Davy

I'd like to know if anyone has any experience using tattoo ink on leather . Some of the colors I've seen on some tatts are unreal and they dont fade ! . What i'd like to find out is can it be applied with a brush or does it have to be done with a tattooist needle , what is it made of , can it be done or has anybody done it and if so what were the results ?

Now i think I've figured out what casing means , is it just , wetting your leather ? Any way , I couldn't resist putting my bit in here . The following explanation is in reference mainly to stamped patterns , I think it was abn that referred to it as coverage stamping . I use a piece of sponge dipped in water to coat the surface a couple of times . I will squeeze some water out of the sponge first , I want it so that its not dripping water . This should wet the epidermis and about that again on 2.5mm to 3.5mm leather. This will give a crisp sharp print . (Too wet = rubbery = dull print . Too dry = too hard = print has no depth ). This way will also reduce the stretch but not eliminate it . Whenever you displace leather with a stamp , its gotta go somewhere , usually sideways so with thinner leather say 1.5mm (dunno what that is in oz) , again just wet the epidermis , not right through . If its too wet wait for it to dry and start again , you only want the epidermis wet not the fibre . if there are a lot of stamps going in the pattern a good idea is use rubber cement to glue the piece onto x ray film or something else suitable . this will eliminate distortion and stretch . I've only done this once or twice and it worked well . I wet the leather the same way when I carve with the same results . I hope that this info is useful . Dave

There is such a thing as a retan too . its veg tanned leather then chrome tanned or vice versa . I forget the purpose of this leather but would it affect gun metal the same way ?

I forgot to add , be careful if youre gonna use those sole edge trimmers on any leathers other than sole leather as it'll grab bigtime . Sole leather is really hard and compacted its as hard as wood . a trick when edge trimming shoe soles is to slightly wet the edge , it stops it getting too hot and leaving score marks . Cheers , Dave .

the naumkeg is specifically used for sanding the area of a sole between the heel and the forepart . a Wide , flat sander is used on the forepart of the sole . The naumkegs I have used have a bladder in them that fills with air when spinning and will conform to uneven surfaces which allows you to sand those areas around the shank section which cant be done efficiently any other way in a factory production line . Although there arent too many production lines that make shoes with leather soles these days I dont think , everythings rubber !

Greetings El Vaquero!!!! I only stumbled across this place a few days ago mself and I'm hooked . Your work is unreal bro , its distinctive & I can see the passion you must have for leatherwork reflected in the high quality of those pieces . I notice you want to learn more about construction methods . I learnt more about leathers and leather selection , design and patternmaking , preparation , construction methods , assembly , finishing etc , etc , etc in 2yrs at tech college doing a footwear trades course than I have in 35yrs as a leatherworker . So if you have any questions , feel free to ask ! Leatheroo is looking to get a conference going on skype if youre interested . Cheers , Dave .

Now we're talkin Leatheroo . Sounds like a great idea to me , count me in ! Don't know about the webbcam though , I don't want people jumping out windows and stuff when they get a load of my rough head lmao . But maybe we can manage that .

Does anyone use skype here . I use it a lot cause its free and I cant type very fast . Plus it's easier to talk to people than type to em ! I much prefer to communicate with speech ! Any alternatives ?

Cool , some fellow embossing enthusiasts ! As much as I don't really like carving that much , I like to frame my patterns with it . Reason i don't like it that much is because I'm not that good at it . This style of stamping looks far out with abstract carving though , which is a bit hard to describe in words . A pictures worth a thousand words eh Alex . I reckon when you see it you will grab a swivel Knife and have sparks flying off it in no time at all . There's nothing I'd like better than to share some embossing skills with you guys but it might take a little time for me to get it to ya . I need to get some embossing leather . But , this site has rekindled the flame and I'll be getting some asap , you'se are stuck with me now and I won't be leaving in a hurry . Absolutely stoked with this site !!!!!!!!!!!!

Cordovan ? Whats that ? I've only ever heard that term used once by one person , in reference to edge lacing , but I'm not sure he knew what he was talking about .

Metho and orange juice , mmmm ! Hey barra are waproo dyes still available here . They always were a stronger richer stain than Raven oil . If I could get em , I'd use em .

Thanks for all of the favourable comments guys . Keeping it staight , um , I never really thought about it , I just do it . I always scribe a base line to work from . with circular patterns I will scribe concentric circles Then divide them into quarters or eighths with straight lines . Once you have these lines you have reference points to keep everything evenly spaced . Like i say I dont think about it too much but if there is a way to post some video here or a range of photos , I'd need to put a fair few on to do it justice . One other thing is to use the stamps at different angles and different depths to get a larger range of impressions and allow for other different stamps that follow . This multiplies the amount of stamp combinations by heaps . If you have a few hundred stamps , look at how many different shapes , points and grooves there are on each one . They all interlock at some point or another , so as you can see the pattern combinations are endless .

Theres only one way to use raven oil . Carefully . Raven oil by itself leaves a bloom , which is similar to an oxide and must be rubbed off .

I reckon if ya wet the leather more you will get a better impression with your stamping , and the carving will be deeper allowing the beveller to sit in the cut better ans not tend to bounce out . This I believe .

No probs . might do a sequence . you can get a coupla thousand stamps on most belts

Ive heard that for its weight kangaroo leather is the strongest leather that can be used for lacing . Is this correct ? Has anyone not living in Australia tried it ? I only use it and nothing else as there is minimal or no stretch , its strong and has very fine hair folicles giving it a very clean smooth look . Its bloody tough !

I add some Raven oil (spirit based dye) to the antique mix in a bowl . depending on how strong the colour is that i want will determine how much dye I put in the mix . Stir well . Paint it on with a brush nice and thick , backwards and forwards , backwards and forwards till you notice its starting to thicken or get sticky. Then mottle , dab the brush staight up and down till there are no streaks , just a nice even coating . The antique is a carrier for the dye and the longer its on the more dye will leach out and into the leather . If the antique has been applied unevenly , the dye will leach out accordingly and look uneven when the antique is rubbed off . As soon as the antique is dry I rubb it off evenly with methylated spirits and a soft cloth . Experiment !

Ok Mr Biblethumper . I think the texture you are after is whats known as a boxed or boarded finish . You have to be aware that the different cuts of leather respond in different ways and various degrees when trying to achieve this effect by hand . The butt leather is always the prime cut then the back , shoulders , neck , belly (yuk ) . This effect done by hand is achieved by whats known as 'breaking' the leather , sometimes also called worming (although Ive only heard it called that a coupla times ). This is done , as someone said earlier by rolling the leather back on itself in different directions (usually at 90 degrees)thereby breaking (loosening) the structure of the leather , as when you buy it , it is in a compressed state . Belly leather breaks very easily , stretches and get big gaps betweenthe texture lines . wheras butt leather which is tougher and more compact will give you finer close texture lines and sometimes with butt its hard to get them at all . sometimes you will get lines one way but hardly at all the other . I found the best way for me is not roll too much , if at all on carved or embossed areas . You can also wait until you have alteady antiqued it and before you rubb off the antique you roll it . Try just rolling around the outside edges and when rubbing off the antique dont take as much off . Experiment ! Lines of tightness should be observed when working with thinner softer cuts . Apologies if some of the terms I use are unfamiliar , Australian terms and spelling are sometimes different in other countries . Hope some of this has helped .

I drill ss every other day . Its no big deal if you go with Trevors instructions , he was bang on with what he advised . Dont worry about coolant unless its thick gauge steel . Should only take half a sec to drill through 1.5mm ss .

A stamping forum , unbelievable ! Without a doubt the v407 veiner is what i use as the base for most of my patterns . To fill 2 of these stamped opposite each other is always a challenge .One of my favourites has 4 x f910 , 2 x f941 , 2 x h907 , 2 x z780, 2 x h908 , and 2 x 631( small seeder ) . That's 14 stamps inside the 2 v407's . Run this pattern down the centre line of your belt for a nice base line to work out from .

G'day , geez I'm glad I found you guys , this site is like a breath of fresh air . Started making leathergoods at the age of 18 I'm now 53 . My favoured area is embossing (stamping) . I have a background in Fitting and machining , trade qualified and also spent 2yrs at east Sydney Tech doing a bootmakers trade course just for the purpose of learning more about leather materials , tanning methods , construction methods and techniques , design and pattern making , and different finishing techniques . For preparing my work , cutting out etc I mainly use bootmakers knives and other tools . Having spent so long making things from leather without any peers to bounce ideas off , my patterns have evolved to a style that I like to think is a little bit different , although I could be wrong on that one .Any way , I'm looking forward to seeing some of the unreal stuff out there , Sharing some ideas and learning some more traditional styles of work . I'll see if i can upload a sample of a wall plaque I did about 20 yrs ago which has some fairly intricate stamping in it . Hope it comes out clear enough for you to see the detail . Over and out , Dave .

Just did the first bit of work on leather for a few years . Its a bit rough but I was reasonably happy with the pattern . Nice carving on that sheath of yoursand a nice rich stain as well . Mine isnt finished yet . What do you think ?