The Decoration of Leather Part 4

Cutting-out knives should possess a keen edge and a small blade, and should be so shaped that they can be turned freely in any direction. The knife ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 21 combines all these qualities. It consists of a very fine double-edged blade, set loosely into a slit in a hard wood handle and secured with a few turns of thread; a piece of leather over the whole (A) keeps the blade in its place. The handle being loose, it is possible to give any minute movement to the blade, which can also be taken out for sharpening when necessary. It must be kept as sharp as a razor.

The extreme fineness of this blade facilitates cutting out the delicate parts of a design, but if handled too vigorously it is apt to get out of shape. The second tool (Fig. 22) is a stencil-cutter's knife, and is very similar to the one described above except in size. It is usually sold mounted in an ebony slide bound round with copper wire, but can with advantage be mounted as in Fig. 21, in a split hard-wood handle.

One little known tool deserves mention for its flexibility and lightness.

This is a small sc.r.a.per shaped like an unslit pen, the blade widening from the point in two very fine edges like the head of a pike. It is used by photographers and miniature painters, and is sold by the dozen in small boxes. When in use it is firmly fixed in a small pen-holder so that it does not turn when pressed upon (Fig. 23).

[Ill.u.s.tration: CUTTING-OUT KNIVES: (A), FIG. 21, FIG. 22, FIG. 23]

The special knife ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 17 is sometimes recommended, but it is better adapted to cutting out thick skins for open-work decoration, as the point of the blade is not sufficiently fine for use on thin leather.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 24.--CUTTING OUT INLAY]

The leather to be cut out is placed on a sheet of the cardboard used in mounting drawings, which is firm, but at the same time easily penetrated by the point of the tool. The nature of the board on which the leather is laid is important, for to ensure a clean cut, the tool, as it pierces the leather, must not encounter a veined surface such as that of wood, which might deflect the point. The three middle fingers of the left hand hold the leather mounted on the paper upon the board, the thumb and little finger supporting the whole underneath (Fig. 24). The part which is to be cut is turned towards the knife by the left hand, the right hand being held in a fixed position with the knife, slightly inclined to the right, cutting the leather as it is presented by the other hand. The lines must be cleanly cut in order that the subsequent operation of outlining may be successfully accomplished. With every care in cutting out, it may sometimes be found in detaching the cut portion that a small thread of the leather remains unsevered. In this case it should be neatly cut through, and on no account may it be pulled to make it give way, which would result in spoiling the design by either tearing or stretching the leather. When cutting out a design on a large scale it is not possible to hold the work in the manner just described; a part of the design to be cut out is therefore placed flat on a large sheet of cardboard on a smooth table and can then be turned about as required under the point of the knife.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 9. COVER OF CASE FOR A CUP IN WOOD COVERED WITH LEATHER, _CUIR BOUILLI_, EMBOSSED, PAINTED AND GILT. ITALIAN, ABOUT 1500.]

When the inlay is of white or very light leather, it is extremely difficult to conceal any joins occurring in the middle of lines; care must therefore be taken that there are as few joins as possible, and that they are arranged at points where they will easily disappear in lines of the design going in an opposite direction.

The centre of the design should be cut out first, and then the outer lines, reserving the more delicate parts, such as flower stems, for the last.

PASTING THE INLAY ON THE GROUNDWORK

When the inlay is of a nature that does not require placing in any very exact position, as for instance a spray of flowers, it will be sufficient to lay it on the groundwork and mark the princ.i.p.al points. When it is to occupy a definite position, forming the framework of a design, for instance, it is laid upon the groundwork exactly in the right place and then given a sharp turn in a copying-press, great care being taken that it does not get displaced during the operation. Owing to the thickness of the supporting paper, this will be sufficient to mark the outline of the design on the groundwork. Some very smooth starch paste is then applied with a flat brush on the exposed side of the cut out leather, care being taken that every part, however small, is thoroughly pasted. To facilitate this and to prevent the leather curling up when pasted, it should first be fixed to a board with drawing-pins.

The portion of the ground which is to receive the inlay is damped with a soft sponge; the inlay is then placed in position and pressed down with the palm of the hand, a modeller being used for the finer parts. If it should become displaced, the greatest care must be used in correcting it.

With the small pincers used by artificial flower-makers, the minutest pieces of leather can be taken up and replaced after being repasted, if necessary.

SETTING IN THE INLAY

The next process is that of setting the inlay into the groundwork, so that no relief remains. This is done with the help of a roller with a long wooden handle held in both hands and pressed against the shoulder, as ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 25. The paper on which the inlay is pasted plays an important part in this operation; the greater its thickness, the greater will be the pressure attainable, and the deeper the penetration of the inlay into the damp background.

At first the roller is worked lightly with one hand only to ensure the uniform adherence of the inlay, the movements being short, and repeated several times over the same spot. When afterwards pressing heavily over the whole surface, a piece of thin, tough paper between the roller and the work will prevent the inlay from curling up, and the paper may be lifted from time to time to see that nothing is out of place.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 25.--USING ROLLER TO SECURE ADHESION OF INLAY]

When the work is not too large, it is easier and more effectual to use a copying-press instead of a roller for this operation, which is then carried out in the following manner: A piece of felt is laid in the press, and over it a sheet of very smooth or nickelled zinc, or, failing this, of _Carton Jacquart_. The work is then laid on it and covered with a second sheet of nickelled zinc and some pasteboards. The press is screwed up as tightly as possible.

The work must not remain in the press, as if allowed to dry completely, the subsequent removal of the paper pasted to the inlay would become extremely difficult. To effect this removal, the paper is dabbed with a damp sponge until it is ready to come off. A point of the pincers is inserted underneath the paper which, if sufficiently soaked, should easily come away when the tool is slid gently along. The paper, as it becomes freed, should frequently be cut off with scissors to facilitate the handling of the tool. The leather, being damp, may possibly become unstuck and stretched during this process. It must then immediately be repasted and replaced, and the stretched part reduced to its original size by gently pus.h.i.+ng it together with the modeller. Should it be found impossible to reduce it thus, the part that is out of shape must be cut off and joined on again. When the paper has been removed, the whole surface is carefully washed over, wetting it as little as possible, so as not to cause the mosaic to become unstuck. The work is then placed in the press, or under boards, until it is perfectly dry.

OUTLINING THE MOSAIC

Outlining is the most delicate process in leather mosaic. When well carried out it should be impossible to distinguish the line where the inlay joins the groundwork. The extreme edge of the inlaid leather is pressed into the groundwork by means of a tool invented by Mons. Aumaitre, producing a fine line the breadth of the edge of the tool selected. This tool, called an outliner (Fig. 27), has two blunt ends, one rounded and the other square, and is flat on one side and rounded on the other. The rounded side of the tool affords extra pressure, and should therefore be placed on the inner side of the line so that it serves to increase the depression of the edge of the inlay. It is best to work the outline with the cold tool first, and then to go over it again with the tool heated.

The inlay is lightly damped round the edges, and the round end of the tool is placed half on the inlay and half on the groundwork. The tool is held first inclined backwards (as in Fig. 26) and then brought with pressure to a perpendicular position (Fig. 27). This will make a groove into which the edge of the inlay will disappear. The square end of the tool is used for straight lines. Great care must be taken in placing the tool correctly; no portion of the inlay may protrude beyond the flat side of the tool, as any particle of the edge, however minute, which is not sunk in the groove would have to be cut off. If the edge of the inlay does not extend up to the tool, the error is still more troublesome to correct, more particularly when the leather is of a delicate colour, on account of the difficulty of matching the exact shade for joining it.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 26.--FIRST POSITION OF OUTLINING TOOL]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 27.--SECOND POSITION OF OUTLINING TOOL]

After this operation the edge of the outlining tool (Fig. 28) is inserted in the groove thus formed, and worked with a short up and down movement. A ruler will serve as a guide in working straight lines. The round side of the tool is held slightly inclined towards the edge of the inlay. The wheel ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 29 may also be used, but requires great sureness of hand for its successful manipulation. Gouge-shaped outlining tools with curves of different degrees (Fig. 30) are useful for little curved lines which are otherwise difficult to work; also the tool represented in Fig.

31, for the lettering on bookbindings, etc., where the lines require to be sharply finished. It must, however, rest with the artist to select the tools he considers most suitable for his work.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 28.--GOUGE OUTLINER.

FIG. 29.--OUTLINING WHEEL.

FIG. 30.--GOUGE OUTLINER.

FIG. 31.--STRAIGHT OUTLINER.]

When the outline has been worked with the cold tool, a hot one is used to go over it again to ensure perfect adhesion, and to give an attractive brown tint to the lines. The end of the outliner is heated over a spirit-lamp to a degree at which it can still be comfortably held in the hand, and used as before. If the tool does not run smoothly, owing to the elasticity of the edge of the inlaid leather, the latter may be lightly damped with a brush. It will at first be found difficult to keep the tool at the right heat. As a groundwork, calf with a smooth surface is more sensitive to damage from an over-heated tool than split sheepskin. It is useful to paste some of the inlay leather upon a spare piece of the leather of the groundwork, with which to test the heat of the tool. If the tool be too hot, it will burn and penetrate the leather without pressure.

It can be cooled to the desired temperature on a wet sponge.

The next process in leather mosaic is that of colouring, which is dealt with in Chapter IV. It then only remains to give the finis.h.i.+ng touch to the work by pa.s.sing a polis.h.i.+ng iron (Fig. 32) over the surface, to polish it and make it perfectly even. The tool is heated by holding the part which does not come in contact with the leather over the flame of a spirit-lamp. The polished side should frequently be well rubbed on flannel, and should any portion of its surface become dull, the polish can be restored with fine emery paper. The polis.h.i.+ng iron, when heated, is held in the right hand and worked with little stroking movements, bringing first the end and then, by lowering the handle, the back of its polished surface in contact with the leather. The various positions of the tool during this operation closely resemble those of a vessel when it is pitching.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 10. COVER OF WORK-BOX OF WOOD COVERED WITH EMBOSSED LEATHER, _CUIR BOUILLI_. GERMAN, 16TH CENTURY.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 11. POWDER-FLASK OF WOOD COVERED WITH LEATHER, _CUIR BOUILLI_, CUT AND EMBOSSED. ITALIAN, 16TH CENTURY.]

POLYCHROME MOSAIC

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 32.--POLIs.h.i.+NG MOSAIC]

This style of decoration consists of different coloured leathers arranged upon a ground, and is the only one that can properly be called leather mosaic. The work of marking it out is a lengthy one and demands scrupulous exact.i.tude. A finished design is first painted in water-colours and marked with letters which are repeated on the pieces of coloured leather, so that the exact place is indicated which they are to occupy in the design.

It is important in this style of mosaic to obtain a very correct tracing of the design on the groundwork. On a smooth and light ground the tracing-point lightly worked will be sufficient; when the ground is dark or has a grained surface, red or white transfer paper should be used. The most satisfactory method of marking the design is by impressing a stencil of thick paper, but it cannot be employed with morocco leather for fear of crus.h.i.+ng the grain too much. A thick stencil, however, carefully used without exerting great pressure, may give a sufficient result without spoiling the grain.

For polychrome mosaic on a smooth ground with an inlay of split sheepskin pasted on Canson paper, the method already described for working mosaic of one colour is the best, but at the same time the directions which are given below for placing the differently coloured skins side by side in position should be followed.

POLYCHROME MOSAIC ON A MOROCCO GROUNDWORK

Morocco leather for inlaying is thinned with the paring-knife, but it cannot be reduced to the excessive thinness of split sheepskin. It possesses, however, the advantage that the extreme edges may be made thinner in proportion for laying one over the other at the point where they meet.

After it is pared, the back of the leather is pasted over and it is pinned out on a board to dry. The different parts of the design to be inlaid are then traced on the various coloured leathers, and cut out in the manner already explained. The difficulty of placing the pieces exactly edge to edge is so great that it is better to allow them to overlap very slightly, but in order that this should not produce undue thickness at the point where they join, the substance of the extreme edges must be further reduced with the paring-knife. A small margin is left for this purpose in cutting out. Paring the edges to their thinnest possible substance will give a slightly jagged outline, and the extra piece will thus more easily merge into the join than if sharply cut. Outlining with the hot tool will perfect the join.

PASTING THE INLAY ON A MOROCCO GROUNDWORK

To avoid crus.h.i.+ng the grain of rough morocco, the tool ill.u.s.trated in Fig.

33 is used instead of the roller to secure the adhesion of the inlay to the groundwork, in order that the pressure may be applied only upon the inlay. Damping the groundwork, except where the ornament is placed, should be avoided. The tool is held pressed down with both hands as in Fig. 34, and rubbed backwards and forwards. The work is then placed under boards.

MOSAIC ON MODELLED LEATHER

The remarks on paring leather for polychrome mosaic apply also to paring the leather for covering a design in relief. An extra margin is left round the edges, which are "slashed" with the tool, so that they may better embrace the form of the modelling, the finer details of which are not worked until afterwards. The leather is first placed dry in position over the modelling, and smoothed over with a modeller, so that it takes the form of the relief. It will then be seen how much should be cut from the edges, so that it may exactly fit into the outline when it is pasted on.