Basketweave stamping

[cjbleather]

Hi Hilly,

First of all, each basketweave stamp has an angle to draw that first line that will cause the edges to line up evenly. If anyone knows about this, please jump in and explain it better than me. However you set the diagonal at the angle that will cause the tails to line-up with the border. This obviously only works for straight borders, but even if you only have one straight border, line it up. You need to practice till you can run a straight line on the guideline and then another straight line off of that. Spacing is important and you have to figure that out during practice. The smaller the stamp, the more critical placement, so start big. The most accomplished stamper can show you every error they made, but they will be hard to find. You will likewise see every error you made although others may not. Don't work with the tri-lobe till you have gotten used to the rectangular stamps.

Art

Art, I am not sure that you got your answer about establiching the correct angle for each BW stamp. The way that I go about doing it is to create a pyramid with a base sufficient long enoug to gat a true straight line. When the pyramid is completed, I draw a line along one edge connecting the loose edge of the BW stamp. Then I measure the anle and use it for the base line of the item I am using the BW on. Some people have cut this out and use it for reference. Others, like me, just measure the angle, write it on the pyramid scrap and stowe it for future use. make sure that you identify which stamp it is for. each BW stamp has a slightly different angle. I have several same Craftool BW stamps that create a different angle. Carlb

[kseidel]

No one has addressed your "squishy" question. It sounds like your leather is too wet. Basket stamping requires the leather to be mostly dry. Most people stamp too wet. You can cut your borders in wetter, but you must let the leather dry out a great deal to get a good crisp impression. Stamping slowly complicates this problem because you may have to re-wet your leather before you finish stamping. I like to use a pump sprayer and with high presure I can spray a fine mist to just keep the surface at the right temper. Don't re-wet too soon! Try stamping until the tool bounces on the surface, then it is too dry. You may be surprised how dry the leather will be and still take a good impression.

Keith

[Hilly]

No one has addressed your "squishy" question. It sounds like your leather is too wet. Basket stamping requires the leather to be mostly dry. Most people stamp too wet. You can cut your borders in wetter, but you must let the leather dry out a great deal to get a good crisp impression. Stamping slowly complicates this problem because you may have to re-wet your leather before you finish stamping. I like to use a pump sprayer and with high presure I can spray a fine mist to just keep the surface at the right temper. Don't re-wet too soon! Try stamping until the tool bounces on the surface, then it is too dry. You may be surprised how dry the leather will be and still take a good impression.

Keith

Thanks Keith. By "squishy", I meant that my lines of BW stamping got too close together, and they looked as if they had been squished together.

[manfrommuc]

@all

I have problems with the tri-weave stamps!

I like this stamps but a clear pattern is for me far away...

thanks for any informations

mfm

[Hilly]

Looks like it puts the photos in any order it wants. I couldn't put all the photos in here (not sure why). Hopefully it explains alignment. Basketweave, when done correctly, is a time consuming way to tool. Let me know if you need more pics. I might try and post them later tonight.

That's a really nice impression. Where did you get that stamp? The ones I have are not quite that crisp looking.

[bruce johnson]

Hilly,

Keith had some good points about moisture being critical to getting the right effect. Too wet and you don't get a burnish, and the weave is flat. Just right casing with good stamps and the weave rounds up and looks real. I have found that an overnight casing maintains my moisture level the best. I am not fighting moisture soaking in and evaporating at the same time. If the moisture is even and deep already, I only have to deal with evaporation.

As far as the pattern getting squishy, I am assuming you mean the centers are getting closer together as you go then? Everyone stamps a little differently. Some people will butt the legs of the stamp up against the center. That makes an OK marker, if you get closer, then the legs will overlap and be obvious. I probably space mine about 3/4 or a skosh more of the length of the leg. That gives me a little sliding room if I need to fudge a line back into alignment. Personally I don't like real long rectangular stamp or patterns with a real long weave. Some guys do, and some makers make their stamps like that. I bought some last fall that I liked the centers, but the overall stamp was just too long. Last night I ground of both ends of these off to shorten the weave and then filed them out deeper on the ends betweenthe legs to re-establish that depth. Makes a whole other look to the patterns now. I like the dimensions of Barry King's baskets as well as anyones.

I agree with David too about getting a rythm going. I usually play Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water with my maul and stamp. That gives me 13 hits, and it is time to set my hand down for a second to rest the shoulder with the heavy maul. It is just muscle memory moving to the next impression, and only time and practice can give you that. I like that idea of softening your eye. Some people are just worn out after a checkbook front and really focusing on it. I concentrate on lining up the centers, I focus there, and just kind of let the legs fall into the previous impression lines and let it go. Wavy center lines (the warp) are more obvious on large areas. Wavy weaves on straps like belts. If I am doing a curved basket pattern, then lining up the centers is critical. On the curved patterns, I try to make the outside row overlap only slightly on the legs. As I work in, then I may end up overlapping the centers on some radiuses. It really breaks up a circular object in my eye to mix the curved basket stamp and a horizontal stamped center. I have attached an example of a rope bag without an arced border, and a can and bag with it.

Also on baskets, I like a heavier single hit rather than a couple strikes per stamp. A few factors here, less effort overall and more speed. That means less rewetting. I also use a heavier maul than normal stamping. Last year I damaged both rotator cuffs at different times. I like straight mauls for general stamping. For geometrics and baskets, I like a tapered maul. It is a lot more of suspending the maul to stamp patterns and less moving the piece around and that millisecond of rest and movement you get doing that. With the tapered mauls my elbow is down close to my side and less fatiguing on that area of my shoulder. I am not one of those guys who can rest their elbow on something and stamp. I like Wayne Jueschkes mauls for this, they seem to be weighted a little heavier toward the end and have a good dead fall effect for me. I use a 2# for the bigger stuff, and a 1-1/2# for medium stamps. Barry's mauls in my hands seem to be more neutral and I prefer them for general stamping or the little baskets.

[custer]

"I concentrate on lining up the centers, I focus there, and just kind of let the legs fall into the previous impression lines and let it go."

Bruce,

I thought this line from the middle of your post could bear repeating in case others who need it missed it. I have never heard it explained that way, lining up the centers instead of the legs. I had to learn by myself several years ago and it was exhausting. And I just assumed that you were supposed to go by the leg impressions to place the next stamp. I'm going to try it this way now.

Just this weekend I talked a customer out of basketstamping and into a Sheridan floral arrangement just because I've come to dread basketstamp so much. And like in Texas, the demand is overly strong in Oklahoma.

Of course, had I started back then with a Barry King stamp instead of a Crafttool, this may have been avoided.....

[bruce johnson]

OK, I REALLY do pound out "Smoke on the Water" (13 hits) when I basket stamp. Been getting a little flack, but yep I grew up in the late 70s. I tried the Hawaii Five-O theme, but it was too fast and only 11 hits if you use the first part of the theme.

Becky,

To line up centers, on some stamps I made a little file mark to correspond with the middle of the center. It gives me a bit of a guide line to line up with. Now I pretty much line up with the center of the shank. As far as stamps, I made a lot of money off a Tandy #500 and a #511. I still use that original #500, it is just a tad smaller than Barry's #1 size, and is like an old friend. They were the last to be replaced, and they aren't the celebrated pre-letter prefix ebay hyped models either. The impression difference is a lot more noticable when you get up to the #511 and #534 size, although I have kept one pretty darn good #534 too. The basket I use the least cost me the most. I could modify it and like it better probably, but someone will want to trade for it who likes those longer baskets.