Laying Out Pattern On Leather?

[katsass]

How do people lay out their pattern on the leather? I just use a ballpoint pen on the back side.

Does anyone do something different?

I moisten my leather, lay it flat, lay the pattern face up on the grain side of the leather and trace around my pattern with a ball point stylus. No ink, no pencil no mark other than a slightly impressed line. Mike

[Deanimator]

I moisten my leather, lay it flat, lay the pattern face up on the grain side of the leather and trace around my pattern with a ball point stylus. No ink, no pencil no mark other than a slightly impressed line. Mike

I saw you refer to that somewhere else. I was wondering if you actually didn't use ink.

Thanks.

[TwinOaks]

I use a stylus as well. I've put a enough misplaced lines on leather that I typically don't do it anymore. If I do, it's on the flesh side IF I know it'll be covered.

[Deanimator]

I moisten my leather, lay it flat, lay the pattern face up on the grain side of the leather and trace around my pattern with a ball point stylus. No ink, no pencil no mark other than a slightly impressed line. Mike

How much of an impression does it leave, and how hard is it to follow with a knife/shears?

I print my patterns on card stock. How hard would it be to follow a card stock thickness pattern with a stylus?

Thanks.

[katsass]

I use a stylus as well. I've put a enough misplaced lines on leather that I typically don't do it anymore. If I do, it's on the flesh side IF I know it'll be covered.

TwinOaks: If you run the stylus itself over the leather, the mark left can be quite faint...........if you transfer the pattern to tracing film or use something like butcher paper (with a glossy side to it) and trace over your lines and thru the film or paper.........the impressed lines are much more pronounced. All I need to see is just enough to make an initial cut........the marks can be very faint......a horizontal light source assists in seeing them. Mike

Edited September 21, 2010 by katsass

[Shorts]

Ball point on the back. And drawn lines shouldn't matter on either side if you're doing your edges properly. Or if you screw up and draw a left hand instead of a right hand

[steelhawk]

Ball point on the back. And drawn lines shouldn't matter on either side if you're doing your edges properly. Or if you screw up and draw a left hand instead of a right hand

What if you draw the top as left-hand, but the back as right-hand and don't notice until you try to put them together?

I've been using ball-point on the back but will try one with pencil and stylus on the front and see if I like it better.

[Shorts]

What if you draw the top as left-hand, but the back as right-hand and don't notice until you try to put them together?

I've been using ball-point on the back but will try one with pencil and stylus on the front and see if I like it better.

I'm talking about drawing lines, the discovering the mistake and flipping the pattern correctly and redrawing. If you drew the pattern on the same piece of leather as the mistaken lines sometimes you see the ink criss-crossing on the inside of the holster. You can get away with it if the color is dark and the lines are lower down in the holster instead of right around the mouth area or on the sweat shield.

[Dwight]

Ball point on the back. And drawn lines shouldn't matter on either side if you're doing your edges properly. Or if you screw up and draw a left hand instead of a right hand

Works for me too, . . . except my lines are on the front. I don't have enough time left in my life to worry about a stray ink pen line here or there.

I'll use that piece of leather with a stray line on something, some day, . . . meanwhile, . . . I don't see a pencil well enough, . . . stylus lines or scratch awl lines are as dangerous as are ink lines, . . . so why go to the effort?

May God bless,

Dwight

[katsass]

I'm talking about drawing lines, the discovering the mistake and flipping the pattern correctly and redrawing. If you drew the pattern on the same piece of leather as the mistaken lines sometimes you see the ink criss-crossing on the inside of the holster. You can get away with it if the color is dark and the lines are lower down in the holster instead of right around the mouth area or on the sweat shield.

FWIW: The only lines that are drawn by me are the outlines of the individual pieces. I don't draw in the stitch lines, fold lines or anything else. All patterns are marked R/H FRONT so as to preclude reversing them when cutting. Works for me. Mike