Filigree Tooling Leather

[impulse]

LHi Weezy. Ebay often has listed 20 different shaped filigree punches from China for around $30 per set. (Listed under "leathercraft" - sellers name is shanghaimagicbox4) I use scalpels for most of my cutting and shaping as they are about the sharpest tool available. They are cheap and come in straight, curved or hook shapes and can be stropped many times over before discarding. My head knife hardly gets used now. Regarding leather for inlay - I often use kangaroo as this comes in a wide variety of colors and, while thin is very strong. You can use textured leather ( eg snake skin, emu, crocodile) or even hair on hides (eg rabbit, calf, deer skin). It is preferable to use a thinner leather to filigree so that the inlay really stands out. ............Cheers, Lois