A Simple Question

[will9921]

Hi my name is Will and I am a current student studying 3D Design at University College Falmouth in England.

As part of my third year course I am required to write a dissertation (extended essay/ conversation) on a topic of my own choice that relates to the course.

For this I am looking into the recent emergence of Digital Design Technologies and how they have effected different craft processes.

The question I am asking is as follows:

"Why do you feel that the Leathercraft industry in particular has yet to be some heavily penetrated by Digital technologies such as Laser Cutting and Rapid Prototyping. Why do you feel that people still prefer to use traditional and more time consuming methods rather than these new easy to learn and operate methods that would allow them to rapidly increase their work rate.

For example do you feel that people prefer these methods as they provide a greater sense of ownership over the final creation, or do you find that these technologies have yet to provide a big enough selling point towards the leather industry compared to say the pottery industry whom can now produce pieces by using solely a rapid prototyping machine that can now utilise a myriad of materials.

Or do you feel that there is simply no incentive to using machines in the process of making leathergoods as it only devalues the end object?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

William Smithson

[TwinOaks]

I think that you have failed to adequately research the subject. DDT does play a fairly active role in some areas of 'Leathercraft'. Since you are the one writing the dissertation, I would like for you to investigate the following:

Laser cutting and printing for logos, labels, tool making, and image transfer, and,

The use of CAD programs to design and lay out patterns for carving, and garment / accessory patterns.....especially in the garment/accessory industry.

DDT for making tools and equipment that we use, like sewing machines, knives, and stamps. In this modern age, technology is used quite a bit.

As to why people don't use DDT? Part of it is traditional methods creates what we want, where technology doesn't. There are numerous forays into making easier to use tools, but almost every one of them is very limited in it's actual ability. And the most important reason is that while technology can produce the tools, it can not replicate an Artisan's touch. Nor does typing in commands give the sense of achievement, the sense of pride, of CREATING something. If you've not done it, you simply can not understand it. You may understand the concept, but there's much more than conceptualization at work.

Then there is a cost analysis to consider. Much of the DDT is simply too expensive for the average person to purchase, and requires a good bit of space for storage. If it were feasible, I think every one of us like to would have a laser table, a 5 axis CNC, and a boat load of stock materials. That way we could sit down, type in a few commands, and have the pebbler, or bargrounder we need for a project.

Lastly, some types of working with leather requires something that a machine can never produce....the sense of feel. Sure, you can mention moisture detectors, pressure detectors, thermometers....those can give readings. But they can't 'feel'.

You've got a good bit of research ahead of you, and I STRONGLY recommend that you do NOT perform ONLY academic research. Find a leather worker near you and go spend time with him. You need to feel how leather behaves to understand. Perhaps you could even start working with leather; that way you can look at a process and compare it with the abilities of DDT.

If all you do is ask a bunch of people about anything at all, you have only the opinions of others.

You need experience.

Now, go get your hands dirty.

[Beaverslayer]

I am in total agreement with TwinOaks, unless you have actually sat down and created something from the side of a cow, along with a pig, snake, ostrich and kangaroo all in one piece, you will never understand what it is that we do so passionately.

There are also things in leather crafting, that just cannot be done with a machine. Lacing for example. I have many times thought while lacing together a project for hours on end, that there would be no way to accomplish this, by using a machine, it's just not possible. Even if I did have a machine, and used it, then I could no longer market my products as "Hand Made".

Every leather crafter I know, is filled with a desire to "Create" with their own two hands, it seems to be part of our DNA. I just could not imagine taking a cowhide, placing it in a machine, pushing a bunch of buttons and taking a finished product out the end slot. This is not in any way shape or form being an artisan or hand crafter. This is being a "Manufacturer", and I am not interested in being such.

Do you think the Michelangelo's "David" would be such a great work of art, if he had used a CNC to make it? Or if the Sistine Chapel or Mona Lisa would be great works of art if they were done with a laser plotter? I think not.

As TwinOaks stated, find a leather crafter near you, and explain to him why you want to hang around, watch them very closely, and you will see the passion in their eyes as they work. Then you may understand a bit more.

[David8386]

I agree with the above posts but do think equipment has and will continue to move into the leather industry as the bigger manufacturers continue to try and minimize costs. However most people on this forum are small shops or hobbyist and either do this because they love the feeling of making something by hand or because they have found a niche that they can fill no one else has. As mentioned above you need to go to a small leather shop and see how unfeasable the expense would be to them. I think that if there was a cheaper way to create a finished product some would use it after all there are some on this forum that use sewing machines, computers, copiers, etc... But to be stamped hand crafted it still has to have hands on it. On a question to you, if you had a choice would rather have a hand made belt, wallet, shoes,etc.... As compared to a imitation leather one made in china from Wally World? Why or why not?

Good luck on your dissertation, hope this helps

David

[bluesman1951]

I agree with all the above 100% . I am too old to be dealing with all this tech stuff . How ever I have wished there was a library of shapes for bags and flaps . Something to take a picture to a pattern . Consider this : There are currently more people creating and producing things than there are people buying them . I personally enjoy the act of creating things and the time it takes to do so . To answer your question first I joined the tech age way too late in life . I dont understand most of it . Cost is a big factor and mostly these complicated machine suck the joy out of life . Leather is like fishing got to go a bit slower to enjoy it . Thats my two cents . Bill

[immiketoo]

As a leather worker once told me, its the imperfections that make custom leather work interesting and desirable. Too perfect and it lacks soul. Not that we don't strive for perfection, but mass produced pieces lack originality and therefore desirability.

[Art]

Hi Will,

About the only DDT I use is Adobe Illustrator. Although this produces vector output, the only thing I use it for is accurate scaling. Output goes to my clicker die maker or I use it as a pattern for hand cutting. Custom Leatherwork is just that. We usually pattern cut leather by hand or click out pattern pieces on a 10 ton press. Even an order for 20,000 advertising pieces would basically involve the same steps and spreading it around a number of shops.

As said before, you really need to get to see a shop in operation.

Art

[Tucson Rick]

I don't use any modern technology in my crafting for one simple reason. When I craft leather, I am primarily creating my own one-of-a-kind piece of art. I am NOT trying to create a cheap piece of assembly-line junk. The best example I can give you of what modern technology does to defeat artistic design would be our own American money designs. Once upon a time, our currency and coins were both created using artistic designs created by true artists. Our old coins and currency are still collected as much for their artistry as for their collector driven monetary value. Our modern currency and coins are all computer produced designs meant to foil counterfeiters and aid in rapid reproduction for the billions of issues of each series. All of them are cheap in appearance as well as value. There is absolutely no artistic value of any kind. I for one, will not allow my individual, highly desired pieces of leather crafted items to be cheapened in a similar manner.

[Leather Guru]

I would love to have a laser & a cutting machine with a vibrating knife. after all my , sewing machines now have modern motors with computer controllers . Have you seen the cost of a machine to cut out leather ? Or a laser engraver ? & the time that would needed to learn all those techniques for programming etc; etc ? & all that to cut 2 bags per week . The economics just don't come out right . There is a point where IT won't help a leatherworker . Maybe we can use some digital stuff to make us better hand tools ? ?

[sherlockian100]

I got into leatherwork by way of being into Buschcraft skills. So for me a lot of what I do, is about doing it the way my Great Grandfather would have done it. "Traditional ways of doing things." And I think leatherwork lends to that. Sure there are tools that make doing certain things easier or even just possible, but for the most part, a lot is still done the same way and for me, thats what I like.

[Glendon]

Can't say I disagree with anything that has been said yet. I consider myself a very techie person, but when I'm doing leatherwork, I'm doing it because I want to use my hands. I want to create something. I do use vactor graphics for pattern creation. It just makes more sense to do it that way since I simply don't draw well. And yes, I would love a laser cutter to make parts and engrave some simple desings that are harder to find made into stamps. I have neither the money or space for one however.

When you go too far into mass production techniqes, your end product will look mass produced. Pretty simple concept. You don't need an artists eye to see the changes either. You just lose the magic. I would guess that the large scale leather brands do use laser cutting and 3D prototyping, but that final process has to have human intervention tweaking along the way or the end result just doesn't come out right. And as for all of the smaller one man shops, we do this because we want to make things, not just ideas.