Tomkin

Herman Oak. Excellent. I'll have a look. Do you have any of your work I could view as an example? See, I've experimented with moisture content and I was sure I had it down to a t... but obviously not. Any further advice on this? Is there a difference between the veg tan leather we get in the UK and the states oak tanned leather then? Could you expand on this? Information is very sparce on this subject. Thanks again (was just the reply I was looking for). Tom.

Hi guys, Thanks for the help but I know all this. I intentionally whacked the pear shader in as walking was not creating the smooth running effect you speak of (you can clearly see the first example next to the red arrow). As I said, this was a rushed piece to show how the leather just doesn't respond well to carving, or tooling like you would see in some videos on youtube, etc... Same idea with the beveler. It's almost impossible to create an even, blended effect as the leather surface doesn't receive the tooling well enough. Hopefully someone will reply who will know a bit more about where to get tooling leather. Thanks again, Tom.

Hello everyone, I'm a relatively new leather work enthusiast who has made a few projects and has progressed a bit with various skills. What I want to try now is carving/tooling (using swivel knife/beveler/pear shader, etc...).The thing I'm having trouble finding is veg tan cowhide tooling leather. I've tried carving on some high quality veg tan I got from jwoodleathers but the carving just doesn't take... My swivel knives are sharp and my moisture content is good (having researched and practiced a bit on past projects). Does anyone have any suggestions on where to get veg tan leather than can be tooled? To me, it seems the leather I got is either coated (with wax or polymer) or is ironed to create a smoother surface. Obviously I cannot be sure but when I go to carve, the line edges drag so much (my swivel knife is super sharp, stropped and polished...). The curves ruffle up and even spiral up on the tighter ones off the leather itself. Please see the photo. The tooling impressions don't leave a nice burnished effect either, more so a pale and cracked finish... every video I watch on youtube has even 'U' like lines that hold their form and carve through the leather like butter. It's a richer shade of brown and looks maybe like oak tanned leather? Is this tooling leather over the pinker veg tan that is being sold in the UK...? My experience so far has been anything from a pleasure. Even when I take my time, the leather itself just doesn't respond to the cuts or impressions... so I just knocked this carving up as an example (as horrific as it looks, it's purely to demonstrate my points...!). What has thrown me also is that when I bought this leather it what described, and even assured, as "carving/tooling" leather... if anything, it only holds embossing and that's it. So, yeah... any help or suggestions appreciated. Totally at a loss where to go now. Thanks for taking the time to read this, Tom.