Leathercrafting is one of the earliest known arts, which is probably why you can find leather craft kits available for both children and adults, for pyrography and stamping. Leathercraft Bookmarks are one of the most commonly practiced areas of beginner leathercrafting today and make a fine example of one of many ways in which this skill can be used. |
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 Leather Craft Kits – Stamping
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Stamping, or “tooling,” involves the use of specially designed tool and hammer kits to literally stamp a design into the surface of the leather. This craft is done by:
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- Wet the article you are decorating.
- The surface should be moist, but not dripping.
- Draw a design (pattern) on a piece of paper
- Can be as simple or complex as you feel comfortable with
- Any woodburning pattern can also be used
- Place the leather on a hard surface (preferably tile, stone, or metal)
- Smooth side down creates a raised stamp
- Rough side down creates an embedded stamp
- Arrange the pattern on top
- Place your tool against the surface and gently hammer the pattern into the leather.
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Your craft kit will come with many size tools, small and nail-like instruments, which are used for the stamping. Choose the tool with a size and shape that best fits your pattern. Remember, you can change tools at any time.
Once the design has been completed, stain the project for a finished appearance.
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Keep in mind that the above directions are for the simplest form of this art. When done by a professional, leathercrafting can become much more detailed and difficult. There are many books available which offer much more thorough instructions on this skill. For beginners, we recommend purchasing “
Leathercraft for Beginners,” a great starters guide complete with easy-to-do projects.
Leather Craft Kits – Pyrography
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Also available are leather craft kits for pyrography. Pyrography is the art of burning designs into a surface (generally:
wood,
gourds, or leather). These craft kits also come available for both children and adults; the main difference being that a children’s burner does not get as hot as an adult’s.
Just as with stamping, pyrography involves the use of a
pattern that is transferred to the surface of your piece. This pattern can be simple or complex. (See our
Pyrography page for more information on this form of leatherworking - including directions on adding color to your projects.) Burners, instruction books, kits, and more can be found in our
Pyrography Store as well as in our
Pyrography Tools page.
Important Notes –
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When working with a pyrography leather craft kit, do NOT work on tanned or stained surfaces. Stain the material only after the burning is complete. The chemicals used in tanning can be lethal if burned. Even when the surface is untanned, work in well ventilated areas while burning (preferably far from smoke detectors, for obvious reasons).
Also, supervise children during all leathercrafting. The tools involved with both a pyrography and stamping leather craft kits can be dangerous when used without caution. |
