How Deep The Stamp Impression Must Be?

[Suicide]

Hi everybody,

Just wondering how deep it should be a good lookin stamp impression?

I cut as suggested for about 1/3 of leather thickness. Lets say I'm using 3 mm thick leather, so I cut about 1 mm deep. But seem I can get the only beveller's impression for all that deep, rest of the tools (lets say backgrounders) give good plain impressions but that impression looks a bit shallow and "slicky" - in other words it is not look like 1 mm deep. To have deeper impression I need to strike backgrounder as it woul be nail and impresses becomes uneven and has a lot of tool marks.

Vieners by some reasons give me on the same piece very good shaped and colored impress but it is also looks very shallow.

So I'm wondering if I should live with even and not very deep impression or should I increase the strike force and try to get even background hammered tool?

Please help to newby

Thanks!

PS I 'm using Tandy's leather and Tandy's stamps, casing leather according to Bob's recommendations here.

[electrathon]

The deepest cuts, beveling, backgrounding basically go half way through the leather. The rest of the marks are someplace in between. Basically cuts, bevels and backgrounding are usually the deepest. Some tools to barely have to tap, like a seeder. Some tools get hit a lot harder, like a thumbprint.

Tools like the backgrounder can be hit over and over again. You do not have to move them totally to the side of the impact, just move it a little, tap, move a little, tap and so on. It will be more uniform that way. Of all the bad tools Tandy does have, the backgrounder works OK (only issue is that it is way to huge to get into corners, that can be fixer with a grinder to make it smaller).

If you are trying to use the worthless wooden hammer, place it is the fireplace next time you walk past and get a poly one.

Aaron

[Suicide]

Thanks, Aaron.

If you are trying to use the worthless wooden hammer, place it is the fireplace next time you walk past and get a poly one.

No, I'm using the poly mallet.

Well, anyway, maybe I need to have leather a bit more wet while stamping to have more deep imprint with no increase of impact force?

Edited December 24, 2011 by Suicide

[Chavez]

Hello from another newbie;)

Suicide, from my very limited experience with leather (only tooled about 6-8 small projects so far), there is the "perfect time" for stamping leather which, in my case, only lasts for about an hour at most unless I cover parts of leather with cling film. If the leather is too dry, you would need to strike the tools real hard to get the impressions, so you loose control over the accuracy of your stamping. If the leather's too wet (but is still okish for carving), you can leave an impression by just slightly pressing the tool into it. If the leather is even wetter, it will try to deform back into its original state, making your impressions very shallow and blurry.

Try to experiment and see what you get. Case a strip of scrap leather and stamp it a couple of times every 20-30 minutes while it dries up.

However, if you are using 2-3mm leather, then you won't get very deep impressions...

PS getting the casign right is probably one of the most difficul parts of stamping. I keep getting the timing wrong =(

[HellfireJack]

What are you stamping on top of? You'll get better impressions working in a piece of granite than you can when working on a wood surface.

[Suicide]

Thanks for replies, guys!

.... I cover parts of leather with cling film.

Just tried and it works! Thanks for such an idea.

If the leather is even wetter, it will try to deform back into its original state, making your impressions very shallow and blurry.

This is apparently what I see with mine But I so afraid of rewetting so I trying to start as earlier as I can. But cling film works pretty goo for me, thanks again for a hint.

What are you stamping on top of? You'll get better impressions working in a piece of granite than you can when working on a wood surface.

I got marble floor tile 30cm x 30cm x 1cm from our local construction shop. I put in onto this folding workbench. I also tried to put about 0.5 cm thick neoprene sheet between marble and workbench, but see no any differences with or without that sheet.