Can I Use Brain-Tanned Leather For Tooling Or Must It Be Veg-Tanned?

[emmalceck]

I'm learning to brain-tan leather and was wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of using brain-tanned leather for tooling. I'm new to leatherworking, but am ultimately interested in transferring illustrations onto leather and carving them like this. Everything that I've read thus far indicates that I should be using veg-tanned leather rather than brain-tanned leather, but I'd like to be able to use the same leather for tooling that I'm using for garment construction. Any advice for a beginner?

[DavidL]

You won't be able to use garment leather to tool with, brain tanned leather I'm not familiar with. If it is stretchy like garment it won't take any tooling.

Go for some cheap tandy vegtan leather as a "sketchpad" for your tooling before you get some nicer hermann oak or wicket craig.

[Luke Hatley]

Wont work....you need to use Veg Tan leather,you need to visit a Leather shop such as Tandy to become familiar with the various leathers.