Lots Of Questions About Tooling/forming Leather

[niteshiftfromkc]

Hello everyone,

I am a newbie to the leather crafting and am wanting to make a few items utilizing wet forming techniques, but also want to tool the leather. I have learned quite a bit at lurking around the site for casing the leather and doing the tooling work. I am looking at making a carrier for shot shells and possibly a holster/magazine carrier but I don't really know what can or can't be done.

So I guess my questions are:

1. Can I tool the leather (like make a logo on the front of the shot shell carrier/holster/magazine carrier) and then wet form it around a block/gun/magazine? Most of the wet forming I have seen people doing on line has shown putting the whole leather item in warm water and then forming it around the object it is made to fit. Then I have seen where people just get it wet with a sponge and form it that way. I just don't know how the tooling will do after getting wet again.

2, Should I wet form it and then do the tooling? If this is the way most do it, how do you tool an item that is shaped around an object.

3. Would it be better to wet form the leather and then stitch in another emblem piece that has the tooling on it? I just don't know how I would hand stitch the piece on a smaller object like a magazine carrier or even a knife sheath.

Thanks for the help.

Niteshift

[Dwight]

The basic answer is similar to the speed / power question. Which can you have? Either, . . . but only one, . . . which do you want?

Same goes for wet forming around a shape, . . . and stamping/tooling. You can have one for sure, . . . but the other will suffer at least, . . . and you may not be able to get it at all.

That would be my answer for tooling then bending & forming a shot shell holder. Ain't gonna happen.

The tooling requires an almost dry surface, . . . wet molding requires a far greater wetness, . . . all the fine details will be lost, . . . and mostly all you will have is the outlines and the cuts made by the swivel knife, . . . the rest will be severely damaged if not flat out ruined.

May God bless,

Dwight

[rickybobby]

Niteshift,

Dwight is right on this one, You can usually have one or the other but not both.

With that said, here is a tip that "works only as good as it will work" and sometimes it is better than others....

• Wet form your leather to the item, lets just say it is for a "Leatherman Multi Tool"
• I do the whole wet forming process leaving the "plug" or item in the wet leather, nailed/tacked to a board until it is completely dry.
• Lightly re wet the surface and flatten the piece so it can be marked and tooled.
• Gently take the leather after tooling and push it back over the plug/item it was wet formed on and tack it back down (not as tight as the first time) this is just so it will keep the basic shape.
• When dry, contact cement the formed/tooled piece to the back and start stitching.
• Insert plug to make sure stitches are not to tight so item will come out.

You will not get as good of tooling/burnishing so you may consider using highlighter or antique finish on the tooling

Hope this helps,

Rick

[Treed]

Have had good luck in using a hard wood as the plug or form for forming the leather. Wet the leather and form around the plug in what ever manner that you use. I then let the leather dry back to the dryness that cased leather needs to be. Layout the pattern and tool on the form before removing.... Same technique used in tooling the swells on a saddle. After tooling and applying any antique or paints dry and remove.

[niteshiftfromkc]

Thanks for the replies. I will have to figure out what I would like to have more, either formed or tooled. I guess it will depend on the piece. If it is a fairly flat piece like the shot shell carrier then I will probably do the tooling.

[josiahmd]

i did a multitool sheath in which i tooled the front piece while it was flat and then i wet formed it around a wooden form.. i lost a good deal of the definition but the cuts remained visible, so i touched up the bad spots by pressing and rubbing the tools where needed and the result was not too bad..... other than my tooling skill suck to begin with

[Avgvstvs]

It might not be such a great idea but I figured I should post it if it can have a slight chance to help...

How about integrating the tooling to the wet formed item as an appliqué, i.e. tooling another piece and then glue and stitch it to the item?

[camano ridge]

I think the easiest way to be able to answer your questions is if you post a picture or drawing of approximately what you want to make. I don't totaly agree that you can't mold and tool. I do agree that you can not detail mold without wiping out the tooling in the areas being detail molded. There are ways to acomplish tooling on shaped item to an extent. If your shot shell carrier is boxy you can gouge grooves where you will do the folds. Do your tooling between the folds, wet the gouged lines and fold to form your box. Your tooling is unharmed. I just did a case for a folder. I wet molded the front of the case around a form. I kept the piece on the form and let dry to almost natural color (pretty much casing the leather. The form supported the leather and I tooled the case using the form as backing. You can find many examles of tooled holsters that have been shaped around a gun. I have attached some examples. ALso look at theEpi pen cases on plinkercases.ca (he is a member on these forums). The epi pen cases are tooled and formed around epi pens.

The first picture is of a tooled holster I am currently working on. (I know I have the decorative cuts on the acorn going the wrong way). HTe second picture I don't remember who did it so I can't give them proper credit for the excelent job they did. It makes a great example.

Edited August 16, 2014 by camano ridge

[niteshiftfromkc]

Thanks for the additional help. I am looking at doing just a clay target breaking up on the outside of the shot shell case. Right now I am just thinking a simple box to hold 25 shells, but I may make a larger one that will hold empties as well. I am also looking at making a magazine and gun holster that I would like to have it tooled with some design. What that design is I don't know right now, but we will see.

I don't have a problem doing a flat piece and adding it on later, but just don't know how I would get my fingers down in the piece to do the stitching. I could use needle nose pliers, but my needles may be too long. Any idea if they make shorter needles, or if I can shorten the needles?

[Avgvstvs]

In all honesty, I'm really not all that knowledgeable on the subject.

My suggestion would be more adapted to a situation where you mold one piece in order to sew it on another one. You would have the backside free and could stitch without any problems. Now if your item is made of a single molded piece or it's made out of two pieces already sewn, it's another story completely.

On the matter of shortening the needles, I suppose you could trim them down a little and then file and polish the tip so it's blunt and won't catch the leather or thread when in use. Sounds like a lot of work for needles...

[camano ridge]

Are you looking at doing something along these lines.

[SteveColtharp]

 

I am also investigating this question at this moment. Studying a lot of resources, I became more understandable. Here is one of them. Everything is clearly and interestingly described.

https://leather-toolkits.com/blog/wet-forming-leather/