Hot Foil Stamping Leather with No Tools

[@sixtonshark2854]

Thanks for going into so much detail about this, I keep coming back to it whenever I look into doing foil stamping without an expensive press. The boiling water idea is brilliant.

[@brandigarnier3423]

Hi! I found your video during a search for "hot foil stamp how to", because the foil I bought did not come with instructions. And I wanted all the info I could get before doing it on a project. Seems self explanatory to a degree, but I wasn't sure of heat temp, pressure etc. Sooooo...I have custom brass stamps for my leather business and have found an easy way to heat them to a pretty perfect temp for heat stamping with a press. So I decided to try my letter stamps that way too and it works great! It's an electric MUG WARMER! Lol! No kidding. Basically it's just a small little hot plate but the temp probably doesn't reach over 200 degrees, so it's a great inexpensive way to achieve results. I learned by trial and error on scrap leather. Rubbing alcohol worked pretty good too for edge clean up, and I learned a firm quick press is best, not a long press like a brass stamp without foil. So, gosh I wrote a lot, apologies, but I just wanted to share with you what worked for me and to say thank you for giving additional helpful info! Happy leathering!

[@cerupsly]

That's awesome! Thanks for the note! do you have a video or pics somewhere? I'd love to see it

[@ShivAadesh]

@@cerupsly Even we would lovveeee to see itt....!! 😀✨

[@cerupsly]

@@ShivAadesh I've tried this. I didn't get good results. Maybe my mug warmer is too puny.

[@ShivAadesh]

@@cerupsly ohh.... NP... It's always good to share the experience... And we definitely have other things to cheer... 😎 ... Thanks for the rpl... 🤩

[@mjulia92]

This video is so awesome!! Imperfections and handcrafted items go hand in hand, and it’s what makes them unique and beautiful. Very helpful video, thank you!!

[@SheerStitchery]

Love this! I like how you explained the temperature it needs to be, this is the first tutorial that explains this. Thanks!

[@cerupsly]

Sheer Stitchery you’re so nice!!!

[@Mrsnunyabiznezz]

THANK YOU!! My daughter is getting her boyfriend a leather wrist band that is like 2 inches wide and it is laced up on the sides. It has nothing in the middle and we have been racking our brains for 3 days to figure out a way to put something in the middle, like a band he likes or a song title. It's black leather, like this so just embossing wasn't going to work. Came across this and NOW we can do this. I think you did a hell of a job. Thank you for saving me and my 16 yr old thanks you too!

[@cerupsly]

Huzzah! Send pics!

[@AffordBindEquipment]

you can plug the soldering iron into a light dimmer and you can then control the temp way down to what you need.

[@patriciaingraldi4719]

Thank you. That was very helpful especially you working out all the issues you came upon. Great job!!

[@Ladyfyre-graphics]

This looks really great, it adds to the sentimental value too as you put so much effort and time into it :-)

[@barattolo]

What happens if the stamp is too hot? I'm thinking if I could dip the stamp in boiling water, and maybe heat it up briefly with a torch? How precise needs the temperature to be?

[@BornAgain330]

Hey buddy I just recently got into leather work bud rebinding Bibles and man I went to hobby lobby and got those “foil sheets” and I guess they need adhesive; it was still a MESS haha and this has been the first video I’ve seen that went into this without need a commercial machine so to speak haha but God bless man and keep on keepin on lol take care

[@cerupsly]

They definitely do not need adhesive. It’s a matter of putting the foil side the right direction and getting the heat right!

[@heylady2110]

You are a brave man 😂 but over all it turned out really good I’m impressed .❤️

[@goprojay9716]

Nice work. Do you think this could work on a baseball glove? Thoughts? Thanks!

[@Ghryst]

what type of foil are you using? i spent $25 on some cricut iron-on foil, and it turns out to be rubbery film of thermo-adhesive, i dare not even try it

[@n2cable]

which u think is better...hot stamp or glue and foil leaf?

[@cerupsly]

What he said.

[@sarahandrea3159]

Sooo glad I found this, as I am in the same situation: can't afford to get a professional machine. However, I am a bit confused (maybe as a non-native English speaker). Sometimes you seem to say that you heated up the leather. But you only heated up the metal stamps, right? And if so, in the beginning, you are successfully stamping, but without gloves. hmmm... Do you put the entire metal part into a toaster, or is it a mini oven/toaster? Thanks for the clarification!! :-)

[@cerupsly]

I only heat the letters themselves. Not the leather. And then i attach the letters to the handle, which I did not heat

[@cerupsly]

But I bet the letters wouldn’t cool off so fast if you heated the handle as well... of course then gloves would be non-optional.

[@sarahandrea3159]

@@cerupsly thanks, that makes sense :-D

[@lauradonovan2631]

@@cerupsly Did you stamp the leather first, then re-stamp with the foil on top? I saw a tutorial that said to do it that way but it would be easier if you didn't have to.

[@cerupsly]

Definitely DON’T do it that way. I tried it. It’s nearly impossible to get everything lined back up. You have to do it all in one go. At least that’s what I found.

[@deinyum1233]

Hi! Great video!! What’s the brand for the stamps? Do they come with the stick you are using to press the stamps down? Thank you in advance!!

[@cerupsly]

Deiny UM I got them from Tandy. And yes. They came with the handle.

[@deinyum1233]

The Real GM found it. Thank you!!!

[@professorjan9277]

what brand of foil did you use

[@FiendishSpirit]

from where did you buy those metal letters please ? and can we get custom shapes ?

[@cerupsly]

Tandy

[@cerupsly]

FiendishSpirit I actually know a place that does custom shapes but I’ll have to hunt for it. I don’t remember them off hand but I bought something from them a while back

[@FiendishSpirit]

also what is that alcohol ? you used to clean the mess ? can't seem to hear what you said. thanks!

[@cerupsly]

FiendishSpirit it’s denatured alcohol. Ethanol

[@BJH-iv6nt]

Did you reseal the leather afterwards?

[@cerupsly]

I put weatherproofing on. I think I used mink oil or something like that.

[@BJH-iv6nt]

@@cerupsly I would not have done this without the machine. You were very brave and did a great job.

[@awilk6625]

Thank you for sharing your tips !!! Does it work with syntetic leather ?

[@cerupsly]

I don’t know! Just have to try it! My guess is yes.

[@smithajensen6809]

Hi. This is a great video. Can we use deco foil?

[@cerupsly]

Smitha Jensen yes. I think so. Try it first though. And experiment with different temperatures. That’s the key thing, I found.

[@spdiv1]

Thanks for the video! Sorry for the noob question, but what type of foil are you using? Thanks in advance!

[@cerupsly]

spdiv1 the stuff i used is this: www.amazon.com/dp/B010C2DI1S

[@OrignialLostintheFifthcorner]

@@cerupsly unfortunately this link now goes to straws.

[@TheLeathersmithShop]

I started off with a wood burner and the optional letter stamps. The more expensive ones have temperature control, but if you already have one without a temp control, you can go to home depot and get a light switch dimmer for like $5. Just plug your burner into the switch, plug the switch into the outlet, then adjust the switch until you get the right temp. Use pliers to switch out the letters and they heat up in less than 30 seconds, so no waiting.

[@cerupsly]

Oh great idea!

[@mayloh8506]

Hi The Real GM! I loved your video! Apologies in advance if you've answered this question - I had a thorough look. What size are your stamps from Tandy? Thanks!

[@cerupsly]

May Loh I actually think these letters only come in one size from Tandy, which is where I bought them!

[@cerupsly]

Found it. These are the ones I bought: www.tandyleather.com/en/product/craftool-1-2-13-mm-block-alphabet-set/craftool-1-2-13-mm-block-alphabet-set

[@judec6842]

how do you warm the stamp please

[@dafneperez9586]

sooo you are talking about 200 fahrenheit?

[@cerupsly]

Yes

[@vandree12]

where can I get all the tools you use in the video?

[@michaels34613]

I finally found someone not using a scrap of unfinished leather, do you think this process would work on a kate spade purse? The website says it is "boarskin embossed cowhide". Thanks so much

[@cerupsly]

It will work, but the chances are that there's a boatload of finish on the leather, which you will have to remove first -- otherwise it won't work. I used denatured alcohol to do mine, which worked great. Denatured alcohol is nice because the smell is fairly weak and it evaporates very quickly. Any solvent would work, though. I would want to test it out on a very inconspicuous spot on the bag to make sure that I didn't mess up the bag... maybe the bottom. You will then want to use some sort of leather finish to get the sheen back. Fiebings sells a lot of good stuff. I usually go to the tandy website to buy that stuff. The only thing I would really worry about it getting the luster of the leather to match the rest of the bag. Try the bottom. That's what I would do.

[@michaels34613]

Thanks for the quick reply that’s what I’ll do

[@lauradonovan2631]

Best video I've seen!

[@cerupsly]

That’s so nice!!!

[@akivae4432]

Does this work on faux leather?

[@watchmedolifestyle]

Where did you get the letters?

[@pressplay1703]

Can I do this with kitchen foil?

[@cerupsly]

No. It’s a special foil.

[@clairemeacham5792]

Thank you for making/sharing this video. I learned several things! : )

[@joshwright8243]

Is the stamp your using heated? Or room temperature? Thankyou

[@cerupsly]

did you watch the video?

[@joshwright8243]

The Real GM yes but didn’t quite get if it was heated or not sorry

[@rsbuilds6046]

Where did you get the letter stamping kid from?

[@cerupsly]

Tandy 👍

[@benaltemus2215]

How long did you leave the stamps in the toaster oven before you knew they were at temp? Thanks for the video, I knew there had to be a way to do it without buying the expensive machine!

[@cerupsly]

Once the toaster oven was hot, it only took a short amount of time to get them hot. Maybe 2-3 minutes the first time. But then

[@cerupsly]

It was a fair bit of trial and error though. So give it a few practice tries to get the hang of it.

[@beeb1293]

This was super helpful. Thank you!!

[@brenlyd]

fantastic. going to do this tomorrow

[@robs1190]

Centering it looks difficult

[@kaylaschmitt5600]

do you have a link to where you bought the stamp tool? or what type of foil to use or what its called ?

[@cerupsly]

The foil that I used is: www.amazon.com/dp/B010C2DI1S I got the stamping tool from tandy.com.

[@tagreednaqeeb4260]

@@cerupsly may I ask you what is the size of the letters?

[@mikecalhoun8497]

How about a single burner electric hot plate. You can get them for less than $20. This would allow you to put the letter face down on the heating surface and heat mainly the letter it's self.

[@cerupsly]

I think it would work, but you’d need to get one of those infrared thermometers to make sure it didn’t get too hot. Too much heat will wreck the whole deal.

[@mikecalhoun8497]

Soldering irons are generally about 500 to 600 degrees F. Solder melts at about 400 to 450 degrees as a general rule. This is a very general temperatures. Very nice video.

[@cerupsly]

Right?! That’s what I thought, too

[@karlaboggs9075]

What brand of foil is this

[@cerupsly]

the stuff i used is this: www.amazon.com/dp/B010C2DI1S

[@bridiedrain3722]

what is a toaster oven please?

[@cerupsly]

lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+a+toaster+oven

[@mareike4201]

Hi! What kind of foil did you use to do this? Thanks :)

[@cerupsly]

the stuff i used is this: www.amazon.com/dp/B010C2DI1S

[@ordnaelshideout]

Super helpful, thanks for the tutorial!

[@DevilNeverKnows]

Why do all these people have middle names?

[@Frenchsnipe]

So I need to put the letters in the toster ? 😂

[@Momsmusicchannel]

Great video!!

[@jimathey6153]

OLD LEATHER SMITH here, it's called DE GLAZER REMOVES ALL YOUR PROBLEMS WITH COATINGS, GOD'S BLESSINGS ✝️⚾🙃

[@imtrex521]

nice

[@lexzan]

Has anyone tried a Sous Vide? I am wondering if you put the letters into a zip lock bag and put it in the water until the stamps are at the desired temp?

[@jessecraine5726]

What about this being Jay Leno? Listen to him.