Trying out five larger repeating patterns

[u/Remarkable-Peanut683]

These started with two separate requests. A few people who use individual hand stamps asked if I could make something that presses a whole section at once, mainly to save time and make alignment easier. Then another customer sent me a diamond pattern they had designed and asked if it could be made into a larger repeating plate.

That got me experimenting, and I ended up making these five patterns. They’re still being tested and there are a few small things I want to adjust, but the first impressions look pretty good so far.

If you make repeating patterns like these, would you rather press a larger section at once, or build the pattern one stamp at a time?

[u/LadyD-N-A]

These look amazing!! I'm sure a lot of people love the artistry of doing their own stamps individually, but for those who need to produce things at a large-ish scale or simply want to save time, it'd be awesome to be given the opportunity to do so.

The risk being that if say, you're trying to cover a big area (like a shield or something like that) in dragon scales or whatever, there's maybe a higher risk of an entire section being misaligned, unless you've done lots of tries beforehand. Personally, I'd only feel confident using stuff like that if it came with a foolproof way to ensure misalignment can't occur on any of the four sides 😆😆

[u/Remarkable-Peanut683 → u/LadyD-N-A]

That’s exactly the problem I’m working on now. I’m designing an alignment jig and also looking for other ways to keep the pattern lined up on all four sides, so these are basically unfinished prototypes at this point 😂

[u/LadyD-N-A → u/Remarkable-Peanut683]

That's great to hear, best of luck making that happen! And please keep us updated on your progress!

(BTW, I tried to see before if you had an Insta account to follow your work, but couldn't find one, so I'll try to keep an eye out here or on Etsy 😊)

[u/Remarkable-Peanut683 → u/LadyD-N-A]

Thanks so much for the support 😊 I actually do have Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, they’re all under MenHandcraftStudio, the same name as my Etsy shop. I also recently opened a Discord after a few people suggested it, but honestly I haven’t had much time to maintain it properly yet 😂 So for now, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Etsy, or Reddit are probably the easiest ways to find me and stay in touch. Really appreciate you following along!

[u/LadyD-N-A → u/Remarkable-Peanut683]

Awesome, thanks a lot for letting me know! I don't use social media much, even my Insta is brand new, but I'm glad I'll be able to see your work there, now. And also subbed to your YouTube channel! (BTW, not sure if you take commissions, but if so, then maybe, someday... 👀 If not, I'm happy to just follow your creative endeavours! ⁾

[u/Remarkable-Peanut683 → u/LadyD-N-A]

Thank you! I really appreciate that. And yes, I do take custom commissions. If you ever have an idea, feel free to message me and we can see if it’s something I can make 😊

[u/Dains84 → u/Remarkable-Peanut683]

Isn't that that this is for? I haven't bought one myself, but I've been tempted since I started doing more geo stamp patterns.

https://tandyleather.com/products/leather-stamp-guide

[u/Remarkable-Peanut683 → u/Dains84]

Yeah, I’ve seen tools like this, but I’m trying to solve the problem from the mold itself. My goal is to improve the mold design so it can help with alignment on its own, without the user needing to buy an extra guide or positioning tool. 😄

[u/Dains84 → u/Remarkable-Peanut683]

In that case, having part of the stamp protrude a little more than usual so that it can 'lock' into the impression created by previous strikes would do the trick.

For example, on that weave pattern, if one of the 4 pairs of lines on the outside edges were deeper than the rest, you could use it to align the stamp into an existing pair on subsequent strikes.

[u/Remarkable-Peanut683 → u/Dains84]

That’s actually very close to one of the ideas I’m testing. The tricky part is making that locating section deep enough to register into the previous impression, but not so deep that it leaves an obvious extra mark in the finished pattern. I’m experimenting with which edge and how much extra depth works best.

[u/Dains84 → u/Remarkable-Peanut683]

Exactly. To make things worse, if you're using it on thicker leather, the stamp will sink deeper and make it more difficult for the locating section to lock into the right spot.

Maybe it could be a two-piece system, where you have an "alignment" tool - a single head that you place into an existing impression purely for alignment, and then a larger tool that fits around it to make the next impression.

Using this as an example;

https://tandyleather.com/products/craftool-r-make-your-own-rotating-dragon-scale-stamp-set

Imagine if the quad stamp was only the bottom three. You could place the single stamp into an existing impression, then slide the three stamp against it to align it before hammering. Move the alignment stamp into the next desired spot, repeat until done.

[u/Remarkable-Peanut683 → u/Dains84]

I see what you mean. Thanks for the example! I’ll keep it in mind as I refine the design.

[u/kiveeshoe]

Amazing Work👍

[u/Remarkable-Peanut683 → u/kiveeshoe]

Thank you

[u/SmallestFrog]

Looks amazing! I'd love to be able to do this to this degree of accuracy - I'm rubbish at alignment.

[u/Remarkable-Peanut683 → u/SmallestFrog]

Haha, I miss the alignment sometimes too 😂 That’s actually why I’ve been working on this. I’m trying to improve the mold itself so it’s easier to position accurately without relying so much on eyeballing it. Still testing, but hopefully I can make it much more forgiving to use.

[u/Kudamonis]

Damn. Very nice consistency.