Home-Made Stamping Tools

Like anyone whose been plying their craft for multiple decades, I've built up an impressive set of tools.
In the way of most working-class artisans, it was put together one tool at a time. My most lusted-after items in those long-ago early years were the stamping tools that are so critical to what I do. The half-dozen that I started with were enough, but only barely!
It was Dad that suggested that I could make my own with heavy nails and his bench grinder. An afternoon in his workshop more than doubled my stamp supply; better still, they were unique and kind of funky, different from anything commercially available.
The first step, of course, is to remove the point from the tip to fashion a strike-end.
Then work at the edges and the surface of the nail-head to create your desired imprint shape.
I did a couple with the large spikes, but they really chewed up Dad's grinding wheel. So I went to a smaller size, which worked well. I also did one with a cement nail - that one is a favorite because I can reverse it and use the strike-end to make a diamond mark.
With just a few cents worth of nails (and another few dollars to replace the grinding wheel that I pretty much wore away) I created a handful of stamping tools that I still use to this day.
All of these tooling examples were made with at least one of these stamps. The black wristband design at the bottom is entirely made of homemade tools.


The message, of course, is that you needn't be limited by convention. I consider this just further proof that the old adage about necessity and invention holds true!

Mystery Braid

One of the coolest things I learned early in my leather-crafting history was the three-part inside trick braid, known far and wide as the Mystery Braid. The mystery of this braid, and the fun, lies in the fact that it's braided with both ends closed.
People often surmise that there are cleverly hidden slices and splices involved. Not so. As the name implies, there's a trick to it... an inside trick that I've put into a short tutorial video for you. In less than two minutes you can see how it's done -- in no time at all you can master this trick braid yourself! You'll find the video box at the bottom of this post or, if you prefer a larger view-window, you can see it on You Tube by clicking here.
A few points to remember: Braiding will shorten what you're working on, so measuring can be tricky. The amount of shortening depends on how thick your material is, how long the item is and how tightly you braid.
You'll want to experiment with this, but a good beginning rule of thumb for making full-grain leather belts or wristbands is to cut the plaits longer than the area you want braided by about 1/2 inch for every ten inches of braid.
In other words, if you want a twenty-inch section of a belt braided, cut your slices twenty-one inches long. I punch a hole at the end of each slice for tidiness and to help the ends of the braid to lie smooth.
All dyes and finishes should be applied before you braid, including your edge-coating. Vegetable-tanned tooling leather should be wet before braiding -- this won't hurt the leather finishes I normally use; if you are unsure of your products, you'll want to do a test-braid first. I always retreat the finished braid after it dries with a spray silicon for added protection.
With just a bit of practice you'll be weaving mysteries of your own!

Making a Four-Part Round Braid

A four-part round braid is very versatile.
It's used for everything from bolo ties and belts to horse tack and whips. It's my preferred strap for purses and pouches, being both handsome and strong. It's also the thing I'm asked to teach more often than any other crafting skill I have.
So I've made a two-minute video demonstrating the four-part round braid.
Click the play button on the video window below to watch it or, if you prefer a larger view window, watch it on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0afO40tsqAc
Once you learn how to make this braid, play around with mixing colors. You can get some interesting looking braids depending on the number of colors and their placement.
I finish mine off by stitching through the layers of leather with artificial sinew and binding with a double wrap-around. This secures the ends from coming loose and is easy to conceal with a leather wrap.
(This braid can be made with thinner materials by using a rope or cord as a center core and wrapping your four parts around it!)
For anyone interested in learning more about leather braiding or fancy knot tying, I recommend the book Leather Braiding by Bruce Grant. It's extremely easy to learn from, with wonderful illustrations by Larry Spinelli. Available through your Public Library or favorite bookstore.

Adding Color to Leather

Tooling leather comes naked. No color, no finishes.

It's essential to the process of tooling, as the leather has to be able to absorb water freely and evenly and any dyes or finishes impair that ability.
Dyes and color come after all the tooling is done and there are a variety of products and tools for getting naked leather dressed up. I have my favorites -- the ones I find most faithful after years of trial and error.
For making leather black or brown I prefer a penetrating oil-based dye. It gives superior color and evenness, and the colors do not have a tendency to bleed or rub off.
This dye has very hazardous fumes; it's combustible and toxic, so adequate ventilation is essential to your health and well-being. If you don't have a strong exhaust fan specially rated for such things, then I recommend you dye outside whenever possible.
If your yard is 3 feet deep in snow like mine, then open the windows and employ a fan and a protective mask. Seriously! Use gloves, too -- this dye will penetrate your skin as readily as leather.
I like wool daubers for application on small projects. For larger items I prefer a sponge brush. I advise against an air-brush without a special set-up for exhausting the atomized combustible particles. I do 2 coats of color for complete coverage. It's finished off with an edge-coating, an application of a conditioner and a water-resistant beeswax finish.

Sometimes black or brown won't complete the picture -- sometimes a bit of color is required!

I use ceramic-grade acrylic color. It bonds well to the leather -- better than some of the leather-specific acrylics! The variety of colors available is impressive and it's readily available at most craft stores. My preferred brand is prominently displayed in the photo ;-)
It mixes well, thins with water and applies easily with a brush. It has no toxic fumes, which is nice!

Once it dries completely a protective edge-coat is run around the outer beveled edge.

Then a highlighting product is applied generously, taking care to work it into the impressions.

Once the excess is wiped away, the remaining highlighter mellows the background and makes the detail pop! To finish my colored leather I use a coat of conditioner and then a spray silicon sealant.

Don't you just love color?

Holiday Traditions

My family has many Holiday traditions, some new and some that go back through generations.
One of our favorite and longest-standing is the annual yum of Thumbprint Cookies.
I remember helping my mother make them when i was very small, and my children grew up helping me. When my oldest daughter spent the Holiday season in Italy during college, her one request from home was for a tin of these favored treats. My youngest daughter agrees -- it's just not Christmas if there aren't any Thumbprints!
This is an unusual cookie recipe -- It contains equal amounts of ground nuts and flour, giving them a wonderful texture. There isn't much sugar to the recipe, and no eggs or leavening products. Trust me; none of this is a typo!
They bake on low heat and will come out of the oven looking very much like they did when they went in.
But my oh my! Very rich, nutty and flaky; they are sure to become a favorite with anyone who tries them!

So Merry Christmas -- my gift to you is this wonderful family recipe... enjoy!

Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Cup all-purpose flour
Dash of salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Cup finely ground walnuts or pecans (I use walnuts)

For filling; chocolate chips, apple jelly

Combine and set aside:
Flour
Salt

Cream together in Large Mixing bowl or food processor:
Butter
Powdered sugar
after these are well blended, add vanilla and stir just long enough to mix it in.

Add dry ingredients, 1/2 at a time, mixing well between halves. Add nuts and continue working the batter until you have a firm ball and a clean bowl.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

To Bake:
Preheat oven to 300f

Spoon off teaspoon-sized chunks from the batter ball and roll into small balls, about the size of a large marble. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2" apart.
Make an indentation with your thumb and fill with chocolate chips or a small bit of apple jelly. (For a festive holiday look, the apple jelly can be dyed red or green with food coloring -- I'm a purist and prefer the natural gold color.)

Bake for 20 minutes.
Cool for several minutes before removing from cookie sheet with a spatula. Cool completely before eating.

How many you get depends on how big you roll them -- I get about 2 1/2 dozen per batch, and I always make several batches! (Multiple batches should be prepared separately and not combined for 1 larger batch.)

This is a cookie that benefits from being made ahead of time, as they are even better after sitting in a tin or covered container overnight!

Stitching Leather Together

I have nothing against sewing machines. In fact I own 3, each tweaked for different types of materials. When putting cowhide together, however, I usually prefer the low-tech high-strength methods. Here are two of my favorites.

For the joining of multiple layers of heavy leather, as with this axe sheath, I like my stitching awl. It's a heavy duty little tool!

The waxed thread feeds from a center-mounted spool through a groove in the needle.

It's a push-pull operation; push the needle through a prepunched hole, pull back to create a loop, then pass thread through the loop on the other side of the project and pull the needle out. This creates a strong, tight and durable lock-stitch.

The leverage provided by the hand-held awl is very useful when working with heavy leather.

When I put something together, I intend for it to stay together!

Though there are certainly machines that could handle the thickness, the precision and control of hand-stitching creates a finished result that I consider superior.

For lightweight leather, I prefer the two-needle method. One piece of the same heavy waxed thread i use in the awl with needles at both ends. The needles are passed back and forth through the same holes, making fast work of any job. Pulling each stitch ultra tight is key!

The end result is strong and very stable. It's my stitch of choice for my Earth Medallions, as well as for wallets and small leather bags.

There are many other methods of joining leather, including decorative lacing. We'll cover those in a future post!