The cut edges of the design are then beveled using a special Beveling tool which is struck with a hide mallet. Care should be taken as you strike the tool.  If the leather is too damp, or you hit it too hard, you will go through the leather and the tool will dig in.  Follow the weave of the Celtic knot work.  There are different weights of mallet for this and all tooling, which affect the end result, needs to “walk” along the weave line.  This is achieved by a combination of hitting the tool and hand movement.  Lots of practice is required before you get it right.

To add depth, areas of the design are then knocked back (compressed) using a number of very small shaped tools.  And a wide variety of background finishing tools are available to give you a wide selection of background effects.

Finally a wide range of additional stamping tools are used to add patterns, scale effects and eyes onto mythical beasts, etc. The leather is then allowed to dry before the next stage.