Dogfisher Report post Posted January 12, 2021 Can I tool Harness Leather? I love the look and feel of Wickett & Craig's Harness Leather in Buck Brown. If not, how can I get that look and feel with bare tooling leather? For instance, I would like to make a saddle bag from W&C harness but I want to tool a design on the flap. I am very new to leather but I have tooled a few Veg Tan belts and made a few aprons and bags from Chrome Tan. I've been buying Veg Tan and Chrome Tan from SLC and just sort of making due with whatever they send me. I haven't tried any W&C harness leather but it looks amazing. SLC's harness doesn't look as nice as W&C. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rahere Report post Posted January 13, 2021 Tooling chromed and hybrids such as latigo's impossible, because they won't take up water in casing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisash Report post Posted January 14, 2021 Sew on the tooling part Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted January 14, 2021 Why not use a medium/heavy veg tan leather , tool it, dye it , and wax/oil it yourself? You might be surprised at the results . Just a thought ? HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dogfisher Report post Posted January 15, 2021 That's sounds great! How? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stewey Report post Posted January 15, 2021 Much harness leather is usually veggie-tanned... Just not the latigo or chrome stuff. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arturomex Report post Posted January 16, 2021 5 hours ago, Stewey said: Much harness leather is usually veggie-tanned... Just not the latigo or chrome stuff. Yes, harness leather is veg tanned but it's stuffed. The oils and waxes prevent the leather from absorbing water. Regards, Arturo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tsunkasapa Report post Posted January 16, 2021 When I worked at Boy Scout camp I had boxes of scrap from the local saddle shops, harness leather included. While I have not tried to "carve" it, it did take wonderfully clean, clear imprints from the 3D stamps. I believe the waxes and oils made this possible. I think it would be worth trying on a scrap to do everything but without the water. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheilajeanne Report post Posted January 16, 2021 My first ever effort at leather carving was on a rounder that had fallen off a saddle. I carved a 4-leaf clover into it, and it looked really nice, considering the home-made tools I had, made out of nail heads and scraps of metal! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
