The good thing about being old is you know a lot of stuff. The
bad thing about being old is you can't remember it. I have
wondered before, and I might have asked before, I don't
remember. When describing a holster are the word carved and
tooled inter-changeable? In other words do they mean the same
thing? Somehow I don't think of basket weave as carved. Maybe
tooled? On the other hand, I think of floral as carved. Would
some of you leather worker Gurus explain?

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In Omnia Paratus

Generally, the term "carved" applies to decorative art cut into the leather by hand, using a variety of edged tools to incise the design and usually followed by tools used to model the damp leather into desired shapes (flower petals, leaves, etc).

The term "tooled" is usually applied to decorative art work applied by using a variety of stamping tools, commonly done as a repetitive pattern (such as basket weave tooling).

There is some crossover of these methods. Carved leather objects will frequently feature some amount of tooling (stamped details and backgrounds).

Not a leather worker Guru, but I agree that basketweave is "tooled" and floral is "carved." I would like to have some nice floral carved leather, but most everything I have can be used while working and there's something professional about black basketweave.

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

So if tooled includes "work applied by a variety of stamping tools" would
that include embossing? Or is embossing another breed of cat?

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In Omnia Paratus

The embossing that I have seen was on belts and some low-end holsters. It is usually accomplished with a rolling die (for belts), and a press type die for other items that do not have a 'repeating pattern'.

I like to think that any leather artistry that requires a swivel knife or other sharp tool that is cutting through the outer layer of hide is 'carved' anything that is pressed or stamped is 'tooled'

....gee, I hope that is somewhat clear to someone......

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On the Oak Savannah

So...I have heard some people say they have a hand tooled leather saddle so does that mean it is stamped or hand carved or both.[ I think I am confusing my self]..................................M*

I have worked leather as a hobby and generally a worker will carve some cuts into the leather and then add stamped embellishments with a tool and a mallet. So the hand worked leather is both carved and tooled to get the overall job done. That's what is done in floral patterns when done by hand. This type of work has more depth, higher highs and lower lows than if simply stamped.
Basket weave , when done by hand will require some relief carving and then stamping with a tool to do a complete job. It takes more stamping and less carving, someareas are releif cut for a proper look .
The other , cheaper , work is done with a die / stamp , usually the design is stamped into the leather by a large machine/press , not worked by hand. These designs can look quite good , it depends on the quality of the die and the man running the press. I have seen this used on large leather sections used for less expensive saddles..I guess this would be the embossed work technically .speaking.
Once you look carefully at hand worked carved leather and stamped/embossed patterns you will see the subtle differences.....sort of like hand engraving and laser engraving on guns , both are said to be engraving but there is a difference.
Gary

I find several of these replies puzzling. Here's what i view as simplest:

Basket stamping is what we call it in the industry, and when done by hand it involves only stamping, and no carving. When done in a press with a die, it's called embossing. An advantage with embossing that goes beyond speed, is being able to heat the die in the press, and then to leave the press closed for a short period -called dwell - for an enhanced result. Samping is literally a single strike if a little tool that looks like an H, repeated over and over. Laborious on a buscadero belt, as seen on a Lawrence, for example.

Mexican carving: agreed this is called variously, depending on the background of the writer. For some years now I have taken to using Heiser's term 'mexican carved ' or just 'carved' as a neat summary. This is done by first carving the base lines, then exaggerating them with stamp; finalizes by using the swivel knife to make short 'fancy' cuts in the stamped areas. Its origin is entirely Mexico (from Spain who still do it superbly as well) and so I am happy to call it accordingly.

I should post some pics. Later, I'm travelling.

Phil posts all the really interesting threads on holsters.

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

I ride a hand tooled saddle.....

It is both basket stamp & floral carved.

A few pics of the tooling on my 30 year old saddle,

Stamping and floral are sometimes a combination of the swivel knife and
a variety of stamping tools, i.e. bevellers, shaders, back grounders and other enhancement tools.




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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

Very nice!!!!