First Sheridan, Tips?

[Reindeer]

I have already posted this piece on the "critique" part of the forums, but then I noticed there was one especially for Sheridan work, so I thought I would put it here too.

Folks on the "critique" board have already advised me that my leather was too wet when I was carving it. This is the one major thing I'm going to have to watch out for on my next one.

Since people on this board specialize in Sheridan style though, I must know if there are any additional Sheridan-specific tips for when I try this again.

Are there any must-have blades, stamps, or other tools I should know about? I have most of the Al Stohlman books but only a VERY basic beginner collection of tools.

I feel that my carving looks very blocky and clumsy. Aside from just practicing, maybe there is something I'm doing that's just totally wrong (besides the leather being too wet)?

[Chief31794]

The main thing I see is that the leather was too wet and I would practice with the swivel knife, your cuts don't seem very accurate. It's important to take more time and ensure that you are following the lines (either traced on or put on with a craftaid, etc) very closely and accurately, then make sure your blade is perpendicular with a forward tilt. Practice starting and finishing cuts, it will greatly improve your carvings.

Hope that helps,

Chief

[Reindeer]

The main thing I see is that the leather was too wet and I would practice with the swivel knife, your cuts don't seem very accurate. It's important to take more time and ensure that you are following the lines (either traced on or put on with a craftaid, etc) very closely and accurately, then make sure your blade is perpendicular with a forward tilt. Practice starting and finishing cuts, it will greatly improve your carvings.

Hope that helps,

Chief

Thanks so much

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

If Sheridan is your desire, I highly recommend Bob Parks book. He not only tells you how, but; explains the way to layout your patterns to make them aesthetically pleasing to the eye. By the way, he also has a tutorial on this web sight on casing your leather. Like Chief said, practice, practice ,practice. You will see your work benefit from it.

Bob

[DaveC]

I'm just a beginner too, but I'll throw in some things that I've found to be helpful. It's also a bit of a think on what I really need to work on.

As Chief already mentioned, along with getting the right moisture content, nothing will go well if the layout and swivel knife work isn't good.

My areas of focus are:

1) casing

2) accurate layout

3) accurate swivel knife work

4) "subtleties" of swivel knife work (changes in depth as lines taper out, correct angle, how lines merge)

5) coloring (tooling) inside the lines

6) even tooling where it's supposed to be even and shading from one depth to another when that's required

References:

Bob Park's Creating... Western Floral Designs was very helpful to me. I found it more about design than execution but it makes very clear what the different elements are about and how they should flow together. His article on edging has made a world of difference to me. At least producing nice edge doesn't seem to require a great deal of skill, just time. http://leatherworker.net/edging.htm

Chan Geer's Sheridan Style Patterns for Belts 3/4" to 2" has been a really good source of patterns for me. They range from those with somewhat larger, easier to carve elements to those that are smaller, tighter and more difficult. I still haven't tried to design my own patterns other than some cutting and pasting, and focus on trying to replicate what others can do. Start with big easy patterns so you can get the feeling of doing some things rightt! The reason I try to replicate is that I find it easier to compare my work to the examples and the many (too many) mistakes show up clearly.

Sheridan Style Carving by Gardner and Fay also helped. One thing they suggest is purposeful practice with the swivel knife on some set patterns. I like this as I can try cuts over and over until they improve without messing up a larger piece of work.

I'll try to add a pic with some observations.

Keep at it,

Dave

Edited January 26, 2016 by DaveC

[Bob Blea]

I'm with the others on recommending working on your swivel knife skills. They really are the foundation on any carving. You will want to be able to make smooth flowing cuts and tight turns accurately. You will also want to be able to accurately control the depth of your cuts. From your example I suspect that your swivel knife isn't sharp enough. A well sharpened knife with a polished edge will make carving your pattern MUCH easier and give you more control.