HOW TO MARK LEATHER?
Want to create even more personalized creations? Discover hot and cold stamping, two simple techniques to bring your ideas to life!
With our branding kits, personalize your leather creations: initials, first names, messages... anything is possible! Simple, precise and 100% creative: the touch that makes all the difference!
FOCUS ON HOT STAMPING LEATHER
OUR BRASS CHARACTER SETS FOR MARKING LEATHER
To be able to hot stamp leather, you first need to equip yourself with characters and a brass character holder! We will see, a little further down in this article, the 3 methods of heating the character holder: the brass handle coupled with a blowtorch, the threading iron and the heat press.
Our brass lettering system is available in several sizes (4 or 6 mm), in lowercase, uppercase, numbers and symbols to be inserted into our 5 or 8 cm letter holders. It allows you to easily engrave your messages with a professional finish, even at home!
Watch the video presentation of our tools ⬇️
Each character, just like the character holder, has a small reference point that allows you to position them correctly and mark the leather precisely.
Please note: the word must be written in mirror effect. Be sure to check in a mirror that everything is legible before marking the leather.
We recommend that you tighten all the characters securely with a 3 mm Allen key, and that you center your message in the character holder.
USING FOIL - TRANSFER FILM
To add shine and highlight your branding, you can add a transfer film. Gold, bronze, silver, white, blue... it's up to you to choose the color that will make your creations stand out. Our foils are resistant: even if you scratch them, the branding remains intact! The ideal temperature for applying a foil is around 120 degrees.
Quick tip: if the foil overflows slightly, remove the excess using masking tape (don't hesitate to watch the video below) . We also recommend making a template to properly position your marking on your finished pieces.
WHAT TYPE OF LEATHER CAN YOU STAMP A HOT STAMP ON?
Hot stamping works on most mineral or vegetable tanned leathers. However, be careful not to hot stamp on patent or coated leathers as they generally have a PU (plastic) finish. Grained or suede leathers will require a little more precision and testing (we do not recommend using foil on suede leather) .
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TANNING METHODS >
THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF HOT STAMPING
Hot stamping is the most versatile method; you can brand leather with a handle and a blowtorch, a threading iron, or a heat press. You can also brand your vegetable-tanned or mineral-tanned leathers.
1- THE BRASS HANDLE
Protect your sleeve well to avoid any burns. We recommend using a piece of suede leather as insulation.
Then heat the character holder for about 30 seconds on each side, using a blowtorch, a stove or a gas stove.
Place it (vertically) on your leather, then strike three small blows with the mallet: the marking is done!
If you need to make several markings, reheat the character holder regularly to maintain a uniform temperature. Also consider providing a heat-resistant surface to rest the hot handle on and protect your work surface.
2- THE THREADING IRON
Our character holders (5 and 8 cm) are compatible with Adece and Regad threading irons (with adapter for the latter - Ref. ) . Let your iron heat up for about 15 minutes, test on a scrap, then mark! For a uniform finish, make a slight circular or crossed movement: forward, backward, left, right.
For our tests we set the heating power (potentiometer) of our ADECE threading iron to 8, we invite you to do your own tests with your threading iron.
3- THE HEAT PRESS
The same character holders also fit the Craftplus heat press (Ref. ) ! Simple, fast and precise, ideal for series or regular creations.
Whether it's a card holder, a bracelet, a case or a notebook, add a personal touch to your creations that will make all the difference!
FOCUS ON COLD STAMPING OF LEATHER
Cold stamping is only performed on unfinished, slightly damp vegetable-tanned leather. The leather is moistened by rubbing a damp sponge over its grain. Apply water (using a damp sponge) as evenly as possible, but sparingly. The leather should be damp but not soaking wet. You can then stamp the leather using a stamping tool.
Leather marking is only possible on vegetable tanned leather because unlike mineral tanned leather (with chrome) it is possible to moisten it (the fibers swell and soften allowing the leather to be marked correctly) .
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TANNING METHODS >
Watch the video ⬇️
HOW TO STRIKE A MASHER STRAIGHT?
Do you like to personalize your creations with alphabet stamps but are afraid of not hitting them straight? We invite you to discover the stamp guides so that you no longer have crooked inscriptions! Marking on vegetable-tanned leather only.
WITH THE LEATHER DECO GUIDE RULER
WITH THE TANDY LEATHER GUIDE RULER
EXAMPLES OF MARKING ON VEGETABLE TANNED LEATHER:
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HOW DO I KNOW IF THE MASTING IS THE RIGHT WAY?
Marks are visible on the different stamps so that you know if they are positioned in the right direction before striking them on the leather.
USE OF 3D MATERIALS:
Unlike handle stamps, 3D stamps are larger and more detailed. For stamps with a lot of detail, don't hesitate to strike very hard and on a marble surface.
Caution: Never strike the stamps with a metal hammer as this could damage the tools.
Test, experiment, have fun—and most importantly, always test on scraps. Don't wait any longer to personalize your creations! The finishing detail that makes all the difference!
TUTORIAL IDEAS TO CUSTOMIZE:
LEATHER NOTEBOOK COVER |
LEATHER BOOKMARK |
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| SEE THE TUTORIAL > |
MINIMALIST CARD HOLDER |
HEART BOOKMARK |
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| SEE THE TUTORIAL > |
TRAVEL ETIQUETTE |
KEY BELL |
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| SEE THE TUTORIAL > |
11 comments
Deco Cuir
Bonjour,
Le simili cuir est composé de plastique. Nous ne conseillons pas l’usage d’un marquage à chaud sur du simili.
Bonne journée,
L’équipe Deco Cuir
Christelle
Bonjour,
Est-il possible de marquer le simili cuir également ?
Merci
Deco Cuir
Bonjour,
Pour pouvoir marquer du cuir à froid (à l’aide de matoirs) il faut un cuir avec un tannage végétal (et bien l’humidifier avant). Si voulez coudre de petites étiquettes je vous conseille d’opter pour nos lanières courtes en cuir : https://www.decocuir.com/collections/laniere-cuir-collet-tannage-vegetal-courte et de les couper à la longueur souhaitée après marquage. Vous pourrez ensuite les coudre ou les riveter à vos créations.
Si vous souhaitez faire des lettres colorées, il faudra directement les couper (avec des emporte-pièces alphabets ou une machine de découpe type Cricut) dans des chutes de cuir. Ensuite vous devrez les coudre sur vos créations (lettre par lettre).
Si vous souhaitez faire un marquage à chaud sur n’importe quel type de cuir (végétal ou minéral) il vous faudra une presse à chaud et des caractères en laiton : https://www.decocuir.com/collections/pyrograveur-cuir-outil-gravure Nous sommes en train de développer une solution de marquage à chaud à moindre coût mais elle sera disponible qu’en septembre. Vous pourrez faire vos marquages avec du foil argent, cuivre ou doré pour donner de l’éclat à vos inscriptions.
Bonne journée, l’équipe Deco Cuir
Decoster
Bonjour,je souhaite réaliser de petites étiquettes fines (à coudre)en cuir, y écrire le prénom en utilisant un matoir. Pourruez-vous me conseiller un type de cuir , quelle épaisseur,et surtout,comment obtenir des lettres colorées(j’ai déjà achète le guide, matoirs, et des chutes de lanières pour essayer. Idem en utilisant un fer(quel cuir). Bien cordialement
Deco Cuir
Bonjour Laure,
Le film doré ou argenté fonctionne uniquement avec le marquage à chaud, on appelle cela du foil 😊 Nous en avons ici https://www.decocuir.com/products/rouleau-transfert-foil-cuivre?variant=40659094143030
Effectivement le transfert se fait à chaud, nous ne conseillons pas l’usage du foil à froid : le résultat et la tenue ne seront pas optimum.
Bonne fin de journée et bon week-end,
L’équipe Deco Cuir
Laure
Bonjour,
Est-ce que l’on peut utiliser un film doré avec un matoir ou est-ce que cela ne fonctionne qu’avec un marquage à chaud ?
Deco Cuir
Vous souhaitez avoir un matoir personnalisé avec le nom de votre marque ou bien un motif en particulier ? Nous vous conseillons de vous rapprocher d’entreprises spécialisées notamment : BFM – Outils et machines pour cuir. https://bfmfrance.fr/fabrication-outils-pour-le-travail-du-cuir/ L’équipe Deco Cuir
Nicolaas MARSILLE
bonjour
avez-vous une adresse pour faire réaliser des matoirs en 3D pour presse à chaud?
merci beaucoup d vos eventuels conseils
cdlt
Nils
Deco Cuir
Bonjour Jérôme,
Je vous ai envoyé par mail un exemple de marquage à froid sur du cuir noir. Le marquage est peut-être un peu moins visible que sur les autre teintes mais il reste visible.
Bonne année 2025
L’équipe Deco Cuir
jerome
merci beaucoup pour tous ces tips.
Je vois que toutes vos démonstrations d’estampage sont sur cuirs marron ou clairs… est-ce que cela ne se voit pas sur cuir noir ?
Vendassi
Merci pour vis vidéos très instructives, maintenant " il n’y a plus qu’à "….