Leather Burning

[stelhrse]

Good afternoon,

I was in the local Tandy store a few days ago and noticed that they had a leather burning kit for sale. I asked the clerk if I could use my woodburning tool for leather and she said that the one for woodworking gets hotter that the leather one. My question would be whether this true or not? Has anyone used an iron of this type for their leather work and what should one look out for besides burning myself lol? The box said that the leather burning iron got to 600 degrees. Thanks.

[dirtclod]

I would try the one you have on some scrap and see what happens.

[stelhrse]

I would try the one you have on some scrap and see what happens.

Great suggestion. Thanks dirtclod.

[Northmount]

Take a look at a special issue of scrollsaw magazine, http://www.scrollsawer.com/features/pyrography-special-issue.html for lots of examples on wood, leather, paper, etc. and tools available. Very interesting and informative. Well worth the $10 to order. List of 28 woodburners from $10 to $205.

[grumpyold]

If you are talking about a single temp tool I would stay away from it. Use a multi-temp tool for best results.

[raysouth]

Hello Stel,

I am a big fan of pyrography on leather. Been at it for some time and regulated tools are the only way to go. Different effects at various settings, allow you the option of shading anything you do. I also use mine in place of the swivel knife as seems to be easier for me. So many different tools available from great manufacturers. I use pens from Leisure time, Colwood, and others. The controller I use is the Detailmaster, both single pen model and dual pen model. Much different than stamping but if you enjoy art pieces on leather, pyrography offers many interesting variations to try.

Have used on holsters, fobs, cases/boxes, and much more. The unregulated pens are not what I would advise someone to use on leather, to achieve a good result. There are some crafts folk out there that have done some very nice work with non-regulated pens but it takes much practice to learn how to manage the pen without ruining a good piece of leather. I have held small classes fro those interested in burning on wood and have sold them kits from Walnut Hollow, that work well on wood but also, being unregulated, practice is the norm.

Hope this helps.

God Bless.

Ray