Instructions for Leather Crafts

Leather crafting projects are often tooled, dyed and painted.

The methods for tooling leather create raised surfaces and indentations that make leather designs three-dimensional. The final touches for crafting leather products is the coloring and finish, which is typically a clear coating that protects the leather.

Preparation

Cut the leather into the desired shape with special leather crafting scissors or a razor knife. Tape or glue the rough suede side to the work surface to prevent stretching. Place paper with your selected design over the smooth top grain and trace over the lines with a rounded pencil point to indent the leather design into the surface. Lightly dampen the grain and keep it moist for tooling without getting the stock soaking wet.

Carving

Carve the lines 1/16 to 1/8 inch into the grain with a swivel knife. This tool has a curved saddle at the top which spins freely over a barrel that supports the cutting blade. Hold the swivel knife with your index finger in the saddle and your thumb and middle finger on the barrel. Keep one corner of the blade on the leather and twist the barrel to cut curves and swirls.

Stamping

Use the design elements on stamping tools to create patterns, borders and effects. Hold the design ends on the leather and tap the back of the handles with a mallet to indent the designs into the grain. Hold the edge of a beveling tool on a line of the design you want to stand out and stamp a depression along one side of the line. Fill backgrounds with small circles and other stamping tool shapes.

Finishing

Dye the leather crafting project with a selected color if desired. Allow the dye to dry completely and brush paints over selected areas to make the dye color a background. Color leather designs as desired with acrylic paints to use multiple colors on various parts of the design. Apply a clear leather sealer over the grain and edges of leather products with a damp sponge after all paints and/or dye are dry to the touch.

References

• Alley Cat Scratch: Introduction for Tooling & Stamping Leather
• The Artful Crafter: How to Add Designs to Leather