Tooling is the art of engraving images and patterns in beautiful and permanent low relief within the surface of the leather.

This is the same, simple rectangle of leather as my standard valet, though given much more time and attention with, bevels, textures stamps, brushes and other specialized tools.

This piece features colors done with spirit dyes which imbue the leather deeply and indelibly. Simpler paints would eventually flake away but the color of this tray is as deep as the engraving/
Available Sizes:

Keys/Change - 4"x4"

Pens and Pencils 4" x 8"

Everyday Valet - 6"x8"

Large Valet - 8"x10"

All measurements describe the usable internal area of the tray.

Leather Tray engraved with Roses

$120.00

Quantity

This item can be Made to Order. Current turnaround times are shown under the "Lead Times" tab at the top of the page.

All items shown as in stock will ship within 2 business days. For Made to Order items, see the "Lead Times" tab at the top of the page for the most up-to-date information.
My products cannot be made from factory-dyed material because I need to soak the leather in water to sculpt and engrave it. Soaking leather in water ruins the dye, so I must dye it later on.

Hand dyed leather cannot be 100% consistent. Each hide and each area of each hide has a slightly different texture and density. Consequently, any given section of leather will take to the dye application slightly differently to any other.

Even more importantly, different screens display the same image slightly differently. This means try as I might, colors are tricky to communicate. Please look at a variety of items in my shop and ensure your screens brightness is turned up comfortably in a well lit room.
Leather is a natural material, the hide of a cow that lived a life in a field.

A range marking describes a scratch, a scar, a stretch mark, or otherwise acquired during the life of that animal.

To respect the value of that life, to reduce waste, and keep the prices of these products reasonable I use as much material as I can from each hide.

While a mark will never be allowed to impact the function or structural integrity of a piece, I do not discard every scar that comes across my cutting table.

I think such markings add character to a piece and honestly show the providence of the material. Some disagree.

Flawless leather may be requested but not guaranteed at no additional cost. Flawless leather may be guaranteed for 200% cost.
Each hide produced at a tannery is graded before sale. I purchase the best leather that I can but that grade is based on a moving curve.

An "A" grade hide is not a totally flawless hide, it is a hide in the top 20% of the hides in that batch of leather. If that batch is particularly bad a hide that might have been a B in the last batch will be an A in this one.

Moreover, a grade does not compare leathers from one tannery to another, only within the same tannery and batch.

The most important detail is the tannery itself. I chose Hermann Oak Leather in Springfield, Missouri USA, the longest running tannery in the states with an unmatched product that stands the test of time.

Leather Tray engraved with Roses

Lead Times

Returns and Exchanges

Dyes and Colors

Range Markings

Leather Grading

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