Advice re finger carving

[PastorBob]

Those small carved areas are hard to get beveled without smashing down another line or getting into the design.  I had the same issues.  Finally got a smaller beveler to get into those tight areas, also got a couple with a steeper face allowing me to lightly tap, but still get some beveling in.  Looking good.  Keep up the practice.

[Northmount]

Looks a little too wet.  It loses definition and doesn't hold the shape of the tool.  Try a trial with a couple stamps.  When you moisten the leather (case) stamp a single impression, wait 1 minute, then stamp again, continue until the leather is getting too dry to make a good impression.  Then you will be ale to see the difference, what the burnished colour looks like, and the definition, and hoe many minutes it took to get there.  Not all pieces of leather will behave exactly the same.  Different tanages, thicknesses, etc.  But it will give you a better measure of how wet/dry it needs to be.  This was my biggest mistake when I started many years ago. 

[johnnydb]

Yeah, I learned some good lessons from that highlighted B...it was on a piece of 5oz shoulder from Brazil that Tandy had on sale. (For $40 it was cheap enough to buy and practice)  the leather was just wet and tooled and eventually started getting too dry which is why the edges started looking like they did. I got a piece waiting and in cased now and waiting for me when it's ready. 

I also wasn't using a regular stencil...it's one I made and it gave me some clues as to how to actually make a stencil and make it look good. So later today I'll be at it again. 

[johnnydb]

And once again...

Better...but I wish I could do better...but it will have to do...I got a lot of other stuff pressing me to accomplish

[chuck123wapati]

2 hours ago, johnnydb said:

And once again...

Better...but I wish I could do better...but it will have to do...I got a lot of other stuff pressing me to accomplish

letters are the absolute hardest thing to do IMO. reason, every brain knows what they are supposed to look like so any blem is noticed.  You are doing a great job.

Edited October 13, 2021 by chuck123wapati

[PastorBob]

Yep.  Ditto on letters being hard.  the bigger they are, it seems to be easier.  Keep it up.  You are doing good.  Remember, we are our own worst critic...we see everything.  There are times I have pointed out errors I made to others...glaring to me only to be told, "I would have never noticed that if you hadn't told me.  Need to keep my mouth shut sometimes. LOL

[johnnydb]

Don't sweat showing or explaining the errors...my feelings won't be hurt. The feelings I once had died decades ago...I keep them in a feelings coffin on the mantle over the fireplace. 

 

But truthfully I have had four distinctly different careers that had no relationship to each other...learning new stuff and getting it done takes time and practice to be anywhere near competent...and someone else is always going to be better at it than me...just a fact of life. I don't get my feelings hurt whatsoever when it's constructive criticism. 

And I noticed that if I was actually artistic instead of just following a stenciled pattern I made...it might be really addictive to do. 

That being said...my wife thinks it's awesome...and hopefully her sister will think the same. (It's her college graduation/Christmas present) 

I just got finished skiving the pockets and if all is dry tomorrow I will give all the pieces a dip in a oil/dye blend. (After I run the vacuum to get all the leather fluff from skiving....ugghhhh....I hate skiving) 

Oh yeah.... gotta give the edge corners a serious trim too. 

Then comes the lining of all the parts...

[johnnydb]

Now my question is why did the piece of leather I cased and tooled come out a shade darker than the others?  These were all cut from the same shoulder piece...in fact touching on the shoulder...

[Klara]

Probably there's some mysterious chemical reason.  I would wet the other pieces as well (I'm assuming you haven't) and let them dry under the same conditions as the first piece. On the photo it looks as if one of the "other" pieces were the same colour as the tooled piece - is that a trick of the light?

Btw, are you 100% sure that the tooled piece is perfectly dry yet?

 

[johnnydb]

5 hours ago, Klara said:

Probably there's some mysterious chemical reason.  I would wet the other pieces as well (I'm assuming you haven't) and let them dry under the same conditions as the first piece. On the photo it looks as if one of the "other" pieces were the same colour as the tooled piece - is that a trick of the light?

Btw, are you 100% sure that the tooled piece is perfectly dry yet?

 

They're all the same...they are close in color...not really enough to make much of a difference...but it's enough that it made me pause for a second. The tooled piece dried on a wire rack for two days after tooling day and I skived it before I dyed it. It was most definitely dry. This morning after the dyeing last night they look closer...but the tooled piece still looks a half to a quarter shade darker.  If the neatsfoot oil finishes drying today at some point I can begin to put the Trac gum on the inside pockets backside and pocket edges.  The cover will get lined with cloth and stitched in with the pockets. (I hate that raw unfinished side in finished goods) 

The next one I make is for my wife (I think she is a tad jealous of her sister's journal) ...since I'll see it on a much more regular basis I need to be even more careful and practiced.  I hate seeing my flaws. 

 

Edited October 15, 2021 by johnnydb
Clarity and fat fingers