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hello everyone; I am breaking my head on : HOW TO CARVE INTO WHITE LEATHER? I want to make a handbag which is black and white. The bag shall be white. I can either use soft white leather which has a good finish already on it no not get dirty and then sew carved parts on it. or there is a option of white vegetable leather, where i could carve in it. But it will get for sure very easy dirty with not enough protection. Your advice?? thank you, lg Teresa

Is there any way to do a butt stitch on a machine, or any specialized machine that does a butt stitch?

Hi folks I have posted a bit in the critique section so please excuse the cross over. I am looking for pointers and/or tutorials in effectively using modelling tools. Especially in creating realistic cylinders, on knotwork (to make it look like beading or piping) or pillars, snakes, poles etc in pictorial carving. Do I double bevel the thing first? (a recent thought I have not yet tried). it seems like it should be such a simple thing but its doing my head in!! and I can't get it right!! I want to make this knotwork look like rounded braid next time (or maybe the time after that, or the time after that :)), and the pillars in the dragon pic look rounder. Please help thanks Pip

Hey All, I'm in the process of developing durable, hand stitched tool bags for tradesmen. The first iteration I'm working on is a traditional carpenter's bag. By trade, I'm a builder who specializes in structural masonry and timber framing. I began leather working as a way to replace the old Medallion bags that I had used for years and were falling apart. I'm quite happy with where I have landed design-wise, but believe there are a few production processes that need improvement. Generally speaking, I'm looking for any guidance on how to approach stitching through two layers of 8-10oz. leather in an efficient and frustration free manner. I'm a believer that hard work will always be hard work, but it shouldn't be frustrating. Right now, there are a few of aspects that exasperate me, and I'd like to iron them out if I can. Below, I've posted a brief overview of my stitching process and a few pictures that hopefully provide further insight. I plot out all of my stitching lines and use a groove set to hollow out a channel for the stitching to lay flush into. I use a SEIWA 6x4.5mm Stitching Iron to mark and puncture all of my runs of stitching on a cutting pad. I use large 000 harness needles with 1.0mm tiger thread waxed. I use a french styled stitching clam on some aspects of the bag, but the doubled up edges don't seem to provide enough material to clamp down. I've also used a table vise to good effect as well. Also, I sometimes wet and hammer flat the edges before stitching them in place. Currently, I rely on a little scrap leather to help push the needles through. I know I need to buy or made a some sort of glove to keep my fingers free, but should I be having to force my needles through? Hopefully, this provides enough background to my current progress and situation. Let me know what I need to explain further, and most importantly what areas I need to improve upon. Thanks for taking the time to read this and help me out. Here is a link to an imager album that I had already compiled featuring pictures of my work with a further description. Best regards, Patrick P.S. Let me know if I am formatted my post incorrectly, or have posted in the wrong place. I am still learning the rope of this forum. Thanks again

Hey all! I've only been working with leather for just under a year but I've taken to it rather quickly and I'm really loving it, especially leather carving and tooling - likely due to my past experience with woodcarving - but I'm really having a hard time using background tools properly. I can't seem to figure out how to blend the impressions of the background stamps cleanly, or how to keep the color in the the background consistent - some spots are always a bit more bruised and dark than others even though I try to keep the pressure of my strikes uniform. I would really appreciate any tips, advice, pointers and/or links to videos and tutorials. I've watched a lot of youtube vids but can't seem to find anything that really helps me in this department. Thanks so much! I look forward to learning from everyone here. Meg

I need your expertise! What color is this? (ok, I know it is yellow) but where can I get such a bright shade of yellow in dye? I have tried Fiebing, ecoflow, and even the new waterstains from Tandy, but they are all very...darker. My second question is: would I need to block dye with a Brown antique to get this effect? Thanks in advance!!

Hi There, I'm looking to make a couple of leather pencil cases like this one: http://img0.etsystatic.com/000/1/5272125/il_fullxfull.337681960.jpg I was just wondering if someone could point me in the right direction for achieving those ends. I've had a few tries but can't really get the same shape. Does anyone know if the ends have a particulare name? Any help would be great! Regards, Crypha