Uniform Stamping With Geometrics

[Bob Blea]

Hello,

I have been searching the forum for answers to this question with no luck. I enjoy basket and geometric stamping, and while I don't have any problems with basket stamping, I am still working to get really good results from geometrics, particularly box or block stamps. I really like these, though they are time consuming to use. This pattern was created using two square stamps that are ¼ inch to a side.

I can run these over small areas but on larger areas, invariably I have trouble with alignment and I end up with the stamps spreading apart a bit. The notebook in the picture measures roughly 9x6 inches and has that pattern across the whole back. I did pretty well until I reached the far corner, where the slight spread by the stamps causes the whole pattern to shift outside of it's border. You can sort of see it in the picture below, but it's more noticeable in person. The whole pattern "stretched" a little bit and that corner didn't come out square.

I've been trying to come up with ways to combat this, but I wonder if anyone out there has tips on using these sorts of stamps. I have seen some really nice saddles with patterns similar to this though the stamps are much bigger than the ones I use. I know it would be easier with a bigger stamp. These don't have a leg that rests in the previous stamp like a basket weave or a tri-weave would. Is there something I am overlooking that would help make the alignment of these stamps hold square across the whole panel? I think I must be overlooking something obvious, but any help that the experts here could provide would be appreciated. I really enjoy running these stamps but I dont' feel confident enough with them to put them on a customer's project quite yet.

Thanks in advance,

Bob

[dirtclod]

I never have tried this just now though of it. Draw a light line from corner to corner making a X fill in one part of the X say the top part then fill one in straight down ( the bottom) from the first one.

I might try it tonight when it cools off some it was 109 when i went to town round 4:00 this afternoon.

[sheathmaker]

I never have tried this just now though of it. Draw a light line from corner to corner making a X fill in one part of the X say the top part then fill one in straight down ( the bottom) from the first one.

I might try it tonight when it cools off some it was 109 when i went to town round 4:00 this afternoon.

That might work okay IF the X line forms perfect right angles, but if it doesn't you will be off with each progressive impression a little more. I have had good luck with just a very light, (VERY LIGHT), VERY LIGHT, vertical line and then line up two of the legs exactly on that line, The next impression will give you three reference points, two on the line as before and the top legs of the previous impression and the bottom legs of this impression and so on. Once you get that full length base line in perfect then keep on doing the same thing very precisely until you have filled the area. Tilt your stamp near the border to 1/2 impression if necessary and the use a border tool of your choice.

[mlapaglia]

When I started I would draw several light lines spaced the size I needed for the basket tool I was using. It kept me on track and the lines went away under the tool.

What ever it takes to keep it straight. For geometric tools like you used, I have used Tandy's Craft Aid #76600-00. when pressed lightly it leaves a grid on the leather that works great for the 4 point tools or the round and half round tools. I even used it on a basket weave once. If the area you want to do is larger than the grid you just move it over line it up and press it again. Just go lightly.

Michael

Edited June 30, 2012 by mlapaglia

[Tree Reaper]

You could consider measuring from your last line to the border on each row then you'll know if you need to gradually start increasing or decreasing the spacing long before you get there.

[Bob Blea]

Hi all,

Thanks for the good ideas. Dirtclod, I like your idea. Breaking it up into four smaller sections could make it much easier to keep things lined up.

Sheathmaker - What you describe it how I do it now, but because these square stamps don't have any overlapping legs, you have to rely on eyeballing it to make them line up. Being human and with aging eyes, I eventually make mistakes. LOL!

Michael - I actually looked at that template last week at Tandy. I need to go by there today and I might need to pick that one up. I have some stamps, like the Crazy Legs or Windmill (which ever you call it) that wouldn't hide that grid, but for these box stamps it would probably work.

Tree Reaper - If I understand you, it's the same thing I do when running a border stamp. I had thought about this idea and I need to try it too. My concern is that with this kind of stamp, when the spacing varies a little bit it SHOWS. It's probably hard to see in the photos, but the stamp makes a little football shape between each one because of a curved border it has. When done correctly it four stamps make a circle in the pattern, but if your off much the circle is distorted. I really like these stamps (I have several) but they are kind of unforgiving...

These are all great ideas, and I need to try some of them on scrap and see how it works out. One question that comes to mind: What do you think of using a border stamp with this kind of pattern? It would give you some leeway to drift a bit because the border would cover the uneven edge, but I'm not sure border stamp would look that good with a grid like pattern like this. Just a thought,

Thanks again for all your help!

Bob

[Tree Reaper]

I don't think the border stamp will hide it, it will just show up crooked along the border stamp.

Why is the leather moving in the first place, do you have it glued down?

Edited July 1, 2012 by Tree Reaper

[mlapaglia]

Hi all,

Michael - I actually looked at that template last week at Tandy. I need to go by there today and I might need to pick that one up. I have some stamps, like the Crazy Legs or Windmill (which ever you call it) that wouldn't hide that grid, but for these box stamps it would probably work.

Thanks again for all your help!

Bob

I have used it with Crazy legs. With ones that are more open than closed I just press at the cross point of the lines. This way there is less line to cover. Give it a try there are many ways to make it work.

Michael

[Bob Blea]

I don't think the border stamp will hide it, it will just show up crooked along the border stamp.

Why is the leather moving in the first place, do you have it glued down?

Hi Tree Reaper,

I'm with you on the border stamp. And it isn't that the leather is moving. I tape across the back and don't usually have problems with stretch. I'm pretty sure the problem is lining them up. I can be just a hair off on one row, then the next row is just a hair off again in some place, and pretty soon after a few rows you end up with the end of the row out of alignment by a small (but visible) amount. That's what happened in the second photo. For this kind of stamp you have to depend on alignment by eye, and sometimes I'm a little off. Just looking for a more fool proof method.

Bob

[Tree Reaper]

Maybe a fence would work, use it on each row.

Another thing, the leather might not be square, measure corner to corner across the leather and also check corner to corner on your border.

Edited July 1, 2012 by Tree Reaper

[Bob Blea]

Maybe a fence would work, use it on each row.

Another thing, the leather might not be square, measure corner to corner across the leather and also check corner to corner on your border.

I like the idea of a fence or guide for each row. I have a clear plastic ruler I could put along side under my shot bag to help keep the spacing orderly. I also bought the craftaid grid this weekend, but haven't had a chance to try it yet. I'll give these methods a try and report back.

Thanks all for the help!

Bob

[Bob Blea]

So, I've been busy with other projects and am only getting back to trying some of these suggestions. Today I tried the Tandy Geometric Stamping tool craft aid. The 1/2" grid was closest to the size of my larger stamp which is 3/8" square. Unfortunately it isn't quite big enough to work with this stamp:

It was off just a little bit, so I can't make the stamp line up when filling up the whole pattern. If you are only stamping the intersections, like the middle of the picture shows, it will probably work. But the effect I'm working towards is what is shown on the left.

I then tried using the 3/8" grid and stamping inside the grid. It worked pretty well and was a good reference gird, but if you make impression with the craft aid too deep the lines of the grid will show up between the stamps. However, I could stamp this quicker than just doing it by eye:

As the bottom of the picture shows, the 3/8" grid is too close for stamping right on the intersections.

I'll try some of the other suggestions and post anything that looks promising,

Bob

[Tree Reaper]

Hey Bob, did you measure it to see if was square to begin with?

[shtoink]

I have been thinking about this one for a while and the idea of a fence is good, but leaves part of your work obstructed and it might accidentally get bumped out of alignment. What I came up with was using a string...

Let me elaborate on that. If you have a piece of plywood under your granite slab, a pair of nails with a string teid between them would give you your straight line. Maybe a pair of parallel strings could give you a track to work down and the slab or your work piece can be repositioned as needed to start a new row. This way you have your guide, it's unobtrusive, adjustable, and it doesn't block any work area.

The real question is, how well will this idea work. I came up with the idea while laying in bed rereading the thread, so if it doesn't work, please don't hold it against me.

[Bob Blea]

Hey Bob, did you measure it to see if was square to begin with?

Do you mean the stamp? If so, yes it is square and the impression is symmetrical.

Bob

[Bob Blea]

I have been thinking about this one for a while and the idea of a fence is good, but leaves part of your work obstructed and it might accidentally get bumped out of alignment. What I came up with was using a string...

Let me elaborate on that. If you have a piece of plywood under your granite slab, a pair of nails with a string teid between them would give you your straight line. Maybe a pair of parallel strings could give you a track to work down and the slab or your work piece can be repositioned as needed to start a new row. This way you have your guide, it's unobtrusive, adjustable, and it doesn't block any work area.

The real question is, how well will this idea work. I came up with the idea while laying in bed rereading the thread, so if it doesn't work, please don't hold it against me.

Actually maybe you don't have a bad idea. It made me think of some sort of jig that would help you align each row. It made me think of those cutting guides they sell at fabric stores. You've got my inner McGuyver thinking....

Bob

[Tree Reaper]

Do you mean the stamp? If so, yes it is square and the impression is symmetrical.

Bob

No, I mean your leather project.

The tool is square, the sides of the leather may be the same length but if they aren't square then there's no way a square tool can end up square on the last line of a piece of leather that isn't square.

Measure corner to corner on your project, both measurements should be equal.

In this diagram you would measure corner to corner on the blue line and corner to corner on the red line.

Both lines must be exactly equal length with each other, if they aren't then your pattern will never be square on the leather.

Your geo pattern I suspect is square but the leather isn't square with the geo pattern and that's most likely your problem.

Edited July 9, 2012 by Tree Reaper

[Bob Blea]

Hi Tree Reaper,

Now I understand and what you say makes perfect sense. Yes, I do make sure that I have defined a squared up boundry for the stamping. You probably can't see it in the picture but there is a fine running across the top of those stamps on the right side of the design that is the border. As the stamping moved to the left, the minor little errors when stamping each stamp caused a slight spread that began compounding itself with each succesive row, and the stamps started ending creeping outside the border on each row. That creeping on each row is what I'm trying to eliminate.

Bob

[mlapaglia]

No he meant the leather. Is the area you want to stamp square to itself?

[Bob Blea]

No he meant the leather. Is the area you want to stamp square to itself?

Yes, I am defining a rectangular area in the leather that is square, and the leather is backed by packing tape so it doesn't stretch. I'm only using the stamp in that rectangular area, which is the back cover of a notebook. I don't use the edges of the leather as a guide at all. I define the space I want to fill with the stamp (either basket weave or geometric) on the piece of leather and make sure my area to be stamped is square.

Bob

[Bob Blea]

So tonight I was looking at pictures of a Jeremiah Watt saddle that uses almost this same stamp to cover most of the seat leather and the swell cover. He used a border stamp to cover the edges, and it didn't look bad at all. It's making me reconsider using a border stamp to cover the little imperfections and misalignments that I'm getting near the edges. I'm thinking that maybe the right border stamp is the right solution to this problem.

Bob