Leathercraft Tool

 

James,

Your statement "I always cut my leather larger than the picture that I am making. This also helps me if there is any unforeseen stretching of the leather in the tooling or embossing process" caught my attention.

When I do a picture, I always cut my leather to size, and back it with a piece of bag stiffener using rubber cement. I leave it on the back till I've completed everything, and then gently peel it from the leather. When you peel it off, remove the stiffener from the leather - not the leather from the stiffener.

I'm a firm believer in "cut deep and bevel deeper" - been at this for nigh onto fifty years, and, using the bag stiffener as a backing during the tooling has always prevented my leather from stretching.

You might give it a try - see if it works for you. Seems to me, over the years, the practice of cutting your leather larger than your project will result in alot of wasted leather.

Ralph Jones

--- In flasah@yahoogroups.com, james geigan <jdgeigan@...> wrote:
>
> Dale:
> This is good advice that you received from Hank. I personally use masking tape or scotch tape. I always tape across to the back side of the leather to avoid any issues with the tooling surface. I also cut my leather larger than the picture that I am making. This also helps me if there is any unforeseen stretching of the leather in the tooling or embossing process.
> I hope this helps.
> James Geigan
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Dale Erwin <dale@...>
> To: flasah@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, September 6, 2009 8:35:33 AM
> Subject: Re: [flasah] Oak Leaf
>
>  
> Hank Staley wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > We all have run into the tracing film problem I'm sure. Unroll it and
> > roll it the opposite
> > direction. Small plastic clamps help hold the film to the leather,
> > clothes pins might work.
> > Don't sweat the small cuts, do them last with a #1 X-acto craft knife.
> > What I do when tracing the pattern from the film to the leather is
> > make marks in three or four places near
> > the edge of the pattern. Once this is done, you will have reference
> > marks to keep the
> > film and leather lined up...Hank
>
> Actually, making the small cuts wasn't the problem. It was beveling
> them. In fact, I surprised myself in being able to make all those
> intricate cuts with a straight blade. All of our clothespins are
> plastic, I think I'll try that.
>
> I have another question, but I guess I should start another thread for that.
>
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