Instructor: Mark Barcus

When: Saturday, Nov 1st, 2025

Time: Full-Day, 9:00am to 5:00pm

Room: 5

Before you ever swivel a knife or press a bevel, professional-level tooling starts with one thing: proper leather prep.

In this class, master craftsman Mark Barcus teaches you how to case leather the right way—giving your tools the perfect surface for clean cuts, sharp impressions, and dimensional depth that lasts. You’ll also follow along with two full practice projects to bring it all together and see how proper casing makes all the difference in your results.

This course is perfect for beginners and intermediate crafters who want to master the foundations of high-quality tooling and build confidence with every cut.

What You’ll Learn

• How to case leather for optimal temper and moisture

• Techniques to identify and fix leather that's too wet or too dry

• Swivel knife handling, beveling, shading, backgrounding, and stamping

• Real-time walkthroughs of two practice tooling projects

• Tips for planning projects and improving consistency

What to Bring:

• Wing dividers

• Swivel knife

• Stylus

• Maul

• Beveler

• Basket stamp

• Pear shaders (assorted sizes)

• Camouflage tool

• Veiners (assorted sizes)

• Mule’s foot

• Backgrounder

• Lined seeder

• Border stamp (petal with lines used)

You’ll leave with

• (2) Tooling Practice Patterns

• The Best Tooling Tips Handout for quick reference

• Added Bonus: Lifetime access to Mark’s Fundamentals of Quality Tooling course on Learn with Illume.

CLASS REFUND POLICY

100% refund through October 1st

80% refund through October 20th

No refund from October 21st through the end of the show