I want to transfer designs onto the leather of pre-fabricated sandals

[neilcschultz]

Dear Craftsman,

My challenge is that I want to transfer designs onto the leather of pre-fabricated sandals without ruining the underlying foam and rubber soles. The sandals are a composite of a rubber sole, followed several layers of foam, and then topped with a piece of smooth grain leather. The leather is fairly thin (approximately 1/16 in thick). Because of the underlying materials, I do not think that sufficient pressure could be obtained to stamp the image on the leather without causing the delaminating of the layers. Is there anyway to burn an image in the leather while still retaining its durability? I am open to any and all suggestions, and I thank you for the time you take in helping a potential leatherworker!

Best,

Neil Schultz

P.S. Here is an image of the sandal.

[JustWakinUp]

ok, this is a shot in the dark but, as you compress foam it becomes somewhat hard.

I would think if you could compress/squeeze the areas adjacent to your stamp in some

sort of vice you would "POSSIBLY" get the desired look.

That's just the first thought that popped in my mind, so I had to share.

[Johanna]

I'm not sure the leather that the sandal in the picture has is tanned to absorb water and take impressions. I don't think that you can burn or carve chrome tanned leather, but someone is sure to correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyway, glad to have you here on the board. Make yourself at home, and the coffee is always fresh.

Johanna

[neilcschultz]

Thanks for the help! I'll try some things out and let you know the outcome.

Neil

[Kevin King]

Laser. Find a trophy shop, most of them have a laser. That'll do the trick

KK