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Leather Working List of Categories

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Can I use a hammer in place of a mallet?
What is the best way to transfer patterns from books to the leather?
Can I use paper to transfer patterns?
How can I get a professional looking edge on my belts?
How is an edge beveler used?
How is an edge slicker used?
Does Gum Tragacanth really work?
Must I use a marble slab when stamping?
What does casing mean?
How deep should my swivel knife cuts be?

Can I use a hammer in place of a mallet?

No. A metal hammer will cause the plating on the tools to chip, eventually leading to a rusty, useless stamping tool. always use a rawhide or poly mallet when stamping.

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What is the best way to transfer patterns from books to the leather?

Tracing film works best. It is waterproof and translucent so you can see where you are positioning it.
1. Tape the film to the pattern
2. Trace the design with a pencil
3. Case the leather
4. Position the tracing film on the leather
5. Trace the design with a metal stylus
6. The design is ready for cutting
7. Save the pattern for future use
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Can I use paper to transfer patterns?

Yes, but it is not recommended. Be careful that the paper doesn't get too soggy. If it tears you will have difficulty tracing accurately and since it is not transparent, you will have difficulty positioning a new copy over partially traced designs. Paper cannot be used more than once.

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How can I get a professional looking edge on my belts?

This is a multi step process as follows:
1. Use an edge beveler tool to reduce the angle of the edges. This is done on both front and back edges.
2. Dye the belt and edges as desired.
3. Optional, but recommended - Apply Gum Tragacanth to the edge and allow to dry.
4. Use an edge slicker to burnish the edge until nice and smooth.
5. Apply any leather finish desired
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How is an edge beveler used?

Our goal here is to transform 90 degree corners into 45 degree corners. This will make later burnishing easier. Position the leather to slightly overhang a table edge. Hold the cutting area of the beveler against the corner of the leather. It should be held so that it will cut the corner off at about a 45 degrees angle. The beveler is pushed along the edge. Try to cut the entire length of each side without raising the beveler for best results.

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How is an edge slicker used?

Position the edge to be burnished to slightly overhang a table edge. The groove in the edge slicker is positioned over the edge and rubbed back and forth briskly. The friction will smooth and round the edge.

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Does Gum Tragacanth really work?

Yes. We find that edges with Gum Tragacanth applied burnish better, much faster, and with a lot less effort.

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Must I use a marble slab when stamping?

No - any sufficiently hard smooth surface will work. We prefer a marble slab on top of a poundo board since that combo seems to absorb the impacts well and minimizes noise and vibration. If you plan to do a lot of leather stamping, a marble slab and poundo board is a good investment.

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What does casing mean?

Basically casing is wetting the leather in preparation for carving. A sponge is used to wet the surface of the leather. Well cased leather tools easily. The correct amount of moisture is somewhat difficult to describe, so you should practice with some scraps to get the hang of it. We generally wet both sides of the leather, then allow the flesh side (smooth side) to almost return to its original color before tooling. On thin leather, apply water to flesh side only.

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How deep should my swivel knife cuts be?

For most carving the cuts should be about halfway through the leather.

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