Weather you are looking for something to do on your vacant time and at the same time you want to earn a living, or you just want to have a new hobby to invest your spare time, surely doing some leather crafts will provide you fun ways of express your creative self.
Leather is a very versatile material and there are a lot of interesting things that you can create out of leather.
Leather crafts ranges from personalized key chains for your special friends to highly sophisticated and stylish leather bags, belts and other accessories.
Leather craft books and kits also provide lots of patterns and excellent crafts ideas.
There are several techniques mentioned in leather crafts books that are commonly used.
One of this is dyeing; this involves the use of alcohol based dyes, shoe polish can be used as an alternative in dyeing and in preserving leather.
Next technique is painting.
In leather painting the paint only remains on the surface unlike in dyeing where in the paint is absorbed by the leather.
In this technique acrylic paint is commonly used.
Carving is another technique used by hobbyist and professionals alike that are usually sited in leather craft books.
This technique involves metal implements used to compress moistened leather to produce a three dimensional look in a two dimensional surface.
In this technique the commonly used tools are swivel knife, pear shader, beveler, seeder, veiner, cam and background tools.
Craftsmen also use punch type tools that are struck with wooden, nylon or rawhide mallet.
Next technique is stamping.
This technique involves the use of shaped tools or stamps to make an imprint on the leather surface.
Usually the imprints on the surface of the leather are created by striking the stamps in water damped leather surface with a mallet.
Water makes the surface of the leather softer and able to compress the designs imprinted on it.
To make the imprint last longer the leather is treated with oils and fats to make it water proof and avoid the fibers from deforming.