New skill embossing leather (in progress)

Things you need:

-Vegetable tanned leather or what is called tooling leather to make embossed leather- This type of leather is softer and easy to work with. Most briefcases, saddlebags and leather items are also vegetable tanned leather.

-Embossing tools homemade or bought or chisels

-wooden mallet

-leather sealer e.g. Super Shene, Satin Shene or Carnauba Creme

Optional:

- Leather Dye or Leather Paint

Process:

-First wet the leather to make it soft. Do this by soaking it with wet rags, or use a steam iron and steam the leather carefully. Like good old Walt would tell you, It will be soft just like butter.

-Lay the leather over a sturdy workbench or table. You’re going to be pounding the leather so don't use your fancy kitchen table!

-Mark the area on the leather where you want your designs, initials or whatever with a pencil. Tracing where you want the embossing to be is much better than guessing. For names or initials use a ruler and draw a straight line where the bottom of the letters should be.

-Place your design or letter die tool straight up on the leather where you want it on the side of the leather you want it to show. Taking a wooden or rubber mallet hit the top end of the die tool sharply. It does not have to be too hard, just solid sharp taps.

-Tipping the leather embossing die tool slightly all the way around as you tap it will make sure the edges of the design are impressed in the leather well. Once done go to the next spot and use the next leather embossing die tool.

-To use a leather embossing wheel make sure the leather cannot move. Place the wheel where you want to start, press down firmly and roll it along the leather. Follow the leather edge to make a pretty border, or follow a pencil path on the leather to make loops and shapes.

Dying and painting your embossed leather

-Once you have your embossed leather designs, initials or patterns in your leather item, let it dry overnight.

-Then if you want you can add colour to your embossed leather designs. Use leather dye or leather paint to fill in your embossed work. Most leather briefcases and other fine leather items that have initials embossed into it have them coloured a nice gold or silver.

-Once that is dry finish it with a leather sealer to protect it from dirt and make it water resistant.

So that is how to do leather embossing! It's fun and can make a plain leather briefcase, belt or wallet look much better with embossed leather designs or initials.

FYI:- embossing leather doesn’t involve cutting into the leather. Cutting into the leather is called tooling leather.