Make a Celtic Cross, they said. Make it tiny, they said.

[YinTx]

It'll be fun, they said!  

GAAAHHH!  6 hours later.....mind in a knot trying to tie a Celtic knot in leather...

Dime for scale...

My hat's off to those that manage to tool tiny things.  My tools didn't even fit in here!  If you stand far back, you can't see I made a mess of it, LOL!

YinTx

[CaptQuirk]

My hat is off to you Sir! I had one fellow who wanted a rifle sling to match a holster somebody had done for him. It had a diamond shaped Celtic knotwork on it. I should say it did not work for me. Several hours of trying to draw it out, and I had an excedrin headache of biblical proportion. I ended up ordering the stamp from Tandy

[Horsemint]

I always get myself into doing impossibly intricate designs in miniature too. You'd think I would learn sooner or later

[DarkGoku]

What swivel knife blade are you using? I found a 1/8th ss blade at Tandy's for around $20 bucks! It did a great job in those tight spots, and even add a little enjoyment to miniature carving.  I also used modeling spoons and tools for things like that. you can also check out Peter Main, he makes a great tool for tooling.

hope I helped alittle  

[YinTx]

I used a standard 3/8" Tandy swivel blade, and a fat modeling spoon that I have.  Didn't really know there was a 1/8" blade out there!

I have marveled at fully detailed horses that are all of 1" tall, absolutely amazing.  Clearly they are using different tools and better skills than I! I think if I wanted an image of a dime, I'd probably hammer one into the leather for the impression!  Sadly, the lettering would be backwards.  Tiny swivel knife blade is in my list of wants, but I think I'll tool larger things to earn the $$ first.  I also want a different matting tool, different bevelers... etc. 

YinTx

[Bob Blea]

I think you did a good job.  Small stuff like that is not easy and takes a good eye.  I've done several things like this and the size of your tools, especially the bevellers, is critical.  I have a set of Robert Beard figure bevellers that I use for all my Celtic knot work and I frequently need the smallest sizes I have.  The face of those bevellers measure about a 1/16" of an inch and one that is a little smaller.  They have a steep angle so you can work on the lines of the knot without much impact on the parts right next to them.  Barry King also makes extra steep Sheridan bevellers down to that size that would work well too.

[YinTx]

 

4 hours ago, Bob Blea said:

Small stuff like that is not easy and takes a good eye.

Got to try out my new glasses that I just got that day on this one.  What a difference.  Couldn't have done it without them.  Now I know why folks say get some magnifying headgear to do tooling.  Might just have to.  Thanks for the compliment, also!

4 hours ago, Bob Blea said:

The face of those bevellers measure about a 1/16" of an inch and one that is a little smaller.  They have a steep angle so you can work on the lines of the knot without much impact on the parts right next to them.

That would be incredibly useful.  Considering Mr. Beard's pricing, that would probably be about $500 worth of stamps at least.  I'd have to have a lot of orders for Celtic knots to justify that!  However... I do have a grinder, and some tiny nails...might have to grind some out if I have any other call for tiny stuff like this.  Even the flower pattern and letter "A" on the left was a challenge with my tools.  I was reasonably happy with how they turned out considering, even though I still see all the flaws and places I'd like to improve on.

YinTx

[Sheilajeanne]

I think you did a good job, Yin Tx!  I have some Tandy modelling spoons and a really small tear-shaped backgrounder that I use to get into tight spaces like that.

 

Just ordered some Celtic Craftaid patterns, so will be doing some Celtic crosses and knotwork myself, but am NOT planning to reduce the patterns in size after reading your post! :D

I also have a really powerful light on a gooseneck arm that I use when I'm tooling, plus a really strong pair of reading glasses, which I bought especially for leatherwork. Eyes aren't quite as good as they used to be when I was younger, and every little bit helps! 

Edited December 8, 2017 by Sheilajeanne

[YinTx]

Thank you Sheilajeanne.  This was a Tandy Celtic cross pattern that they give away for free, but it is supposed to be like 10" tall, not this lil bitty thing.

I have lots of lights shining on my work so I can see what the heck I'm doin.  Here in south Texas, that means the A/C has to stay on in the winter.

YinTx

[Bob Blea]

15 hours ago, YinTx said:

 

Got to try out my new glasses that I just got that day on this one.  What a difference.  Couldn't have done it without them.  Now I know why folks say get some magnifying headgear to do tooling.  Might just have to.  Thanks for the compliment, also!

 

I bought reading glasses a long time ago to help with threading needles and lining up the awl for hand stitching.  Then I discovered how much it helped line up geometrics.  It just made everything easier, so now I don't tool without them.  Getting to where I need them to read too!

Edited December 8, 2017 by Bob Blea

[DarkGoku]

On ‎12‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 10:48 PM, YinTx said:

Thank you Sheilajeanne.  This was a Tandy Celtic cross pattern that they give away for free, but it is supposed to be like 10" tall, not this lil bitty thing.

I have lots of lights shining on my work so I can see what the heck I'm doin.  Here in south Texas, that means the A/C has to stay on in the winter.

YinTx

I can relate, I work at the Tandy's in Deer Park/Pasadena. Its nice right now, enjoying our 3 day winter cold before the heat comes home. 

[flagshipsupply]

@YinTx

Real nice work! 

I think you managed to pull off a rather nice celtic cross to boot. 

But I REALLY dig that scroll work in the center!

Cheers

- Matt

[robs456]

Was the leather a bit wet when you stamped?

[YinTx]

On 12/9/2017 at 5:42 PM, DarkGoku said:

I can relate, I work at the Tandy's in Deer Park/Pasadena. Its nice right now, enjoying our 3 day winter cold before the heat comes home. 

That.  I think I missed fall, I don't remember it.  Woke up on Friday to a freak snowfall!  I think the last time that happened was Christmas Eve, 2004. 

 

On 12/9/2017 at 6:31 PM, flagshipsupply said:

But I REALLY dig that scroll work in the center!

 

Matt, the scroll was - for me anyhow - tiny as well, and I am surprised at how it turned out.  Couple of things I would improve on, but it is growing on me as well.  Thanks!

6 hours ago, robs456 said:

Was the leather a bit wet when you stamped?

robs456, it is possible, since I don't have anyone to tell me exactly what properly cased leather should feel like.  It may have started a bit wet, but after I was done in 6 hours, I think it was a bit dry.  What is it you see that I should be looking for to know if it is too wet or too dry?

YinTx

[robs456]

6 hours ago, YinTx said:

robs456, it is possible, since I don't have anyone to tell me exactly what properly cased leather should feel like.  It may have started a bit wet, but after I was done in 6 hours, I think it was a bit dry.  What is it you see that I should be looking for to know if it is too wet or too dry?

I'm not an expert by any means, and tend to stamp too wet at times myself so I recognize the certain 'mushiness' to the look at certain places. And the basketweave look a bit flat which happens for me if the leather is to wet from the beginning or is remoistened. Then there are the 'white lines' around the cross which could happen because of to deep cuts, too hard beveling, too wet leather or all of the above.

As for casing, there's a lot of info on here but the best way to learn is by trial and error. 
One of the best ways for using the quick way by spray bottle or sponge is the wet the leather thoroughly on the grain side, go and have a refreshing beverage, come back to see the original color almost returned, feel that it's dry but cool to the touch, grab a beveler and make a test imprint. If you get a sweet friction burn you're good to go. Otherwise back to your beverage/forums/etc...

If I manage to plan my carving ahead of time I do it in a better way that works for me, but it takes some getting used to:
Put the leather under the tap for about 10 seconds so that it's wet on the grain side, but do NOT get the flesh side wet (so no submerging it). Then put the piece in a plastic bag and seal it so it's air tight. Wait until the next day, about 12-24 hours.
The piece will have moisture all the way through meaning the fibers in the middle will be formed as well which gives much better impressions when stamping. If the piece is still a bit too moist to the touch on the grain side, start the beverage routine above...  

[robs456]

On 12/7/2017 at 6:31 AM, YinTx said:

My hat's off to those that manage to tool tiny things.  My tools didn't even fit in here!  If you stand far back, you can't see I made a mess of it, LOL!

Leroy dropping wisdom about that.

[YinTx]

10 hours ago, robs456 said:

Leroy dropping wisdom about that.

LMAO, awesome.  Or, buy/make tools to fit the drawing.  There is a big sale on Craftool Pro tools right now, and those are pretty darn good quality for $10 or less!  I have my online basket full... deciding whether or not to click that "buy" button...

YinTx

[Sheilajeanne]

A visit to Tandy is on my schedule for today! :D

[YinTx]

On 12/11/2017 at 1:10 PM, Sheilajeanne said:

A visit to Tandy is on my schedule for today! :D

I picked up a lot of the Pro stamps that were on sale, and just tried out the bevelers.  And got some of the regular tools at $3 ea, which I won't feel bad about modifying with a file and grinder.  

Pro tools worked awesome, worth every penny especially when you (and I) aren't ready or willing to step up to the $50+ tools.

YinTx

[YinTx]

Finished item here:

YinTx

[CZoc]

Hi Again YinTx,

Back to your original post on the mind numbing detail for small cross carvings..... I hear ya clucking brother!

 

[DarkGoku]

1 hour ago, CZoc said:

Hi Again YinTx,

Back to your original post on the mind numbing detail for small cross carvings..... I hear ya clucking brother!

 

that is really nice work

[YinTx]

Neat combination of inverted carving and standard beveling!  Tiny details are difficult, no recovery from a slightly misplaced tool.  Yours came out really well.

YinTx