LEATHER MERIT BADGE INSTRUCTION


Purpose: To present group leaders with the background information and basic skills necessary to enable them to guide their scouts efforts toward gaining the Leatherwork Merit Badge.

This program was set up using the Boy Scout Merit Badge Pamphlet (1983 Revision). In preparing this program we have drawn on our skills and experience, so there will be some differences between the booklet and this program. Where these occur, we have taken care to explain the reasons for the differences. These should not, however, impact the skills necessary for successful completion of the program.

Time Required: One training session of 2 -3 hours.

Skills presented:
1.) ldentification of types of leather and characteristics of each.
2.) Transferring a pattern to leather
3.) Cutting leather
4.) Stamping a design on leather
5.) Dyeing and finishing the project.
6.) Laying out placement for and punching holes
7.) Lacing and stitching
8.) Care and conditioning leather

Requirements Not Addressed: Tanning and Curing leather and visiting a leather shop.

Introduction
Leather has been in existence for as long as man has been a meat eater and has always been a by-product or the meat industry. The earliest man used the green, untreated hides of the creatures that he slew for sustenance for clothing and as a material in manufacturing his few tools and implements. These untreated hides were not very strong or stable, so had to be replaced often. At some point in history, men began to scrape the fleshy and fatty residue from the inside of the hides and a1low the sun to dry the skins. This is raw hide and today is still essentially made in the same way  that it was in the Stone Age: scrape it clean, remove the hair, and let it dry completely. This rawhide is extremely tough and rigid and had to be softened by pounding it with stone, wooden. or bone tools.

At some point in history, (some believe that it was the ancient Hebrews) people discovered that by soaking the skins in a mixture of water and the bark of certain plants would preserve the leather and make last indefinitely as well as making it more pliable. These processes led to tremendous improvements and uses for leather.

This was the birth of modem tanning.

Today, technology has improved the control that we have over the conditions but the basic process is still the same as it was thousands of years ago. All of the leather that we have today is still a by-product of the meat industry. No animals anywhere are raised just to provide hides to be made into leather.

Leather can and is made from nearly any animal. We have leathers made from cattle, goats, sheep, ostriches, kangaroos, sharks, rays, eels, and snakes and the list goes on. Remember, leather is just the term used to describe a preserved skin or hide.

Leather is usually divided into nine (9) categories. These are:

(1) Cattle Group - Footwear, garments, bags, upholstery, personal accessories, harness, sporting goods, machinery components (belting, washers, packing, etc.)
(2) Sheep and Lamb Group - Footwear uppers and linings, personal accessories, garments,
chamois, Mouton and shear1ing, parchment, textile rollers, headwear, bookbinding, piano
actions, sporting goods.
(3) Goat and Kid Group - Footwear uppers and linings, fancy personal accessories, garments, bookbinding.
(4) Equine Group - Footwear, garments, aviators clothing, sporting goods, luggage, belts
(5) Buffalo Group - Footwear, fancy leather goods, handbags, buffing wheels
(6) Pig and Hog Group - Gloves, fancy leather goods and luggage, footwear, saddlery and harness, upholstery
(7) Deer Group - Shoe uppers, gloves, garments, fancy leather goods, piano actions
(8) Kangaroo and Wallaby Group - footwear uppers, lacing
(9) Exotic and Fancy Leather Group - specialty items
This group includes, but is not limited to, things like seal, shark, walrus, turtle, camel elephant, ostrich, alligator, crocodile, frog, lizard, snakes, ray, etc.


Tannages:

All leather must be treated in some fashion to remove the moisture that would allow rotting to occur.  The earliest and simplest method is making rawhide which essentially entails removing an of the flesh and fat from the flesh side of the skin, removing the hair from the grain side, then liming and rinsing the leather and stretching it in the sun until the sun has desiccated it. This leaves the leather so stiff and unpliable that it must be soaked in water or pounded soft to be of much use.

Vegetable tanning is a process where the prepared hides are soaked in a series of pits containing progressively weaker tanning solutions. These solutions are composed of extracts from the bark and berries of certain trees and bushes. This process preserves the leather, but allows the fibrous structure of the skin to remain intact. Vegetable tanned leather is the only type suitable for carving.

A faster method of tanning hides is the chrome tanning process. This accomplishes in a matter of days what vegetable tanning takes months to do. The fibers of the skin are affected by the chromium salts used in the process, so the leather is usually soft and flexible. Since it drapes so well, chrome tanned leather is ideal for garment or upholstery use.

Oil tanning is usually done by solutions of fish and animal oils. This makes a strong supple leather that is somewhat water resistant. It makes good work aprons, boots, etc.

II. PREPARATION

A. Design Considerations

The first and most important design consideration is to simply compile a list stating all of the things that you want to achieve with your project. This should include items such as function, size, color, mechanical devices (snaps, key hooks, rivets, etc.) and any other ideas that you have such as how it will open or close, hang, etc.
Once you have this list, you can use it to put together a list of materials to insure that you have all of the needed items available before you start. This will prevent you from getting part way into the project and discovering that you don't have a buckle, enough rivets, or the wrong stamping tool.

After completing the assembly of the materials and tools, you can begin the layout of the pattern. This should be a full size paper or cardboard pattern that will show where you will make cuts, where the stitch or lacing lines will be, and a rough placement of the stamping pattern.

When you are satisfied with your pattern, you can begin to transfer it to the leather.

B. Pattern Transfer and Cut Out

One of the characteristics of vegetable tanned leather is the ability to readily and evenly absorb water. This trait is what allows this leather to be molded and compressed, and to "remember" its new shape permanently when it has dried. That's why vegetable tanned leather is the only type suitable for tooling and carving; no other tanning method gives leather this ability.
Moistening leather with the proper amount of water to be effectively tooled is called "casing" the leather. This is easy to do, but takes practice to master. When the water is applied to the leather, it must be done evenly to prevent uneven color variations. 'This is most easily accomplished with a misting bottle. The leather should be misted until it is no longer absorbed immediately. Then you need to wait until the leather returns to its original color. It may appear as though the leather is seeming to dry out, but actually the moisture is being drawn into the underlying fiber structure of the leather. This underlying structure is what locks the impressions in place, so it must be damp. However, if the leather is too wet, the moisture will fill the spaces between the fibers and when you strike a tool the fluid will force the surface back out. "Mushy" leather will prevent you from getting a clear, permanent impression. The moisture content of the leather must be just right; neither too damp or too dry.
If you are satisfied that the leather is cased properly, you can transfer the cutting pattern to the
leather. Place the leather with the grain side (smooth side) down on a clean surface and place the "Front" of the pattern against the flesh side (rough side) of the leather. Using an awl or stylus, trace around your pattern.

On page 15 of the merit badge manual it says to transfer the cutting pattern to the grain side We prefer to place it on the flesh side so that any mistakes or corrections can be made on what will become the interior of the project. When working on leather, all marks are permanent, so a change made on the interior is either not noticeable or is less objectionable than one made on the outside of the project

Cutting out the project is best accomplished with a pair of heavy shears. These can be effectively used on nearly any leather up to about 11 oz. dependent upon the durability of the shears that you use.

Carefully cut out the project and you're ready to begin the decorations stage.

Once again, we offer a different approach than does the manual. They suggest, again on page 15, that cut out be done with a knife. It has been our experience that when working with youth groups, that the available knives usually aren't sharp enough, and the youth aren't experienced enough to do this safely, so we prefer using shears whenever possible.

PROJECT 1 :Belt

Since the project that we are going to do here is a simple belt, we really don't need to much in the way of a cutting pattern. We will be using a commercially available 1-1/4" strap and only need to cut it to length and place the holes for the buckle, snaps, and size adjustment.

To determine the proper belt size, remove the belt that you have on, if wearing one, and measure from the fold over at the buckle end to the most often used hole. This will be the belt Size.

If you are not wearing a belt, pull a tape measure snugly around your waist over the belt loops on your trousers. DO NOT use the waist size off of your clothes for the belt size. This measurement is taken on the inside of the waistband and for the belt you will need to consider the thickness of the material between you and the inner side of the belt.
Starting at one end of the strip on the flesh side, measure in 2-1/2" and mark a line across the strip. This will be the fold line for the buckle fold over.

From this line measure down the strip and make a mark for the belt size. This mark will be the center hole of the five adjustment holes.  Measure 5" or 6" beyond the center hole and scribe a line across the strip. This will be the tip of the belt

Set the wing dividers to half the width of the strip and scribe a line for about three inches in each direction from the mark for the center hole. Move to the buckle end of the strip and scribe a line from the end of the strip in for about 5". Once this is done, set the dividers for one inch. Setting one leg at the mark for the center hole, make 2 more marks in each direction. This will give you 5 marks for adjustment holes spaced 1" apart. Returning to the buckle end, make a mark on this center line 1/2" from the end, then a second mark 1" beyond that These will be where the rivets or snaps are set that hold the buckle in place.

Using the proper size punch, punch out all of the marked spots.

The slot for the buckle tongue is punched by using a slot punch. Place the slot punch on the
center line so that the center of the punch's length is over the fold tine. Punch this out.  With all hole punching, remember to place a piece of scrap leather or a Poundo board under the leather to protect your tools from the hard surface of the table.  Cutting the ends is done either with a strap end punch or free hand. If done free hand, use a
burnishing wheel or a drinking glass as a pattern for an arc then cut with shears.

C. Stamping

Be certain that the moisture level of the leather is proper. Slightly dry is better than slightly damp. The leather should be nearly its original color but should feel cool when touched to a soft skin area such as the inner arm.

Stamp the tool properly; firmly, squarely, and only once. The exception to this one strike rule is when using large area stamps such as alphabet or "3-D" stamps. In this case the heavy handle is struck once squarely, with force.  Then the handle is gently rotated north, south, east and west and struck lightly in each position to insure that the impression is even to the edges of the stamp.  The first strike will "bite" into the leather so as not to create duplicate impressions while the handle is being rotated.

D. Edge Dressing

To give the project a more finished appearance, the edge must be dressed properly. This is done with an edge beveller, or edger. This tool is used to round off the square edge of the strip. It is held at 45 degrees to the strip's edge and run around the edge of the strip, on both grain and flesh sides.

Once the edge has been rounded using the edger, the next step is to burnish the edge. This is done by moistening the edge with a sponge until it is slightly damper than would be called for by proper casing. Then, while still damp friction is applied to the edge either with a "slicker" or a piece of scrap leather or coarse fabric like canvas. Burnishing is actually a friction burn that causes the fibers to fuse and glaze giving a compressed shiny look. It doesn't take a lot of pressure, just speed. Since speed is what causes the fusing, work in short sections of 4" to 6" . You may need to moisten the leather periodically to keep the moisture content high enough for effective burnishing.

E. Finishing

Finishing, the next to the last step in the project, refers to applying color and protective sealant to the leather. There are several different types of finishes and below is a brief description of a few, along with their advantages and drawbacks.

1.) Dyes - Dyes are a coloring agent where the pigments are carried in a solvent that dries slow enough to allow the pigments to penetrate the fibers of the leather. The three most common type are described by their particular solvent.

a.) Spirit Dyes: usually are alcohol or mineral spirit based dyes. Penetration is fairly deep, but these have several disadvantages. They are toxic and flammable, so care must be exercised when using them. In addition, the solvents can be hard on the oils in the leather, so the project must have a conditioner applied after dyeing to prevent or reduce the chance of cracking.
b.) Oil Dyes: these usually use some type of fish or animal based oil as the carrier for the pigment. The advantage of oil dye is that it dries more slowly than the spirit dyes which allows for a deeper penetration of the pigments. Since the oils of the carrier are more compatible with the oils in the leather, it is kinder to the project. However, a conditioner should still be lightly applied because of the leather's exposure to water during fabrication of the project.
c.) Water based: These tend to be weaker in tone than the other two because of the necessity of using water soluble pigments. However, these are generally non-toxic and can be cleaned up with soap and water.  These dyes are sometimes referred to as "institutional" dyes, as they are relatively harmless.

2.) Antique Stains - These are products that are designed to give an aged, weathered look to the project. It essentially give two shades of the same color. It is applied heavily and worked deeply into cuts and impressions, then allowed to sit for a short time to "set". Then the surface is lightly wiped with a clean lint-free cloth or sponge. This removes the excess antique from the surface area leaving a light shade while leaving a greater accumulation in recessed areas which will appear darker, giving the design a pleasing contrast.  The two most common types are spirit based and water based. The spirit based is similar to a paste wax while the water based is like a heavy liquid or light syrup. The water based takes longer to dry, which gives better control of the "setting" time and the intensity of the effect. Additionally, the water base allows soap and water clean up.
3.) Acrylics - These are acrylic paints. As such, they have little or no penetration of the leather and so are subject to cracking when bent and scuffing when abraded. The colors are very intense, but can be toned done with water. Clean up is done with soap and water.
4.) Final Finish - These are applied after the project is dyed or stained as a top coat to protect the finish and the leather. Again, there are several types available.

a.) Lacquer based - Strong protection, but prone to cracking on anything that flexes. Volatile and toxic.

b.) Water based (acrylic) - Easy to apply and usually non-toxic. However, since these are acrylics, they may tend to crack. In addition, some of them start to break down and get tacky at about 110 degrees (F). This may seem quite high, but think about the inside of your hip pocket as you sit in the car on a summer day.

c.) Waxes - These preparations are generally water based and they tend to remain flexible and are fairly immune to extremes of temperature. These are easy to apply and easily cleaned up, generally with soap and water.

F. Setting Hardware - (coming soon!)

G. Stitching and Lacing - (coming soon!)

John L. Henry, Jr. 1998 Macon Georgia

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