Let's get back to the manufacturing of Dealfa products. In the previous articles we saw how to design a product, and we started cutting the necessary pieces of leather. Dealfa aims to create a unique and tailor-made product for you, and here begins the customization process.
Third step: decoration.
We had a piece of leather, treated and tanned properly. We chose what it would become, and using a model we cut it into the right shape. Now we can move on to the decoration. This step is the one that best exploits and stimulates the creativity of the craftsman. Most of the time, this step will be dictated by the will of the customer, who has maximum freedom of choice. From engraving to printing, from coloring to shades, a Dealfa product has an almost infinite possibility of customization.
Printing can be done in 3 different ways:
- with stamping and hammer; with the help of different sharp “stamps” all kinds of patterns are created, with a decorative-tipped punch and hammer pressure;
- hand engraving; the oldest and most complicated, but also the most time-consuming;
- laser printing, the least used and the most suitable for “industrial” jobs.
As regards the stamping by hand, we are faced with the most used technique in the Dealfa laboratory. The stamps are countless, and the combinations can lead to thousands of different patterns. And the touch used will be well studied, also depending on the thickness of the leather. With a thickness of 0.9 mm for example, you will go with a lighter touch, so as not to tear or puncture the piece; with a thickness of 3 mm you will use the sharpest and most incisive stamps.
The stamps are used to engrave a pattern on the piece of leather, with firm but not too enthusiastic hammer blows. The hand must first be placed on the piece, to ensure the thickness of the leather, the stamp is placed in the desired point, and the hammer blow must be without uncertainty. An unfirm grip or a hammer blow given crooked will result in a significant aesthetic error.
