Tooling practice/critique

[terrymac]

Whole lot better. Next order of business is smoothing out your beveling. You don't want to see individual tool marks as around the top of your petals. Someone will tell you to use a modeling spoon to smooth, but that doesn't work when you use a checked beveler, as I do 90 percent of the time.  Just keep practicing, and you will get it. The other area to work is uniform spacing of the veiner marks around the scroll.  I cheat, I got some old prickng wheels and use those to mark individual tool marks placement.  

Hope this helps,

Terry

[garypl]

1 hour ago, terrymac said:

Whole lot better. Next order of business is smoothing out your beveling. You don't want to see individual tool marks as around the top of your petals. Someone will tell you to use a modeling spoon to smooth, but that doesn't work when you use a checked beveler, as I do 90 percent of the time.  Just keep practicing, and you will get it. The other area to work is uniform spacing of the veiner marks around the scroll.  I cheat, I got some old prickng wheels and use those to mark individual tool marks placement.  

Hope this helps,

Terry

Terry - thanks for the tip about the using a pricking wheel to space the veined marks - I am going to try that!

Stetson - definitely improved your carving on this one.  I agree about the type of leather making a big difference - just started a new project with a new piece of leather and a new swivel knife from Leather Wranglers and there is a noticeable difference in how easily the knife glides through the leather.

Gary

[Stetson912]

Thanks everyone. I was using a 3/8 thin hollow ground and switched to my 1/4 angle blade. It helped keep my cuts more uniform and it turns better in the leather for me. This leather doesn't burnish very well either. I'm thinking of ordering some Hermann oak bellies for tooling practice. 

I will work on my beveling. I'm good with the larger beveler, the smaller one needs practice, as does my bar grounding haha. Thanks for the veiners tip too.  I'll post more when I can give it another go.