Knife sheath design

[Cavalier]

This is my first project & I am a beginner. The design which I had stamped after dampening the leather has become pretty faint. The imprints were pretty deep initially. Am I doing something wrong ?? This is vegetable tanned goatskin leather

[MisterSmith]

Howdy there, 

Overall the shape of your sheath design is appealing. Goat skin isn't really famous for its stamping quality, and it looks like you used relatively thin leather, which obviously wont afford a deep impression. You mentioned that the stamping started crisp, but wound up being faint suggests that your leather was too wet when you started tooling. Your leather almost needs to appear dry, yet cool and only slightly damp to the the touch. I would suggest using a 6/7 oz vegtan cowhide for your next sheath, and see how that suits you. There are really useful threads here that will point you in the right direction for stamping and tooling.

Leather work is all about experimentation, trial and error. Keep tinkering with different materials and techniques until you find what works best for you. 

[Cavalier]

Thanks for the guidance. Much obliged

[Stetson912]

I agree with mister Smith. A thicker leather will hold an impression better. And letting it dry more before stamping will make a world of difference. This is something you learn with time. 

Also, you don't want to stamp the sheath and let it dry completely and rewet it to form either. You'll lose definition that way as well