trikegeoff Report post Posted February 9, 2015 guys i need help with a new stamp i have, its a custom stamp i had made and measures 7cm by 3.5cm. im assuming this would have to be pressed into the leather, but when i done a trial on some scrap leather in my vice i didnt get a good impression. my question is how much pressure do you need on a very detailed stamp ? what is the process? how long do you leave it all clamped together? does anybody have pics of there press set up? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
texback Report post Posted February 9, 2015 What type of leather are you trying to emboss? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Studio-N Report post Posted February 9, 2015 generally a 1 ton arbor press works fine. however at 7cm even a 1 ton does not necessarily work great if you're trying to press it all at once and expect good results. All the pressure is in the center. So the way to work that is to press in one corner. Move over 1 inch (2.5 cm or the size of the ram) and press again. Rinse and repeat until you cover the whole stamp. with a vise it may just be an issue of it not being able spread out the pressure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NVLeatherWorx Report post Posted February 9, 2015 When using a vise you need to ensure that you have a smooth plate on both sides (the jaws) and that the surface of your stamp where you will be applying the pressure TO is of equal plane. If the stamp in question is not the same thickness across then you will get unequal pressure which will not give a consistent impression. I don't have any pictures of my setup but I have a heavy-duty bench vise (from my golf club making days) with 6" jaws; I also have thick aluminum vise pads that are fit onto the jaws to provide for a flat and consistent surface on both both sides. The only type of stamping that I do with this setup is with custom made acrylic/delrin stamps that are smooth on the back side and the entire thickness (base and stamp design) is consistent from end to end (passed through a micrometer for verification). I make sure that the leather is properly cased and ready to accept the impression and then slowly apply the pressure until the face of the base is flush with the grain surface. I let mine sit for about 5 minutes and then back off the pressure, remove the project and stamp together, then remove the stamp from the leather. If you get into using arbor presses then you can get some highly functional (and highly affordable) equipment from Harbor Freight Tools that will fit this bill. I am considering getting a 12 ton press from them but haven't jumped into traffic over it yet. Hope this helps you at least a little bit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
walletman Report post Posted February 9, 2015 Hi try wetting the leather first then use stamp See how you go hope it works Walletman Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trikegeoff Report post Posted February 9, 2015 i seem to be getting a full / even coverage of the stamp with the vice but its not very deep. is this a casing / wetting issue? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
