, two bevelers, one backgrounder and one pearshaped stamp.
I made some mistakes and it wasnt as neat and crisp as I would like it to be, so leatherworkers, give me your advice I am in need ^^

The design is a wolf in a celtic/crossover/viking Style,
Any tips on how to keep my work tidier, or how to make more depth.
I also struggled with the backgrounder, as in the end the background wasnt exactly level, how can I make sure it will be the next time

Yours sincerely Ruud

 

[Dreadhead]

nice work for your first time bud i would go over it several times with the backgrounder to smoothen it all down more other than that just keep practising with swivel knife and bevellers

 

[Bardster]

overlapping the backbrounder would give you a more even finish, proper casing/wetting of the leather would help with more definition. Have a look on youtube for the tandy videos, there are very good at showing you how to use the tools, and as hamish said, practice, practice and more practice.
here's an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeOBCwIAzPM&feature=plcp
and more specific http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlopIThDlnI

 

[grey-array]

Thanks Hamish and Bard,

And might you also have tips on edge finishing, I found this particular bit of scraps kept fraying on the edges.
And I would like to seal the edges nicely and make it serve as a dangler, or perhaps an axe loop? we'll figure that one out in time

Yours sincerely Ruud

 

[Dreadhead]

everybody does edges differently i reckon. personally i round off the edges with an edge groover, then wet the edges with a little water to make them damp, and burnish them like mad with a peice of smooth antler. if im using dye then i dye it all before i burnish. or if im doing black edges i burnish, then apply fiebings black edge kote by rubbing it on with canvas and burnishing. then i rub on gum tragacanth with my fingers and burnish again for a smooth edge

 

[Dreadhead]

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=39703

 

[grey-array]

Cheers Hamish,
That is an awesome link ^^
Also got myself some gloves for the dying today XD, wonder how long the dye is gonna be on my fingers
Yours sincerely Ruud

 

[Dreadhead]

your welcome bud keep it up its looking good. dont worry about the dye on your fingers i never wear gloves. i just end up looking dirty with green/brown fingers for several days at a time

 

[Bardster]

saliva works really well for bunishing too - its the enzymes in your spit - they help bond the fibres. More professionally i would use gum tragaganth and a wooden or bone slicker, although as hamish says, smooth antler works well. In fact anything smooth will do it, as its the friction and heat that bond the fibres. A chap i know uses rolled up corrugated cardboard.

 

[greensurfingbear]

I've not ventured into stamp and carving too much yet. But I think Hamish nailed it, practise practise practise



I like the design. lets us see how you get on

 

[Dreadhead]

saliva works really well for bunishing too - its the enzymes in your spit - they help bond the fibres. More professionally i would use gum tragaganth and a wooden or bone slicker, although as hamish says, smooth antler works well. In fact anything smooth will do it, as its the friction and heat that bond the fibres. A chap i know uses rolled up corrugated cardboard.

i used to use the spit method until i started selling things now its water and gum trag! i used to use the red plastic scales on my swiss army knife for burnishing they work really well too

 

[Toadflax]

I've used antler, wood and bone (folder) for burnishing but now use a small piece of canvas, as this wraps around and moulds itself to the shape of the leather edge - particularly when you are burnishing a single thickness of leather (belt edge). I also find it much quicker than the 'solid' burnishers - and I can also do a longer length at one time - very useful when you're hand burnishing 8 feet or more on a belt. Used to take me about an hour to burnish a belt with a bone folder, now takes me about 30 minutes with the canvas. However, I'd use the bone folder for burnishing the edge of a multi-layer seam on a sheath.

For belts, I bevel the edge with a hollow back edge shave (gives a rounded bevel), though a flat edge shave does still give a reasonable result and is certainly good enough for sheaths.

My preference is to dye the edge (where appropriate), paint on gum tragacanth with a small artist's paintbrush, then burnish with the canvas. You know when it's done because you can hear it 'clicking' as you rub. Difficult to explain, but you know when you hear it. I usually finish with a final coat of EdgeKote (black for black belts, clear for the browns), painted on with the artist's brush.

But a good start on the carving. As others have said, keep practising.


Geoff

 

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Thanks lad's

I will certainly keep practicing, and I will try that canvas method sounds like heaven ^^
I also got a tip of Eric, to get a piece of steel, heat it, then smash it into some gravel or sand, and voila larger area backgrounder.
So I'm gonna give that ago too one heck of a way to get new tools ^^

Yours sincerely Ruud

 

[Jomo]

really nice, i always burnish with water

 

[crosslandkelly]

Nice work Ruud.

 

[grey-array]

Thanks everyone means allot
Yours sincerely Ruud

 

[aTexasCowboy]

Nice work Grey!
FWIW- I too am a spit fan. Just don't tell the customer, as it's a trade secret! Blue jeans make a great burnisher. For deep carving/stamping, place your leather in a pan of water until the bubbles stop. Remove from the water and shake the excess water from your piece. Place in a baggie / saran wrap and refridgerate over night. This allows the moisture to penetrate all the way through. The next day, place your leather on a marble surface rewetting whenever the surface of the leather gets back to it's natural state. The piece in your pic appeared to be belly leather due to the course fibers. I prefer #2 for tooling. You can make your stamps out of cabin spikes to suit your needs. Holler if I can be of further help.
aTexasCowboy

 

[Toadflax]

Blue jeans make a great burnisher..

Do you not find that there's some colour transfer from the blue dye? I've tried blue denim on a few occasions, but (even using the inside of the cloth) seemed to get some blue marking on the leather, so I stopped pretty quick! I now tend to use undyed or very pale (e.g. pale fawn) cloth, and am currently working my way through an old webbing belt.


Geoff

 

[Angst]

yo....keep at it grey m8....youre going strong....just practice and technique m8....dont worry, youve got a dready in ya corner!!!

and yup....i dont wear gloves either....my fingers are constantly nicotine colour from brown dye....people think i chain-smoke 200 a day lol!

your welcome bud keep it up its looking good. dont worry about the dye on your fingers i never wear gloves. i just end up looking dirty with green/brown fingers for several days at a time