How to Emboss Leather Crafts

Embossed leather features a raised or depressed design on it. These designs can be done by you with little effort and will give your leather an outstanding appearance. All you need is an embossing wheel with the design of your choice. Embossing leather is a good way to earn extra money at craft fairs.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Embossing wheels

1. Buy a good variety of embossing wheels. You can pick them up at craft stores, leather supply stores, even hobby stores. Embossing wheels come in a variety of designs.

2. Be sure the leather you're embossing is vegetable tanned leather, also known as tooling leather. This is the only safe leather on which to use embossing wheels.

3. Place the leather object you want to emboss on a steady work surface and ensure the area you want to emboss is damp. Don't soak the leather, but you should have enough water on it to dampen it through to both sides.

4. Position the wheel against the opposite side of the leather where you want the embossing to appear. Roll the embossing wheel several times over the area to create the embossed design. Allow the leather to dry, and the embossed design will stiffen in place.

5. Create opposite-effect embossing by placing the leather on the side you want the embossed design to appear depressed. Wet the leather as you did before and roll the embossing wheel directly on the design side of the leather. The design will appear sunken.

References

• How to Emboss Leather

Resources

• Leather Craft Tools