Basket stamping curves

[bruce johnson]

I do a lot of this type border around inlays or to break up a large area of basket stamoping on round things like rope bags and rope cans. I put in the border I use on a lot of these too. I scribe my borders inside and out, and then stamp in the rope stamp impressions. I normally start on the outside for wider borders or tighter arcs. I think these cans have a 15" circle or so. I used that pattern to make this arc.

I line up the first row of impressions with the legs just barely overlapping, They will overlap more as we work in. If you start on the inside of the arc, Murphy's law says your impressions will be too wide and not meet when you get to the outer row. Murphy stamped leather too. I go all the way around the circle. Then I go back and fill in the next row. It is key to keep the centers lined up between the previous impressions. This will make the look of the centers radiating out from a common center. I stmap row by row all the way around until I get to the inside row. I finish off my rope stamps with a modified curved beveler to make the rope stand up a little and hide the inside row not coming out quite even in spots. To me it is more obvious if the impressions are not even on the outside than the inside, another reason I start outside and work in.

Sometimes your legs will not overlap evenly and look a little jagged. A light tap with a flat bladed screwdriver will clean that impression right up. I did it around the outside row, just for illustration purposes so you can compare it to the more inside overlaps.

[Oscar B]

Thanks Bruce as I always have problems with this.

[rdb]

Wow, thanx for that lesson. I haven't had the need to do this arc style, but now that I have seen it, I'll have to come up with something to put it on.

I'm actually more impressed with the ropework...lol. I can't keep that simple stamp going straight for too long. I'll have to practice it more.

Thanks for all you do.

[craftsman827]

Bruce,

Great Job. What tool did you use for the rope?

Edited April 6, 2008 by craftsman827

[bruce johnson]

Thanks, that particular rope stamp is the R957. All it says, I probably got it from HideCrafters. I ended up and bought a handful of them from HideCrafters at one of the shows. They tend to bend on the tips when you tip very many partial impressions. They resemble a driftboat and you bend them back down, they bend again, eventually they break. I am down to a couple, and use them often enough, I ought to just get a good one and be done with it. (something else already on the list for Sheridan). I take a Craftool B803 beveler and a cylindrical stone on my Dremel. I grind off the face until it has the concave shape to match the curved part of the rope. One hit beveling/matting instead of several walking a narrow one around each rope impression. I normally use this for borders with the rope. If I want steeper beveling around the rope, I use a modified crowner. I took one of Barry Kings checkered crowners and ground off the corners. One hit beveling and steeper than the Craftool. Just a different look. Works well for when I have a rope going through a pattern rather than being a border.

[TomSwede]

Great and easy interpreted tutorial Bruce and I'm sure this will help alot of people when gettin to it. This sure is a job that will be affected by the Murphy s law. Not seeing use for it myself right now but if I had not read this I surely would have forgotten that rope stamp that I'm considering using for an upcoming job so thank you alot for that 'cuz I'm placing orders from my supplier today.

Tom

[Timbo]

Thanks for this Bruce. For some reason I've never thought of going around a curve with a basket stamp. Can't wait to try it!!!

Tim

[AmmoHouse]

Great tutorials!!!

I'm just starting this whole leather work thing and this is helping ALOT!

I'm going to be up all night reading!

Thanks!

[rickeyfro]

Bruce, Have you tried this same method on somthing that curves one way and then back, say like on a roping breast collar.

[bruce johnson]

Yes, I did some tripper style breast collars like this a few years ago. Once you get the one direction curve figured out, it is not that hard to do the transition from one curve to the other. Keep the spacing in the center the same and compress and expand above and below that. They look a little funky though. I don't like the look. I usually either do a regular pattern on them. On the regular roping BCs the curves look pretty OK, but they are only curving in one direction with my patterns.