Dictionary of stamps for leather embossing - Dictionary

The stamps on the handle must be struck ensuring that they are perpendicular to the leather. As a reminder, leather embossing is only done on moistened (uniformly) vegetable-tanned leather . We advise you to use these stamps on natural vegetable tanned leather that has not been dyed or finished (in which case the pores may be blocked).
SEE THE LEATHER REPUSHING GUIDE >

MATERIALS ON HANDLES

The use of handle stamps occurs after incising the leather with the open knife / swivel knife. Each stamp is classified in a family associated with a letter of the alphabet. Highlighting your design is the combination of different stamps from different families. The origin of the pushback is American, the main terms used are therefore in English. Discover the function of each family of stamps on handles and find a pattern, a shape, a dimension more easily 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 A : Rope S : Seeder T : Thumbprints U : Mulefoot V : Vein W : Flower and Acorn X : Basketweave Z : Special

The photos below were all taken at the same scale to allow you to compare the stamps with each other . The stamps were all struck on a 4x4 cm square of vegetable tanned leather. Do not hesitate to click on the images to go directly to the article sheet for a stamp.

MATERIALS A - BACKGROUNDER

Backgrounder stamps are used for working on the background of the drawing. They allow you to create a background texture to increase the depth and highlight the reliefs of your drawing.

MATORIES B - BEVELER

The "Beveler" stamps allow you to give relief to the drawing by pressing in the contours (cutting). They will bring out the design previously drawn with the swivel knife (opening knife) and give it a “3D” effect . "Beveler" stamps are classified into 5 different categories (undercut, lined, smooth...).

UNDERCUT BEVELER (gives more depth)

LINED BEVELER (with lines)

SMOOTH BEVELER (smooth)

CHECKERED BEVELER (checkered)

COARSE BEVELER (coarse grain)

MATERIALS C - CAMOUFLAGE

The "Camouflage" series of stamps is used to make borders , decorate smooth parts of a pattern or add texture to the leaves and stems of plants.

D MATERIALS - BORDER

“Border” handle stamps 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 MATERIALS

The stamps in the "Special E" category have an essentially decorative purpose with finished motifs (guitar, cat, shell, etc.). They are simple to use and add a fun touch to your creations.

STAMPS F - FIGURE CARVING

“Figure Carving” handle stamps help you create visually realistic patterns to decorate and sculpt your leather. They are used to create carvings that represent animal hair , bird feathers , foliage , landscapes , etc.

G MATERIALS - GEOMETRIC

The “Geometric” handle stamps allow you to create decorative effects . They are used to quickly and easily reproduce the same pattern over a large area.
Depending on the placement of the template and its repetition, the final result may be different: you can therefore create several visuals with a single template .

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

H MATERIALS - STOP

“Stop” handle stamps are generally used to finish the lines of a drawing . They are regularly combined with Mulefoot (U) handle stamps to create floral sculptures or for bird feathers , scales, etc.

MATOIRS J - FLOWER CENTER

K MATERIALS - SPECIAL

MATERIALS L - LEAF

MATOIRS M - MATTING

The "Matting" handle stamps are used to create background textures , on the periphery of the drawing in order to highlight it and fill the space around it. They can therefore be used on large surfaces. These stamps increase the depth and thus bring out the reliefs .

N MATERIALS - SUNBURST

MATERIALS O - SPECIAL

MATIRES P - PEAR SHADER

R - ROPE MATERIALS

The “Rope” handle stamps help you create rope, lasso or rope patterns.

S MATERIALS - SEEDER

The "Seeder" handle stamps, "Seed" meaning " seed ", are used to make the center of flowers , create textural effects or to decorate the borders. They can be used in the composition of many designs.

T STAMPS - THUMBPRINTS

These stamps are widely used in Sheridan style embossing. “Thumb” means thumb in English, and “prints” means fingerprints. The “Thumbprints” stamps allow you to work with shadows , their pattern resembles a fingerprint. Unlike the "Pear Shader (P)" stamps, they are oblong shaped and have two different sized ends that are both usable.

U MATERIALS - MULEFOOT

The “Mulefoot” handle stamps are hoof-shaped and help you create visually realistic patterns to decorate and sculpt your leather. They are generally used in combination with Stops (H) handle stamps for floral sculpture or to make bird feathers, scales, etc.

MATOIRS V - VEINER

The "Veiner" handle stamps are used to give texture and create veins on leaves , decorate flower petals , etc. They can also be used as patterns for borders.

MATOIRS W - FLOWER AND ACORN

The "Flower and acorn" series stamps are perfect for adding realistic details to your nature-themed embossing work with designs of flowers, flower buds, acorns and oak trees .

MATOIRS X - BASKETWEAVE

The "Basketweave" handle stamps take their name from the pattern created which resembles a woven basket . They allow you to quickly reproduce the same pattern in order to give a material effect and avoid keeping a large smooth surface . Their use also makes it possible to camouflage defects in the leather. The relief formed by the compression of the material strengthens the leather and makes your creations less sensitive to scratches.

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

Z MATERIALS - SPECIAL

The “Special Z” series handle stamps allow you to create decorative background-type effects . They are used to reproduce the same pattern quickly over a large area.

3D MATERIALS

Unlike handle stamps, 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 stamper, you must mount it on a handle sold separately. There are two types of handle: a handle for standard marking and a heavy handle for more pronounced marking. For stamps with a lot of detail, do not hesitate to strike very hard and on a marble.
VIEW 3D MATERIALS >

Mini 3D stamps : stamps approximately 16 x 16 mm

3D stamps : stamps approximately 30 x 30 mm

ALPHABET MATERIALS

The alphabet stamps (uppercase or lowercase letters), numbers or special characters allow you to mark a word, a first name , a sentence on your vegetable tanned leather.
SEE THE LEATHER MARKING GUIDE >