A Complete Guide to the Ornamental Leather Work Part 3

A Wild Rose is made by cutting out two pieces of leather, exactly as in the engraving, putting the wire through two holes made in the centre of the pieces with a fine bradawl, and pa.s.s a piece of wire through the holes, leaving both ends of the wire at the back to be twisted for the stalk. To form the stamina, cut fine strips of leather as long again as the stamina are required to be, and insert them under the eye of the wire which forms the stalk; then cut the stamina, and pinch them up into form; the top piece, containing five petals, must be moulded and curved upward, inclosing the stamina; the bottom piece also, containing five petals, must be moulded downwards, curving and bending them into form.

To make a larger Rose, cut out a smaller piece than is shewn in the engraving, of the same form, also the two in the engraving, and a larger piece of the same form making four pieces, containing twenty petals; then proceed as before-mentioned, and a fuller Rose is produced; thus the character of the flower and the number of petals can be regulated with comparative ease.

The rose leaves can be moulded at the back by pressing them into the grape mould with one of the pressing tools.

OAK AND IVY BRACKET.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 17.]

The Bracket annexed is out of the usual run of brackets which have generally been ornamented with leather work. The vine and the convolvulus pattern are much used with very beautiful effect. We intended this design to exhibit old oak: it should be stained very dark, the oak stems being very thick, while the stems of ivy can be formed of tendrils. To make the oak stems get very thick wire, and have it cut to the desired lengths, then cover the wires with leather, and bend them to resemble knarled oak; attach, as naturally as possible, oak leaves and acorns at the back of the wires, and on the wood work as shewn in the skeleton bracket in a former part of this work; then attach the ivy tendrils, leaves, and berries around the oak stems, and the bracket is completed.

We have found it much improves the appearance of any piece of work we have been ornamenting, to give the whole when completed a slight coat of varnish.

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WATCH STAND FINISHED.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 18.]

The design for a Watch Stand will ill.u.s.trate one of the various modes of ornamenting this kind of work; it is very light, and better than too much crowding the ornamented parts, which, besides being a waste of time, would not look so elegant as lighter work.

CARD RACKS

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 19.]

Can be made in a variety of ways--the design here exhibited is novel, and at the same time very useful. The back is made either with wood, or calf-skin leather; and the leaves forming the rack are also made of the same material. Calf-skin dries very hard, being treated exactly the same as the basil leather in the manner of working.

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THE ROUND OPEN WORK FRAME.

The beautiful design in the accompanying page is made with a round frame of any width desired, having two rebates, one inside and one outside the frame--the inside rebate being to admit the picture, and the outside one to allow of the nailing firmly to the frame the open work, which is to be made in the following manner:--Take a flat board, an ironing board will do, lay the frame upon it, and with a black lead pencil or a piece of chalk, mark the size all round, making allowance for the rebate; then having ready the stems, work them in and out, so as to form the open work as in the drawing; when finished, nail it to the frame, and work stems and tendrils of the vine, hop, pa.s.sion flower, or any other beautiful creeping plant, attaching the fruit or flowers in an artistic manner, and the result will be one of the most elegant frames ever beheld.

The open or trellis work of this frame should have stout wire enclosed in the basil leather, and in order that it may not appear formal, wind pieces of leather round the naked wire at irregular intervals to resemble knots, &c. then cover the whole with basil leather,--the stem and tendrils which are to wind in and out, and are a portion of the plant, are not to have wire in them.

Fire Screens are generally filled with Berlin wool, or some other fancy needlework. Those who would prefer to have an entire piece of leather work can paint landscapes or flowers upon white leather, using the same medium as is used in body colour painting at the School of Design, mixed with finely powdered colours.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 20.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 21.]

The basket ornamented with rose sprays outside, can be lined inside with velvet, and little pockets being made in the velvet lining, they become a very useful article; the outside is stained old oak.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 22.]

The running border here displayed can be adapted to ornamenting cornices, poles, frames, &c.; it is very easy of imitation, and will well repay the artist.

We shall conclude our designs with the table, which is made in four pieces, so that one part can be done at a time, and when completed, can be removed until the whole is completed, when it can be put firmly together, and forms a solid example of the use and beauty of the Ornamental Leather Work.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 23.]

TO MAKE ACORNS.

Acorns can be made in the following manner. Procure some natural acorn-cups (which are to be found in great quant.i.ties in the autumn), choose such cups only as are perfectly sound; then pierce two holes through the bottom of the cup, pa.s.s a piece of fine wire through the holes, leaving the two ends long enough to be twisted into a stalk; if the stalk is to be exposed, it must be covered with skiver and made fast with Shaw's liquid glue. The most correctly-formed acorn tops are those turned in wood, which can be firmly placed in the cup by the aid of the liquid glue; this completes the fully-formed acorn.

CHERRIES.

Cherries are made in the same manner as grapes, and the stalk neatly covered with skiver leather.

APPLES, &c.

Apples and pears can be turned in wood; they may be left bare, or covered with skiver leather; they look much better covered with skiver, and are, then, leather work, properly speaking; or fruit may be moulded in plaster casts with gutta percha.

Carved wood figures may be draped with tolerable success with the skiver leather, but we have never seen any that looked well enough when finished to repay the time and trouble.

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