First Time Tooling

[barbedwireboutique]

Here's my first couple attempts at tooling ever. I think on the square piece I need to practice veining. I also just did these on the tile floor, but I plan on getting a granite slab in the near future. Constructive criticism is welcome, as I need to learn!

[barbedwireboutique]

I also need to work on my background stamping and being more consistent.

[KYCat]

Nice work! I have no credentials to make a critical review--- looks like a great start to me. Thanks for sharing!

[resqman]

The leather was too wet and therefore mushy. The leather should return to "normal" color after wetting before you tool.

[JRedding]

It appears to have been too moist, please tell how you wet your leather to prepare it and I can help you from there

[barbedwireboutique]

I was using a damp washcloth, would it be better to use a sponge, or what is used?

[JRedding]

It was too wet no big deal everybody starts too wet, everybody does it different, ya just have to find what works for you. I can give you my take on it, my methods on this are unconventional but they work, and I have my reasons for doing it like I do. Casing is widely known as the method to use and not saying it doesn't work it does I just don't do it. The theory behind casing is to let the moisture become consistent throughout the thickness of the leather, why ? your not tooling to the bottom, moisture clear to the bottom only lets it stretch more, if the portion you're not tooling into remains solid it helps limit stretch. And getting a good case on leather is a real moving target, every piece of leather is different, how pourous it is makes a huge variable, as to how much moisture it sucks in, and how much it try's to hold onto. Relative humidity is the other big variable, it reacts a lot different in Arizona than it does in Texas for sure, every seasonal change only adds to the equation. Some perfect it but it's time consuming to learn and cased leather is like having a milk cow, your on its schedule now. I just spray bottle it, first time I give it enough I think it went to tooling depth and let it sit until it almost appears dry, give it a light spray and get on with it, you do have to spray a little as you move along to maintain a consistent surface but it's no big deal to learn to judge it. Tool as dry as it will let you while still using a reasonable amount of force. Spraying allows you to easily read and adjust to every piece of leather you come across, and it's not demanding that you be right there when it's ready. That's long but it's not a small topic in leatherwork, hope that helps

[Tim Schroeder]

I use Hidepounders theory on casing. Look at his gallery. I slide the piece thru a sink full of water until the bubbles are coming out. Not until they quit coming out. Then place on flat water proof surface and cover with a piece of glass or plastic for at least a 1/2 a day. Then uncover and wait for it to start to turn back to normal color. I have all my patterns copied at Staples on thick paper and put the pattern on the leather and put my glass on it for 5 minutes or so. If the leather is to wet your paper will get wet. IThe paper should not get wet a tear when tracing with a pen. If the pen is trying to tear the paper then the leather was to wet. The lines on the leather should be dark when you remove the paper. That will help you tell how long to wait before starting. You can cut with it pretty moist (not mushy, the leather should feel a little firm) and bevel but it should be getting back to normal color when you do all the decorative stuff. Backgrounding looks best when you wait until it is back to normal color. If you need to add moisture to keep tooling I spray from the backside a let it sit for a few minutes. If you are leaving natural after tooling you should have a dark burnished look to the impressions especially the shading and beveling. Adding more moisture seems to make a little of the color away. If you can't tool all of it without adding moisture I cover halve the piece with plastic and tool all but the background then uncover the other halve finish tooling and start backgrounding in the area you tooled first. I get the most color in the impressions when I let it set under glass or a piece of plastic for at least 24 hours before uncovering.

You can see where I sprayed around the edges on the backside after I cut this piece because the outside will try to dry first. In this tooling you can tell I beveled it with it a little moist. A lot of the beveling doesn't have the color it should. I dye and antique finish everything so the color isn't as noticeable as if you wanted to leave it natural.

Tim

Edited January 17, 2016 by Tim Schroeder

[JRedding]

Like I said it all works, you definitely get good results with your method, I learned the way I do it in large because I spent a couple decades in a saddle shop with four under construction all the time, and all the covering, uncovering, and waiting as you described didn't work very well with that much leather in front of me all the time, I've been in some of the finest shops in the country and seen both methods and a few things I never was sure what they were doing all produce great results. I've read Hidepounders method and it's a good one, you can see it in what he does. I gotta say though I've never seen anyone go through all those steps you described with a stack of saddle parts, they'd have never been able to go home. I learned what I do from a Japanese guy in Ft. Worth tooling at Ryon's shop at the stockyards when I worked for them. He would tool right handed non stop until his arm got tired of hammering and then change hands and tool left handed. He was paid by the saddle and did beautiful work but I assume that's why the not much waiting method was perfected.

Edited January 17, 2016 by JRedding

[barbedwireboutique]

Thank you both for the insight; it's extremely helpful! I don't know anyone in my area that even does leathercrafting, so I really appreciate the advice and detailed explanations on your methods. I can't wait to try again.