TOOLS FOR CARVING
Leather carving is accomplished using three main tools: - Swivel Knife- used to make the bold cuts that define the pattern or image being carved
- Rawhide or Poly Mallet - used to drive the stamps used to mat down the background and create shading and patterns
- Stamp set - A set of stamping tools used to shape and color the leather to create the final image. Usually contains at minimum a beveler, pear shader, seeder, and background tool, but sets often contain other tools and sometimes several variations on the same tool.
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LEATHER PREPARATION
All leather needs to be prepared a certain way for leather carvers to carve the leather. The leather carver soaks the leather with water, thus making the leather easier to tool. If the leather ends up too wet it will not hold a sharply defined carving. Properly cased leather feels cool to the touch, and has the feel of firm, wet clay.
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