[Jewelry making - Article 01252] - Re: [Orchid] Paper mallets

[Peter W . Rowe]

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>         does anyone know how to soften up the surface of a hard
>     leather mallet. The one I have has a sort of varnish finish and is
>     hard and in a video I saw someone hammering with a leather mallet
>     that looked sort of worn/soft. 

    sharon, go outside, and find either a nice large rock (granite and
    other hard rocks work especially well), or just the concrete curb by
    the street. Hammer the rock or concrete for a while to break up the
    varnish surface. You can also use something like a belt sander or
    grinding wheel to rough up the surface a bit first, speeding the
    process, but it's the impacts from hammering something like that
    rock or concrete curb, that will break up the smooth hard surface to
    a worn rawhide one. 

    You can also, if you're in a hurry for a soft mallet, use a rubber
    band, wire, packing tape, or whatever you like to hold a piece of
    ordinary leather stretched over the head of the mallet. Not quite as
    controllable in some situations, but it works.

Peter

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