Am I Totally Inept

[BillinTR]

Just beginning to try my hand at stamping and also want to get into some carving along the way. I expect that I will destroy a good bit of practice leather along the way. I have a fair amount of 6/7 oz. veg tan to use for that practice. But I am really getting annoyed with my early attempts at this. It seems that nothing wants to go well for me. A list of questions/problems/issues:

1. In spite of reading tutorials from here on casing leather I can't seem to get it right. The leather always seems to be too wet or too dry when I make my stamping efforts. I can't seem to time it right. And the leather doesn't seem to dry evenly after wetting. The leather is soaked completely and left to dry on my work table. Why would one section dry quicker than another?

2. Basket weave stamping is driving me nuts. It seems that no matter how careful I am things don't seem to line up nicely even when using lightly drawn guide lines.

3. I can't seem to consistently drive the stamp straight down evenly. It seems that the stamp impression is frequently deeper on one side or another.

4. Even when I do drive the stamp down straight and evenly I can't seem to get two stamp impressions in a row to the same depth. How do people manage to hit the stamp with same authority every time? Andjust how hard are you supposed to hit the stamp?

5. When beveling cuts with the swivel knife the leather keeps moving around on me as I try to walk the beveler along the cut. What do you do to stop this sliding? It seems that you wouldn't want to anchor the leather somehow because as you walk the beveler around a curved cut or shift to a cut going in a different direction you would want to easily reposition the leather as you work.

Are these sorts of things just a part of gaining experience through practice or am I destined to be inept forever?

 

[garypl]

I think it comes down to one trick - practice, practice, and more practice!    I use an old cast iron clothes iron that has a piece of leather glued to the bottom to hold the tooling leather in place while I work on it.  It’s easy to move the leather around by picking up the iron to move your work.

Good luck - you should keep improving the more you practice!

Gary

[Rhale]

Practice practice and practice,then practice some more!  It will get a lot easier, just don’t give up.  You can hit the basket stamp kinda easy the fist lick just to set it then make sure it’s in the same spot and hit a second time or more. Always try to hold the tools straight up and down.  Casing leather takes practice also, I spray mine with water then let dry some till it turns ack to natural color.  For beveling and background it will need to be a little drier than when using your swivel knife. Just keep going it will all fall in place.

[BillinTR]

8 minutes ago, Rhale said:

Always try to hold the tools straight up and down.

That seems to be an issue for me right now. As careful as I am it seems that by the time the mallet makes contact the stamp shaft has shifted slightly one way or another. I fully understand the need for practice and I intend to continue doing so. But right now it sure seems to be a huge struggle.

 

[battlemunky]

Yeah, it all comes down to how one gets to Carnegie Hall. Also, watch a ton of YouTube, Johann Portgeiter is great for stamping and he isn't a perfectionist and his stuff still looks super cool. 

[Jack1970]

Hang in there!  You'll improve faster than you realize.  For holding the leather down while you bevel, try a bag full of BBs.  You will get a feel for the dampness of the leather with time just paying close attention to the way the leather is responding. 

[battlemunky]

I picked up an old iron and painted it so it wouldn't discolor the leather and I use it as a heavy weight to hold down my tooling. I also glued a piece of leather to the bottom for good measure. I think it was $6 at the antique store.

[robs456]

On 2018-10-28 at 11:28 PM, BillinTR said:

As careful as I am it seems that by the time the mallet makes contact the stamp shaft has shifted slightly one way or another

Try pressing the stamp quite hard against the leather, making sure that it is straight and even, then hit it while pressing. 
This is slow as a hippo in a ferris wheel but is good practice and with time you'll get faster and more relaxed.
Oh, and make sure you hit the stamp from the top and not with a tilt of the mallet.

[DJole]

Quote

1. In spite of reading tutorials from here on casing leather I can't seem to get it right. The leather always seems to be too wet or too dry when I make my stamping efforts. I can't seem to time it right. And the leather doesn't seem to dry evenly after wetting. The leather is soaked completely and left to dry on my work table. Why would one section dry quicker than another?

2. Basket weave stamping is driving me nuts. It seems that no matter how careful I am things don't seem to line up nicely even when using lightly drawn guide lines.

3. I can't seem to consistently drive the stamp straight down evenly. It seems that the stamp impression is frequently deeper on one side or another.

4. Even when I do drive the stamp down straight and evenly I can't seem to get two stamp impressions in a row to the same depth. How do people manage to hit the stamp with same authority every time? Andjust how hard are you supposed to hit the stamp?

5. When beveling cuts with the swivel knife the leather keeps moving around on me as I try to walk the beveler along the cut. What do you do to stop this sliding? It seems that you wouldn't want to anchor the leather somehow because as you walk the beveler around a curved cut or shift to a cut going in a different direction you would want to easily reposition the leather as you work.

1) Yeah, I think most of us struggle with this, and not every hide works the same way. This is a case (no pun intended) of having somebody right there at your shoulder to supervise would be ideal. Otherwise it's a case of trial and careful observation. 
2) That's the reason right there that many of us don't do basket weave. ()  Trying to figure out what you're doing wrong on  your own is frustrating.
3) Are you referring to stamps (which make pictures like a star, or an eagle, or so on), or tooling stamps (bevellers, pear shaders, etc. )?
4) Muscle training -- it takes time to develop the even strokes. And perhaps you are hitting too hard, which affects this. Having the leather properly cased actually reduces the amount of work it takes to make a crisp impression. And for the other hand, it takes a while to develop the 'touch' to walk the tool to create a repeated smooth impression, rather than thinking of it as a series of discrete, overlapping stamps. Loose grip on the mallet, and using the fingers as a pivot, rather thinking of driving nails. 
5) Many suggestions up above to weight the leather down as you tool it. Others use rubber cement to fasten the leather to a piece of cardstock or cardboard (this helps reduce stretch, which has caught me out a couple times). Having a softer touch on the mallet also assists with keeping the leather in one place. 

[BillinTR]

I am referring to tooling stamps right now. Besides the basket weave I am also playing with making cuts withmy swivel knife and then bevelling. Also playing with a camoflage and a background stamp. I seem to do OK with those last two.

[leatherthresher]

Regarding of casing the leather: you probably have learnt not to drown it as I did when I started out; the colour of the leather should turn to almost normal, but it should feel cold to the touch.

leatherthresher.

[bermudahwin]

I note this is for tooling, casing for moulding/molding is slightly different as you need the leather to be flexible.

When tooling, with a lightly wrung out sponge, I moisten the flesh of the leather, then moisten the skin.

The thicker the leather, the slightly more I moisten it.

Everyone works out what's best for them, after a while.

In the meantime a thread from 2009 by hidepounder got a lot of discussion going:

Good luck,

Harry

 

[chrisash]

I intent to make a slip over PLA square or rectanguler sheath to go over my basket weave handle so i get a more positive feel for lining up the tool, at present i line up visually but being such a small tool head iand having a round handle its not easy to get accuracy

Maybe it will work maybe not but feel its worth a try untill i get more experience using them

[Ed in Tx]

A couple of things I noticed that weren't mentioned or I missed them...

Just "casing" the leather isn't all you need to do before attempting to stamp a piece. Using a glass burnisher to compress the fibers in the leather before starting to stamp is an important step. Also you should use

something on the back side of the piece such as blue painters tape to keep the leather from spreading when you stamp. I am no expert by any stretch but the two items I mentioned are what I was taught when I first tried my hand at tooling.

[Rockoboy]

10 hours ago, Ed in Tx said:

Using a glass burnisher to compress the fibers in the leather before starting to stamp is an important step.

I am also not a expert in any sense of the word, but after viewing a fair number of tutorials, I have never heard of doing this.

On some of my attempts at stamping and carving, I have applied the painters tape, but some I have not. I have not had any huge problems either way. Then again, I have not stamped or carved any larger areas, just around 4 - 5 inches by the same at the largest.

[bermudahwin]

38 minutes ago, Rockoboy said:

I am also not a expert in any sense of the word, but after viewing a fair number of tutorials, I have never heard of doing this

Me either.

H

[battlemunky]

I've seen it before and have tried it myself but I can't say it made it harder or easier or the stamping more crisp. I don't usually do it. I'll make a point to try it a few more times and pay better attention. It may be a "do it sometimes" thing too since it darkens the leather quite a bit.

[YinTx]

On 11/12/2018 at 11:10 PM, Rockoboy said:

I am also not a expert in any sense of the word, but after viewing a fair number of tutorials, I have never heard of doing this.

On some of my attempts at stamping and carving, I have applied the painters tape, but some I have not. I have not had any huge problems either way. Then again, I have not stamped or carved any larger areas, just around 4 - 5 inches by the same at the largest.

I do the glass burnisher rub down on my leather before carving.  It helps in my humble opinion.  Seems to settle the top into a smooth surface, and evens out the compression of the fibers below.  This makes it easier for me to carve, less fighting inconsistencies in the leather, resulting in a smoother cut.  Here is a video from Alden's School of Leather talking about how to do this.   I don't do my casing or glycerin bar work the same, but the concept is there.

YinTx

 

 

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Regarding your problem lining up the basket stamp, I have used basket (and other geometric) stamps that are not perfectly symmetrical, and no matter how hard I tried or what I did, they left an imperfect design.  The type of basket stamp also makes a difference; flared end stamps are more difficult to line up, and keep the same angle throughout the piece. Also, a bigger stamp is easier than a very small one. 

[JLSleather]

On 11/10/2018 at 11:46 AM, hwinbermuda said:

When tooling, with a lightly wrung out sponge, I moisten the flesh of the leather, then moisten the skin.

The thicker the leather, the slightly more I moisten it.

Yup, that works in teh states too

And PUH LEEZE .. no more "cool to the touch"   If my thermostat is set at 64, the leather is ALWAYS "cool to the touch", no matter wet or dry.  If you're toolin' in San Antonio, I doubt there's much "cool to the touch".

 

 

Edited November 16, 2018 by JLSleather

[ScoobyNewbie]

I had never heard of this, thank you for bringing it up. Good video.

[rustyj58]

Hang in there buddy. Practice makes "BETTER".

I have the strange feeling that you may be holding the stamping tools too high up on the shaft. Every suggestion I read here is spot on and valid. However, It all comes down as to what works for you. Try choking down on the stamp. Use MILLIONS and Millions of pieces of scrap and beat them hamburger wrappers to a pulp! It takes PRACTICE to develop the repeat actions needed for consistency. 

The number ONE thing to keep in mind is to NEVER QUIT! None of us will ever be the accomplished craftsman we see in the magazines and videos but we ALL become the BEST we can be with practice and dedication. And for the BEST book I have ever used (And still refer to)  is "How to Carve Leather" by Al Stohlman!!! Hands down the "BIBLE" for leather crafting. I am self taught from his books and lots of practice.

Happy tooling,

Rusty

[chrisash]

7 hours ago, JLSleather said:

Yup, that works in teh states too

And PUH LEEZE .. no more "cool to the touch"   If my thermostat is set at 64, the leather is ALWAYS "cool to the touch", no matter wet or dry.  If you're toolin' in San Antonio, I doubt there's much "cool to the touch".

As the water put on it evaporates it reduces the tempratiure on the surface a natural occurance just like the reason your fridge works or people put a wet cloth over there head to keep cool. It's the evaporation that is the coolant 

 

 

[Samalan]

On 11/12/2018 at 1:53 PM, Ed in Tx said:

A couple of things I noticed that weren't mentioned or I missed them...

Just "casing" the leather isn't all you need to do before attempting to stamp a piece. Using a glass burnisher to compress the fibers in the leather before starting to stamp is an important step. Also you should use

something on the back side of the piece such as blue painters tape to keep the leather from spreading when you stamp. I am no expert by any stretch but the two items I mentioned are what I was taught when I first tried my hand at tooling.

You know Chan Geer uses a glass slicker be four stamping , his stamping is world class.must be something to it.