Carving, what am I doing wrong?

[Raksha]

This is my second ever swivel knife try, so please be kind. I just can't se to get the knife marks right. What am I doing wrong? Not right saturated? To deep cutting? Wrong punsle tool? 

[YinTx]

What tool are you using for beveling your swivel knife cuts?  I'm thinking that may be an issue for starters...

YinTx

[Sheilajeanne]

1) Make sure your knife is properly sharpened and stropped. A dull knife will stick in the leather

2) The moisture content of the leather could be part of the problem - the knife will stick if the leather is too dry

3) When beveling, the beveler has to go with the edge right in the line you've cut with the swivel knife. You should tilt it a bit so the whole tool face doesn't touch your leather and leave a mark

4) Suggest you check on line for basic leather carving videos that can help show you proper technique. Nothing beats actually seeing someone else do it. This one will give you a good start: 

5) It takes quite a bit of practice to learn how to control the swivel knife. Get a few pieces of scrap leather, and use them to practice on.

Don't give up - anything worth doing takes time to master!  

 

[Raksha]

8 hours ago, YinTx said:

What tool are you using for beveling your swivel knife cuts?  I'm thinking that may be an issue for starters...

YinTx

I use these

 

]

Feels like I can't place them right.

 

7 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

1) Make sure your knife is properly sharpened and stropped. A dull knife will stick in the leather

2) The moisture content of the leather could be part of the problem - the knife will stick if the leather is too dry

3) When beveling, the beveler has to go with the edge right in the line you've cut with the swivel knife. You should tilt it a bit so the whole tool face doesn't touch your leather and leave a mark

4) Suggest you check on line for basic leather carving videos that can help show you proper technique. Nothing beats actually seeing someone else do it. This one will give you a good start: 

5) It takes quite a bit of practice to learn how to control the swivel knife. Get a few pieces of scrap leather, and use them to practice on.

Don't give up - anything worth doing takes time to master!  

 

1. Maybe I need a new blade, I have a cheap knife from ebay. But I do strop it a lot. 

2. Ok, try to give mor moisture :D Use the method in the tandy movie you show, but I think my leather is 3,5 mm
 

3. I try to do that. Must. practice. more.  

4. watch more youtube - noted :D 

5. Practice more! Deal.  

Use only scaps 

 

Edited June 7, 2018 by Raksha

[ABHandmade]

41 minutes ago, Raksha said:

I use these

 

]

 

This set of low-quality Chinese stamps seems to have been created in order to refuse any desire to work with the leather. When last November I decided to try carving for the first time and bought a set of "20 stamps for $ 20" for ignorance, I was extremely upset and thought that my hands were growing from the wrong place. I was particularly disappointed with the bevel.
Only buying a few low-cost but completely fulfilling its function of CRAFT JAPAN stamps saved me from giving up the idea to carving of leather.

Edited June 7, 2018 by ABHandmade

[Raksha]

28 minutes ago, ABHandmade said:

This set of low-quality Chinese stamps seems to have been created in order to refuse any desire to work with the leather. When last November I decided to try carving for the first time and bought a set of "20 stamps for $ 20" for ignorance, I was extremely upset and thought that my hands were growing from the wrong place. I was particularly disappointed with the bevel.
Only buying a few low-cost but completely fulfilling its function of CRAFT JAPAN stamps saved me from giving up the idea to carving of leather.

Oh thanks! Where can I buy them? I can buy som her in norway but the price is about 15 dollars each , and shipping close to 20... I kind of meed to know that it is worth it, leather is an expencive hobby.

[ABHandmade]

9 minutes ago, Raksha said:

Oh thanks! Where can I buy them? I can buy som her in norway but the price is about 15 dollars each , and shipping close to 20... I kind of meed to know that it is worth it, leather is an expencive hobby.

I bought my own from a local Ukrainian reseller. I do not think that there is a sense of recommending it for sale in Norway
In principle, in the same price category and similar quality, you can buy several stamps for starting from Craftool. As a starting point, you can go here https://www.tandyleather.eu/en/category/craftool-stamps-leathercraft.
Probably, the members of the forum-Europeans will be able to offer several more best options.

[Raksha]

Thank you! Guess I just have to use the money on better tools... 

[Raksha]

Are we seeing some improvement? 

I took my multitool and gave my tools a workover and sharper edges.  And moved to a more sturdy work space. Still think I need a better blade for my knife and better tools though. 

Edited June 7, 2018 by Raksha

[ABHandmade]

I was not be too lazy and find Z-B197 from the very Chinese set, from which I tried to start work.
On the photo - on the left Z-B197 (China nameless), on the right B203 (Kyoshin Elle, inexpensive but quite qualitative for his cost tool).
Above the beveling without a cut, below - with a cut. Just compare.
Surely, there are professionals who can use and absolutely horrible tool to do a good job, a super-expensive tool will not make a beginner at once a professional. But a novice using a horrible tool is unlikely to make a masterpiece.

[Raksha]

There is is, so much difference! I'm going to work on my tools with my power multitool, and use them for practice. I am SO far away from being a prof. anyway. But my dream is to be able to carve a dog silouet (saluki preferbly) in leather and be proud of my work. 

[ABHandmade]

5 minutes ago, Raksha said:

There is is, so much difference! I'm going to work on my tools with my power multitool, and use them for practice. I am SO far away from being a prof. anyway. But my dream is to be able to carve a dog silouet (saluki preferbly) in leather and be proud of my work. 

My comments had a goal not to let you be disappointed. And I'm happy to see that you are serious about achievement of result. Good luck! And I hope to see soon your  carved dog

[Sheilajeanne]

16 hours ago, Raksha said:

Are we seeing some improvement? 

I took my multitool and gave my tools a workover and sharper edges.  And moved to a more sturdy work space. Still think I need a better blade for my knife and better tools though. 

That does look somewhat better. But I agree about needing a better knife blade. Something looks odd with those swivel knife cuts. Compare them with the ones above by ABHandmade, and you will see the difference.

[olfart]

I'll preface this by saying I have no experience with carving, but I have read a book or two about it.  What I'm seeing in the above image is the beveling tool not being moved smoothly.  I'm seeing individual imprints of the beveling tool, which indicates to me that you need to move the tool in much smaller increments so they overlap into a smooth line.

 

[Raksha]

5 hours ago, ABHandmade said:

My comments had a goal not to let you be disappointed. And I'm happy to see that you are serious about achievement of result. Good luck! And I hope to see soon your  carved dog

Thank you! 

4 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

That does look somewhat better. But I agree about needing a better knife blade. Something looks odd with those swivel knife cuts. Compare them with the ones above by ABHandmade, and you will see the difference.

Agree! New blade, and maby a smaler one, will be my next step. Thanks! 

3 hours ago, olfart said:

I'll preface this by saying I have no experience with carving, but I have read a book or two about it.  What I'm seeing in the above image is the beveling tool not being moved smoothly.  I'm seeing individual imprints of the beveling tool, which indicates to me that you need to move the tool in much smaller increments so they overlap into a smooth line.

 

Agree! I do not have the right touch. Practice...  
Thanks  

[Goldshot Ron]

What is the surface that you are using on which to place your leather?  Wood or stone?  You haven't shown your tooling surface.  The mallet or hammer that you use is also important.  Too light and it becomes too much work; too heavy, and your impressions will be too deep. It appears that you are letting the stamp bounce on the leather.

 As mentioned already, your beveling should not appear as individual blows, but as a smooth line where your tool marks fade into each other.  Since your stamps aren't very expensive, go ahead and modify them.  I've thrown out a lot of old Craft Japan stamps because I filed them down too much; but by doing this, it gives you a better understanding of how stamps are designed, and different impressions you can make by just playing around with just one or two stamps.

Good luck, Ron

[DominickTuroski]

I got that same ebay set of tools, and there are maybe 3 tools that you could use in there. The pear shader isnt bad for beginners standards, and the small beveler if polished can be useable until replacements are possible. The small camo tool is okay as well. As for the knife cuts, just keep on carving and practicing. The flow will come. I am finally just starting to get the hang of my knife now and i've been going at it for about a year. A beveler would be the first tool to buy, once you get that you can do some decent figure carving. Make sure you know what tools to use for what part of the piece you want to carve. Best of luck! I'm sorry I can't really give advice on where to buy outside the U.S. but hopefully you can find what you need.

 

You said it @ABHandmade that beveler Is such trash. Whole new world with even an entry level craftool beveler.

[Raksha]

Thank you, so much! I love that you guys share your experience! 

I hava actually orderd a tandys basic kit, hopefully the tools in there is better than my cheap ebay stuff. 
https://www.skinnlaaven.no/produkter/halvfabrikata/byggesett/grunnleggende-laer-sett-ny-type

[Sheilajeanne]

Raksha, that is exactly the same kit I started out with a couple of years ago. I am still using the tools it contained, though I have added just a few more stamps to my collection...

   One of the pear shaders had a small defect on its face, and Tandy replaced it with no questions asked!

 

Yeah, just a few more stamps.... 

Edited June 14, 2018 by Sheilajeanne

[Raksha]

Oh that makes me so happy to hear. Gives me hope! Have not told my other half how much I have used on this hobby allready. Better not tell  

Can't see yout pic, but can sort of imagine  

 

[Sheilajeanne]

That's because I had trouble finding the right picture! I've found it and posted it now. And yeah, I fully understand what you said about not telling your other half!!   I've spent a ridiculous amount of money on this hobby!

The hammer that comes with that kit is a piece of junk. I used it as kindling in my woodstove, and replaced it with the one you see in the above photo. That and the stamp with the defect on its face were the only things in the kit that I can complain about. 

The kit came with 8 weeks of free lessons, and by the time the 8 weeks was up, I was completely hooked on leatherworking.

 

Edited June 14, 2018 by Sheilajeanne

[Raksha]

 Just a few...  I, of course, have a cheap ebay hammer, so I'll give it a try   Can't spend more money now... Just cant!   

 

 

[Northmount]

Generally in this hobby/business, we call these mallets rather than hammers.  Hammer "implies" a steel head which should not be used on leather stamps.

Poly mallets are fairly light weight, rawhide may be heavier depending on which size you buy.  They have quite a different feel to them.  When I started tooling in 1961, I used a wooden mallet that my grandfather had made.  As you beat it, little wood fibers start to flake off the face and get trapped in your tooling if not careful.  But that is what I could afford, and used for many years. I kept one face clean for other work and just beatup the other face.  Had to shave a bit off now and then to reduce the hollow in the centre of the face.

I prefer the rawhide mallet.  Still have the wood mallet.

Tom

[zfcjr67]

One item I noticed - on the first picture you didn't have your beveler in the swivel knife cut.  Look around the ears, you can see the knife cut and the beveler marks outside of the cut.  The second image you showed had the bevel marks in the cut, which is where they should be.  

Whenever you have a knife cut, make sure to use the beveler in the cut.  Think of it as a line you make to show you where to make a smooth bevel.  It takes practice to get the beveling right.  

Also, you can clean and smooth the beveled edges with a modeling spoon.  

[Raksha]

I got my basic kit to day, and wow! What a difference in both the knife and the tools  need to practice much more,  but this helps!