THE CRAFTS 
WOOD CARVING AND PYROGRAPHY. LEATHER AND METAL. BASKETRY, ETC. 
Under flic management of Miss Emily Peacock, Room 2j, 22 East i6th St., New York. All inquiries in regard to the various 
Crafts are to be sent to the above address, but will be ansivered in the magazine itnder this head. 
All questions must he received before the \Oth day of month preceding issue and will be anstvered under "Answers to Inqiiiries" only. Please do not send 
stamped envelope for reply. The editors will answer questions only in Ihese'coliimns. 
sumach calf skin, dip the leather into a weak solution of oxalic 
acid , then wash quickly with lukewarm water. This brings to 
light all sulphur marks left from the bleaching, and all badly 
tanned places. Calf skin is generally the most satisfac- 
tory leather for small articles such as purses, bags, card cases, 
book covers and so forth. Modeling is the easiest method 
of decoration. 
For a beginner the following equipment is necessary : 
1 modeling tool, i piece of marble, slate or heavy glass, 
a one-foot rule with metal edge, i metal square or triangle, 
I sharp cutting knife, i agate stylus or sharp orange wood 
stick, I sponge. 
With material and equipment at hand, the question of 
what to make arises. Begin with something easy, such as 
the belt, dllus. No. 3) Draw a simple design upon thick 
manila paper. Avoid intricate patterns and many curved 
lines until the handling of the tools is mastered. With the 
cutting knife (Illus. No. i) cut a piece of leather the required 
length and shape, allowing a working margin. Wash the 
entire surface evenly with the sponge dipped in lukewarm 
water, this prevents water rings and spotting. While the 
leather is damp, pin the design in place, being careful to 
stick the pins outside the lines of the design. Lay it on the 
WORKING IN LEATHER. 
Winifred Wilson. 
EVERY Craftsman has his favorite medium, and whether 
it is wood, metal, leather or textile, he is ready to 
justify his preference by his skill in manipulating it. Just 
as a block of wood is full of possibilities to the wood-carver, 
a bar of metal and a few interesting stones to the metal 
worker, so a well-tanned skin is to a leather craftsman. It 
appeals to him through its durability, its richness in texture 
and color, its responsiveness to his handling. 
Leather has been a good reward to man, furnishing him 
with body covering and rude shelter in his primitive state, 
rising to the dignity of his needs with civilization, until to- 
day it has a multiplicity of uses too great to specif )^ 
Many of these uses are, of course, not open to the crafts- 
man, but with those which lend themselves to decorative 
purposes alone he has more than enough to keep him busy. 
There are various methods of decorating leather: 
modeling or embossing, incising, carving, tooling, tinting, 
applique and burning. And as different leathers are adapt- 
ed to different decorative treatment, the selection of material 
is important. Texture, color and weight are the qualities 
considered in selecting a hide. A fine close-grained leather 
such as Russia calf skin, is best suited to modeling, carving 
and tooling ; thick, heavy cow skin to carving, split cow skin 
and calf skin to incising, ooze calf skin and the better grades 
of sheep skin to burning. All leather responds to tinting, 
the difference being only in degree. 
Skins may be had in the natural color and dyed. Na- 
tive calf skin comes to us in a yellowish brown color, due to a 
process in tanning called ' ' buffing. ' ' Russia calf skin may 
be had in shades from deep brown to pale olive green. Both 
native and Russia calf skin, when bleached to a delicate 
cream, are called ' ' sumach. ' ' Before using either ' ' buff ' ' or 
