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Welcome to my Blog

About Leatherwork

I hope it will inspire you.

I hope you can learn about new things with me.

-- JOHAN

Basic Stamping Tools

To start with tooling on your project,  you need very few tools. 

I picked here the basic tools in most starter sets,  and added two that I think are really nice to have : F910 and a basketweave.

Just sitting down with those eight tools, I came up with these examples of what you can do with them (this excludes carving that first requires swivel knife cuts).

These are then what most people refer to as geometric stamping. 

Writing on Leather

 WRITING IDEAS

It would be a plus to your leatherwork, to learn to write in a calligraphy style.  I learnt to do "Italic" - you write it with a wide pen nib (or a wide woodburning tip):

I will show you many examples, but first let us get a No-No out of the way:

When using a very fancy alphabet stamp set, do NOT stamp the whole name/word in uppercase. It looks very wrong. 

This is an examle of writing that would have been unreadable if it was done in upper case only:

The more everyday letter stamp sets that are still sold today, can be used as is (they usually do not even have lower case letters included):

Many crafters have problems in lining the letters up.

If your project (and personality) allows, you can purposefully have the letters not in  straight line, as in this example:

Sometimes the writing makes up a big part of the overall design.  That would make it worth spending some extra time on the writing to make it pop:

Here is an example of freehand writing done with a swivel knife:

Of course, it is also a lot of fun to do the writing is such a way that it compliments other elements of the project:

This was written with an A105 background stamp, the same a the border.

...and this one was done in a woodwork design:

The writing on the left was done with a very thin tip Sharpie, and the Italic lettering on the right was done with a permenent ink Calligraphy pen:

When you use permanent ink pens to write on leather, make sure to test first how the writing will hold up to the sealer/conditioner you intend to put over it.

For example, a waterbased sealer like NeatLac will fade out a waterbased ink.

I hope these examples will inspire you to try different ways to write on leather where the design calls for it!

I will continue to place examples here as I work through my photos..... if this helps you, you can come back and look at the updates!

Woodgrain Effect

 Different Woodgrain Effects

Here are a few samples where woodgrain was used:

First is a frame by Jason Rovig:

Second is a bag by Gary Arvidson:

And then a wall hanging and a Covid mask that I did:

TERMINOLOGY

 TERMINOLOGY

I recently came across this very handy list of words used in the leather craft / industry.  It is no longer being published - some of the term are seldom heard nowadays, but it is still good to take not of all of these terms.

ALLIGATOR
Genuine Alligator is sold by the inch measurements across the back. They run 9 to 6 inches and are used mostly for billfolds and small handbags.
BACK
Upper portion of a side (the belly has been removed).
BELLY
Bottom portion of a side (the part produced when a back is made).
BUCKSKIN
Deer and elk skins, having the outer grain removed.
BULLHIDE
Hide from a male bovine, capable of reproduction.
CALFSKIN
Skin from a young bovine, male or female.
CARVING COWHIDE
Mature bovine that has been vegetable tanned. The only kind of leather suitable for carving, tooling and stamping.
CATTLEHIDE
Hides from a bovine of any breed or sex, but usually mature; includes bullhide, steerhide, cowhide, and sometimes kipskins.
CHAMOIS
The product of oil tanning the underneath layer (called a "flesher") that has been split from a sheepskin.
CHAP SPLITS
4-4.5 oz cowhide splits used in making chaps, moccasins, soft boots, handbags and vests. Available in many colors.
CHROME CALF
This is a smooth finished calf used for many purposes. It is not suitable for tooling. Comes in many colors.
CHROME SUEDE
Taken from the flesh side split off a cowhide.

CHROME TANNED

Leathers which have been tanned with soluble chromium salts, primarily basic chromium sulfate. Currently the most widely used tannage in the U.S.A.

COMBINATION TANNED

Leathers tanned with more than one tanning agent. For example, initially chrome-tanned followed by a second tannage (called a RETAN) with vegetable materials.

COWHIDE

Hide from a mature female bovine that has produced a calf.

EMBOSSED

A mechanical process of permanently imprinting a great variety of unique grain effects into the leather surface. Done under considerable heat and pressure.

FULL GRAIN

Leather as it is when taken off the animals. Only the hair has been removed and grain or epidermis left on.

GENUINE SHARKSKIN

“Breathing", yet water-repellent. Unusual grain surface. Is virtually skuff-proof. Used mainly for men’s shoes, tips on children’s shoes, belts and wherever leather is used.

GOATSKIN

Skin from a mature goat.

GRADING

Leather graded by sight and feel by well trained graders. Grade designations vary from tanner to tanner. Grading is only on amount of marks and blemishes.

GRAIN

This is the epidermis or outer layer of animal skins.

GRAIN LEATHER

Hides and skins which have been processed with the grain, or outer surface, dressed for end use.

HARNESS

Vegetable tanned cattlehide leather finished for harness and saddlery use.

HIDE

The whole pelt from large animals (cattle, horse, etc.)

KIPSKIN

Skin from a bovine, male or female intermediate in size between a calf and a mature animal.

LAMBSKIN

Skin from a lamb, or young sheep.

LATIGO

Cowhide specially tanned for the making of very rugged, long wearing outdoor gear.

LIVE OAK TANNED

Reg. TM, the exclusive property of Tandy Leather Co. Referred by some as "Easy Tooling Leather because it tools and carves easily with wonderful results.

MEASURING

All leather is measured on intricate measuring machines at tannery and marked to the nearest Va of a sq. ft.

MOCCASIN COW

Special 4-5 oz cowhide tanned soft and rugged for long wearing outdoor use.

MOROCCO

A goat originally from Morocco, now from India. Has a crinkled effect and is very durable. Used for billfolds.

NATURAL LAMB

Used for linings. Suitable for tooling in the heavier weight. Color “natural” as the name indicates.

NATURE-TAND LEATHER

Cowhide that has been specially tanned to produce the Latigo Look and still be suitable for tooling.

OIL TANNED

Leathers tanned with certain fish oils. Produces a very soft, pliable leather such as chamois.

OUNCE

Term used to specify the thickness of leather. One (1) ounce equals about 1/64" =  0.4mm of thickness.

(8 OZ = 8/64” = 1/8" = 3.2mm)

OUTSOLE

A shoe leather used for the outer soles. From vegetable tanned cattlehide, often quite thick and even compressed.

PATENT LEATHER

A shoe leather, heavily finished to give a highly lustrous, baked enamel type appearance, used for shoe uppers. Generally from cattlehide.

PECCA PIC

Pig design on lamb.

PELT

An untanned hide or skin with the hair on.

PIGSKIN

Skin from pigs or hogs.

RABBIT SKINS

Tanned with the fur left on. Used for warmest trim, handbags, linings, pillow covers and home decor.

RAM SKINS

Large sheep skins with the deep pile wooj left on. Used for throw rugs, home decor and high fashion jackets.

RAWHIDE

Made from cow or goat skins. The leather is not tanned, only treated to prevent decay. Used for drum heads and Indian lore projects.

SADDLE SKIRTING

Very heavy vegetable tanned cowhide. Used for making saddles and other ranch gear.

SHEARLINGS

Washed and tanned with the wool left on, then clipped to the desired length, usually one-fourth to one inch.

SIDE LEATHER

Cattlehide grain leather which, prior to processing, has been cut in half forming two “sides". The reduced size better accommodates tannery equipment Represents largest volume of commercial leather produced.

SKIN

The pelt from small animals (calf, sheep, goat. etc.).

SKIVERS

The top grain is split off a sheep. Very light and used for pasted or glued linings. The flesh side of this leather is often used for making CHAMOIS.

SLUNK

The skin of an unborn or prematurely born calf. The skin is sold with the hair still on it.

SPLIT

The underneath layer of side leather which has been “split” off. Devoid of a natural grain, it may be either sueded or pigment finished and embossed.

SUEDE

Leathers that are finished by buffing the flesh side (opposite the grain side) to produce a nap.; Term refers to the napping process, and is unrelated to the type of skin used.

TOOLING LEATHER

Any leather that has been vegetable tanned and is suitable for tooling.

TOOLING STEER

Heavier than Kip or tooling calf and suitable for larger patterns.

TOP GRAIN

TOP GRAIN does not mean “Full Grain." Top grain has often been sanded to remove scars and is then sprayed or pasted to “cover up”.  TOOLING LEATHER must be Full Grain and must not have been doctored.

UPHOLSTERY

Large cattlehide, split thin, and tanned for use as furniture and automobile seat coverings.

VEGETABLE TANNED

Leathers which have been tanned with vegetable materials, that are derived from certain plants and trees,  often called BARK tannins.

Liquid Sequence

 This post is intended for anybody not sure of the sequence of applying dyes, paint, antiques, sealers, and conditioners.

You can download and print this chart at the "Downloads" tab at the top of this blog.

Rope

I cannot remember where I saw this first.  It was long ago, but it has become one of my signature decorations on projects.

This is how I achieve a very effective border: 

 Mark two parallel lines with a compass.   

Cut them with a swivel knife.  

Now use a lined sharp-tip beveler [F910] along one of the lines to make one row of indents and then turn the leather around to make the row of indents along the other cut line.  

The smooth and checkered bevelers, with the same shape, does not have the same good effect, but try them by all means, you might like their effect more.

My friend Dawson recently came up with this clever variation:

• In the bottom row, A is first beveled on the inside of two cut lines - sections B and C is not beveled at all.
• In the top row, the inside of the cut lines were first beveled for all the sections.
• Sections A and B were done with the basic V407 veiner; C and D with a larger one and E with a smaller veiner.

I hope this can inspire you!

[First published Oct 31 2007

Updated April 2022]