CUT OR ENGRAVED LEATHER
FIG. 9.—OPENER
FIG. 10.—ENLARGING THE OUTLINE WITH THE OPENER
Leather with flat decoration in outline of even thickness is called cut, or engraved leather. The tool used to enlarge and accentuate the outline is called an opener. It is like a straight modeller broadened in the centre and with a blunt point (Fig. 9), or a small blade with the point
cut off square and the angles rounded. When the leather has been well wetted and the water has thoroughly soaked in, the end of the opener is inserted in the incision and pushed along it with a very slight and gentle gliding movement. The broader part of the opener will act as a wedge and widen the cut evenly. Openers can be had in various sizes to produce lines of different width. When the design is to be modelled afterwards, an opener should be used which broadens on the right side only; held slightly slanting, it will press down the outside edge of the incision which is to be sunk into the ground. Fig. 10 shows the manner of holding the tool; it should be worked backwards and forwards to make sure that the edges are evenly parted. The left hand may help to guide the point to prevent it from slipping off the line.
FIG. 11.—SLANTING CUT
FIG. 11a.—SHOWING THE DIFFICULTY OF RAISING THE INNER EDGE (A)
To be able to accomplish satisfactorily this operation of opening the outline, it will be found that the incision must be absolutely vertical. Supposing it to have been made slanting as in Fig. 11, it will be easy to sink the outer edge (B) into the ground, but when it comes to raising the inner edge (A) an excess of material will be encountered which will offer stubborn resistance to being raised in a direction contrary to that of the incision (Fig. 11a). The opener should not be moved at too great an angle in the incision as the point, though blunt, may yet be sharp enough to cut and spoil the modelling by raising the surface of the leather.
After it has been outlined, the leather may be further
decorated by variously tinting the parts within the lines, if the style of the design will admit of such treatment; an effect similar to leather mosaic is thus produced. (See Chapter III.)
Pyrogravure, or engraving with a hot tool (see p. [36]), gives a very similar effect to that of cut or engraved leather, the only difference in the appearance of the work thus decorated being due to the slight burr of the edges and the darkening of the line caused by the hot tool. This effect of dark colour can, however, be added to cut leather by colouring the lines with a dye applied with a fine brush. In order to prevent the colour penetrating and spreading beyond the lines, the latter should be lightly coated with paste before the dye is applied.