lea-tooling-msg – 6/26/05
Leather tooling. decorating leather.
NOTE: See also the files: leather-msg, leather-bib, leather2-bib, leather-dyeing-msg, lea-bladders-msg, lea-tanning-msg, tools-msg, tools-bib.
************************************************************************
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Stefan at florilegium.org
************************************************************************
From: Ron Charlotte <roncharlotte at delphi.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: CRAFTS: Leather Sources?
Date: Tue, 18 Oct 94 21:11:25 -0500
Kate Jones <kate at ds9.lesn.lehigh.edu> writes:
>Second: Are there any good resources out there on period leatherworking?
>I'd like anything from what they made to how they made it to the tools
>they used. Alas, I go to an engineering school and the art resources here
>are limited, but if I have a title and author I can get my friend the
>resource librarian to ILL them for me. Thank you!
>
>Rhian the Subtle
I would recommend _Handtools of the Arts and Crafts_, by the Diagram Group
It illustrates a huge variety of tools for both general and specialty
leatherwork, and includes pictures of period examples of several. It's a
good start.
al Thaalibi -- An Crosire, Trimaris
Ron Charlotte -- roncharlotte at delphi.com or afn03234 at freenet.ufl.edu
Gainesville, FL
From: beckum at aol.com (BECKUM)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Crafts: Leather Tooling
Date: 4 May 1995 21:09:33 -0400
One other item of note. In the leather tooling that I do, I do not cut my
designs into the leather, nor do I make muck use of stamps. I tool my
leather with an awl when it is wet. It can produce texturing that is very
deep and well defined, with out having to make cuts into the hide.
I have been told by other SCA leather workers that it is a very period
method of tooling leather, though the documentation they refered it
escapes me again.
Beckum
From: cmhelm at artsci.wustl.EDU (Catherine Marie Helm)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: CRAFTS: Leather
Date: 4 May 1995 17:47:12 -0400
I shouldn't be doing this... I should really be studying... I'm so
tired of studying...
In response to I. Marc Carlson's very nice post on leather decoration
in "period," I would add the following as documentation for examples
of painting on leather (other than the occational passing mention in
someone's text).
If you can find it, you can see very clearly that the tooled (blunt
tooling, not cuir cisele') celtic knots on the very well-known
Stonyhurst Bible binding were painted, Plate II of Waterer's _Leather
and Craftsmanship_, Faber & Faber LTD., London, 1950. This
photographic plate is the best photo of the Stonyhurst Bible I've
found to date. Diehl does not include a photo plate of the Stonyhurst
Bible but does confirm in her text that "the incised lines still show
a trace of color." <E. Diehl, Bookbinding, Vol. 1, Dover Books, NY,
c.1946,1980, p. 109.> The Stonyhurst Bible is 7th C.
Another good example of paint on leather is from Der Katalog des
Deutsches Ledermuseums und Deutsches Schuhmuseums, color plate
("Tafel") III, (Universita:tsdruckerei, H. Stu:rtz AG, Wu:rzburg,
1967) < the colon symbols are for umlauts >. The item is a 14th
C. leather cover, with figures of ladies and minnesingers cavorting
about under four gothic arches. Tons 'o' paint! Unfortunately this
reference is scarce to non-existent in the English-speaking world.
Unlike the Waterer books, many of which sit on shelves in university
libraries all over the place, German- language leather refs are hard
to find, unless you're in Germany or Austria.
I sure I could dig up more refs with pictures of paint on leather but
I really should quit procrastinating. I had the two refs I just cited
on my worktable in easy reach, since I had them out to take to the
Known World A&S Collegium this past weekend (a really neat event! if
you didn't go, you missed out).
I have a brief bad idea, one which I can not even dream of pursuing
for a few weeks. It goes like this: I have nifty leather refs and
so do a few of my friends. However, we don't all have the same leather
refs and so trading bibliographies is a good idea. Very often, just
knowing a book exists is more than half the battle in tracking it
down. I've been writing up various documentation bits on leather
for a couple of years now, making what is essentially an annotated
bibliography. If people have handy lists of their leather refs, could
I interest anyone in swapping lists?
(Replies should be sent directly to my email address - I do not read
this or any other list/newsgroup with regularity as I am in the middle
of studying for my comprehensive written test for PhD candidacy, which
starts at the end of next week. I can not guarentee that I will answer
email promptly until after the middle of May. Patience, please!)
Ah *sigh*, back to the school books...
Twcs the Procrastinator/cmhelm at artsci.wustl.edu
From: IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu (I. Marc Carlson)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Crafts: Leather Tooling (Revised)
Date: 4 May 1995 14:46:44 -0500
I've given this some revision, with the help of some comments by
<Thora Sharptooth <Priest at vaxsar.vassar.edu>>. Any comments?
Criticisms? added sources?
After spending some time browsing through various sources,
including Waterer's _Leather Craftsmanship_ last night, and his
_Leather and the warrior_, the methods of leather "Tooling" or
ornamentation appear to be:
Applique
This refers to the techniques of attaching other things
to the surface of the leather, to decorate it. These can
include paper-mache, other pieces of leather, decorative
riveting, plaster/Gesso, etc.
Combinations
There are few instances of combining techniques such as
Incising and Stamping, such as is done in much modern
leatherworking, however, that should not be taken as a
solid statement that such was not done. Items that use
both include catalog nos. 22-23 in _Dress Accessories_,
both belts.
Cutting (or often referred to as Carving)
Incising
Taking a knife, or in modern tooling, a swivel knife, and
inscribing a design into the surface of the leather.
Note that a dull knife can leave a much larger "line"
than a sharp one, and will not weaken the surface
strength as much. This is *possibly* the most common
method of ornamentation for leather during the Middle
Ages. Numerous examples can be found in _Knives and
Scabbards_, _Shoes and Pattens_, etc.
Carving
Technically, this is the technique of undercutting the
leather surface and making it physically stand out from
the general surface of the leather.
Cutout
Creating designed by punching holes in the leather.
There
are examples of this in _Shoes and Pattens_, as well as
the various fields on the burial shield of the Black
Prince (shown in _Leather and the Warrior_).
Sgraffio or Scraping
Scraping away parts of the surface to create an overall
effect. There are examples of this in _Shoes and
Pattens_ and _Leather and the Warrior_.
Impressing
Stamping or Punching
Using a hammer and unheated metal "Irons" to create a
pattern, or set a single image. There are a few examples
of examples of these in _Knives and Scabbards_, most
often to create a repeating motif of a single design
element.
Blind Stamping
Impressing by means of heated metal stamps, touched to
the leather. This is the method of ornamentation used on
books, and other items using very thin leathers.
Creasing or Veining.
This is referred to a single or double line, often used
to
create a decorative border edge on leather. It is done
with either heated metal irons, or by friction with
wooden tools. It is essentially similar to blind
stamping in that it uses heated metal to create a design.
Cuerro Gofrado
Rather like "Blind Stamping", this rather lays the
leather atop a heated metal design, and pressed down onto
it, creating a multilayered effect. It seems to have not
been common beyond Spain and Italy.
Poker Work/Pyrogravure
This also uses a heated tool, but rather than to impress
the design into the surface, to burn the surface with a
very hot metal, in much the same way as a Branding Iron
or a Running Iron works.
Gold Stamping.
This is a means of imbedding gold leaf patterns into the
surface of the leather.
Modelling
Creating a bas relief in the leather using a number of
techniques, including carving. There is a 13th C piece
from a Dublin dig that shows evidence of this, although
it may have been done with simple impression and molding,
as well, or a combination of techniques.
Molding or Moulding
May include molds and/or countermolds to create the
design. It would appear that many molds for Bottels,
etc. rather than having the leather go around the mold,
often have the leather pressed inTO the mold.
Painting.
There are few examples of painting on leather that have
survived, but these include a Roman Scutum (_Leather and
the Warrior_), the Scabbard of St. Maurice, c.1200-500
(_Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight_), a number of
painted artifacts housed at the Cloisters, in NYC, etc.
"Mihi Satis Apparet Propter Diarmuit Ui Dhuinn
Se Ipsum Appetenda Sapientia" University of Northkeep
-- St. Dunstan Northkeepshire, Ansteorra
(I. Marc Carlson/IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: Madoc <NASH_JOHN/HPBRIT_C6 at hpcpbla.bri.hp.com>
Subject: Re: CRAFTS: Leather Tooling
Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 15:33:04 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard
priest at vaxsar.vassar.edu wrote:
>
> Greeting from Thora Sharptooth!
>
> In categorizing types of leatherwork, Diarmuit (IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu) wrote:
>
> > Combination - Using both Cutting and stamping in combination to make a design.
> > This is used in most forms of modern leather tooling, but I
> > cannot recall any such forms in the period examples we have seen.
>
> Catalogue numbers 22-23 in _Dress Accessories_, both belts, are both stamped
> and incised. (I am assuming that "incised work" falls under your category of
> "cutting.")
>
> > Moulding - A design that has been engraved on a piece of wood can be pressed
> > into a piece of leather stretched over the form. Many period
> > leather bottles were made in this fashion, as well as a number
> > of examples of materials shown in Waterer's books. It is my
> > suspicion that the "Arms of Henry VIII" found on the bracer
> > recovered from the Mary Rose, is an example of this, but I may
> > be in error, since all I can see are photos. There is a bit
> > of decorated leather found in a Dublin sewer that was either
> > done like this, or embossed (my opinion).
>
> In my opinion, the Dublin piece (thirteenth century) could just as easily have
> been a combination of stamped work and embossing. The basic design (animals
> and vegetation) would have been laid out and rough worked by pressing or
> modeling, then the background would be stamped with a small round stamp befire
> the main design is finished. My opinion is based partly on the fact that my
> husband's leatherwork is done almost exclusively by pressing into wet leather
> to raise an area of decoration, and the end result looks much like the main
> design of that piece. Additionally, the background dots in the piece appear to
> have been worked in rows; they follow the rough lines of the main design rather
> than being the smooth all-over pelleted background I would expect from wood
> carving. (Granted, that is based on my understanding of Viking Age
> woodcarving, which is somewhat earlier.)
> ......................<snip>
What about burning (poker-art) ???
On light leather you can burn, using a soldering iron with a
sharp tip, a series of dots and lines that are black.
They last for a very long time and you can create some very
complicated designs (including some of the really difficult ones
from the book of kells)
This method of decoration is authentic for the period 800-1100
(see sheaths in the Yorvik viking centre) and probably before and
after those dates.
madoc
From: priest at vaxsar.vassar.edu
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: CRAFTS: Leather Tooling
Date: 5 May 95 22:48:06 +1000
Organization: Vassar College
Greeting from Thora Sharptooth!
I'd like to add my voice to that of al Thaalibi, who wrote:
> Madoc (NASH_JOHN/HPBRIT_C6 at hpcpbla.bri.hp.com) wrote:
> Deleted stuff
>
> : What about burning (poker-art) ???
>
> : On light leather you can burn, using a soldering iron with a
> : sharp tip, a series of dots and lines that are black.
> : They last for a very long time and you can create some very
> : complicated designs (including some of the really difficult ones
> : from the book of kells)
>
> : This method of decoration is authentic for the period 800-1100
> : (see sheaths in the Yorvik viking centre) and probably before and
> : after those dates.
>
> Could I please, pretty please have the source of your information.
What he said!
In _Anglo-Scandinavian Finds from Lloyds Bank, Pavement, and Other Sites_,
which has write-ups on two leather sheaths from Jorvik, Dominic Tweddle refers
to the decoration as "incised" (p. 142). These are the two sheaths that are
also written up in the exhibition catalogue _The Vikings in England and in
Their Danish Homeland_ (p. 119); no mention is made of burning there either.
Are there other sheaths from Jorvik?
****************************************************************************
Carolyn Priest-Dorman Thora Sharptooth
Poughkeepsie, NY Frosted Hills ("where's that?")
priest at vassar.edu East Kingdom
Gules, three square weaver's tablets in bend Or
****************************************************************************
From: afn03234 at usenet.freenet.ufl.edu (Ronald L. Charlotte)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: CRAFTS: Leather Tooling
Date: 4 May 1995 23:10:40 GMT
I. Marc Carlson (IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu) wrote:
: Leather tooling can be divided into ... specific categories:
: "Stamping" - Taking stamps and whacking them with hammers to make impressions
: in the leather. We have several cases (as shown in Knives
: and Scabbards) of this.
: "Cutting" - Taking a knife (or in modern terms a swivel knife) and inscribing
: the design into the surface. Note that a dull knife will not
: necessarily cut through the skin of the leather. There are
: also examples of this in Knives and Scabbards.
: Combination - Using both Cutting and stamping in combination to make a design.
: This is used in most forms of modern leather tooling, but I
: cannot recall any such forms in the period examples we have seen.
: Note however, with a few of these objects, it is possible that
: Stamping was erased by the swelling of the leather in humidity.
: There is an Elizabethan example of Cutting that is vaguely
: reminiscent of the modern "American Floral" designs that *could*
: be such a case (Citation forgotten).
I think that someone has already discussed the pieces in _Dress
Accessories_ using this combination of techniques. In _Leather as Art
and Craft_ by Thelma Newman (ISBN 0 517 505754), there is very clear
photo of a leather covered box from 15th C. Italy (currently in the
Metropolitin Museum of Art) that has a overall design that could pass for
the modern tooling style with ease. It is quite possible for such
tooling to be done only using stamping tools, but the edges of such work
are usually not as sharply defined as the cut and tooled work.
: Embossing - This is done by pressing a hot metal stamp onto the leather. It
: is most often found on thin leathers, such as book bindings (and
: is the main reason that if a saddlemaker starts talking to a
: bookbinder about leather tooling, they will soon get confused).
: Moulding - A design that has been engraved on a piece of wood can be pressed
: into a piece of leather stretched over the form. Many period
: leather bottles were made in this fashion, as well as a number
: of examples of materials shown in Waterer's books. It is my
: suspicion that the "Arms of Henry VIII" found on the bracer
: recovered from the Mary Rose, is an example of this, but I may
: be in error, since all I can see are photos. There is a bit
: of decorated leather found in a Dublin sewer that was either
: done like this, or embossed (my opinion).
: Painting - I believe we have some items that indicate that they were painted,
: but no examples of actual painted artifacts survive.
Well, there is the reference in Cennini's _The Craftsman's Handbook_
concerning making helms and crests of leather. In this case, the leather
was to be gesso coated and treated as any other material. There are an
few of the surviving leather tapestries described in _Spainish Leather_
by Waterer that either show traces of paint, or were described in
inventories as having been painted.
Paint is a tough one, the acidic content of veg tanned leather doesn't
seem to be very friendly to a lot of the pigments and mediums used in
period, especially over long time spans. The stuff preserved in buried
conditions that saved the leather itself seemed to be even more so.
Now, dying the leather was done, but so far all of the references and
recipes I've seen have been limited to green, red, blue, black and
brown. They also seemed to think in terms of dying whole hides and
skins, frequently in concert with the tannage or tawing process.
Judging from bookbindings, leather tapestries, and some of the nicer
items described in inventories, they used gold, silver, and tin leaf on
many items, and often faked up the tin to resemble gold or silver.
Well, that's enough from me for now.
--
al Thaalibi -- An Crosaire, Trimaris
Ron Charlotte -- Gainesville, FL
afn03234 at freenet.ufl.edu or roncharlotte at delphi.com
From: priest at vaxsar.vassar.edu
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: CRAFTS: Leather Tooling
Date: 5 May 95 07:51:23 +1000
Organization: Vassar College
Greeting From Thora Sharptooth!
Al Thaalibi (afn03234 at usenet.freenet.ufl.edu) wrote:
> Now, dying the leather was done, but so far all of the references and
> recipes I've seen have been limited to green, red, blue, black and
> brown.
The _Plictho_ (16th century Italy) also has a recipe for dyeing leather yellow.
And the _Mappae Clavicula_ (Carolingian period) has a recipe for purple.
***************************************************************************
Carolyn Priest-Dorman Thora Sharptooth
Poughkeepsie, NY Frosted Hills ("where's that?")
priest at vassar.edu East Kingdom
Gules, three square weaver's tablets in bend Or
***************************************************************************
From: IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu (I. Marc Carlson)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Crafts: Leather Tooling
Date: 5 May 1995 08:27:53 -0500
<BECKUM <beckum at aol.com>>
>One other item of note. In the leather tooling that I do, I do not cut my
>designs into the leather, nor do I make muck use of stamps. I tool my
>leather with an awl when it is wet.
It is my understanding that most leather is worked while wet, since
working it dry (at least with incision or stamping) you don't get a
lasting impression, or as lasting an impression at least.
I believe the terms for this are Casing (or just being uniformly wet),
and Samming (or having been soaking for a day or so). I am informed
by the person who taught me to work leather that the best way he'd found
to Samm leather was to soak it, wrap it in plastic and stick it in the
refrigerator for a day or so. This leaves the leather in an extremely
plastic condition.
I have no documentation to support the belief that leather was worked
wet in period, other than the lasting impressions we've got to look at.
"Mihi Satis Apparet Propter Diarmuit Ui Dhuinn
Se Ipsum Appetenda Sapientia" University of Northkeep
-- St. Dunstan Northkeepshire, Ansteorra
(I. Marc Carlson/IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu)
From: beckum at aol.com (BECKUM)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Crafts: Leather Tooling
Date: 4 May 1995 21:09:33 -0400
One other item of note. In the leather tooling that I do, I do not cut my
designs into the leather, nor do I make muck use of stamps. I tool my
leather with an awl when it is wet. It can produce texturing that is very
deep and well defined, with out having to make cuts into the hide.
I have been told by other SCA leather workers that it is a very period
method of tooling leather, though the documentation they refered it
escapes me again.
Beckum
From: cmhelm at artsci.wustl.EDU (Catherine Marie Helm)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: CRAFTS: Leather
Date: 4 May 1995 17:47:12 -0400
I shouldn't be doing this... I should really be studying... I'm so
tired of studying...
In response to I. Marc Carlson's very nice post on leather decoration
in "period," I would add the following as documentation for examples
of painting on leather (other than the occational passing mention in
someone's text).
If you can find it, you can see very clearly that the tooled (blunt
tooling, not cuir cisele') celtic knots on the very well-known
Stonyhurst Bible binding were painted, Plate II of Waterer's _Leather
and Craftsmanship_, Faber & Faber LTD., London, 1950. This
photographic plate is the best photo of the Stonyhurst Bible I've
found to date. Diehl does not include a photo plate of the Stonyhurst
Bible but does confirm in her text that "the incised lines still show
a trace of color." <E. Diehl, Bookbinding, Vol. 1, Dover Books, NY,
c.1946,1980, p. 109.> The Stonyhurst Bible is 7th C.
Another good example of paint on leather is from Der Katalog des
Deutsches Ledermuseums und Deutsches Schuhmuseums, color plate
("Tafel") III, (Universita:tsdruckerei, H. Stu:rtz AG, Wu:rzburg,
1967) < the colon symbols are for umlauts >. The item is a 14th
C. leather cover, with figures of ladies and minnesingers cavorting
about under four gothic arches. Tons 'o' paint! Unfortunately this
reference is scarce to non-existent in the English-speaking world.
Unlike the Waterer books, many of which sit on shelves in university
libraries all over the place, German- language leather refs are hard
to find, unless you're in Germany or Austria.
I sure I could dig up more refs with pictures of paint on leather but
I really should quit procrastinating. I had the two refs I just cited
on my worktable in easy reach, since I had them out to take to the
Known World A&S Collegium this past weekend (a really neat event! if
you didn't go, you missed out).
I have a brief bad idea, one which I can not even dream of pursuing
for a few weeks. It goes like this: I have nifty leather refs and
so do a few of my friends. However, we don't all have the same leather
refs and so trading bibliographies is a good idea. Very often, just
knowing a book exists is more than half the battle in tracking it
down. I've been writing up various documentation bits on leather
for a couple of years now, making what is essentially an annotated
bibliography. If people have handy lists of their leather refs, could
I interest anyone in swapping lists?
(Replies should be sent directly to my email address - I do not read
this or any other list/newsgroup with regularity as I am in the middle
of studying for my comprehensive written test for PhD candidacy, which
starts at the end of next week. I can not guarentee that I will answer
email promptly until after the middle of May. Patience, please!)
Ah *sigh*, back to the school books...
Twcs the Procrastinator/cmhelm at artsci.wustl.edu
From: IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu (I. Marc Carlson)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Crafts: Leather Tooling (Revised)
Date: 4 May 1995 14:46:44 -0500
I've given this some revision, with the help of some comments by
<Thora Sharptooth <Priest at vaxsar.vassar.edu>>. Any comments?
Criticisms? added sources?
After spending some time browsing through various sources,
including Waterer's _Leather Craftsmanship_ last night, and his
_Leather and the warrior_, the methods of leather "Tooling" or
ornamentation appear to be:
Applique
This refers to the techniques of attaching other things
to the surface of the leather, to decorate it. These can
include paper-mache, other pieces of leather, decorative
riveting, plaster/Gesso, etc.
Combinations
There are few instances of combining techniques such as
Incising and Stamping, such as is done in much modern
leatherworking, however, that should not be taken as a
solid statement that such was not done. Items that use
both include catalog nos. 22-23 in _Dress Accessories_,
both belts.
Cutting (or often referred to as Carving)
Incising
Taking a knife, or in modern tooling, a swivel knife, and
inscribing a design into the surface of the leather.
Note that a dull knife can leave a much larger "line"
than a sharp one, and will not weaken the surface
strength as much. This is *possibly* the most common
method of ornamentation for leather during the Middle
Ages. Numerous examples can be found in _Knives and
Scabbards_, _Shoes and Pattens_, etc.
Carving
Technically, this is the technique of undercutting the
leather surface and making it physically stand out from
the general surface of the leather.
Cutout
Creating designed by punching holes in the leather.
There
are examples of this in _Shoes and Pattens_, as well as
the various fields on the burial shield of the Black
Prince (shown in _Leather and the Warrior_).
Sgraffio or Scraping
Scraping away parts of the surface to create an overall
effect. There are examples of this in _Shoes and
Pattens_ and _Leather and the Warrior_.
Impressing
Stamping or Punching
Using a hammer and unheated metal "Irons" to create a
pattern, or set a single image. There are a few examples
of examples of these in _Knives and Scabbards_, most
often to create a repeating motif of a single design
element.
Blind Stamping
Impressing by means of heated metal stamps, touched to
the leather. This is the method of ornamentation used on
books, and other items using very thin leathers.
Creasing or Veining.
This is referred to a single or double line, often used
to
create a decorative border edge on leather. It is done
with either heated metal irons, or by friction with
wooden tools. It is essentially similar to blind
stamping in that it uses heated metal to create a design.
Cuerro Gofrado
Rather like "Blind Stamping", this rather lays the
leather atop a heated metal design, and pressed down onto
it, creating a multilayered effect. It seems to have not
been common beyond Spain and Italy.
Poker Work/Pyrogravure
This also uses a heated tool, but rather than to impress
the design into the surface, to burn the surface with a
very hot metal, in much the same way as a Branding Iron
or a Running Iron works.
Gold Stamping.
This is a means of imbedding gold leaf patterns into the
surface of the leather.
Modelling
Creating a bas relief in the leather using a number of
techniques, including carving. There is a 13th C piece
from a Dublin dig that shows evidence of this, although
it may have been done with simple impression and molding,
as well, or a combination of techniques.
Molding or Moulding
May include molds and/or countermolds to create the
design. It would appear that many molds for Bottels,
etc. rather than having the leather go around the mold,
often have the leather pressed inTO the mold.
Painting.
There are few examples of painting on leather that have
survived, but these include a Roman Scutum (_Leather and
the Warrior_), the Scabbard of St. Maurice, c.1200-500
(_Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight_), a number of
painted artifacts housed at the Cloisters, in NYC, etc.
"Mihi Satis Apparet Propter Diarmuit Ui Dhuinn
Se Ipsum Appetenda Sapientia" University of Northkeep
-- St. Dunstan Northkeepshire, Ansteorra
(I. Marc Carlson/IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu)
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 21:59:28 -0500 (CDT)
From: Martha Lee Nichols <mnichols at tenet.edu>
To: ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG
Subject: RE: ANST - new noncombatant topic
I have seen articles in European museums made of leather dating from the
9th century that is referred to as embossed patterns. After as close
examination as the museum will let you, I am convinced that the techniques
and tools (although of a different material) used produced what we call
today carved leather. The satchels for the Book of Kells and other bibles
at Trinity College contain intricate designs that would put the modern
artisan to shame. I saw floral patterns very similar if not identical to
those used on a western saddle (you can find these patterns in embroidery,
too). At York I saw knife sheaths at the Jorvik site that were carved,
modeled, and dyed. The team of archeologists had reproduced this item to
show what it would have looked like 1000 yrs. ago.
Cadwallader
Date: Mon, 08 Sep 1997 02:51:18 -0500
To: ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG
From: Gunnora Hallakarva <gunnora at bga.com>
Subject: RE: ANST - new noncombatant topic
Sael og heil, Master Cadwallader!
Cadwallader said:
>In answer to Ulrica and Marthe (my Lady) problems in A&S competions or
>displays. It seems that alot of artisans get lost in the suffle or
>treated in offending manner. I will claim to have been among this group
>before and AFTER I was made a Laurel. As a 3rd generation saddlemaker
>this means I grew up working with leather. I have to win a competetion
>which is not a big deal but have been told it was not period by a expert
>seamtress or some other non-qualified judge or person.
I may not be reading your explanation here as you meant it, but you seem to
be saying that you have lots of modern experience in leatherwork, and in
some competition somebody who may or may not have been qualified thought
your entry was done in a non-period way but despite this you won the
competition? Or maybe didn't win the competition but should have?
OK, as a leatherworker with lots of modern experience in saddlemaking and
other modern leatherworking techniques, I have a whole bunch of technique
under my belt as well. However, having done lots and lots of research into
what medieval leatherwork was like, I've been forced to conclude that it
was very different in many ways.
Our tooling techniques were used in period, however when you see a source
referring to "tooling" in a medieval contect, they mean hot tooling with
gold leaf, which is a very different discipline. Medieval design-embossing
into leather was termed "stamping" or "figuring" and normally the tools
were made of hardwoods. Occasionally I will make my own stamps in hardwood
or bone, and I would be quite impressed with other leather-working artisans
who did so as well.
However I have seen very few medieval examples of leather tooled as we do
in a modern context. Normally the type of design is not figural but is
composed of simple non-embossed cuts using patterns of small concentric
circles and zig-zags and cross hatching etc. Other design techniques often
involve cutwork where sections of pattern are cut completely away leaving a
hole in the leather.
So right there someone who had not done lots of leather research might
conclude that because straight cuts or hot tooling techniques were all that
they had ever seen documented that figural carving did not exist at all,
which is of course not true.
Another area to consider is the design. Complex relief sculpture in
leather is not something that I have seen in examples of period
leatherwork. I have seen simple figural design, but not elaborate stuff.
Not to say it is not out there somewhere, but unless a display had
documentation explaining an example in period, I would tend to suggest to
the artisan that they consider looking into researching some actual period
examples of leatherwork in the styles I have described above.
Gunnora Hallakarva
Herskerinde
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 1997 10:49:34 -0500
From: Becky Needham <betony at infinet.com>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Leather Book Binding
> My Lady wife has determined on making with her household a book of hours.
> She has requested of me that I make a suitable book binding. I have
> determined that the most appropriate would be a tooled and raised cover
> out of dark red goatskin. While I have done the sort of tooling required
> before, I have not done the sort of raised work that is needed. I am going
> through my books on this but would appreciate and advice or guidance. I
> am also wondering as to the availableity of red goatskin. Are there any
> differences in working it from cowskin? I am slso trying to determin the
> nature and sources for the appropriate pigments to use in highlighting the
> tooling. As you might imagin this is to recreate an original piece so the
> requirements are questions than need be asked and I am sure have answers
> somewhere.
>
> Charles O'Connor
> jphughes at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Milord,
I used to work for Tandy Leather and my late father taught me to tool -
although we used the cut and tool method. He learned in Germany during
the Occupation from a man who could tool rings around most anyone. One
of the first things I was taught was that you do pigmentation after
tooling. Dad wasn't into period dyes, and I haven't pursued that
knowledge yet, so I can't help you there. I can, however, tell you
about tooling goat. It's a little more delicate to tool, being thinner
and less tough, but it works out well. I tooled a pouch for a friend on
either 1 oz or 1 1/2 oz goat and it held up well, though if I remember
correctly, it was stolen from him. As far as the raised work, I know the
theory, but have not done it. When you come to a section that is to be
raised, make a small cut at the very edge of the most unobtrusive, but
fairly strong place - not in a corner, for example as what you will do
will definitely change the shape of a corner - and insert a type of
spoon tool for that purpose and wriggle it around will you have hollowed
it by flattening the fibers inside enough to permit stuffing. Cotton
balls wouldn't work for period, but tiny "confetti" bits of cloth would
work, I would think. Glue the cut shut. Make sure it's dry and then go
on to the next part to be raised. You'll probably want to research
period glues, also. You might try tracking down the earliest manuals
dealing with leather or try something on period armorers. Kay
Staniland, in "Embroiderers," lists one as doing embroidery, so maybe
they did leatherworking, too. I don't know if it's period or not, but I
always use carnuba wax on my finished pieces. It keeps them supple and
gives a subtle glowing shine.
Yours in Service,
Bet
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 1997 12:04:32 -0600
From: Sinclair <jeffdp at earthlink.net>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Leather Book Binding
One way to get a raised pattern in anything made of leather is to use a
technique called plug embossing. (The Black Prince's shield was made using
this technique, and the one it replaced, which may nor may not have been the
original, also was made the same way.)
Plug embossing is simple to do, and yields interesting results. There are
books avaiable from Tandy's, among others on this, but basically it is as
follows:
First carve/emboss around what you want to appear raised. Then take some
waxed paper or the translucent material used to transfer patterns. Draw
the object slightly smaller than the outline you have just embossed. (I
try to draw it the same width as the thickness of the leather.) Transfer
this image to a piece of scrap leather, cut it out and skiv the edges. You
don't have to be that critical, or neat. Soak the leather you are going to
emboss until no air bubble rise. (App. 20 minutes) Now take something
rounded, such as a leather working spoon, ball styles, etc, place the
leather upside down on something resilant, like a sponge or your leg, and
push out the leather within the confines of the object you intend to
emboss. (The plug can be multiple layers thick, but the thicker you make
it the more the leather will have to be pushed out.) When the app. depth
is reached, glue the leather plug you prepared earlier into place with
leather weld, hide glue, etc. Now, re-emboss the object from the right
side, putting whatever details you like into it. You can use about
anything for a plug, but I prefer something that does not give and will
hold up, so I use scrap leather. The plug must be beveled or the leather
will tear at the edge of the object you are embossing. And, the object
should be lined so that the plug rests on something behind. A book would
be about ideal for this. I have made belt pouches and am relatively
pleased with the results.
Sinclair
From: hrjones at uclink.berkeley.edu (Heather Rose Jones)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Documentation sources for leatherwork
Date: 20 Jan 1997 18:43:21 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Rikki Mitman (esmitman at ghgcorp.com) wrote:
: My lord is doing some beautiful tooled leatherwork, which he would like
: to enter in A&S competitions. He is at a loss for sources of
: documentation on the subject. Can anyone suggest some good reading?
There are a number of photographs of extant period tooled-leather items in
John Waterer's "Leather in Life, Art and Industry (London: Faber and Faber
Ltd., 1946).
In general, I have found it less satisfactory to try to document
techniques _after_ making an item than to do research in advance of the
project. Simply documenting the technique(s) of leather tooling side-steps
the question of what sorts of designs were used at what times by what
cultures on what sorts of items.
Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn
Date: Sat, 28 Jun 1997 20:34:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: EowynA at aol.com
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Tooled Leather
I noted a wistfull sounding desire about finding sources for tooled leather in the thread on Tawed leather.
When Iwas at the Jorvik Viking Center in York, England, I was fascinated by the several carved leather knife sheaths they had on display. Both were dated tenth century. One had a knotwork design, the other various diamond shapes.
Baroness Eowyn Amberdrake, O.L., O. Pel.
Caid
Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 23:52:31 -0800
From: fspfw at aurora.alaska.edu (Patrick and April Woolery)
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Tooled Leather
For some great pictures (drawings and photos) of leather sheaths with
stamping and carving, take a look at the following book:
_Knives and Scabbards: Medieval finds from Excavations in London_ by J.
Cowgill, M. de Neergaard, and N. Griffiths, published by Her Majesty's
Stationary Office, ISBN 0-11-290440-8.
There is an entire chapter on the decoration of the scabbards, in which the
authors say that "engraving" and stamping were both used.
Most libraries will have at least one book on leatherworking, which should
include the basics of tooling.
-Nataliia Tomasovna
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 20:59:26 -0500
From: theodelinda at webtv.net (linda webb)
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Tooled Leather
In addition to the Museum of London books on knives and scabbards and
equestrian equipment, the same series has one on dress accessories,
which includes tooled and stamped leather belts and pouches. This book
also is produced by HMSO, and may be out, or going out of print--the
title is _Dress Accessories_!
In addition, the Museum of Leather work in Offenbach, Germany has
excellent catalogs of their collection, which includes many SCA-period
examples of tooled leather items. I listed the address for this museum
some time ago on the list,and I believe it can be located under the
heading "Leather" on the Citation Index to this list, which is at
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/5160/index.html
In general, my leather working friends tell me that when they say
tooled, they mean both using small decorative stamps to make a design,
and the more elaborate method of incising a pattern, then using a
variety of small tools to raise and lower parts of the pattern so that
there is a design in relief. Both methods are used in various places in
our period, along with simply incising the pattern but not adding relief
effects. If you wonder what kind of patterns the Spanish brought to
America with their tooling equipment, look at some of the traditional
"Western" floral patterns--notice a faint Renaissance flavor in some of
them?
Based on the examples I have seen in the Leather Museum books, period
leatherworkers did not seem to worry about being overly
extravagant in their designs. Many of them bear a marked resemblence to
other decorative work in wood, stone, and ivory. Both the Museum of
London books and the catalogs from the Leather Museum in Offenbach (which
is a suburb of Frankfort if you're going to Europe any time soon) are
worth looking over. The Leather Museum books are supposed to be
available in English, but I've only seen them in German. They aren't
expensive, although ordering them from Germany is bound to be a pain.
However, don't let the language issue deter you--they are full of
pictures which are each worth at least 1000 words!
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 20:31:50 -0500
From: theodelinda at webtv.net (linda webb)
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: leather notebooks
Hand-tooling leather means that the pattern is transferred to the
leather and then relief is added by means of small hand tools (with
either a plain or textured surface) which press the leather down, a tiny
little area at a time. Extra detail may be added by using fancy
patterned stamps--we have a tiny circular one, for example, that we've
used to mark the eyes of various critters, to put mail on figures of
knights and so on. Strictly speaking, in the dictionary sense, this can
be called embossing. However, when you see a late Victorian chair with
an embossed leather seat, or a catalog listing for replacement seats in
the home-renovation catalogs, they refer to a process which uses a big
muckin' machine with the pattern cut into a plate to press the whole
design in at once--probably rather like the old-fashioned
Gutenberg-style presses, at least in its earlier forms, although the
method is probably a lot more sophisticated now Since it uses a
machine, I call it a mechanical process. Hand-tooling uses small tools
and a hammer, and has nothing to enhance the force of the
leatherworker's muscle-power, while the press would at least use the
force of the screw to increase the strength of the pressure. A
mechanical engineer, which I am not, could explain why the screw
increases the force. There's probably even a formula for it somewhere,
so you can calculate how much its' increased. I suppose a semantic case
could be made for calling any tool, whether powered by muscle or
anything else a machine, but I tend to think of a hand-saw as a plain
old tool, but a power tool as a machine, to borrow an example from the
woodworkers' shop. However, it will have to be debated without my help,
as I am going to North Carolina to buy beads and gems and pearls.
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 06:16:45 -0400
From: Margo Lynn Hablutzel <Hablutzel at compuserve.com>
To: A&S List <sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu>
Subject: Tooling v. Embossing Leather
One more note (I get digest, for forgive me if someone said this, it wasn't
in #144): Embossing uses a form to press the leather, and is usually done
with a thin enough leather that if it is wetted and pressed over the form,
it will dry in the shape given. Tooling often involves cutting the leather
on the pattern lines and pressing it back from there, so you need a thicker
leather. The same methods used to emboss leather are also used on fabrics
such as denim, cotton fleece, and even T-shirts.
--- Morgan
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 15:55:14 -0400
From: rmhowe <magnusm at ncsu.edu>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: pinking pipes?
Anna Troy wrote:
> Does anybody out there know where you can buy pipes to make pinking
> (different shaped holes in leather)All I've been able to find are the
> usuall round shape if you can't buy other shapes does anybody know how
> you'd go about making your own pipes? I want to make a pair of "Cathedral
> window" shoes you see.
>
> Anna de Byxe
Usually when I want an odd size leather / rubber washer punch I just
pick up an odd size of tubing in the shop cut it to about 5" and grind
a nice edge on it on a belt / disc sander or grinder. Sometimes this
is precluded by flattening it in a vise, or with a hammer. I suppose
if I wanted a Cathedral Window,(shape with three or four semicircles
conjoined?), I should simply grind away a further part of the pipe
to make a semicircle. I've made a number this way from different types
of tubing including electrical conduit, stainless steel tubing,
old lamp stems, etc. After the grinding I break the wire edge inside
with a round file and maybe hone it a bit on a stone.
I have a couple of those antique pinking irons. Fairly large.
One is semicircular with many semi-circles in its length, the other
is a straight zig-zag pattern. My understanding is that they were used
mostly by coffin makers wishing to dress up the fabric linings.
Magnus
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 07:41:48 PDT
From: "T Cardy" <otterbabi at hotmail.com>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: pinking pipes?
>Greetings...I bet you could get a local smith to make something like that for
>you. A friend of mine wanted to do the pinked doublet in Arnold and coerced a
>swordsmith to make her the needed punches. Happy hunting, Thea
Try calling around to a few local tack shops and ask where they get
their leather and supplies. If you can find their suppliers ask if they
sell small "Clicker" toolings. ("decorative hand punch" might also work)
A clicker tool is a metal die that is used to cut out pieces for
saddlery and other leather construction requiring the same pieces over
and over again. Some larger tools can only be used with a hydraulic
press (called a "Clicker" ) and others can be used by hand.
Tandy and the leather factory do not carry these tools.
You can also keep an eye for a Magazine called the "Leather Journal"
which has a fairly extensive listing of leahter suppliers all across the
US and Canada.
Tim Van Vlear
Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 11:58:47 -0500
From: "Gregory Stapleton" <gregsta at perigee.net>
To: <sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu>
Subject: RE: Working with leather
A few references,
_Medieval Finds from London series: Knives and Scabards_, HMSO Press. Shows
dozens and dozens of examples of leather that is "carved" or decorated using
stamps or a combination of both. Also, the grave goods of the Black Prince,
in particular his shield, show some interesting three-dimensional work using
"padding" underneath the leather to help create the raised surface design
elements. _Medieval Finds from London series: Shoes and Pattens_, HMSO
Press. Shows leather shoes decorated by carving, scraping, pinking and
cutouts using a "cookie cutter" type of stamp.
Gawain Kilgore
Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 14:06:39 -0800 (PST)
From: sion warwick <lostboy_sion at yahoo.com>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: RE: Working with leather
also, the Dress Accessories issue from the Medieval Finds...Series has
some stamped leather belts. And I believe the Horse and Its Equipment
from the same series has some worked leather pieces, though I'm not
sure (I have them all and forget what I've seen in which book).
Ioan verch David
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 07:49:19 -0800 (PST)
From: Ioan verch David <lostboy_ioan at yahoo.com>
To: northshield <northshield at minstrel.com>, sca arts <SCA-ARTS at UKANS.EDU>
Subject: interesting leather documentation
I found a really nice example of stamped/tooled leather that many
leather-working types may not know of. Its a cylindrical case for the
"Verre des huit pretres" (an Islamic glass mounted on a French
silver-gilt base). If I can get my hands on a scanner, I will try to
put in on the web, but here's the citation.
Secular Goldsmiths' Work in Medieval France: A History R.W. Lightbrown, F.S.A.
published by The Society of Antiquaries, dist. by Thames and Hudson Ltd,
1978 ISBN 0 500 99027 1
The leather case is on Plate XLVI, Leather case, French, Late 13th c.
I'm not on the leather mailing list so feel free to pass this along.
Also, I am curious as to whether anyone who has a chance to check this
out thinks that the leather is incised as part of the tooling. Its hard
to tell from the photo. Also, if its cited anywhere else, I would
greatly appreciate info on where. It looks like it is currently owned
by the V&A, although its listed as "formerly in the Musee de Douai".
Ioan verch David
From: "C. L. Ward" <gunnora at vikinganswerlady.com>
Date: June 6, 2004 5:11:53 PM CDT
To: SCA-Laurels <sca-laurels at ansteorra.org>, Ansteorra-Laurels <ansteorra-laurels at ansteorra.org>, Ansteorra <ansteorra at ansteorra.org>
Cc: Subject: [Ansteorra] Leather and Leatherworking in Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York
I just got my copy of a book that is fantastic for folks interested in
early-period leatherwork...
Mould, Quita, Ian Carlisle, and Ester Cameron. Craft Industry and Everyday
Life: Leather and Leatherworking in Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York.
The Archaeology of York: The Small Finds 17/16. York: York Archaeological
Trust. 2003. Available from Amazon.com at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1902771362/thevikinganswerl
*WOW*
Particularly interesting is specific information on leather decorating
techniques. Viking Age leatherwork was not tooled like modern "Western" or
"Spanish" tooling. Designs were embossed with a blunt tool, but not cut
then bevelled - you could achieve a similar result using a modern leather
modelling tool. Occasionally stamps were used, but they were generally
simple geometrics and repeated over and over to get a line or a solid area
fill effect - think small triangles, for instance.
Also interesting was the silk embroidery down the top of the vamp of several
shoes, and Penelope Walton Rogers has a good analysis of the stich types and
threads used both for decoration and construction of the shoes.
And, needless to say, there are line drawings of the flat profile of the
shoes and sheaths discussed, plus lots of other fantastically wonderful
stuff. If you're am leatherworker, this is a worthwhile $50 investment. I
found that I could get the book slightly cheaper from Amazon.com than direct
from YAT, because Amazon only charges me the cost of shipping from their
warehouse (base price was the same).
::GUNNVOR::
Table of Contents
=================
General Introduction 3185
Introduction to the sites and their dating by R.A. Hall, N.F. Pearson and R.
Finlayson 3187
The nature of the assemblages 3203
Conservation of the Leatherwork by J.A. Spriggs 3213
Craft and Industry 3222
The surviving evidence 3222
The leatherworking trades 3222
Current documentary knowledge by Lisa Liddy 3222
The street-name evidence by Gillian Fellows-Jensen 3226
The physical evidence 3227
Environmental evidence by Allan Hall and Harry Kenward 3230
The osteological evidence by T.P. O'Connor 3231
The leatherworking tools recovered by Patrick Ottaway and Carole A. Morris
3235
The waste leather with a contribution by Ailsa Mainman 3245
The craft of the leatherworker 3256
The shoe-maker 3256
Shoe construction with a contribution by Penelope Walton Rogers 3256
The sheath- and scabbard-maker 3261
Decorative techniques employed on leather 3262
Teeth marks 3264
Types of leather used 3265
Conclusion Everyday Life 3268
Introduction 3268
Shoes Constructions 3268
Anglo-Scandinavian styles 3274
Medieval styles 3312
Sizes Decoration with a contribution by Penelope Walton Rogers 3340
Refurbishment and repair 3346
Foot pathologies 3351
Sheaths and scabbards with a contribution by John A. Goodall 3354
Other leather objects 3392
Wealth and status reflected in the leather from York 3415
The Wider Picture 3418
Anglo-Scandinavian ~d medieval leather found at York 3418
Comparable assemblages from elsewhere in Britain 3426
Possible cultural influences 3428
International relations by Carol van Driel-Murray 3431
The significance of the York assemblage by R.A. Hall 3436
Catalogue Appendix: Quantifications of shoes of each style 3533
<the end>