How to Carve Leather
The fine art of leather carving has been an artistic skill for centuries. Generally, craftsmen hand make leather carvings out of tooling leather, which is durable and designed to hold up after carving. The carving requires several specialized craft tools, including cutters. Practice leather carving on scrap pieces before working on a final product.
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Things You'll Need
- Leather 2-3 oz
- Duct tape or sturdy tape that will stick to leather
- Cup of water
- Sponge
- Mallet
- Marble slab
- Stencil film
- Swivel knife
- Craft tools such as 8059, B200, F976 and M880
Instructions
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1
Sketch your design onto a clear piece of thin stencil film. Position design onto piece of leather. Tape one end of film firmly to the leather.
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2
Moisten the sponge. Pull the film back from the leather while keeping it taped. Evenly wet the leather then replace the film
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3
With craft tool 8059, start tracing your design on the stencil while pressing firmly to create a good impression on the leather. You may need to rewet the leather several times before finishing transferring the design. Remove the stencil film.
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4
Go over the design with the swivel knife, making cuts along every line. Hold the swivel knife perpendicular to the leather at a slight angle so you cut with the front of the swivel blade. Remoisten the leather as needed for the cuts to easily go into the leather but not through it.
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5
Use craft tool B200, or another beveler, and a mallet for stamping. Keep the tool straight up and tap it with the mallet to stamp on the lines of the design. Use the F976 or other stamping tools to get to tighter places. Start with your smooth tools first then finish with the checked tools.
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6
Add textured areas with craft tool M880, border or figure carving tools. When stamping, keep moving and turning the tool to make a textured pattern.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep your finger nails short, they will leave marks on leather.
Tape the back of your leather to a work surface before tooling to keep the leather in place and prevent it from losing its shape.
Once done, use a stain or dye to color the piece, and finish it with a sealer such as Super Sheen.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
