RERAMIC STUDIO 
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ing with a hammer. The most classical indenter ends 
with a finely striped platform which is used to smooth the 
surface of lowered backgrounds (Fig. 5.) Others of different 
sizes leave impressions in shape of pearls (Fig. 6.) Manufac- 
turers have unfortunately a tendency to multiply the designs 
on ends of indenters. The simplest are the best. 
One can work on a wooden table, but it is more pleasant 
to use a marble, or hard stone or glass table. A vase full of 
water, a sponge, brushes and a little wax will complete the 
working outfit. 
The design to be used is first traced on tracing paper with 
a soft pencil, and the paper applied to the leather. By rub- 
bing it lightly with the chisel or any hard body, the pencil 
will leave the design clearly marked on the leather. If a 
piece of oil cloth has been placed over the tracing paper, the 
latter will be protected and kept intact, which might not be 
the case if the rubbing is done direct on the tracing paper. 
Then comes the wetting of the leather. For sheep, 
goat or calf skin, a wetting with a sponge or brush is sufficient. 
For cowhide it is sometimes necessary to dip the leather in 
water for about 10 minutes, letting it dry for some 12 hours 
before using. After the leather has absorbed the water, the 
pencil marks which had at first disappeared, are again visible 
and they must be gone over with the point. 
Then the first operation is the lowering of the background 
by means of the chisel, which is held in the right hand like a 
pencil, but is directed and given strength with two fingers of 
the left hand applied near the tip. The design is thus out- 
lined with a slanting furrow (fig. 3.) The position of the 
chisel must remain the same, it is the piece of leather which is 
moved and brought in a convenient position under the tool. 
The flowers should then be modeled with the straight 
and curved chisels, the point, the deerfoot, and ball. No 
technical instruction can be given here. Practice and taste 
will be the best teachers. 
The first method explained above gives very soft effects. 
Incised work will give more strength, when strong rather than 
soft effects are desired. It must be done before wetting, fol- 
lowing the outline with a penknife (fig. 2), cutting the leather 
about one-third deep. When two lines cross each other, the 
incision must be stopped before the point of contact. After 
wetting, the incision should be opened with the tracing point 
first, then the straight chisel should be used to bring down 
the sharp edge on the side of the background and lower the 
latter. On the side of the relief design, the edge only must 
be softened, either with the chisel or the shaft of the point. 
Then the modeling can be done as in the first method, and 
indenters should be used on the background to hide the 
leather flaws or imperfections of the work, thus giving value 
to the main motif, but being careful not to make the indent- 
ing decoration of the background so conspicuous as to de- 
tract attention from the motif. This decoration by indenters 
is very simple; it consists in hammering the indenter making 
the impressions more or less close, according to taste. 
For repousse work (fig. 6 and 7) the preliminary operations 
are the same as described before, up to the modeling part. 
The leather must be made to bulge out by rubbing it vigor- 
ously on the flesh side with the curved chisel. For large 
surfaces and high relief, the ball held vertically by a vise will 
be found convenient. The leather held with both hands 
rather close should be rubbed on the ball with a circular mo- 
tion, until the desired distension has been produced. A dull 
point may be used in place of the ball to further distend the 
leather or accentuate the edges. 
The reliefs thus produced should be filled with wax or 
any other malleable material. It is best to fill heavily, small 
scattered balls of wax will not hold the relief well, except on 
thick leathers like cowhide, on which part of the relief can be 
left empty. When the work is finished and perfectly dry, the 
wax may be replaced by a mixture of sawdust and starch 
paste, or flour and gum, or any of the commercial products 
sold for this purpose. 
Pig. 5, Incised. The edges of the incision a 
brought down, the background is lowered 
witli the indenter. 
. 6. RepOussp, The three buds and the earna- 
ou an- filled with wax and modeled with the 
chisel, the background is lowered and 
beaten with different stamps. 
sse over incised. The thn 
the carnation are filled. 
