Tracing/transferring Design Help

[gtrscarz]

I'm new to leather and have a question when it comes to tracing a design onto your piece. I'm working on a pretty detailed floral piece and was wondering if there were any tips to transfer the design better. What I'm doing now is basically taking a printed design, tracing it with tracing paper, then tracing over that again, leaving an impression on the leather for me to make my cuts. My issue is on a bigger piece the tracing paper shifts around or I keep poking holes through with my pencil. Just not as neat as I'd like it to be.

Any suggestions?

thanks

mike

[camano ridge]

I use small pieces of blue painters tape to hold my tracing media in place. You could also could use push pins if the can be put in areas that will be trimmed off or out of site. When I trace over my drawing i use a small ball stylus it does les damage to the tracing media. The problem with using paper as you tracing media is that your leather should be slightly damp (cased0 to get a good clear trace line on the leather. Dampnes and paer don't mix. I prefer to use tracing film. alittle more expensive, however you have a pattern that can be used several times.Also if your leather is properly pepared for tracing you do not have to apply a lot of pressure to get a good traced line on the leather.

[silverwingit]

A few suggestions -

- Try scanning the original pattern. Then you can print it as is directly onto tracing paper or if you are handy with photo processing you can remove all but the cut lines and then print that out. Once scanned and processed, the pattern can be printed out any number of times. Just remember to leave the ink side up as the computer ink will transfer to your cased leather (I assume you are casing correctly).

- You should fix the tracing paper to the cased leather. Try blue painter's masking tape or tack the pattern down at points that will later be covered by stitching. Any tape will likely leave marks on cased leather so either wrap the pattern around and tape it to the flesh side or tape it in areas that will later be discarded or invisible when the project is complete.

- A pencil can be pretty hard on tracing paper, especially when it is moist. Try either a ball or roller ball ben or a leather tracing stylus (I like Barry King's).

Good luck,

Michelle

Edited September 23, 2013 by silverwingit

[gtrscarz]

Thank you for the tips. I'll look into tracing film and the stylus.

[Cyberthrasher]

Thank you for the tips. I'll look into tracing film and the stylus.

Another option instead of the tracing film - tracing paper with a backing on it. I use the cheapest tracing paper I can find at WalMart and just back it with packing tape. I don't tear through with my stylus and it holds up to water. I also find that it stays put a little better.

For a stylus, I can't recommend BearMan's enough. We all know him for his maul's, but he's making some KILLER stylus' now as well!!! The problem with the ball-point stylus is that you just can't get the level of detail required for some work. Ed's stylus, on the other hand, comes to a fine point which he's then rounded off like a dulled pencil. They're pretty inexpensive, as well as beautiful like everything he does.

[electrathon]

Photo copy your image. Tape a piece of seran wrap over your leather. Tape your paper over the leather. Use a red ball point pen to trace your image (the red will show where you have traced and where you have missed).

If you trace your image onto tracing paper and then trace again onto the leather you are going to have a lot of errors and lines that are off just a bit, unless you are the best tracer in the world.

Or, take your image to the laser guy and have him laser the lines onto the leather, perfect transfer.

Aaron

[Cyberthrasher]

If you trace your image onto tracing paper and then trace again onto the leather you are going to have a lot of errors and lines that are off just a bit, unless you are the best tracer in the world.

Or you'll be more familiar with your design. The transfer is a guide that should constantly be corrected and adjusted as we work.

[bison]

I cover my patterns front and back with clear contact film...shelf liner I think is how it's sold in Walmart. It's cheap, keeps the back from getting wet and the front from getting torn up. If you're careful it should last a long time. And the stylus is the best way to go.

Dave

[BadW0lf]

Is there a link for the stylus everyone is recommending?

[TXAG]

Is there a link for the stylus everyone is recommending?

http://www.tandyleat...us-8039-06.aspx

But I would buy it from somewhere other than Tandy...or SLC...

Edited October 9, 2013 by TXAG

[FlHobbyist]

Is there a link for the stylus everyone is recommending?

I have Barry King's and I'm pretty happy with it. Several here have also recommended Bearman's, though I don't have a link for him right now.

Barry King: http://www.barrykingtools.com/handtools.htm

[BadW0lf]

I have Barry King's and I'm pretty happy with it. Several here have also recommended Bearman's, though I don't have a link for him right now.

Barry King: http://www.barryking...m/handtools.htm

Thank you! Is it the Stylus Awl???

[TXAG]

Yes.

[FlHobbyist]

Thank you! Is it the Stylus Awl???

Yes

[electrathon]

Keep in mind a ball point pen rolls smoother than a stylus, and it leaves a line on the paper so you can see where you have already traced. You can use a red pen so that it really stands out and seran wrap between the paper and wet leather keeps your paper dry. You will need to replace your pattern every time, but most states have photocoppiers nowdays, so that is no big deal either.

[OdinUK]

I usually scan the design and print it on a laser printer on OHP film. You can press pretty hard if necessary and use the film several time before it breaks through. Since its made from acetate or similar, its fine on cased leather. I use it for pretty much all my work.

[Cyberthrasher]

I use a stylus I got from Ed "BearMan". It's awesome and doesn't tear paper at all because it's turned down to a fine point and then rounded at the tip, allowing smooth action and good detail. Using a pen, you risk getting ink on your leather. A good stylus is critical because if you can't transfer a fine detail, then you'll have a hard time tooling it. Those ball point stylus are not very helpful for detailed lines. Oh yeah, and this one is super comfortable - as is everything he makes. Really easy to hold it and work things for a long time, especially if you have any arthritis-like issues

[BadW0lf]

Do you have a link for bearman's stylus???

[TXAG]

There's a link to the page it's on on his website in post #11 of this thread.

[LNLeather]

There's a link to the page it's on on his website in post #11 of this thread.

That's the website for Barry King - not the Bearman...

Here is the link to BEARMAULS and you can contact him from there

Hope this helps

[TXAG]

Ok, well I've had enough of this now. I'm out. Bye.

[LNLeather]

Ok, well I've had enough of this now. I'm out. Bye.

Sorry - there are a couple of Bear's around here and I was just trying to help.

You seem to misunderstand and react negatively a lot and that caused me to go and find this, and again

I do hope it helps.

You’ve probably heard sayings like:

“It’s not what happens that matters but how you react (to what happens) that matters”

....... the above sayings refer to how we deal with, manage and react to what happens in our world.

here is the rest of the article

[TXAG]

Yeah, I don't really care what a website says about how I should react to something online, so you'll forgive me if I don't rush right over there for advice.

Just came back to unfollow and stop notifications.

Bye.

[Cyberthrasher]

Wow, that went south for no reason. Ed The Bear man makes lots of cool stuff. You can contact him or his son through the leatherburnishers.com website and he's got examples of a lot of stuff on his Facebook page. You can also look him up right here on the forum.

[AndyH]

Great ideas, all! Thanks for the tips