• Choose leather carving tools that were designed for the variety of leather you are working with.leather image by Andrii Oleksiienko from Fotolia.com
  
  Leather carving enables leatherworkers or amateur craftsmen to personalize any leather item. It involves gently cutting through and impressing the leather to display a nap or leather bruise. The nap or bruise will stand out from the finished surface to display the engraved pattern, monogram or message. Engraving leather requires special tools that are very sharp so as to precisely cut through the leather without tearing or making a hole in it.
  
  

Stylus

• A stylus has a sharp metal point that presses into the leather surface but does not cut it. The stylus essentially scrapes a design onto a piece of leather. It is generally pressed into a piece of parchment paper that has a pattern marked on it, which is held over the leather. The pressure is transferred to the leather along with a marked pattern. This allows the leatherworker to follow a perfect pattern when cutting into the leather.
  
  

Swivel Knife

• Leatherworkers use swivel knives to cut only the top few layers of the leather. The knife swivels to cut smooth curved lines. To use it, place your finger in the u-shaped holder and grip the textured swivel body. Press the blade into the leather and slide it along the lines of the design. As you slide, twist the body of the blade with your fingers to cut lines. Always hold the blade perpendicular to the leather to prevent the knife from sliding across the surface and scratching the pattern.
  
  

Bevel

• Leather bevels create a beveled edge on the surface of the leather that creates a three dimensional look. The bevel essentially has a cupped edge that you place along the outside of a line. Then, you lightly tap the end of the tool with a mallet as you draw it along the edge of the line. This impresses the leather and makes it look dark, which creates a shaded effect in the carved leather pattern.