Basketweave Stamping

[HarryB]

Its going to work this time, I hope. Somewhere along the line I lost a couple of my first photos so there is a lot of info related to this first one. If you get confused let me know and I'll take some additional shots and post them. In the first picture, get a piece of good, firm leather about 3" x 5", draw a base line close to edge leaving enough room to stamp one row between the edge and the line. Stamp a good base line along this line. Then stamp about 6 rows up, creating a slanted line by stamping one less impression on each next row. I'm left handed so most of yours' will be the opposite direction.

Now cut a straight line along your baseline. Lay your straight edge along the edge of the diagonal impressions and cut that line. I then cut the third side of the triangle at 90 degrees to my base line

This is what you should end up with. (Angle on the left side for all you righties). Carefully glue this triangle to a piece of firm plastic. I use a piece of laminate countertop material. Any cabinet shop should be happy to give you some "scraps" that are plenty large enough.

I have inked these lines for visibility. The bottom horizontal line is your outside border. The top horizontal line is where you stop stamping the basket weave pattern. The angle came from laying your new triangle template on your base line.

From here, place the stamp on this angle with the lowest tip just touching your base line (for righties get this starting point as close to the right side as possible so that you are stamping right to left). Keep stamping until you have a completed horizontal base line and an angled base line

CONTINUED ON BASKET WEAVE POST #2

Edited February 7, 2009 by HarryB

[HarryB]

Continue stamping until you have filled your area. Carefully stamp your border (two different ones shown) and don't forget to sign your work! The last photo is a set of templates for all your different stamps. Be sure to number/name each one to correspond to the stamp used to make it.

Edited February 7, 2009 by HarryB

[HarryB]

Next is a belt. Lay out your base lines the same way. You can lay a ruler on the opposite side of your angled line and scribe a VERY LIGHT line down the belt several times. This gives you a reference to keep your angle correct. Stamp the full length of the belt and repeat til you get to the other side, stamp your border and you're ready to go.Looking down your belt at a flat angle, you should see straight lines running the full length of the belt.

This is what happens when you use the wrong angle for something as narrow as a belt.

Edited February 7, 2009 by HarryB

[HarryB]

Just can not get the photos to come out right! Hopefully you can see the difference above between a correctly stamped belt and an incorrect one! Thanks for looking.

Edited February 7, 2009 by HarryB

[HorsehairBraider]

I can see it plain and clear...

What a great idea! Thanks for this. I made my own stamp, so now I'll be able to figure the correct angle!

[MADMAX22]

That is great, this will help me immensly in some coming up projects.

Thanks a bunch

[jbird]

Thanks a bunch that is great stuff

Josh

[rharris]

Thanks for the tutorial. It could not have come at a better time.

RussH

[skipj]

Thanks, great job.

My problem is I can't seem to get the tool to stamp where I want it to. I was practicing and I noticed that when I struck the tool, the impression was clearly below the line I was trying to follow. I'm using a cylinderical shaped maul, perhaps I'm not hitting it square.

SkipJ