Leather can be unforgiving at times. Make a mistake at the wrong point of the process and the piece you are working on can be spoiled. There are a few simple rules you can follow to make sure you make as few mistakes as possible. These are some of mine.
- Take of all wrings, watches and bracelets. Jewellery can easily leave marks on the leather, especially when you are wet-molding.
- Be as neat and tidy as you can. I keep a flat baking tray on my bench for the tools I have out. Always sweep up scraps as soon as you've finished punching, cutting or bevelling etc. This can leave marks on leather - as can unused rivets and eyelets.
- When dying edges, always rotate the item away from you. This means you are usually holding undyed leather and by the time you are holding a dyed section it will be touch dry. This helps stop dye getting where it shouldn't.
- The first time you think 'phew, nearly made a mistake' take a break. You've probably been concentrating for ages and are tired.
- Measure twice, cut once. The first rule of carpentry and it applies here too.
- Never cut directly towards you. A knife that can cut thick leather will be sharp. Leather is animal skin, and you are an animal covered in skin.
- Keep your knife (and your other tools) sharp, change the blade regularly. A blunt blade needs more pressure to cut and so can slip more easily. There's more chance of mistakes and it's less safe. You should be able to cut all but the very thickest leathers with a single stroke.
OK, time to go, I'll come back to this if I think of some more.
2 Comments
Working with the slightly thicker leather (3.5 to 4mm), has been really good, and I like the little bit of extra stiffness and weight the armour has. |
AuthorDave Gullen, leather craftsman, writer, and grower of tree ferns. Archives
November 2008
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