The following is another mode of taking impressions:—Procure tin or lead foil, as thin as possible, place it on the coin, and with a pin’s head, or any small, smooth instrument, work it into every part; then take it off, revert it into a shallow box, and pour plaster into its concave side; a durable plaster cast is thus obtained, covered with tin foil, which will resemble silver.
LEATHER WORK.
“The Complete Guide to Ornamental Leather Work” gives very elaborate directions, the more practical of which are given in this chapter in connection with suggestions derived from other sources. Being quite absorbed at one time in imitating various kinds of flowers and leaves in leather, and in ornamenting and staining wood to represent beautiful carved work,—the writer of this examined the books on the subject, and tried many elaborate methods, and finally went to a cabinet-maker and learned the simplest mode of staining and varnishing. Her leather work proved to be quite as durable, and was pronounced as handsome, as if it had been covered with various coats of stiffening.
The kind of leather used for general purposes is basil; it should be selected of an even texture and of a light color, as the light colored will stain better than the dark. It should be soft and free from blemishes.
The skiver leather is used for making grapes, or very small leaves and flowers, and can be obtained at the same place as the basil leather; this kind is also useful for thin stems and any minute portion of the work.
The whole skins are very expensive, and any one who wishes to experiment can obtain for quite a small sum pieces of leather from trunk-makers and saddlers, (who call it sheepskin instead of basil;) you can engage them to save you all their pieces; in this way you can obtain all you will wish to use. You can also purchase strips of thicker leather at the same places, to ornament the edge of your brackets, &c.; you can cut the edge of the leather in scollops, points, &c., with chisels and gouges, and nail it round the shelf or glue it on, the scollops, &c., hanging down; it will look exactly like wood when properly stained. Then nail your flowers to that. Pieces of skiver can also be obtained from the book-binders. To form your leaves and flowers, you must sketch your pattern from nature, on pasteboard. Then dip your leather in cold water for half a minute (not longer, unless the leather is unusually thick;) it should then be taken from the water and pressed in a linen cloth until the surface is nearly dry. Being thus prepared, lay it quite flat on a board, and place upon it your pasteboard pattern, and trace it. While the leather is wet, cut out your leaf with sharp scissors or a shoe-maker’s knife. The pattern may be drawn before the leather is wet, and if sharp tools are used the leaf can be cut before wetting it; and by drawing one pattern and nailing several pieces of leather firmly on a board, with chisels, gouges and hammer, you can cut a number of leaves at once, and then neatly trim them with the scissors. All common leaves, such as grape, ivy, or convolvulus, are more easily cut in this way; rose leaves and grape leaves are cut better with the scissors. You should have a variety of sizes of leaves. To vein the leaves you should copy nature, and mark them with a brad awl or knitting needle, or the point of the scissors; press heavily for thick veins and lightly for the finer veins; by using the two points of your scissors slightly spread apart, you can form the raised veins; a hard steel pen can be used for the smaller veins. Being veined, the leaves should be bent and moulded into the required shape. Then they should be dried quickly, as it hardens them better. Some persons stiffen them when dry by brushing over a stiffening made of two ounces of Australian red gum, six ounces of orange shellac, half a pint of spirits of wine, mixed cold, and when dissolved, strained for use. It is not necessary to use any such preparation when your leather work is sufficiently hardened by drying; take some asphaltum varnish and stain it carefully all over with a brush. This varnish you can buy ready mixed, or you can get the asphaltum, powder it, and dissolve it in spirits of turpentine; when well dried it will probably need a second coat, possibly a third, depending on the color you wish, whether dark or light; when well dried, varnish the work with copal varnish, and dry it thoroughly. Then stain your wood (or you can have it stained at the cabinet-makers, as you prefer.) You can stain even common pine wood by the following process: first, stain with asphaltum the color you desire; then varnish with three coats of copal varnish, having each well dried; when it is dry and hard, rub it down with powdered pumice stone, and wash off with clear cold water. Then arrange and nail, or glue, on your leather flowers or fruit. When all is complete, finish up with a coat of copal varnish carefully brushed on.
To make stems and tendrils: cut strips as long as the leather will allow; soak them well in water for a few minutes until they feel very soft; take them out, wipe the water from the surface, roll them and dry them; if required to be very stiff, add inside a piece of wire; when very thick ones are required the leather may be cut wider. Tendrils are made in the same manner as stems, using skiver instead of the ordinary leather; dry them quickly, then take a strip, damp it and wind it round a brad awl or knitting needle, taking care to fasten both ends, so that it cannot fly off; dry it by the fire, then remove it from the awl or needle, and a delicately formed tendril will be the result.