Newbie Needs Help With "woodland Distressed Pigskin"

[InTheMiddle]

Hi,

Brand new here to the site. I've been working with leather for a very short amount of time. I bought some of this "Woodland distressed pigskin" from Tandy. It works well for what I'm making. Someone has asked me to make an item for them and to somehow imprint their initials in it. I realize that it can't be stamped, but I was hoping someone had an idea of how I could add their initials.

I'm a little desperate to find a way to do this, because people love the item, and the leather used to make it. I'm selling stuff to be able to keep up with this hobby that I've come to love!

Please let me know if you have ANY ideas.

Thanks!

[25b]

What is it you're making?

[InTheMiddle]

Leather covers for journals.

[25b]

Well, if it's not veg tanned, there's probably not much you can do. I've had mild success pressing (not hammering) printers' type into Horween. It's lead, so it can't be heated and if you hammer them, they'll deform. I use my book press to press them in.

Other than that, you can try to get a Kwikprint or similar heat embossing machine and do imprints that way. You can use various colors of metal foil or none at all...they are expensive though.

Hope that helps...

[ChriJ]

Could you make an inlay of the initials on another type of leather?

[Tesla Ranger]

Most leathers can be heat embossed but that requires equipment specifically for that design (at least a stamp and something to heat it up). Unless you're planning on mass producing the journal covers (which doesn't seem to be the case) then an applique is probably the most practical approach. You can carve a piece of veg tan and then stitch it to the pigskin before it's applied to the journal.