Basic Leather Carving Instructions Part III
Camouflage Tool Usage

In leather working the camouflage or cam tool is most often used to add texture to stems and flower petals although it is sometimes used for borders and other patterns.

9. Also called Cams. Again practice on scrap before stamping your project. The tool is positioned, then tapped with the mallet. Do not use a metal hammer on leather stamps as this will ruin them. Study the photocarve design. This tool can be used tilted left, right, forward, backward, and vertical to achieve a variety of patterns.	10. On stems and scrolls, the tool is generally used along the lines. In this process it is tilted towards the line. Note that each line of this stem / leaf has been done. A single stamp has also been done to the center of the scroll.
11. Cams are sometimes used to texture flower petals. When used for petals, the tool is usually held vertically, but tilted slightly forward and stamped progressively from the flower center outward.

The pattern used here is from the excellent tutorial book The Leatherworking Manual. I highly recommend this book.

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Disclaimer: The information presented here is accurate to the best of my knowledge and leather working practices as of the time of this writing - February 2006. The author and the publisher accept no liability for the use or misuse of any of the information presented in this article. This article is presented for informational purposes and is used at your own risk.

Author: Bob Sherman

Publisher: Bobby's Craft Boutique Inc.

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