Pencil the right thing for marking embossing lines?

[Tallbald]

Hello all. I'm making leather shelves for the area under my stitching horse and am learning to use a couple of the stamps I made to create a border. I very lightly made a pencil line to follow , but was afraid to make it too dark for fear I wouldn't be able to remove it before finishing. And I was worried too that erasing may drive gunk into the leather that would show up later. What's the right way to mark a pattern? Thank you, Don.

[Mogorilla]

I am sure there are better ways than what I do, so I look forward to hearing them, but here is what I do.  I get one of those ball end stylus tools.   I have the leather held in place with a pattern on paper over the lightly cased leather (not cased for tooling yet, or can be if you are getting right to it).   Trace the entire pattern, placed over the leather with the ball-end stylus.   Don't let the paper move (I have used tape/stick pins/clamps all depending on the project.  When done, pull the paper off and you have a indented pattern to follow.   

[knucklehead]

wing divider at tandy leather factory for 15 bucks. or you can use a compas that has a point on each arm instead of a pencil.
put one arm on outside edge of leather other arm on leather at distance from edge you want the line to be.
now just drag it along the leather with enough pressure to mark a line. remember to do this while leather is damp.
you want to place the line where you will cover it up with the border stamping or the use the swivel knife to cut the line for you border.

[bedbugbilly]

I do basically the same thing that knucklehead does.  Mind you, I have a vision problem so I use a magnifying head piece as well.  As he says, when you use the border stamp, it will usually take out the line you've drawn lightly with the  divider leg.  I also use a very fine scratch awl at times.
Now, I'll put my foot in my mouth but want to put forth the following idea/concept as well.  We all strive to have our work look "perfect", BUT, I can't help but think that layout lines (possibly made in the same way that you do with the dividers, scratch awl, etc.) were sometimes visible on original holsters.  I come from a woodworking background and if you study furniture that was made in the 1700s and 1800s, you often find "layout lines" that were inscribed while making such things as mortises, tenons, etc.  The furniture maker was making a "utility" piece - a piece of furniture that was to be used for everyday living.  I personally don't think that the majority of holsters made by harnessmakers, saddle makers, etc. were much different for the "average Joe".  They were a "utility" item to be used.  I'm not advocating harsh layout lines, but, I don't find light ones that objectionable.  It helps illustrate that these items were hand made for everyday use and actually, the craftsman who made them had to have some good knowledge of geometric layout and the use of his tools.  If you are using hand stamps for embossing, even our ancestors "screwed up" and missed the mark once in a while.  I'm sure that they swore too but in the long run, that's what makes the finished piece look "hand made" instead of a mass produced cookie cutter holster or whatever.  Just my thoughts which aren't worth much.