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    Leather Tooling and Carving
    Leather Tooling and Carving
    Leather Tooling and Carving
    Ebook299 pages1 hour

    Leather Tooling and Carving

    By Chris H. Groneman

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    About this ebook

    This book by a well-known handicrafts instructor will teach you the fine art of leather tooling and carving so that you will now be able to make the handsomely crafted leather of handbags, belts, watchbands, and billfolds you have often admired. You will find that custom-crafted leather items are not only easier to make than you may have expected but also offer quite an enjoyable hobby.
    Many books deal with leatherwork in general but this book is one of the few that concentrate on tooling and carving. The author first introduces the various types of leather and tools, giving complete information on how to identify the superior sections of a hide and how to decide on which kind of leather is best for your purpose: kidskin for gloves, steerhide for billfolds, etc. Twenty-six different leather tools are depicted along with an illustration of the impressions the different kinds of stamping tools make. After this necessary background, the author covers the basic processes of leather crafting from start to finish: cutting and preparing the leather, transferring the design, tooling, carving, lacing, cleaning, dyeing, and finishing. This section is profusely illustrated with line drawings and photographs to make each step easy to master. You are now ready to begin the special projects, for which complete instructions and patterns are provided: bookmarks, key cases, coin purses, watchbands, billfolds, belts, shaving kits, camera bags, handbags, and cowboy accessories are just a few of the things you will be able to make.
    Hand-tooled leather items are quite expensive on the market, but you will find yourself with substantial savings when you make them yourself. What is more important, however, is that leather tooling and carving is an enjoyable craft that anyone can become adept at — and this book will provide you with all you need to do just that.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateMay 23, 2012
    ISBN9780486142289
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      Book preview

      Leather Tooling and Carving - Chris H. Groneman

      Index

      PART I

      ABOUT LEATHERS, TOOLS, AND EQUIPMENT

      The Various Types of Leathers

      MUCH of the effectiveness of leather tooling and carving depends upon the selection of quality leathers, and because of this, the expert craftsman is very particular about the types of leather he uses for making his leather articles.

      Most of the projects illustrated and described throughout this book are made of the heavier hides, such as strap and skirting leather; however, it is desirable to use other types, such as calf, steerhide, kid, pig-grain sheep, imitation alligator, and other similar skins, for tooling and for linings. Calfskin and kidskin also serve as ideal leathers for making lacing material.

      Fig. 1. Portions of a Hide or Skin.

      The portions of a hide or skin are shown in Fig. 1. The meticulous craftsman who desires superior texture and quality of leather always avoids using the flank, legs, belly, or neck of the hide. These parts, however, are satisfactory for some of the more elementary projects.

      Craft, Art, and Lining Leathers

      Suitable leathers of the lighter 3- and 4-ounce weight for smaller craft projects are steerhide, pigskin, sheepskin, suede (lamb or sheep skin), alligator or lizard-grain leather, kid, and tooling calfskin.

      Leathers used for craft and art work may also be employed as excellent lining materials. Kid and calfskin are the most durable, but also the most expensive. Sheepskin is less expensive and proves very satisfactory for lining material. Skiver material is very suitable for the lining of smaller projects.

      Tooling Calfskin is obtainable in Grades A and B. Grade A is the better, but also the more expensive; Grade B is satisfactory for beginning projects. Calf has the finest grain of all and is considered the best leather for high-grade tooled projects. Some leather supply companies have calfskin in a variety of novel colors.

      Calfskin weighing 3 to 4 ounces per square foot is an excellent thickness with which to work. Skins are available in sizes from 12 to 14 square feet.

      Steerhide (lightweight) is ideal for billfolds and other small projects. It tools easily, and presents a good pattern because of the crinkle-grain finish. Some commercial manufacturers have steerhide dyed in a mottled effect to produce two-, three-, or variegated-tone color combinations.

      inch thick.

      Pigskin is rather expensive to use for novelty projects, but it produces an interesting effect in its natural grain. Pigskin is toolable.

      Sheepskin is an excellent substitute for the more costly tooling leathers, since it lends itself well to tooling and dyeing. It is also very serviceable as lining material. A skin usually measures from 5 to 8 square feet.

      Suede (lamb or sheep skin) is a non-tooling leather which is ideal for some of the smaller leather projects. Because of its soft, velvety quality finish, and because it is available in a variety of colors, it also makes a good lining leather.

      Alligator or lizard-grain leather is another non-tooling material which presents a handsome appearance, because of the embossed finish produced during its manufacture. It is relatively inexpensive and is available in many colors.

      Kidskin makes a fine, thin, soft lining for leather projects. It is considered rather expensive, but is very durable. A kidskin will vary in size from 3 to 5 square feet.

      Carving and Heavy-Tooling Leathers

      Leather for carving or heavy tooling must be vegetable-tanned. Any of the natural or russet-colored leathers will prove suitable. Dyed leather should be avoided because it will show a light color after surface treatment and embellishment.

      Strap lenther is the most easily carved and tooled, and is also the most beautiful type of thick leather for use in making belts, brief cases, bags, and holsters. It is sold by the hide, which is measured in square feet, and its weight is referred to in ounces per square foot. The most commonly used strap leather weighs 9 or 10 ounces. A strap hide is usually 16 to 21 square feet.

      Some of the lighter projects, such as the smaller arm bags for ladies, may be made from 8- or 9-ounce strap leather.

      Skirting leather, the heaviest and hardest, is suitable for making saddles and bridles. It is tough and weather-resistant.

      Lacing material may be either calf, goat, or kid skin. If the leatherworker wishes, he may make the lacing, especially the Venetian type described in the section on Lacing the Edges; however, either narrow or wide lacing may be purchased by the yard or spool from reputable supply houses. Some of the plastic edge lacing has proven satisfactory.

      Leather articles of heavy material are well adapted to two particular types of lacing: Venetian and buttonhole, with Venetian proving the most practical for the larger projects because it covers the edges thoroughly.

      Tools and Equipment

      THE tools and equipment used for tooling and carving are illustrated and described in this section. The information presented about them is general, but gives adequate specifications to guide the craftsman in purchasing or making them.

      Many of the tools for lightweight craft- and art-leather tooling are rather common to the home workshop and to the school shop or laboratory. Some of these more simple tools are shown in Fig. 2: a tracer and spoon modeler, a pair of scissors, an ordinary small wooden mallet, a rubber-cement ap-plicator or brush, and a lead pencil for tracing or drawing designs.

      Fig. 2. A Few Basic Tools for Art-Leather Tooling.

      Many of the tools needed for light-and heavy-leather work may be procured at a minimum cost from a variety or ten-cent store. A few of them, especially the stamping tools, can be made in the school or home workshop.

      The tools needed for leather carving and heavy tooling are slightly more specialized than those used for elementary or lighter tooling and stamping. The beginner can do many of the processes for successful carving and tooling with a minimum number of tools; however, as he progresses he will wish to acquire a more complete kit so that he will be able to develop and execute the more difficult designs and projects.

      General Tools

      Figures 3 and 3a show some of the more essential and special tools for leatherwork. They are listed by number and will be described in numerical sequence.

      BALL-PEEN HAMMER—for setting rivets and snaps. Any metal hammer may be used for this purpose.

      RAWHIDE MAUL—for driving stamping tools. One type is shown in several illustrations throughout this book, but any good rawhide maul or wooden mallet will suffice.

      DRIVE PUNCH—to punch holes which cannot be readily reached with a hand punch. Drive punches are available in sizes ranging from the smallest (No. 00) to the largest (No. 10). The craftsman will want to use the size which corresponds to the fastening size.

      Fig. 3. Leathercraft Tools.

      Fig. 3a. Leathercraft Tools .

      to 1 inch.

      JUNIOR STEEL SQUARE—to measure straight line markings, and for general layout work. The usual shop try square or framing square is suitable.

      DRAW-GAUGE KNIFE—to cut belts and various straps. This knife is available with or without an adjustable handle. The 4-inch size is recommended.

      BEVEL-EDGE KNIFE—for cutting leather and for skiving. There are several knives of a similar shape which will prove as satisfactory for cutting leather. A kitchen paring knife can be ground to do acceptable work.

      Fig. 4. Single-Tube Lacing-Gauge Punch with Space and Depth Gauges.

      SNAP-SETTING OUTFIT—for setting and fastening snap buttons. There are many types of snap-setting outfits, and all will be satisfactory provided that they fit the snap-button assembly.

      EDGE-TRIMMER—for dressing edges of leather. A No. 1 or No. 2 edger is adequate, but the No. 1 is preferred.

      METAL EDGE-CREASER—ideal for edge-creasing belts and edges of other leather projects. The metal creaser will prove more sturdy than some of the more common wood ones. The No. 3 or No. 4 is ideal.

      LACING-GAUGE PUNCH—to punch holes for lacing, buckles, snap attachments, and adjustment holes. Punches are obtainable with either single-or revolving-type tubes. The revolving punch is available in four- or six-tube sizes ranging from No. 00 to No. 10. Many of the single-tube punches, one of which is shown in Fig. 4, have depth- and hole-spacing gauges. A punch with both adjustments is highly desirable for beginners, especially for straight-edge work.

      SWIVEL KNIFE—used for carving leather. There are several types of knives available, but all of them work on the swivel principle, and most of them have interchangeable large and small blades for the various stages of carving and decorating.

      SCRATCH AWL OR SCRIBER—used for laying out designs. A regular machinist’s scriber or a

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