Punch it Out: How to Create Holes in Leather Like a Pro
Leather-working is often considered an intimidating craft, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, one of the simplest steps of leather-working is creating holes for stitching and lacing. All you need is the right tools and a bit of patience, and you’ll be punching out perfect holes in no time. Let’s take a look at how it’s done!
What You’ll Need
First things first, let’s talk about what you need before getting started. The two most important items are a knife or rotary punch and an awl. A knife or rotary punch is used to make the initial cut in the leather while an awl will help enlarge the hole so you can easily fit your lace or thread through it. These tools are available at any craft store, making them easy to find and relatively inexpensive too.
How It’s Done
Once you have all your tools ready, you can begin making your marks on the leather piece where you want the holes to go.
Then use the knife or rotary punch to make small incisions in each mark so that there are four sides to each hole.
Finally, grab your awl and gently push it into one side of each hole until all four sides match up evenly with each other. Make sure not to push too hard as this could cause the leather to tear or crack!
You can use this technique with any type of leather material—from thin garment leather to thicker belt leather—and even with suede if you’re feeling adventurous!
If you’re new to working with leather, start with something thinner as it will be easier for practice purposes. Once you get more comfortable with using these tools, then move onto thicker pieces for more complex projects like bags or wallets!
Conclusion:
Punching holes in leather may seem like a daunting task for beginners but don’t worry -it’s actually quite simple when done correctly!
With just a few tools from your local craft store and some patience (plus maybe a few trial runs!), anyone can become an expert at punching perfectly shaped holes into their favoUrite type of leather material! So go ahead – give it a try today and see what kinds of beautiful pieces you can create!
Photo Credit: Canva