Transforming Leather with 3D Printing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Wood Patterned Card Holder

In this tutorial, we’ll take a piece of vegetable-tanned leather, print a wood pattern on it, and craft a three-slot cardholder. Let’s dive into the process and see how this new technique works.

Printing a wood pattern onto leather using a texture plate

The first step is to prepare the leather pieces. Our design is simple, with only the outer piece featuring the wood pattern. To ensure the leather fibers form to the textured pattern well, it’s essential to soak the leather thoroughly. Once soaked, I place the leather on the pattern or texture plate, slide it into the press, applying around 1.5 tons of pressure and leave it to dry overnight. This ensures the pattern is deeply embossed into the leather resulting in a depth and clarity that are astonishing, showing great promise for future projects.

Mimicking Wood with Dye

Next, we mimic a wood effect using layers of light and dark brown dyes. Initially, the dye may appear blotchy, but the final result will be more uniform. Don’t worry, trusting the process is key!

Using different shades of dye, I create a layered effect to replicate the natural variations in wood grain. After achieving a satisfactory dye job, I apply brown Saphir polish to seal in the dyes and even out the color. This polish is full of pigments that help to smooth out the color variations and give a richer finish to the leather. Using light brush strokes, I experiment with darkening the high spots using black polish, though in hindsight, leather antiquing might have been a better approach. A final clear wax coat provides additional protection and shine, finishing the outer piece beautifully.

Preparing the Cardholder’s Interior

For the interior pieces, I use a 3D-printed template to cut them out. After beveling and burnishing the edges with Tokonole and a cotton rag, the pieces are ready. Tokonole is an excellent burnishing agent, and I highly recommend grabbing a pot if you’ve never tried it. I stamp my logo into each, a detail made possible by 3D printing (read about this here). Applying the same Saphir clear wax protects and adds shine to these pieces.

Gluing the internal pocket with neoprene cement ensures maximum durability: while it’s not necessary to use strong glue here, I still prefer neoprene cement for its robust bond. It’s time to glue the outer piece to the inside pocket pieces and, as I fold the outer piece, some discoloration occurs, but this is normal due to pigments being stretched around the leather.

Making sure the cardholder's inner pieces get both my custom 3D printed stamps!

Assembly and Finishing Touches

I trim the edges flush to ensure a clean, straight edge on both sides. Giving your pieces extra edge allowance allows you to always get a clean, straight edge on your piece. For my stitching, I trace a line 3mm from the edge and use Crimson Hides stitching irons in the 3.38mm French tip spacing. The French tip refers to the holes created by the pricking irons being slants, not diamonds. This stitching iron is perfect for creating neat and consistent stitching lines.

Selecting the perfect thread, I opt for a subtle contrast that complements both the natural and wood-patterned leather. A quick backstitch gets things started, and I proceed to stitch up the cardholder. Addressing the edges with dye and burnishing, I review the final product.

Reflections and Future Experiments

Overall, I’m delighted with the outcome, though there’s always room for improvement. Next time, I might print the pattern face down, use leather antiquing instead of dye, and avoid extra dark waxes. Looking at this cardholder, I’m eager to explore what else I can create with 3D printing. The combination of traditional leatherworking techniques and modern technology opens up endless possibilities.

What do you want to see me print next? Share your ideas in the comments! Your suggestions can inspire my next project, and I look forward to experimenting with new patterns and designs.

Thanks for watching, I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and learned something new. Stay tuned for more crafting adventures! Whether you're a seasoned leatherworker or just starting, integrating 3D printing into your process can elevate your projects to a whole new level.