Hi crafters,

One of my favorite things to do is to teach others the art of Leatherworking! That's why I launched my Crafter's Collection, and started teaching virtual classes. Today, I'd love to bring some of this knowledge into the Inner Circle for all of my lovely members to enjoy! Read on for tips on how to tool veg-tanned leather using a swivel knife and the 2 most-used leather stamping tools.

I've also included all 3 of my leather tooling patterns from my Crafter's Collection! You can download these PDF's, print them out, and then use them to transfer the tooling pattern onto your leather. Click below to print your pattern, and read on for the instructions!

And if you'd like to dive deeper into leathercrafting, be sure to check out my pre-cut Crafter's Kits and fully assembled Tool Packs.

I hope you enjoy learning a bit about my favorite craft!

Much love,
Marin

3 Inch Knotwork Pattern

Adorned with a bindrune for protection of the home and family.

Printable Stencil

Tooling Key

6 Inch Knotwork Pattern

Adorned with a bindrune for luck and good fortune.

Printable Stencil

Tooling Key

9 Inch Knotwork Pattern

Adorned with a bindrune for inner shadow work and self improvement.

Printable Stencil (Left Half)

Printable Stencil (Right Half)

Tooling Key

Instructions

Tools and Supplies

- Vegetable Tanned Leather
- Wide Painter's Tape
- Hard wood or stone slab
- Sponge
- Bowl of Water
- Ballpoint pen
- Swivel Knife
- Wooden Mallet
- Leather Stamping Tools: Beveler and Backgrounder

1. Pattern Transfer

Once you've printed your tooling pattern, it's time to transfer the pattern onto the leather.

First you need to back the leather with wide painter's tape, to ensure that the tooling doesn't warp the piece. Overlap the tape slightly so that it covers the back completely. (In leatherworking, the "back" is the rough "flesh" side and the "surface" is the smooth "grain" side).

Then, it's time to wet the surface of your leather. Dunk your sponge into your bowl of water, then wet the grain surface of the leather with an even coat, until the entire surface is dark brown. Wait 1 minute, until the surface of the leather is no longer damp or dark, but it’s still cool to the touch. A sign of perfectly cased leather is when a stamp impression leaves a dark brown mark and doesn’t bounce back. If an impression does not leave a dark mark while you
are tooling, it is time to re-wet your leather.

Once your leather is wet, lay the pattern paper onto the surface of your leather and start tracing over the template lines with a ballpoint pen. There is no need to put a lot of force behind the pen - you only need just enough pressure to make a slight impression in the leather underneath the template.

2. Carving Outlines

After you transfer your tooling template onto your leather, it’s time to carve the outlines of the design with your Swivel Knife. Hold the midsection of the swivel knife with your thumb, middle finger, and ring finger, with the knife pointing down toward the leather. Rest your pointer finger in the cradle at the top. Touch the far end of the blade to the leather, and drag the knife towards you to cut. Use your pointer finger pressure to “steer” the knife around corners and turns as you swivel the blade side to side with your thumb and middle finger. You want the cut to be no more than half as deep as the thickness of the leather.

3. Using the Beveler

Once you cut your outlines, you’re ready to start stamping with your Beveler Stamping Tool and Mallet. Beveling gives the impression of “depth” in leather tooling. When you bevel one side of a cut, it brings a 3-D effect to the edge of your design. When making a stamping impression with the Beveler, always make sure that the “point” of the stamp is placed in the groove of the cut, so that you create a smooth edge out of the cut line.

*Tip: When stamping, you don’t need to hammer very hard! Just hold the stamping tool tightly with your thump and first two fingers, and hover the stamp just a millimeter above the surface of the leather. try “walking” the stamp slowly towards you, while lightly tapping the end with your mallet in a repetitive motion.*

4. Using the Backgrounder

Using the Backgrounder Stamping Tool and Mallet, you can take the 3-D effect even further by compressing an entire section of the leather and making it look like the “background” of the design. You can use the Background tool two different ways: You can hold the stamping tool perpendicular to the surface of the leather and hammer a flat impression, or you can hold the stamping tool at an angle and lightly make a beveled impression with just the pointed tip of the stamp. This is useful for creating depth in corners.

Congratulations!

You have tooled your first design onto leather! Now the question is, what will you turn it into?