Leather Keyholder
In this instructable, i’m gone make a leather keyfob. The best way to make it is to choose a thick vegetable leather ( saddle leather). In use it gives after a while that warm brown look!
Choose the Leather and the Tools
Materials:
-Leather (saddle leather ) 2,5 mm thick. (Other thick leather or thin leather, glued together with a thickness of 2,5 mm is also usefull.)
-Split keyring or flat keyring.
-Metal or brass rivets
Tools:
-Cutting mat
-Sharp knife ( utility knife , rotary knife)
-Rotary punch
-Steel ruler for cutting and measering
-Sandpaper or a dremel with sandroll
-Hammer
-Rivetsetter
-pattern leather keyfob ( see picture, square is 1 cm x1 cm)
-Awl or sharp needle
-Cement glue or all purpose ( leather) glue
-Leather dye (optinal), the beautifull shiny dark brown look, you get after a while when you use it!
-Leather (saddle leather ) 2,5 mm thick. (Other thick leather or thin leather, glued together with a thickness of 2,5 mm is also usefull.)
-Split keyring or flat keyring.
-Metal or brass rivets
Tools:
-Cutting mat
-Sharp knife ( utility knife , rotary knife)
-Rotary punch
-Steel ruler for cutting and measering
-Sandpaper or a dremel with sandroll
-Hammer
-Rivetsetter
-pattern leather keyfob ( see picture, square is 1 cm x1 cm)
-Awl or sharp needle
-Cement glue or all purpose ( leather) glue
-Leather dye (optinal), the beautifull shiny dark brown look, you get after a while when you use it!
Drawing the Pattern on the Leather, Cutting and Punch the Holes
Draw the pattern on a paper.
Trace it with a pen on the backside of the leatherpiece and cut it with a very sharp knife.
Punch the holes with a rotary punch, one hole 2mm other 6 mm.
Perhaps you have to make bigger holes this depends on the thickness of the leather.
Start small so you can make it bigger if necessary!
Cut the line that divides the left and rightpart in 2.
The rivets you need for the keyfob, has to be 4 layers of you leather thickness. See photo.
Measure the rivet with the correct punch on the rotary punch. See photo.
Or take one size smaller punch! When you punch the holes, put a piece of scrap leather to protect the punch and anvil of the rotary punch.
Punch the other holes on the 4 parts of the leather. These holes have to be punched on the correct place.
So take you time, look twice and focus on what you are doing!
Fold the leather on the lenght and then on the short part, as you can see on the photo. Now you got an idea on how it looks.
Trace it with a pen on the backside of the leatherpiece and cut it with a very sharp knife.
Punch the holes with a rotary punch, one hole 2mm other 6 mm.
Perhaps you have to make bigger holes this depends on the thickness of the leather.
Start small so you can make it bigger if necessary!
Cut the line that divides the left and rightpart in 2.
The rivets you need for the keyfob, has to be 4 layers of you leather thickness. See photo.
Measure the rivet with the correct punch on the rotary punch. See photo.
Or take one size smaller punch! When you punch the holes, put a piece of scrap leather to protect the punch and anvil of the rotary punch.
Punch the other holes on the 4 parts of the leather. These holes have to be punched on the correct place.
So take you time, look twice and focus on what you are doing!
Fold the leather on the lenght and then on the short part, as you can see on the photo. Now you got an idea on how it looks.
Glueing the Leather and Setting the Rivets.
For this step you need a good all purpose (leather) glue.
Fold the “ dry” keyfob for a last time together and look if fits enough. If not, you have to make some small shapecuts.
Only little adjustments, because at the end sanding with different grit, makes it smooth.
Make the fleshside of the leather a little bit rough, by scratching it with you knife.
Put some glue on it and press it together, look at the picture for the right way to do it!
Hit the glued leatherpieces softly with your hammer, on a straight surface. ( marbelslab)
After glueing and hammer the leatherpieces, you can put the rivets in the leather.
By setting the rivets, you don’t have to clamp the keyfob in a vise!
Fold the “ dry” keyfob for a last time together and look if fits enough. If not, you have to make some small shapecuts.
Only little adjustments, because at the end sanding with different grit, makes it smooth.
Make the fleshside of the leather a little bit rough, by scratching it with you knife.
Put some glue on it and press it together, look at the picture for the right way to do it!
Hit the glued leatherpieces softly with your hammer, on a straight surface. ( marbelslab)
After glueing and hammer the leatherpieces, you can put the rivets in the leather.
By setting the rivets, you don’t have to clamp the keyfob in a vise!
Sanding the Leather
When the glue between the layers is completly dry, it is time to make the finishing touch. I use a dremel with a sanding roll, to make smooth edges.
After sanding with different grits ,you can burnish the leather with that plastic thing, this gives a smooth surface.
You can also dye the leather with a nice color.
Supershene treatment protects the leather from moisture, the lightbrown color stays as it is.
When you leave the project as it is, it turns after time in a dark shiny brown color. ( last photo, dark brown keyfob)
At least you can put the keyring on the keyfob!
I hope you’re having fun with this project!
After sanding with different grits ,you can burnish the leather with that plastic thing, this gives a smooth surface.
You can also dye the leather with a nice color.
Supershene treatment protects the leather from moisture, the lightbrown color stays as it is.
When you leave the project as it is, it turns after time in a dark shiny brown color. ( last photo, dark brown keyfob)
At least you can put the keyring on the keyfob!
I hope you’re having fun with this project!