Dictionary of stamps for leather embossing - Dictionary

Stamps on handles must be struck perpendicular to the leather. As a reminder, leather carving is done only on moistened vegetable-tanned leather (evenly). We recommend using these stamps on natural vegetable-tanned leather that has not been dyed or finished (otherwise the pores may be clogged).
SEE THE LEATHER CARVING GUIDE >

HANDLE STAMPS

Handle stamps are used after incising the leather with a swivel knife. Each stamp is classified into a family associated with a letter of the alphabet. The relief of your design is a combination of different stamps from different families. The origin of leather carving is American, so the main terms used are in English. Discover the function of each family of handle stamps and easily find a pattern, shape, or dimension thanks to our stamp dictionary!

A : Backgrounder B : Beveler C : Camouflage D : Border E : Special F : Figure Carving G : Geometric H : Stop J : Flower Center K : Special L : Leaf M : Matting

N : Sunburst O : Special P : Pear Shader R : Rope S : Seeder T : Thumbprints U : Mulefoot V : Veiner W : Flower and Acorn X : Basketweave Z : Special

The photos below have all been taken to the same scale to allow you to compare the stamps. All stamps were struck on a 4x4 cm square of vegetable-tanned leather. Feel free to click on the images to go directly to the product page of a stamp.

 

A - BACKGROUNDER STAMPS

 

"Backgrounder" stamps are used for background work on the design. They create a background texture to increase depth and highlight the reliefs of your design.

 

B - BEVELER STAMPS

 

Beveler stamps are used to create relief in the design by pressing down the outlines (tooling). They will make the previously traced design stand out with the swivel knife and give it a "3D" effect. Beveler stamps are classified into 5 different categories (undercut, lined, smooth...).

 

 

UNDERCUT BEVELER (create more depth)

 

LINED BEVELER

 

SMOOTH BEVELER

 

CHECKERED BEVELER

 

COARSE BEVELER

 

C STAMPS - CAMOUFLAGE

The "Camouflage" series of stamps is used to create borders, decorate smooth parts of a design, or add texture to leaves and plant stems.

We invite you to watch the video above from Tandy Leather, don't hesitate to turn on French subtitles!

D - BORDER STAMPING TOOLS

 

Handled "Border" stamping tools are used to create decorative borders. They are very popular for filling the space between basketweave work and a border. Their very versatile shape can have many uses.

 

 

E - SPECIAL STAMPING TOOLS

The "Special E" category of stamps are primarily decorative with finished patterns (guitar, cat, seashell, etc.). They are easy to use and add a fun touch to your creations.

 

F STAMPS - FIGURE CARVING

 

"Figure Carving" handle stamps help you create visually realistic patterns to decorate and carve your leather. They are used to create carvings that represent animal fur, bird feathers, foliage, landscapes...

 

 

G TOOLING STAMPS - GEOMETRIC

 

"Geometric" handle stamps allow for decorative effects. They are used to quickly and easily replicate the same pattern over a large surface.
Depending on the placement of the stamp and its repetition, the final result can vary: you can therefore create several visual effects with a single stamp.

 

 

Left photo: 1 stamp side by side in a straight line.
Right photo: 1 stamp side by side diagonally.

 

H - STOP STAMPING TOOLS

 

"Stop" handled stamping tools are generally used to finish the lines of a design. They are regularly associated with Mulefoot (U) handled stamping tools to create floral carving or for bird feathers, scales...

 

 

J - FLOWER CENTER STAMPING TOOLS

 

K - SPECIAL STAMPING TOOLS

 

L STAMPS - LEAF

 

M STAMPS - MATTING

 

"Matting" stamps with handles are used to create background textures, around the design to highlight it and fill the space around it. They can therefore be used on large surfaces. These stamps increase depth and thus help to bring out reliefs.

 

 

N STAMPS - SUNBURST

 

O - SPECIAL STAMPS

 

P - PEAR SHADER STAMPS

 

R - ROPE CARVING TOOLS

 

Rope carving tools help you create rope, lasso or cordage patterns.

 

 

 

S - SEEDER CARVING TOOLS

Seeder carving tools, "seed" meaning "graine" (seed), are used to create the center of flowers, texture effects, or to decorate borders. They can be incorporated into many designs.

 

 

THUMBPRINTS

These stamps are widely used in Sheridan style carving. "Thumbprints" are used to work on shadows, their pattern resembles a fingerprint. Unlike "Pear Shader (P)" stamps, they are oblong and have two ends of different sizes, both of which are usable.

 

U - MULEFOOT STAMPS

Mulefoot stamps are hoof-shaped and help you create visually realistic patterns to decorate and sculpt your leather. They are generally used in combination with Stop (H) stamps for floral carving or to create bird feathers, scales...

 

V - VEINER STAMPS

Veiner stamps are used to add texture and create veins on leaves, decorate flower petals... They can also be used as border patterns.

 

W - FLOWER AND ACORN STAMPS

"Flower and acorn" series stamps are perfect for adding realistic details to your leather tooling work on a nature theme with flower, floral bud, acorn, and oak patterns.

 

X - BASKETWEAVE STAMPS

Handle stamps in the "Basketweave" series are named after the pattern they create, which resembles a woven basket. They allow for quick reproduction of the same pattern to give a textured effect and avoid large smooth surfaces. Their use also helps to camouflage leather imperfections. The relief formed by compressing the material strengthens the leather and makes your creations less susceptible to scratches.

 

Learn the basketweave technique on video with master leather craftsman Anthony Hervy (©nocam_cuir).

 

SERGEY NESKROMNIY STAMPS

Discover our selection of leather stamps from the LeatherStampsTools range, manufactured since 2013 in Bulgaria by Sergey Neskromniy. Passionate about leatherwork and recognized worldwide, he designs high-end stamps with unique designs and remarkably fine details.

3D STAMPS

Unlike stamps with handles, 3D stamps are larger and more detailed. They allow you to emboss vegetable-tanned leather with finished and realistic patterns/designs. To use a 3D stamp, you must mount it on a handle sold separately. There are two types of handles: a handle for standard marking and a heavy handle for more pronounced marking. For stamps with a lot of detail, feel free to strike very hard and on marble.
VIEW 3D STAMPS >

Mini 3D stamps: stamps approximately 16 x 16 mm

3D stamps: stamps approximately 30 x 30 mm

ALPHABET STAMPS

Alphabet stamps (uppercase or lowercase letters), numbers, or special characters allow you to mark a word, a name, or a phrase on your vegetable-tanned leather.
VIEW THE GUIDE ON LEATHER MARKING >