Introduction: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

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About: we enjoy working for habitat for humanity.volunteering at our state park.and participating with our leather guild instructing 4H groups, home schoolers,scouts and other young people interested in leather work.

     In a previous instructable, I made some leather stones.  I decided to use those stones to make a bracelet and share the process of in laying the stones.  Other types of stones could be inlaid with the same process. 
     If you choose to use the leather stones, check my instructable and prepare them first.

Step 1: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

     The tool list is long, but most of them are common things.

Marble or stone slab
Mallet
Ruler
Strop
Dividers or calipers
Modeling tool
Swivel knife
Seeder tool  S100
Beveler  B200
Leather punch 1/2 inch
Cutting Board
Break away knife
Sponge with bowl of water
Masking tape
Paint brush
Sheep wool or soft cloth
Snap and snap setter
Rotary punch

Note:  I failed to download this picture and had to redo the set up.  The leather strips are not cut to size in this picture.






Step 2: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

Materials:

1 piece 3/4 ounce carving leather 2 1/2 inches wide and 9 inches long
1 piece of 3/4 ounce carving leather 2 1/2 inches wide by 9 1/2 inches long
3 Leather stones or stones of your choice
Pattern I used a heart shaped concho as a pattern
Tan antique
Contact cement
Neat lac spray
Paints


Step 3: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

     A 9 inch piece of leather will fit most adult wrists.  
     Take the smaller piece of leather and cover the back with masking tape.  This will keep the leather from stretching while carving.
     Using the ruler find the center of the strip of leather, of both the length and the width.  Mark this spot with the modeling tool.  Near each end of the strip measure 3/4 inch down from the top and up from the bottom and mark these spots with the modeling tool.

Step 4: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

     Dampen the leather with the wet sponge.  Do not make the leather too wet. 
     I had a heart shaped concho that I chose for my pattern.  The first heart was placed directly over the center mark equal distance from the top and bottom of the leather strip. I then traced around the heart with the modeling tool.  Leaving approximately 1/8th inch between the hearts, trace another heart on either side of the center heart.  
     Each time you use the swivel knife it should be stropped.  A strop is a piece of leather or cardboard with some jewelers rouge on it  This polishes the blade and keeps it sharp.  Use the swivel knife and cut around each of the hearts.

Step 5: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

     Calibrate the dividers to 1/8 inch.  Place one tip of the dividers into the cut line of the hearts.  The other tip will be on the leather.  Trace around the hearts.  Do not go all the way between the hearts.
      Use the swivel knife to cut this line.  
     Use the dividers to trace around this line and then cut it with the swivel knife.

Step 6: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

     Place the leather on a cutting board.  Take the leather punch and punch a hole in  the center of each heart.  I used a 1/ 2 inch punch because that was the size appropriate for my stones.  The hole needs to be slightly smaller than the stone so that the raised area will help hold the stone in place.

Step 7: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

     Move the leather to the marble slab.  I used a B 200 beveler.  I started to bevel around each of the hearts.  I beveled on the outside lines of the hearts.  The lines around the hearts and the strap essentially gives us a border to the bracelet.  The line closest to the heart I beveled to the inside of the line.  The top lines were beveled to the outside.  On the strap I beveled the outside lines to the outside and the inside lines to the inside.  After beveling, I use the modeling tool to round out the edges of the beveled lines.  This will also smooth out the edges. 

Step 8: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

     Take the seeder tool and the mallet to begin stamping around the heart and in the strap area between the borders.  Keep the tool moving in all directions as you stamp.  This gives more dimension and texture to the design.

Step 9: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

    Remove the tape from the back of the leather.  Wet the leather.  The leather should not be dripping wet but needs to be wetter than when carving -wet through so it will stretch over the stones.  From the back side of the leather, push the stones through the hole, using your fingers and the modeling tool.  Leave the stones in place and let the leather dry.  I left them overnight.  Remove the stones.

Step 10: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

      I painted the hearts and the borders red acrylic.  After the paint is good and dry, use the neat shene or any resister on the hearts and the borders.  Be careful not to get the resister on the background areas.   You should give it 2 or 3 coats of the resister.  After the last coat, let it dry overnight.
     Apply the tan antique paste on the bracelet with the sheepskin or soft cloth.   Also color the back of the other piece of leather.  Wipe off any excess paste with a damp cloth.  After about 5 minutes you can polish the bracelet with a soft cloth and it will make it shinier.   

Step 11: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

CAUTION:  This step should be done in a well ventilated area.
     Insert the stones in their respective holes.  With a brush apply the contact cement to the back side of each strip of leather.  Follow the directions on your cement.  Weldwood states that the cement should dry 15 to 20 minutes before putting the pieces together.Press firrmly over the entire surface to ensure good contact.  I let the project dry for about 30 minutes before I went to the next step.

Step 12: Leather Heart Bracelet With Inlaid Leather Stones

     I used the break away knife for this step.  Place the knife blade right next to the beveled edge and carefully cut out the bracelet.
     Take some 320 grit sandpaper and smooth the edges.  Take some water and dampen the edges and using the wooden handle of a tool or the paint brush, rub the edges.  This compacts the leather fibers and gives a smoother edge to the bracelet.  Paint the edges of the bracelet and spray with neat lac finish.  
     Using a snap setter set your snap.

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