Beautiful work

Ciao Simone!

Thank you Phil!!

Wow fantastic work! Well done!

Some techniques on Accordion gussets for briefcases would be super

As I said, the alternative is the brush, but I don't like how illustrator handles the curves and corners. Here is how to make it For people using Amy Roke irons, I have created a full brush set for each iron size but of course can be adapted to other iron brands too Hope it's useful Best, Angelo

Although you can achieve it by creating a brush, I think the true way to simulate the behavior of the pricking iron is to create a straight line - as long as you need it - and then move and position around your pattern. The brush might get weird in corners etc due to AI trying to interpret the best solution. Anyway, hope this helps:

you are welcome @stephenkgavin here is a demo featuring both mirror gloss and pate de luxe on a shoe toe https://youtu.be/LEH2wFP6RZI ciao Angelo

Angelo Semeraro ig: _angelosemeraro

The darkening is usually obtained by dabbing darker shades of dye on specific points (usually edges) or sometimes, as as been said in this thread already, with an airbrush. The shiny look instead is called Glassage and it’s obtained by applying wax on the surface mixed with small drops of water along the way. The best product to get that result in my opinion are from Saphir, especially the Medaille de or Pate de Luxe, which has also a bit of a pigment that can alone help with the darkening of some areas. For a high mirror gloss there is a Saphir Mirror Gloss but I wouldn’t recommend it for surfaces that go under a lot of stress due to the high concentration of hard waxes that can cause cracking. here is Olga Berluti herself demonstrating the cirage: https://youtu.be/2EqCEyFX4vM This is the link to the Pate De Luxe page: https://saphir.com/product/pate-de-luxe/ If you are in the US (but they might ship worldwide actually) have a look at the dye and polish range from Orion Calf which I reckon are somehow related to some “European company very famous for their patina work” (i believe I have heard it in the leathercraft podcast Episode on American Tanning if I am not mistaken). I haven’t tried them yet but results online look amazing. Hope it helps Angelo

Wow! Thank you very much @Buccino !

Ciao Mauro, welcome!

@Cristian thank you for your reply. All the technical details that you listed make perfect sense and eventually are all point that must be addressed in order to reach an higher level of production. On their other hand, every choice boils down to a combination of possibilities typical of the current situation of every individual. So long story short, let’s say it’s the best solution that can be worked out at the moment. It will indeed represent an upgrade and allow me to carry on toward a more traditional technique (at least from where I am at now), which is my why. Now, are there better solutions out there? Most certainty yes, in fact your remarkable answer proves this (I use KS Blade round dent and Brogue punch for shoemaking), but I can live with the fact that this can be a story for another time, at least for the time being. I don’t quite follow the 40º vs 45º issue though, especially if different leather thickness require different angle, but apparently all the other irons have 45º prong angle. I am waiting for the Amy Roke irons now, so will follow up with thoughts. Thank you for your answers, I really appreciated it. Angelo

@Fadi Thank you for the advices, I will definitely switch to Fil au Chinois for practice too, after all, practice has to be fun too, doesn’t it? @Leathercraft Masterclass I am definitely up to improve the toolset in order to get to a more hi-end traditional craftmanship results. I was thinking of Amy Roke irons + Awl - probably this is the wrong forum to ask for opinion about these - or Sinabrocks, although I would prefer the more traditional Irons rather that these. Thank you guys Angelo

Thanks PHIL! 🤣

Buongiorno!

I agree with you when you say that learning on what you like to use isn't a waste. It's just that I don't have a lot of Fil Au chinois left and these days shipping takes ages, so I wanted to "workout" with other thread, although that flat look is not really appealing to me. Anyway thank you!

Thank you! just followed you on IG