Backing leather for stamping

[DirtyDusty]

I read several post a while back that referenced glueing poster board to the back of leather, to keep the stamping from distorting the shape.  Is this necessary with heavy skirting, like when stamping saddles?  What are you glueing it with and how do you handle the residue when you pull it off?

[FlyinBP]

I just use masking tape.  Regular or painter's work great.  Clear packaging tape is another option.  Leather has to go somewhere when tooled.  If you are tooling a small area of a larger piece, shape/size change of the overall piece is less likely.  However, if you're tooling the majority of a piece, then it WILL expand after tooling.  After tooling, when you go to pull the tape off, it tends to fuzz the flesh side a bit, but it's not a big deal; fixable with a little water and burnishing.  

[PastorBob]

+1 to painter's tape.  I keep a 1" and 2" roll of the stuff in my shop.  I have noticed if you peel it immediately after stamping, it peels easier without too much fuzzing.

[JayEhl]

For small light weight leather I use contact glue (rubber cement) to a larger sized cardboard.  I can then use my bench weight on the larger cardboard to hold down my project while I pound on it.  Makes it easier to swivel around to get at different angles.  Other than that I use blue painters tape.  Works fine.  

edited for clarity

Edited June 28, 2021 by JayEhl

[bland]

Probably too late but you shouldn't need to back saddle skirting to tool it.  I'm guessing this was a question about your mule saddle.  

[DirtyDusty]

On 6/28/2021 at 11:23 PM, bland said:

Probably too late but you shouldn't need to back saddle skirting to tool it.  I'm guessing this was a question about your mule saddle.  

Yes sir. Doing a partial tooling pattern.  Learning to tool along with building a saddle is a slow process, when you work a lot of overtime. 
 

I tried out a piece on this scrap, it did ok, but if I hold it up side ways and look down the pattern, it seems to look like the pattern is stretching, where the basket pattern was the widest. 

[bland]

Basket stamping is a little daunting.  Sometimes it doesn't run exactly straight.  I'm not sure how much you are doing on your saddle or how you are laying it out.  If you are just doing the corners you can lay it out on a line.  You can also run splits so you don't get so far off.  Dale Moore taught me this technique and it worked out for me pretty well.  I ran each section in two parts.  It is one of my first saddles so it isn't perfect but it rides really good.