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