How Do I Keep My Stamped Edges From Showing The Cut In The Leather?

[SouthernCross]

So what I'm doing is tracing a pattern onto my leather, cutting along the lines with a swivel knife, and then stamping along the edges with a smooth beveler. The result is lots of sharp, cut edges showing all along the pattern. It looks like a leather "carving" rather than a stamping.

Am I supposed to tilt the beveler one way or the other? Am I cutting too deeply with my swivel knife? Am I supposed to stamp directly over the cut line instead of trying to follow the outside edge with the beveler? Etc., etc....

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[electrathon]

Pictures would REALLY help here...

Short bottom line explanation. Cut half way through with your knife. DO NOT tip it left or right, it makes undercuts and is likely your main issue. The tip of the beveler goes in the cut, tap it and move over, tap, repeat. If you are using Tandy tools the angle is wrong on many of them so you may have to tip it.

[Cyberthrasher]

It sounds like you're either cutting too deep, cutting at an angle, or you don't have properly cased leather.

NEVER Tap, move, tap, move when beveling - especially with a smooth beveler. It should be a constant up down motion with your finger as a spring - like a jackhammer. Suspend the tool over your cut line (just a hair) and tap it repeatedly with your mallet/maul. You'll see it spring back up. As it's doing that, you move your tool along the line - this is called walking the tool.