Asking for guidance on a good creaser

[Black River Smith]

I just cannot make good crease lines.  Either on the outer edges of throats or loops or just as an internal guidelines for stamping.

I have read from others practice, practice, practice but I see my problem as -- I tend to slip off the outer edge with the tools I have or they do not seem to make a deep enough grooves that stays visible.

I have a guide bar tool that has a crease tip and I have a Chinese screw adjustable pull creaser, both found on ebay and both leather working tools.  I tried a sewing creaser wheel; a screen replacement handtool with two wheels.  I made my own 1/8" and 3/16" rounded pins, out of nails, set in wood handles as pull creasers.  I have tried steel dividers for scribing single and double lines.

Nothing seems to get me the types of professional looking creases I see on holsters or belts

I am an experimenter as you can tell above, the newest piece of info I just saw was to heat the creasing tool or have a heating iron head attachment to 'brand in' the crease.  

So what is the easiest creaser that you use or found to work and/or what am I doing wrong?  Am I using the wrong type of pull creaser?  I make these pieces just for me and I mainly use 9 oz leather for holsters.

Thanks for any help and all help.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Do you case the leather first? I can't get a good bead with dry leather.

[ChuckBurrows]

yep and heating the creaser with a candle or similar source will also helo...

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[Black River Smith]

Marshal,

No, I do not take the time to truly 'case' in a humidiity cabinet or container.  Early, early on I did not use water, at all.  Even now I do lightly wet with rag and let dry, back to natural color.  I just recently saw someone make a first pass dry, then finger wet the area making more passes for a deeper groove.  Does this method work reasonably well.

The worst area I find is on narrow finger grooves for the trigger or the tight turns from front panel to back skirt.  The creaser will skip making side lines or marks on these inside curves.

Another question I have come up with is -- what distance do you do your creases?  I see the osborne creasers are based on 1/16th of an inch increasing by 1/64" up to 1/8".  What is your favorite size to work with?

[Black River Smith]

Chuck thank for reinforcing the heating technique.  I will try that next time.

[Slowhand Bob]

I have always been a bull in a China shop type person and one of the first things to go, when acting so, is control.  If your leather is properly cased it will take much less pressure on your tool to get a sufficient crease line.  If your creases look like they have tiny little skip lines, waves, in them that is usually a good indicator of excess pressure.

[1961MJS]

yep and heating the creaser with a candle or similar source will also helo...

Hi Chuck

I'll have to check the spoons etc I use to crease stuff with.  I think they all have plastic handles. 

Might have to upgrade.

Later

[Black River Smith]

Slowhand,

Thanks for the guidance, I will ease up on the amount of pressure or force I am using.

Thanks

[Black River Smith]

Osborne was the answer to this question and problem.

Thanks for the techniques provided.  Now just need more practice at points and corners.