CrufflerSteve

I'm a newbie and decided to do an intricate Celtic pattern on a belt. It took a lot of cutting. I tried to maintain a consistent depth but lost it in a few places, especially after stropping the cutter. The belt is solid and in no danger of falling apart but some lines got cut way deeper. I've tooled it all now and wondered if this will cause issues for dyeing. I didn't open up the deep cuts to keep a consistent look. The regular cuts are all beveled and modeled open and I stayed with that look. As long as I make sure I dye the deep cuts - Is there anything to worry about. Steve

I just joined this forum. Long ago I used to be a cabinetmaker. I moved into other career paths but tried to keep handy (since I only removed the tips of a few fingers). I always found leather work interesting but never got started. A few months ago my local Tandy started a bunch of classes and I jumped in. I've found the tooling fascinating. I have several projects I've moved slowly on and a lot of scrap I've mangled learning how to do it. I made a utilitarian knife sheath and have a nicer one in progress. Tandy had a belt making class and it was fun to cut it all out of a piece, put in rivets and punch holes. Rather foolishly I chose to tool it in an intricate Celtic design. I realized quickly I was out of my depth and ruined some scrap getting it right. Tonight I finished all the tooling. It's amazing how helpful a modeling spoon can be to simulated the over/under of knots. Next I'll dress up the edges and try to make it more consistent. My technique really improved from one end to the other. Anyways, hello to the board. I now have a pile of tools, leather and a lot of projects to do. Steve