Stamping is a sure quick and easy way to give your leatherwork project a professional touch even if you’re a complete newbie to leatherwork. But, what are the best leather stamping tools?
Below are some of the Best Leather Stamping kits, in no particular order!
- BIGTEDDY Leather Stamp Punch Set
- BUTUZE Leather Craft Set
- UOOU Leather Stamp Tools, Leather Carving Set, Leather Kit
- Tandy Leather Native American Symbol Stamp Set
- Jupean Leather Stamping Tools
- Realeather Crafts Funtime Stamp Set
- Stainless Steel Barry King
- CraftJapan leather stamps
- James Linnell Tools
- Hide Crafter Tools
Tips For Buying Leather Stamps
Leather stamps are wonderful tools to spice up a touch of class on the appearance of your leatherwork. However, not every stamp is created equally. Here are a few things to look out for when buying leather stamps.
You would want to go for leather stamps made using Stainless steel or carbon steel as they are top grade. This is great if you want something more long-lasting. Chrome-plated or finished leather stamps may not give you the best impressions and will wear out fast.
Check the interior, exterior, ridges, and corners of the leather stamp and ensure it is crisp and not simply rounded to avoid the poor impressions they make.
For beginners, start out with a basic set of leather stamping tools and learn to make the best out of it. It can be a set of 7 to 15 stamps and they don’t necessarily need to be top quality as what you would need in the initial stages will be to identify which kinds of designs you enjoy making.
Once that is figured out, you can go ahead and replace the ones you enjoy with top-grade stamps and limit the use of the others to odd projects.
Deciding which leather stamping tools work best isn’t the hardest part. There are thousands of different leather stamping tools. Below are some of the best leather stamping tools, in no particular order!
10. BIGTEDDY Leather Stamp Set
The BigTeddy is a 20 piece leather stamping tool set that is an awesome beginner starter kit in leatherwork. It combines 20 of the most popular patterns into one kit. It is very easy to use and although I will recommend for a beginner, it creates very professional patterns.
Price:
The BIGTEDDY 20PCs Leather stamp set is priced between $15 – $20 on Amazon plus whatever shipping fee there is if you happen to live farther away from the seller.
The price of this stamping tool is on the lower end compared to some other stamping tools, so it’s a great option if you just want to explore a bit about Tooling, stamping, or carving in leatherwork.
If you are interested in this stamping tool, you can find it on the Amazon website here.
It Includes:
The includes popular patterns like the half-moon, flower, and butterfly amongst many other beautiful designs. You can also combine the individual tools to create your very own vintage and stylish patterns.
It’s a very versatile stamping set with multiple tools but its not suitable for everyday use.
9. BUTUZE Leather Craft Set
This stamping toolset is made with a beginner in mind but has additional professional tooling tools. With this set, a beginner can explore the combination of stamping and carving tools to create beautiful designs. Professionals can aswell carry out all major projects.
Price:
It is priced between $29 – $35 on Amazon plus whatever shipping fee there is if you happen to live farther away from the seller with this stamping tool.
If you are interested in this stamping tool, you can find it on the Amazon website here.
It Includes:
The BUTUZE Leather stamping tool is fully stocked with 20 Leather stamping tools plus a Swivel Knife and a durable maul mallet.
Best For:
This Butuze leather craft tool set is perfect for a variety of uses such as bag, wallet, canvas or even key bag designs. It is also marketed as a great gift item for friends and family who likes to work on crafts, DIYs or pretty much anything handy.
It however, doesn’t come with a manual or guide and you might somehow have to figure things out and yourself with a lot of practice.
8. UOOU Leather Stamp Tool Kit
This stamping tool kit is also suitable for both beginners and professional leathercraft men and women alike. What I like about this tool kit is its uniquely textured shaft making it non-slip with an elegant appearance.
Price:
The UOOU leather stamping tool kit currently has a huge discount and is priced between $19 – $22 on Amazon.
You would want to check out this stamping tool kit, you can find it on the Amazon website here.
It Includes:
It includes a 6 piece leather craft stamps, 1 wooden nylon maul for hitting the stamps, and 5 styluses for working out details during carving. The 6 piece leather stamps are labeled as;
Stamp PA003 can be used to create beautiful pebble texture in tight background areas of the leather product.
Stamp X500-2 Comes with a double rope pattern in the center of this tool it can be used to create unique basketweave.
Stamp E684-S and E684 puts the icing on the cake as it ignites special decorative effects on your leatherwork projects because it has Tri-Weave Stamps.
Stamp A004 and A005 can be used to create pebble-like textures on larger surface areas of your leatherwork project.
Best For:
It is best for creating impressions or patterns on vegetable-tanned leather bags, wallets, or belts.
7. Tandy Leather Native American Symbol Stamp Set
Tandy leather company is one of the icons of leatherwork tools and materials for the leathercraft. The Tandy leather Native American Symbol Stamp set is just one of the several tools they have in stock for sale.
Price:
The Tandy leather company’s native American symbol stamp set is priced between $37 – $40. It is price certainly on the high end but can’t replace the quality and beautiful impressions it makes if you are accustomed to or a fun of the native American culture.
If you are interested, you can check out this product here on Amazon for additional information.
It Includes:
The Tandy Leather native American stamp set comes with 43 nicely designed different symbols and a handle packaged in a box. They measure about 7.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches with each set having in it a list identifying the name and meaning of each symbol. You can preview all the designs included in this kit here.
Best For:
This stamping toolset is Ideal for projects of all kinds. It is both beginner and professional-friendly.
This stamp set of high value and quality and while the size of the stamp is ideal for most people, others, however, feel the are tiny.
6. Jupean Leather Stamping Tools Set
The Jupean Leather Stamping Tools set has great 3D effect when impressions are made. The head and handle are in one piece and not welded so it is durable and doesn’t break easily.
Their stamping tools are also rustproof with a non-slip shaft for easy grip and comfort. It is made for professionals but an adventurous amateur can certainly take it for a stamping ride.
Price:
It is priced Between $14 – $17 on Amazon. Its price is certainly on the high end but is just about right for its high quality. You can, however, look around for better deals for this item. If you are interested, you can check it out here on Amazon.
It Includes:
It includes 6 stamping tools with different design patterns. It is forged in high-quality 304 stainless steel with heat treatment making it durable and wear-resistant
Each stamping tool has a unique specification mark and is labeled as follows;
Stamp A004 and A005 tool is one of the most popular matting textures used by leather carvers to create unique pebble-like patterns on larger backgrounds of the leather.
Stamp X500-2 tools can be used for a lot of decorative and special effects purposes. It has a basketweave design and a rope pattern in the middle.
E684-S and E684 are a Tri-Weave Stamp while Stamp PA003 can create pebble-like textures on areas of background on leather.
Best For:
You can use the Jupean Leather Stamping Tools on vegetable-tanned leather (by stamping with a mallet) and chrome-tanned leather (by heating the stamp before making the impression).
It is best for leather thickness not less than 2.2cm and should be layered beneath if the thickness is less. You can use it on wallets, belts or even bags but you might have to apply extreme force to make the print.
5. Realeather Crafts Funtime Stamp Set
This kit gives you a fast and simple way to create fun designs on your leather. It was made with beginners and younger people in mind but not less than 3 years old though.
Price:
This fun leather stamp kit comes at priced between $8 – $10 You can especially save more if you select the not rush shipping for certain locations. Check out this product here on Amazon for more information.
It Includes:
The package contains comprises 8 metal stamp designs you can fix to a handle. The designs on these stamps are more of a fun design you will ordinarily have on your smartphones such as heart, smiley face, flower, sun, moon, star, butterfly, and leaf. The designs are all smaller than half an inch.
Best For:
It is best for stamping kids fun leather items like shoes, bags, pouches, etc. It also a great gift item for kids over 3/4 years of age. However, all stamps share one handle and you might have to from time to time refix the handle on the tool you would be using.
4. Stainless Steel Barry King
Barry King’s tools is a staple for quality leather tools. Because they ensure the premium quality they are slowly expanding with new additions to their tool line collection from time to time.
This is the tool you will want to get if you work out a lot of designs every day. Their tools are resistant to corrosion and last long because it is made of stainless steel. Most tools are designed for the “Sheridan Style” carving but can be used for other styles as well.
Price:
On average 1 barry king, leather stamping tool costs $43 and the average price of their 3 piece set is about $120. You would notice this stamping tool set is on the higher price end but is highly commensurate with the premium quality you would be getting.
If you are interested you can check out some of their tools here on Amazon!
It Includes:
The Barry King line of tools usually comes in singles but you can find some sets in 2/3 pieces.
Best For:
This tool is for professionals who want to invest a bit more in terms of quality tools for their leather craft. The are best for any kind of tooling or carving on bags, saddles, shoes, and many more. Barry King offers you a lifetime guarantee for all of its tools but you sure have to pay top dollars for it.
Barry Kings leather stamping tools are all handmade and all the tools will not have the same size.
3. CraftJapan leather stamps
CraftJapan has been producing great pieces of leather stamping tools for years now and has greatly become a conner stone in the leather tools industry.
Price:
They sell their stamping tools in both singles and multiple sets. Their price range is as low as $16 for 1 stamping tools and about $50 for a set of 6. You should certainly check out some of their beautiful stamping tools on Amazon here if you are interested.
It Includes:
The CraftJapan leather stamping tools come in a variety sets of different tools such as the checkered Beveler Stamp set, Smooth Beveler Stamps, Figure Carving Stamps, and many other groups of stamps.
Best For:
It is particularly for best for carving intricate images and designs as you can combine different tools in 1 set to execute an image. It also has great textures for pushing down flat or textured backgrounds on leather.
2. James Linnell Tools
James Linnell’s produces a wide range of homemade leather stamping tools from steel and bronze. The house of James Linnell is a young tool line that specializes in unique geometric, basket weave and border designs the is tailored and customized and you are assured not to find it anywhere else.
Price:
Their tools are mostly in singles with a price around $40 for 1 stamping tool. They of premium quality with customized designs. If you are interested you can visit their website here for some of their amazing designs.
It Includes:
The design arsenal comes in a wide range of customized basketweaves, geometric shapes, tri-weaves, and many others.
1. Hide Crafter Tools
The hide crafter stamping tools create some of the best pebble-like impressions you would ever come across. They also have other great designs like the Sheridan styles, geometric shapes, bevelers, and a few others.
Price:
The price of their tools on average is about $15 for a single tool and about $40 for a 3 set piece. You can check out more tools and information on their website here
It Includes:
It comes in different forms or sets. You can purchase them in singles or multiples.
Best For:
It is great for the background of designs. You can use it to decorate wall hangings, bags, shoes, saddles, and many other leather items.
Techniques for Stamping Leather
There are a few techniques in stamping leather you will just want to know to give alternatives you can try out especially if you are a beginner.
1. Cold Stamp on Dry Leather
In this technique, you will need to stamp your tool directly on the grain side of the leather using a mallet. One important thing with this stamping technique is that it works best on vegetable-tanned. Also for a clean and crisp stamp, use a smaller size stamp.
2. Cold Stamp on Wet Leather
This is probably the most common stamping technique familiar to most leatherworkers. The impressions are quite permanent as the wet leather becomes soft and pliable to receive the impressions of the stamping tool.
This also works best with vegetable-tanned leather. You start by wetting the veg-tanned leather and then with a stamping tool and a mallet gently tap the stamping tool to create your impressions or designs.
3. Hot Stamping
With this stamping techniques, you will definitely need a press machine. The 3 main things to consider with this stamping technique is the heat, the pressure you will apply to the leather, and finally the number of times you will press against the leather. An important thing to keep in mind is to always try out a few stamps on a piece of leather before stamping the main project.
Pro Tips For Using Leather Stamping Tools
There are many things you will discover by yourself which is the best way of leather but here are a few things to keep that I believe will be of tremendous help to you and make your first attempts at leatherwork great success.
1. Your choice of leather should be a natural vegetable-tanned leather. This isn’t because vegetable-tanned leather absorbs water but others like chrome tanned leather do not.
2. When using a cold stamp on wet leather, you would want the top half of your leather wet and the remaining half dry. This will help you to avoid a mushy stamp on the leather.
3. Still, on using wet leather, you would want to wet the entire surface of the leather even if you aren’t stamping the entire surface to avoid watermarks. Also, re-wet the leather from time to time to maintain a pliable surface.
4. Also if you feel your leather is too wet to stamp, you can just Wait a couple of minutes to ensure the leather is dry a bit before you continue to stamp.
5. When striking your stamping tool, there are 2 basic ways you can go. You can either go with one single strike and make the impression in just a single hit or you can give the stamping tool a couple of multiple strikes to create the impression. Don’t worry too much about this, you will figure it out when you try. Thank me later!
6. You would want to also use a good working surface like a granite slab, not a board and certainly not a table or a work bench. Likewise is a cement or concrete floor bad. Also, don’t use steel as a surface because is reacts to leather and turns it black.
7. Use the right kind of mallet. For example, using a wooden mallet will leave little chips down the impressions you are creating and will be sometime hard to get out or will resist antique finishes.
8. The final tip is to think outside the box and feel free to explore. There is a primary way of using a tool but there are a dozen other ways you can use one single tool.
Conclusion
You will make a lot of mistakes when you start using stamping tools and you will probably need to make loads of corrects on stamping impressions that went wrong. Don’t worry about it. Most times people may not even notice the mistakes. Just have fun exploring and working with your stamping tools.
