Carving

[Pappys Leather]

Sometimes when I am doing the cuts for a carving pattern, they don't seem to be deep enough to get nice even indentations when using the bvevelers or other pattern tools. What am I doing wrong? I strop my blade before start. I don't do a lot of carving for that reason. I do stamping more.

[tsunkasapa]

Perhaps the angle of your blade is too obtuse, meaning too 'fat'? A more acute angle may change that.

[Wild Bill46]

I find that sometimes my cut lines are too shallow, as, I'm interpreting you to say too. I try not to stop anymore than necessary

and keep the blade going same depth , at the ends I kind of lessen the cut pressure to taper my cut upward to a stop but even that takes lots of practice and I'm not too well versed at it either But, I keep trying !. Maybe that might help ?

[FrenchMich]

I think it's more a problem of humidification of your leather or even of the nature of your leather. It's possible to carve  a design on leather without using swivel knife before and having a very good volume.therefore the quality of the blade or the sharpness cannot be the only factor.

Personally, I don't like blade of swivel knife too much sharpened I want it's very polished like a mirror but no sharp (it's a long debate and everyone has their own technique). With that, I obtain a correct result with good contrasts.

Like that

It's Hermann Oak 7/8 Oz natural stra

Other question, what you use as tools? bevelers? 

Do you have pictures of your job to help you more?

Mich'

Edited October 8, 2022 by FrenchMich

[Pappys Leather]

Here is one. It came out looking to flat because the cuts were too shallow

[Gezzer]

Did you wet mold this ?  The reason I ask is that just recently I tooled a knife sheath and then wet formed too ........ lost a lot of definition   .  I have since been advised to do one or the other and  it worked much better .

[Outfitr]

A good steep beveler will help also.

[Pappys Leather]

On 10/9/2022 at 8:09 PM, Gezzer said:

Did you wet mold this ?  The reason I ask is that just recently I tooled a knife sheath and then wet formed too ........ lost a lot of definition   .  I have since been advised to do one or the other and  it worked much better .

Yes I did wet form

[Pappys Leather]

16 hours ago, Outfitr said:

A good steep beveler will help also.

What is a steep beveler?

[doubleh]

On 10/7/2022 at 7:06 PM, FrenchMich said:

I think it's more a problem of humidification of your leather or even of the nature of your leather. It's possible to carve  a design on leather without using swivel knife before and having a very good volume.therefore the quality of the blade or the sharpness cannot be the only factor.

Personally, I don't like blade of swivel knife too much sharpened I want it's very polished like a mirror but no sharp (it's a long debate and everyone has their own technique). With that, I obtain a correct result with good contrasts.

Like that

It's Hermann Oak 7/8 Oz natural stra

Other question, what you use as tools? bevelers? 

Do you have pictures of your job to help you more?

Mich'

That is a great piece of work. I find that the dampness of leather has a great deal to do with your cuts and do my cuts while the leather still shows some moisture. I also like a sharp blade but a sharp swivel knife is an entirely different thing than a a regular cutting knife. I strop a lot and sometimes stop and resharpen my blade when stropping isn't quite getting my blade like I like it. I use one of the angle qadgets and a fine diamond hone to sharpen. switch to ceramic for a few strokes, and then to the strop until the blade edge  looks like a mirror. Don't forget to keep your finger pressure the same and the knife at a 90 degree angle to the leather..

Edited October 11, 2022 by doubleh