Embossing Backing

[jmuir]

I'm embossing 2" numbers on 2.5 oz upholstery leather. The raised number looks great at first but slowly collapses. For support I tried all sorts of things including embroidery backing and even a mailing label. Nothing holds up very long. The platemaker suggested some sort silicone from the hardware store (I guess that is what they use on embossed leather jackets??) and I've seen something used that looks like some sort of thick paper/filament tape.

Any ideas?

John

[Dwight]

Paint em, . . . 2.5 oz is just too thin for that big a letter / number.

Emboss em first to get the outline, . . . then either paint just the outline, . . . or the whole interior.

At least, . . . that is what I would do.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Cyberthrasher]

To back it, the traditional method would be ground up leather dust mixed with rubber cement or some other glue to form a paste and then pack it in there like Bondo on a car.

Here's a write up from Kings-X showing the process.

http://kingsxcustomleatherworks.blogspot.com/2012/10/embossing-rings.html

[jmuir]

Thanks Dwight and Cyberthrasher. This backing material that I've seen that works to give the numbers support is sort of like a thin cardboard egg carton material with some sort of fiber/texture to it. Not sure if it's a heat press material or what.

Part of the problem is the typestyle I chose. It has some thin spots in the design. The wider parts of the design hold up ok with two layers of the embossing backing I'm experimenting with, the thin spots don't hold their shape. I might need a bolder/more round type style plus have the platemaker make the plate deeper.

Cyber...as a guitar picker, I love your guitar strap designs.

John