Leathercraft is a process of making leather into some specific craft object. By using some techniques like shaping, colouring. These techniques will have unique features that give a clear difference among themselves. In the modern world, leather craft workshop becomes more popular. People give some techniques more important while compared to other techniques.
Modern leather making techniques
Dyeing – Solvent carried the application of pigments into the pores of the leather. This can be applied to tooled and un tooled leather also, for collaboration or to highlight the specific areas. Some examples are application with tooled piece leads to the background areas with some depth and contrast. Leather dyeing is available in all forms like oil, water, and alcohol. In these form, water is a poor based because it is poor penetration and not worked well.
Painting – Leather dyeing and leather painting are totally different. In paints, it remains only on the surface but leather absorbs dyes. Because of this major difference leather painting techniques will not work in bend items, it receives friction such items are wallet, belt. These items will bend so it may crack and wear off also. For these items, latex paints are used to rectify them. Normal leather paint is worked in a flat piece because it contains stiff board on the backside so it was possible to paint the surface with secured.
Carving – These techniques are used to compress the moistened leather by implementing the metal to a three-dimensional surface. Cutting the surface of the leather is not intended but it is done in filigree. There are some tools that are used for carving techniques. They are seeder, being, pear, swivel knife, etc; it is all used for various sculpting techniques and also used as a background tool. The swivel knife is the only tool used with one finger that putting pressure downward and it goes against leather to give outline patterns. And other tools are used to implement with wooden, metal, etc. This swivel knife gives extra benefits to texture and depth for lines in the area. To create the imprint onto a surface of the leather is done with the help of leather stamping as similar as striking the stamps with a mallet.
There are various commercial stamps are available in the world. Each stamp has different designs and each stamp represents the animals. Most of the stamping is done in vegetables tanned leather. This process makes the leather dampen with water so that it soaks in the fiber surface. Usage of water makes the leather softer and compresses the design by being pressed or stamped. After the leather is stamped well, it will not fade until it becomes wet. When it is oil conditioned that makes a design throughout life and makes it waterproof. It also prevents fibers.
Shaping – Leather shaping is a piece of leather that soaks with water to increase pliability and the process continues to shape the object with hands in a unique form. After it dries, it holds the shape as much as possible. After the moulding process only carving or stamping will be done. Moulding becomes a hobbyist that relates to craft in fantasy. Steampunk culture displays a well classic style in leather bags and other household items.