Using A Creaser...does The Leather Have To Be Dampened?

[thekid77]

hey friends, just wondering if leather has to be dampened before creasing? Is it possible to crease leather after applying the top coat finish?

thank you!!

[Chief31794]

Leather has to be dampened when using a creaser, it must be dampened for any kind of impression (with the exception of pyrography perhaps). Therefore, in answer to your second question the answer is no, once the leather has a top coat finish on it, that prevents it from taking water so it wouldn't hold the impression. A good crease is burnished into the leather and that is accomplished by having the proper moisture content in the leather (dampened well and then allowed to return back to nearly it's natural color, not too wet, not too dry) and then using the creaser to burnish a groove in the leather.

Chief

[Wild Bill46]

Yup, Exactly as he described ! Perfect explanation ! ---------- Wild Bill46

[thekid77]

  On 1/24/2015 at 1:58 PM, Wild Bill46 said:

Yup, Exactly as he described ! Perfect explanation ! ---------- Wild Bill46

Thank you!!

  On 1/24/2015 at 11:17 AM, Chief31794 said:

Leather has to be dampened when using a creaser, it must be dampened for any kind of impression (with the exception of pyrography perhaps). Therefore, in answer to your second question the answer is no, once the leather has a top coat finish on it, that prevents it from taking water so it wouldn't hold the impression. A good crease is burnished into the leather and that is accomplished by having the proper moisture content in the leather (dampened well and then allowed to return back to nearly it's natural color, not too wet, not too dry) and then using the creaser to burnish a groove in the leather.

Chief

Thanks Chief, I think I might try using heat.....the reason I ask, is because I make card wallets and usually I cut the leather and dye/buff/finish it before cutting the shapes and assembling...

I'm looking to crease the leather along the curved border of a card wallet instead of grooving it...since I have ruined projects with that groover I wanna try a crease to lay the thread down in. Some people have told me that it wouldn't work and that the creased leather would push back up over time but I'm going to give it a try.

[sharkeyfinn]

  On 1/24/2015 at 11:48 PM, thekid77 said:

Thank you!!

Thanks Chief, I think I might try using heat.....the reason I ask, is because I make card wallets and usually I cut the leather and dye/buff/finish it before cutting the shapes and assembling...

I'm looking to crease the leather along the curved border of a card wallet instead of grooving it...since I have ruined projects with that groover I wanna try a crease to lay the thread down in. Some people have told me that it wouldn't work and that the creased leather would push back up over time but I'm going to give it a try.

which groover do you have? i find this one has eliminated 90% of my problems having the cutting edge inline with your hand and what your doing gives you more controlcontrol

[Chief31794]

  On 1/24/2015 at 11:48 PM, thekid77 said:

Thank you!!

Thanks Chief, I think I might try using heat.....the reason I ask, is because I make card wallets and usually I cut the leather and dye/buff/finish it before cutting the shapes and assembling...

I'm looking to crease the leather along the curved border of a card wallet instead of grooving it...since I have ruined projects with that groover I wanna try a crease to lay the thread down in. Some people have told me that it wouldn't work and that the creased leather would push back up over time but I'm going to give it a try.

I don't use a creaser for making grooves for stitching, I use them to make decorative creases along borders. It isn't any easier to control than a good stitch groover, the one posted from Tandy does an adequate job and is a lot easier to control and less work for the same result as a creaser. There are other more expensive ones as well from some of the tool makers.

Chief

[rosiart]

You can use a creaser on leather with a finish if you heat it. It's not normally necessary with veg tan that has been dampened. It's the only effective way to do a chrome tanned leather and get it to stay at all. That said, no matter how much heat and pressure, some leathers do not hold it very well with standard equipment. For them, I think you need the heating tools from France, I can't think of the name of it right now. Something like a fileteuse? Or a heat press.

[thekid77]

  On 1/25/2015 at 3:00 PM, sharkeyfinn said:

which groover do you have? i find this one has eliminated 90% of my problems having the cutting edge inline with your hand and what your doing gives you more controlcontrol

I don't have a groover anymore...I have ruined too many projects with an errant cut while trying to turn a rounded corner with the groover that I had, unfortunately....maybe I should try a different groover in the future....the one I had was extremely difficult to control, even with lots of practice...

  On 1/25/2015 at 4:22 PM, Chief31794 said:

I don't use a creaser for making grooves for stitching, I use them to make decorative creases along borders. It isn't any easier to control than a good stitch groover, the one posted from Tandy does an adequate job and is a lot easier to control and less work for the same result as a creaser. There are other more expensive ones as well from some of the tool makers.

Chief

I understand, thanks for the advice...the only thing I don't like about the groover is that once you take leather off, ie, one slip/mistake, you can't put it back on

  On 1/25/2015 at 4:57 PM, rosiart said:

You can use a creaser on leather with a finish if you heat it. It's not normally necessary with veg tan that has been dampened. It's the only effective way to do a chrome tanned leather and get it to stay at all. That said, no matter how much heat and pressure, some leathers do not hold it very well with standard equipment. For them, I think you need the heating tools from France, I can't think of the name of it right now. Something like a fileteuse? Or a heat press.

Thank you, I will do some research into that