Drawing With The Swivel Knife?

[Northmount]

If tooling (stamping) on your lap is difficult due to how low the work surface is, try placing the slab on 2 to 4" of high density foam like for chair cushions on top a table or desk to get some height back.

CTG

[Bob Blea]

Hi all!

I'm really new to leather craft and I appreciate all the help I can get. I've tooled a few practice pieces, but not nearly as many as I'd like. I live in an apartment and my neighbors on either side work 3rd shift and sleep during the day. I can't bring myself to tap away when I know they're home and trying to rest. So, being the thoughtful neighbor I am, I've been experimenting with different, quieter, ways of decorating leather. My primary method had been to use my swivel knife, to "draw" on the leather, using crosshatching for shading. Kind of like pen and ink drawing. This technique suits my subject matter well, because I'm into old timey etchings and stuff like that. It's pretty nontraditional stuff, but I like what I've done so far.

Hi Amadea,

I think what you're doing looks really cool! You should definitely do more of it, and I look forward to seeing the belt. As for weaking the leather, yes the cuts with the knife will weaken the grain side of the leather some. Your final finish might help with this, but I'm not an expert on finishes yet. I would think that something like Neat-Lac applied as a final coat would protect your artwork pretty well.

Keep it up!

Bob