Finally got around to trying to stamp my wallet. It turned out ok, but I definitely need more clamping power. I used 2 basic hand squeeze clamps and some wood to try and even out the pressure. It didn’t press very deeply despite me squeezing the clamps as hard as I could. The pressure was also relatively uneven as the feet are much lighter than the top part of the design. I ordered a vise for next time. I may try and restamp this one. The stamp fits into the groove ok, but I’m worried about messing up a finished product. I also ordered some antiquing gel from tandy, so I may just use that to try and darken it up some.

Ok…so waht about the laser part. Oh yeah. I used proofgrade clear acrylic for the stamp. I first engraved at proofgrade settings (deep engrave) and decided it wasn’t deep enough. I then did the same settings but 2 passes and it came out about what I was aiming for. The left one is the final stamp in both pictures. You can see the big difference in engrave depth in the side picture.

Any fellow leather workers let me know what you think. Should I try and re-emboss it or is that a disaster waiting to happen?