Teen Craft Leather Tooling

There are many different crafts suitable for kids, but they love making things they can actually use. So working with leather is a good idea so is Macrame Beaded Jewelry.

Teens are a curious lot. They want their independence and yet they’re often afraid to step out on their own. One way to continue connecting with your teen is through a shared craft. One craft teens may enjoy is leather tooling. You may find you enjoy it, too.

Leather tooling is the process of taking pieces of leather and cutting, pressing or burning it to create an image or design which can be added to clothing or other useful items. Think about ornate leather saddles, purses or belts. Those things were created by leather tooling.

It is important to have the correct type of leather when tooling it. It generally should be top-grain, vegetable-tanned and light-colored. Your teen will also need specific tools with which to work.

Those tools include:

• Awl and spare point
• Retractable craft or X-acto knife with spare blades
• Retractable knife with blade which breaks off
• Rotary punch
• Needles
• Bees wax
• Waxed linen thread
• Pliers
• Scissors

There are other tools you can purchase when doing leather tooling, but you may want to wait until you see if your teen wants to continue the craft before spending too much money. Other tools include edge slickers, bevellers, punches, thong cutters, t-square, compass and yardstick.

There is an easy way to determine if the leather you and your teen have accessible to you is suitable for tooling. You can wet a corner and make a couple of lines to see how well the leather reacts and holds the lines. It is also a good idea to put tape on the back of the leather while it is being worked on to avoid stretching it.

Find designs by looking through pattern books or a simple picture possibly taken from a coloring book. An easy design such as a simple flower or leaf will give your teen an opportunity to try different tooling skills. The design will have to be transferred to the leather using tracing or wax paper.

Dampen the leather after the image is transferred. Your teen will then begin creating depressions into the leather. When they are satisfied with their work, they can allow the leather to dry and then paint or dye it to complete it. The result will be a raised surface work of art they can be proud of.

Your teen should be able to find more information about the particular skills needed for leather tooling at a craft store. They will have the tools needed as well as books and other supplies to get your teen started on a new craft they can continue into adulthood. The internet is another source of information for learning leather tooling.