Can I Carve/stamp Raw,thick,heavy Duty Leather

[randyandbella]

Hi, I'm Randy and new in this forum and have a few questions. I recently purchased a pair of leather saddle bags that are heavy duty, really stiff, that still have that raw leather texture to them and I want to do some design carving/beveling and stamping. I tested a small piece on an inner flap by dampening it and making a small cut before making a bevel. This leather is so heavy duty that the cut didn't open up the leather at all, making it hard to even see where I made the cut. I wanted to do some tooling before dying and applying leather softener/protector but should I do some softening to it before I even tool it or is it OK to go ahead and tool it as is? I'm not sure what kind of leather it is. I bought it from a Tack store and the only description was that it's "american made heavy duty leather." Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[DoubleC]

Randy it would depend on whether it's veg tanned or not. If you could post a picture it would help. And if you made the cut inside, assuming that would be the flesh side, I don't think it would take tooling. You would have to just dive in on the outside or grain side with something inside as a support. However, if the leather's been finished well it would have to be deglazed, and the finishes removed to do even that because you need the leather wet to tool, well damp and if it has a good finish on it, it shouldn't get damp.

If it were me and not knowing anything about the leather, I'd reverse engineer them and use them as a pattern on what you know is veg tanned leather. Maybe someone else can be more help. Cheryl

[Sylvia]

Hi Randy:

First lets get our vocabulary together.

Raw hide... is just that. It's a hide that has been cleaned but not yet tanned. (think of the texture of those raw hide dog treats)

Leather.... is a hide that has been tanned by what ever method.

Veg tanned....leather made with tannins from vegetable sources like oak bark.

Chrome Tanned.... leather made using chemicals like Chromium.

Raw hide can be burned but doesn't take to tooling.

Veg Tanned is able to take tooling and is known for it's crisp and lasting tooling marks.

Chrome Tanned.... Can be tooled or embossed BUT the images are not crisp and tend to fade with time.

You said your piece has "That raw leather texture...." Do you mean that it looks and feels like unfinished veg tanned leather?

[randyandbella]

Here are a couple of pics. I contacted the person that I purchased it from and I'm just waiting for a response about what type of leather it is or if any process was done to it. The texture feels like a raw hide for dogs but obviously bendable

[dirtclod]

They are leather but their splits ! I would take them back and try to get my money back.

[Sylvia]

I agree with dirtclod, it's made from splits. If you cant' take it back at least you have a pattern... when you take it apart, like CC said.