Secret Encyclopedia of Tools and Techniques

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To start, this page will contain information to a handful of important tools and techniques. Once this expands far enough to warrant it, this page will likely be restructured into an index linking to individual pages which will contain each topic. 

Work Surfaces

 

Workbench

Any tooling you do requires a sturdy work surface. As you hammer your designs into leather, any movement of the table creates risk of your stamps jumping around. This can cause double impressions, misplaced strikes, and generally decrease the quality of your results.

If you find yourself suffering from any of these issues, there are a few things you can try that don’t involve outright replacing your work surface:

1. You can acquire a smooth stone slab upon which you can work. This increases the mass under your leather and also ensures a smooth hard surface which will help you achieve better results while tooling your leather.
2. Tooling directly over the leg of your table/work bench is another way to reduce the chances of issues while tooling. By working over a large vertical column of material (even if the leg(s) are hollow), the goal is to be working over as rigid of a surface as possible as it will have the least risk of flex/movement while applying force. 
3. If you have the skills and/or tools, reinforce your work table with additional supports. Any way that you can increase the mass and/or rigidity of your work surface will help.

Tooling Slab

This serves two primary functions:

1. 1. It gives a smooth flat surface for working on 
2. 2. it adds a significant amount of mass to your table. As was mentioned in the “Sturdy Table” section: Increased mass beneath your stamping will increase impression clarity, reduce bounce, and overall help your tooling come out looking as good as possible.

There are several options for sourcing a work slab:

1. For those on a budget: Contact your local counter top place. They will often have sink cut-outs or off-cut ends of slabs that they have no use for. You can often get a good thick section of smooth stone for very little money this way if you are okay with it having some odd edges.
2. Most leather craft suppliers that deal in tooling leathers will sell quartz or granite slabs. These are great to work on and offer a good balance of functionality and cost effectiveness. They are generally square or rectangular. A step up in aesthetics from the sink cut-out option, but effectively identical functionality.
3. Machinist “Surface Plate” slabs are also a great option. These  that will generally carry a bit more mass than a standard tooling slab due to increased thickness. While more expensive, they are built to be heavy and flat to an incredible level of precision… which is exactly what we’re looking for!

All three of these options are perfectly functional and will come in a range of different thicknesses and overall dimensions. Select a tooling slab that will fit your work space best and get tooling!

Cutting Mat:

This is essential if you care about your tabletop. It serves to protect both your tabletop and your tools. Self healing mats are best as they are designed to take repeated cutting while having increased lifespans. They aren’t really cut proof, but as long as you are careful with how much pressure you apply with sharp blades, you shouldn’t need to replace them often at all. These come in all sorts of sizes, and at a variety of price points. The particularly cheap ones are… well… cheap. They tend to wear out faster and not resist cutting nearly as well as the higher quality versions. As with most things in life: You get what you pay for.

Punching Board:

Just like using a cutting mat is vital to preserving your tools while cutting, having some sort of backing layer while using punches is also vital. The most commonly used version of this is some kind of plastic cutting board, a layer or two of leather, or even a simple scrap of soft wood to place under your work. At the end of the day, the point is just to have something relatively flat, that is softer than your tool edge, and thick enough to protect your tool from the work slab you are driving into into.

 

 

 

 

 

Cutting Implements

Knives

In all reality, the kind of knife you use to cut your pieces out is not very important. Each style is going to have pros and cons, but at the end of the day the most important question is whether or not your blade will make the cut (both literally and figuratively).

 

Some things to keep in mind:

1. Not all blades are very sharp directly off the shelf
2. Sharpening and Stropping are different things. Sharpen if you have significant damage or need to re-profile, strop if you need to clean your blade, correct very minor edge deflections, polish, etc.
3. Having a bladed point is useful for getting into tight spots.
4. You don’t have to use one knife for everything. There’s nothing wrong with bouncing between a box cutter, hobby knife, shears, etc.
5. Many specialty knives are designed to do one or two things REALLY well, or do MANY things to a satisfactory standard. While everyone has their preference, there is not one style of knife that is universally revered as “the best leather crafting knife”.

While nowhere near an exhaustive list, here are some commonly used leather working knife styles and what they are good for:

• Box Knife/Utility Knife
  • This is going to be where most people start out, and that’s not a bad thing. They are inexpensive, relatively ergonomic, function well in a variety of areas, and have minimal maintenance. Box cutters are great for cutting any weight leather. It is advisable to strop your blades (yes even the disposable ones) as a little polishing goes a long way in helping your cuts stay clean the whole way. You will want to stay on your cutting mat whenever possible while cutting with a box cutter, as most blades have a pointed tip which can break off if care is not taken or if they are used on a stone slab. As the blade dulls through use, you can strop the blade again to refresh it. While this will not protect against major damage, it will generally extend the life of the blade many times over.
• Head Knife/Round Knife
  • A round knife is the go-to for a lot of leatherworkers. It is designed in a way that makes it function well in virtually all areas except fine detail cut-outs like the Hobby Knife would be used for. The round knife can take on long straight lines, detailed tight curves, and can even function as a skiving knife to thin out turned/rolled edges. They require a good amount of practice to get comfortable with, but many leather crafters swear by them.
• Hobby Knife/Xacto Knife
  • A quality hobby knife can be an absolute life saver when dealing with small detail elements of leathercraft. While not necessary when you first start out, it can definitely be a big help if you ever decide to get into more advanced pictorial carving or do any work with small filigree cut outs or inlays. They are precision tools designed to help get into small spaces with a great deal of accuracy.
• Japanese style skiving knife
  • Japanese style skiving knife: This is the Japanese leatherworking multitool blade. Great for long straight cuts, cutting curves, and built to be able to skive feather thin edges, this style of knife serves many of the same purposes as a Round Knife. While many of the functions of this blade are similar to the round knife, the Japanese style skiving knife has a very different style and form factor. Many leatherworkers gravitate towards one style or the other as their go-to, but there is not really a wrong answer as long as you are getting good results.

Swivel Knife

A swivel knife is…. As the name implies… a knife that is designed to swivel during use, allowing it to carve graceful sweeping lines that would be incredibly difficult to achieve with a regular fixed blade. There are a great many different makers of swivel knives. As a generalization, most swivel knives are nearly identical in general shape and in functionality.

Swivel Knife Anatomy:

Swivel knives are made of five parts. While there are a few variations on the theme, nearly all swivel knives are identical in general shape and functionality. Distinctions of quality are made most commonly in quality of materials and workmanship.

The component parts of a swivel knife are (in standard order) as follows:

1. Blade
-The sharp pointy end that does most all of the work.
-Generally removable
-Comes in many different materials/shapes/styles
-Sharpen only if significant damage occurs
-Strop regularly to maintain blade polish and correct edge geometry
2. Barrel
-Primary grip section (Generally thumb + middle finger of dominant hand)
-May come in various textures
-May come in various sizes
-Holds Blade at one end and stem on the other
3. Stem
-Narrow transitional section between Barrel and Bearing
-Adjustable length swivel knives adjust here (Generally either threaded or set screw adjustment)
4. Bearing
-Provides rotational pivot point between saddle and stem/barrel. The bearing is what makes a swivel knife uniquely suited for carving gracefully curving lines. Quality of bearing used is one of the major factors in what determines a “nice” swivel knife.
5. Saddle
-U shaped top section of the swivel knife
-Index finger sits in the saddle to apply downward pressure allowing the blade to cut into leather during use
-Some makers may have multiple saddle sizes available, some are “one size fits all”

Swivel Knife Blade Variations

There are a huge number of different styles of swivel knife blade available.

Some variables you may find are:

Material:
1. Steel
For hundreds of years, Steel has been the gold standard for knives in general. Swivel knives are no different. The fact that steel is readily available, easily worked, holds a sharp edge while being relatively resilient means it has a perfect storm of attributes that make it perfect for a crafter’s needs when carving leather.
2. Ceramic
Ceramic blades were created as a lower cost replacement to the ruby swivel knife blades that were available in the 1970s. The goal is to have a blade that does not require nearly as much maintenance, which ceramic does brilliantly. The trade-off comes in the form of increased brittleness, so extra care must be taken while using ceramic blades, because running the blade off of your work into your slab means effectively destroying the functionality of your swivel knife blade. Most people do not have the tools required to sharpen ceramic blades in their home/shop, so a chipped blade means a replacement will be needed.
3. Ruby
Infrequently found these days, and only growing more rare as time marches on, Synthetic ruby was used to create blades that are harder than steel and thus required less maintenance. The shortcomings of this material are greater cost and a much higher brittleness. If your swivel knife gets dropped, runs over the edge of your work and hits your slab, you are pretty much guaranteed to chip the point of the blade, effectively ruining it. Additionally, ruby’s hardness meant that it is effectively impossible to sharpen with normal equipment, and is not generally worth the cost associated with having a specialist do so. These are generally viewed as collector’s pieces. Ceramic blades fill the same function as ruby blades but at a fraction of the cost while being much more readily available. If you are lucky enough to come across one of these beauties, take good care of it and consider keeping it as a collector item!

Form Factor:
1. Flat (Rectangular blade,
2. Angled
3. Beader (Two Flat Blades with rounded groove between them)
4. Fine Hair (multiple shallow parallel blades, more a texturing tool than cutting tool)
5. Border (Two prong, one blunt one shorter bladed)
6. Beveler

Grind:
1. Flat ground
2. Hollow Ground

Size:
Swivel knives typically use blades between 1/8” and 5/8” in length. 3/8” being the most common “default” blade length.

Swivel Knife Usage

It is a good practice to get into the habit of stropping your swivel knife before and after each use. While not 100% necessary, it will help to guarantee you the best possible experience when using your swivel knife.

Grip:

When using a swivel knife, you will place the index finger of your dominant hand into the saddle while loosely gripping the base of the barrel with the thumb and middle finger of the same hand. Your index finger is what will create light to moderate downward pressure while the thumb and middle finger manage the barrel’s rotation to guide the blade along the lines of your design.

Cutting:

When in use, the swivel knife will be held at a forward angle so that you are cutting with the tip of the blade that is farthest from the palm of your hand. Light to moderate pressure should be applied downward with the index finger to determine the depth of the swivel knife cut. Use the thumb and middle finger to pull the blade along your cut, adjusting the rotation of the barrel as you go to keep the blade aligned with your intended cutting path.

This may sound complicated, as there are a lot of things to pay attention to that can trip you up… But don’t worry! The swivel knife is a tool that takes some practice to get functional with, many hours to get proficient with, and a lifetime to master. Sit back, relax, practice often, and enjoy the journey!

 

Shears

I am confident in assuming that nearly everyone has used Scissors at some point in their life. What we are talking about here are similar, but a bit… beefier (heh. Cow puns.) Shears tend to be more robust and designed for heavier duty usage. Depending on what you plan to be cutting with these, this may or may not be your best bet. After building up a bit of hand strength, a good set of shears will breeze through anything 10 oz(4mm) or lighter. Beyond that things start getting a bit more challenging, with things topping out around 14 oz(5.6mm).

Shears really shine when cutting out simpler shapes and/or larger pieces. Being able to create clean accurate cuts without requiring a cutting mat is a huge bonus (especially for those that don’t have access to a full-table cutting mat). Alternatively, some days it is just nice to be away from your work space yet still be able to make progress on whatever project you started recently.

Shears Anatomy

Shears are similar to scissors, but are generally longer, larger, and designed to be tough enough to withstand regular use on materials like vinyl, canvas, and leather. Shears are generally designed to be either right or left handed, with the handles being shaped in a way that will be much more ergonomic for use with one hand over the other.

Shears Styles

There are some technical differences between scissors and shears, but the nuances of that topic are not nearly as important as the question: “Will it cut through my leather?”

The majority of shears are smooth bladed on both sides, though not all. Some shears will have one side serrated in order to grip the material and prevent slippage. Depending on your needs, this may be a bonus or a pain. If you foresee yourself making long straight cuts or gently curving cuts the serrated shears can be a great choice where as anything involving tighter curves might be best left to smooth blades and/or other cutting tools.

Shears come in many different sizes with blades commonly ranging from 6” to over a foot in length.

Shears Usage:

General usage identical to scissors. A few notes worth paying some attention to:

When you first start using shears on leather, you may get hand cramps. This is normal. Most of us haven’t built up the hand strength to cut through lots of leather in one sitting. Go slow, take it easy and rest when you need it. It is MUCH better to take your time with a project than to injure yourself.

Before you get to work cutting pieces, it is worth adding some moisture to your leather similarly to how you would case your leather in preparation for tooling. This serves a few different purposes.
1. The blades of your shears will travel through the leather more easily
2. The leather is more flexible when cased. This will make it easier to push the leather out of the way as you go, as well as to make some of those tighter turns possible
3. As an added bonus, the additional moisture will allow your shears to compress the edge as it cuts, effectively beginning the burnishing process for you earlier in the process. I would not rely on this as any kind of “all in one” cut and edge finish… but can definitely be a noteworthy start on the burnishing process.

As you work your way along a cut line, take extra care to make sure that your shears remain vertical. If you allow the blades to shift to an angle you will end up with a slanted edge that will at best be more work to clean up, and at worst miss your intended dimension.

The thicker your leather, the more challenging tight turns become. You can usually push the leather out of the way one direction or another as you move along your cut so that you can get a reasonable angle of approach.

If you are struggling to push the leather out of the way, it is often helpful to do an initial pass about 1/4” to 1/2” from your intended final cut. This will allow the thin section of leather to easily shift out of the way relieving tension on the sheers making them easier to maneuver.

Strap Cutter

If you find yourself frequently making belts, harnesses, or anything else that requires straps… This tool will become your best friend. As long as you start with a clean straight line along the side of your piece of leather, this tool (when used with care) will knock out evenly spaced straps again and again. You can turn an entire side of leather into belt blanks in a matter of minutes with very little effort.

Strap cutters function best on leather with some firmness (like vegetable tanned leathers). They are generally adjustable for width of strap and thickness of leather. Setting the thickness of the leather will ensure that the leather doesn’t have room to shift or curl, causing unevenness in your edge angle and potential fluctuations in the strap width.

There are several types of strap cutters ranging from hand held to electric powered bench-top machine. The important part is to purchase one that is good quality and will hold the measurements you set so that you get good clean results every cut.

Lace Cutter

There are several ways to cut lace in leather including benchtop jigs and machines that serve the same purpose. A few of the most widely available ones are:
1. Stick style lace cutter
2. Australian style strander
3. Clicker press lace cutting die

As is true with many leather tools, higher quality tools can be expensive, but will have much tighter tolerances and better functionality.

Punches

Leather punches come in many different shapes, sizes, and qualities. With a huge variety of styles of punch, we will discuss the general concepts first, then list out some of the different styles of punch available.

Leather punches are a fantastic example of the old addage “you get what you pay for.” There are plenty of punch sets available for just a few bucks on amazon or ebay, but they may or may not last. Having said that… quality punches can also get very expensive, so sometimes it is worth starting out at the bottom and upgrading as you go.

Cheap punches: Many less expensive punches are made using lower quality materials, so they do not hold an edge well. Cheaper punches are also not usually very polished from the get go, so you may need to take some time with sand paper, a strop, and some polish to get them to function as well as they can.

Quality punches: High quality punches are SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive, often in the $50+ or even more per punch. That said, these will involve better quality in all regards: materials, construction, finish, etc.

If you find yourself hand cutting hundreds upon hundreds of 3/4” english point strap ends, it might be worth considering buying a high quality punch to save yourself the time and effort so that you can apply it elsewhere in your projects. On the flip side, if you need to cut two oblong slots for a particular bag design, but never foresee yourself needing it again, it might not be worth shelling out the $75 bucks for a fancy high end punch.

Some commonly used punch styles are:

1. Round Punch
2. Oblong Punch
3. Corner Punch
4. Strap End Punch
5. Button Hole Punch
6. Shape Punch
7. Brogue Punch

Punches commonly come in a few different form factors.

1. The most common is designed for use with a hammer. These will almost always have some sort of slot or hole machined into the side to allow the plugs of leather punched to be ejected rather than becoming trapped…
2. Rotary punches are set up on grip handles like pliers with the jaw side of the plier grips having a punch and anvil that come together to pierce the leather. These are wonderful for quickly and accurately punching holes in belts or any other projects that need punching done near the edge. The limitation here is that you cannot easily get more than about 1.5 inches in from the edge of your piece as the plier jaw restricts punch placement.
3. Custom clicker press dies can be made in virtually any shape. They can be designed with slits, slots, holes, shapes, etc. These are a fantastic option for high output low variability operations where you will be making 5000 of the same thing in the same shape. Because the clicker dies won’t change after they are created, they are not the best option for custom fit things. Between the cost of the press and the cost of the custom dies, this isn’t an option for most people’s needs, but it can GREATLY streamline an operation if you ever find yourself in a position needing to make 1000 of the same thing.

Hand Stitching Tools

Chisels/Irons

 

Awl

 

Needles

The needles most leatherworkers use during assembly of projects is Harness needles. These are designed specifically for use with pre-punched holes. Their tips are blunt, so you do not need to worry about risking piercing or scratching your leather during stitching. The blunted end also reduces the likelihood of piercing your second thread during stitching which can save you a lot of hassle. The eye of these needles is designed to not flare out at the back end, making it easier to pull your thread and needle through the leather by hand without pliers. The things to think about when purchasing hand stitching needles is ensuring that the needle is small enough to fit through your stitching holes while accounting for trailing thread, and that the eye of the needle is large enough to fit your thread.

Thread

Hand stitching thread comes in many different sizes and materials. When first starting out, the biggest factor is going to be ensuring that you get thread that will not break as you use it, and look decent.

As you get further along in your leather crafting journey, the rabbit hole goes as deep as you want it to. Some of the choices that open up down the road include color selection, natural vs synthetic, braided vs twisted, flat vs round, thread size, and more. I would suggest starting out simple with a brown white or black 1mm round thread. Once you start to get a feel for your preference, adjust from there. Some people like the look of bulky thread that stands out as a feature, others prefer a more subtle refined approach where the stitching is more accent than feature. There is no wrong answer. Try out options until you decide what options you like best!

Stitching Horse/Stitching Pony

Setters

Most setters in the world of leathercraft come with two sides: the anvil and the setter. Since setting a rivet, snap, concho, eyelet, grommet, etc is about locking two sides together with the leather in between them, you need to have something on both sides as you apply force in order to make sure that proper shapes are maintained.

Each setter/anvil combo is designed to ensure a proper connection between the two sides while also maintaining the desired shape. It wouldn’t be good to just hammer a dome stud straight with a hammer and end up crushing 2/3 of the dome into a saddened flat spot.

Selecting the proper size of rivet/eyelet/grommet/etc is important to ensure that there is sufficient overlap between sides. These are often set up in such a way that metal deforming on one or both sides of the project is what locks the two sides together. In order to get the best results, practice on scrap until you are confident in your understanding of how to properly set the thing in question. I find that force somewhere between a firm tap and a light thwack tends to get best results (yep, that’s a technical term… Not really, but it should be.)

Stamping/Tooling Tools

Leather stamps come in all different shapes and sizes. There are tried and true classic shapes as well as new and exciting never before seen stamps being made all of the time. 

There are many tried and true techniques, methods, guidelines, etc regarding all of the various types of stamps. There are is a great body of conventional wisdom about what works well and what does not. Having said that, if/when you find yourself asking “I wonder if I could use this stamp in _____ way…” Odds are…. Yep! You sure can! There are no guarantees it will turn out the way you expect, but the experimentation, trial, and error is a huge part of the process. Leatherwork has been done for thousands of years, and many things have already been tried before… But there are thousands of different types of stamps out there. Be creative and you just might find a beautiful way of combining stamps that nobody has ever tried before!

 

Backgrounder Stamps

Backgrounders are used to fill the small gaps of negative space found in some tooled images/designs. While the balance between positive and negative space is a matter of preference, backgrounders help to create that distinction without taking any of the spotlight from the subject you have worked so hard to create. While there are many different steps that contribute to creating the separation between foreground and background… There is a reason the stamp was given its name. This serves several purposes.

1. Compress the leather to physically push “back” the leather so that your subject pops forward further
2. The brain recognizes the regular repeating element of a backgrounded area as a texture rather than as a detailed image. Rather than trying to take in every dot, divot, line or shape, the brain simply sees it as “textured” and moves on to “the important stuff” that is generally the primary subject of the piece. Most backgrounding stamps are fairly small so that they will fit in the small negative spaces found in between elements of a carved image.

 

Backgrounders are most commonly used inside of a tooled image, and as such often need to fit into odd shapes. Because of this, backgrounders come in many shapes and sizes. They are regularly less than .25” in their longest dimension sometimes as small at 1/16th”.

 

The shape of a backgrounder stamp depends on its impression. The most common shapes are square, rectangle, and tear drop shaped, though others exist depending on the texture applied by the stamp.

 

Basketweave Stamps

Basket weave stamps are a specific style of geometric stamp designed to create the illusion of multiple layers being woven together much like a basket would be. They often consist of either a rectangular or hexagonal design that involves “legs” that extend from a main body to create the lines needed to make an effective illusion of layering. These stamps often contain all of the elements needed to create an impression which would otherwise require a swivel knife, beveler, and decorative center stamp all in one quick and easy to use package.

 

 

Beveler Stamps

Bevelers are probably the most frequently used stamp in the world of leathercraft. They are one of many tools in leathercraft that is relatively easy to gain basic functional proficiency with but take a lifetime to master. While there are hundreds of variations, each of which serves a slightly different more specialized purpose, this section will be discussing bevelers on a more general basis.

As a (vast) generalization, bevelers are most often a wedge-shaped stamp designed to selectively compress leather along specific lines in a pattern to create visual separation of layers in a pattern or design. At the simpler end of things, it can simply separate a subject from its background. At a more advanced level it can create intricate layering, adding great visual depth to complex sculptures that seem to jump right off the surface of the piece.

 

Selecting the right beveler size: Bevelers are made in a HUGE range of sizes. When starting out, picking up a medium sized beveler is the best bet. These are generally between ¼” and 5/16” (~6-8mm for metric folks) and will function well in most cases. As you get further along in the craft and decide what type of work you will be doing most often, you can get bevelers more specifically suited for the work you do.

 

Types of bevelers:
Rectangular
Rectangular bevelers are the most commonly found bevelers. These are the default “normal” beveler as they are suitable for use in most situations, especially when starting out. Most other bevelers are modified versions of these for use in specific situations.
Ideal for straight lines and/or long gently sweeping curves
Figure
Vaguely triangular shaped bevelers
Well suited for Figure carving that involves working with intricate details and/or tighter spaces. The triangle shape of the stamp helps to reduce the likelihood of unintentional overlapping of impressions which can cause a reduction in detail and visible clarity of design on complicated subjects
Turnback
Designed to give an impression shaped like the silhouette of a camel’s hump. Turnback stamps are designed to create a smooth clean curved line at the tip of a floral design as if a leaf, petal, or vine has flipped over, giving the image an additional layer of depth. These edge flips are often found at the edge of a leaf or flower petal.
Crowner
Most commonly shaped like a crescent moon, Crowners are used to create smooth regular rounded shapes. These are most commonly used in floral, vine, and scroll work to help clean up tight radius curves. They are able to create perfectly curved lines where beveling manually around a curve might create more variance.
These will often look like a camouflage tool that is given any number of common beveler textures. They are most commonly smooth, but can be found with various textures as well.
Round
Circular shaped beveler
When dealing with small circular areas, a circular beveler can be an absolute life saver. They reduce the chance of edge impressions, and allow for very tight turns while still helping to create the layering offered by beveling lines.
Point
Narrow triangular shaped beveler with the point at the long side of the beveler. Designed to get into small corners, tight spaces and/or create certain specific effects in more pictorial figure carving.
Undercut/Lifter
Designed to move along the cut line while slicing backwards into the leather underneath the subject. These create a gap between foreground and background creating additional depth in the image. Often used to accentuate folds in leaves or petals in floral/Sheridan style carving or pictorial work.

Surface Textures:
Smooth
The surface of these bevelers are ground smooth and often polished. When used well, they create smooth lines
Checkered
Evenly spaced lines of perpendicular grooves are cut into the surface of the stamp face to create a grid-like pattern very much like the knurling found on many stamp handles. There are a range of textures available from very fine textures created by shallow closely spaced grooves to larger more aggressive peaks caused by deeper grooves being cut spaced further apart. The peaks formed by this pattern create a series of regular indents that serve several purposes in the tooling process.

Lined
Evenly spaced parallel lines are cut into the surface of the stamp face. They may be parallel, perpendicular, or at an angle when compared to the edge of the stamp.
These are often used for specialized figure carving situations like carving leaves and feathers, but may also be used in general tooling.
Other
Other surface textures can occasionally be found on bevelers. These are often custom made or specialty tools that are not commonly seen.

 

Beveler Usage:

Border Stamps

Camouflage Stamps

Crowner Stamps

Figure Carving Stamps

Flower Stamps

Flower Center Stamps

Flower Pedal Stamps

Geometric Stamps

Geometric stamps are leather stamps that can be arranged in specific ways to form continuous repeating geometric patterns. A geometric stamp may create impressions that interlock with surrounding impressions or may be designed to align edge to edge to form repeating patterns. Most commonly found geometric stamps are based around commonly found regular geometric shapes like triangles, squares/rectangles, hexagons etc. These shapes are designed to quickly and easily line up while stamping allowing for a straightforward crafting process. Some geometric stamps are oddly or irregularly shaped and may require a bit more care to align properly.
Some notes on geometric stamping:

1. Use reference lines
   -Giving yourself very lightly scribed guidelines is not cheating. It does not reduce the value or take anything away from your skill as a leatherworker…. They just help you do cleaner more consistent work. Use them well and you will be rewarded.
2. Every geometric stamp functions a little differently.
   -Do not be afraid to practice on scrap. Pulling an off-cut out of the scrap bin and quickly making a coaster or two before diving into a project you have spent a ton of time and effort on can make a world of difference just by letting your brain and your hands get back into sync using a particular stamp.
3. Consistency is king.
   1. Angle of stamp during impression
      -Unless you are going for a specific stylized effect, geometric stamps are designed to be held perpendicular to the surface of the leather without tilt. This will help you get clear consistent impressions across the face of the stamp.
   2. Force applied to general impression
      -The goal is to have a consistent impression depth across the surface of the leather. Variance in force applied will be more visible on smaller faced stamps than larger ones. This is generally not much of an issue, but is worth noting.
   3. Depth of edges/corners
      -Consistency is key. Most stamps you will want all corners/edges to be stamped to the same depth. Some stamps (like many scales) will be set up to have one point set deeper than other edges to create the illusion of layering. Some stamps use differences in depth to emulate beveled lines through stamping.
   4. Alignment along reference lines.
      -Give yourself as many reference lines as you need to ensure proper alignment over the entire surface to be stamped. This will also help if you have to stamp around odd shapes or if there is an object set into the center of a field of geometric stamping

 

Leaf Stamps

Matting Stamps

Mulesfoot Stamps

Pear Shader Stamps

Pictorial Stamps (2d/3d image stamps)

Rope Stamps

Seeder Stamps

Shell Stamps

Special Stamps

Sunburst Stamps

Turnback Stamps

Veiner Stamps

Leather Crafting Techniques

Overview

 

Design

 

Transfer

 

Cutting

 

Tooling

 

Edge Finishing

 

Shaping

 

Stitching

 

Dyeing

 

Painting

 

Antiquing

 

Sealing

Hardware

Buckles

 

Button Stud

 

Chicago Screws

 

Clasps

 

Conchos

 

D-Rings

 

Eyelet

 

Grommet

 

Rivet

 

Saddle Hardware

 

Stud

 

Zippers

Liquids/Pastes/Etc

Adhesives

 

Antiques

 

Conditioners

 

Dyes

Fiebings Pro Dye

Paints

 

Topcoats

 

PPE

Apron

Dust Mask

Respirator

Safety Glasses

Gloves

Ventillation