Riveting Handmade Keychains
One of the best things about DIY is that most of the time it is so much more affordable than buying the same thing in stores. We’ve discovered this is certainly true for leather projects, as we have recently been exploring different home decor and accessory options with the material! There are so many possibilities even just with leather scraps. You only need a little piece of leather to create some gorgeous DIY leather keychains for yourself, and you can even take it one step further by doing your own custom stamping. This could be just the gift inspiration you’ve been needing!
Tools
- Craft Scissors
- Detail Knife
- Gold Ruler
- Plastic Mallet
- Metal Bench Block
- Leather Punch — use 2mm hole punch
- Mechanical Pencil
- Letter Stamp Set
Materials
- Leather Scraps
- Key Ring
- 6mm Gold Rivets
- Masking Tape
Steps
- Gather the tools and materials listed above.
- Trace the template at the bottom of the post onto leather using mechanical pencil.
- Cut the leather using an x-acto and ruler. A utility knife also works great here.
- Mark where the rivets will be attached by poking the x-acto through the template onto the leather (without poking it through the leather).
- Use hole punch and mallet to create a hole in the leather. You can test the placement of the hole by pressing gently with the punch to make an impression before hammering through.
- Repeat with a second hole, making sure they’re lined up.
- Use tape to mark the bottom edges of the letters.
- Punch letter by hitting stamp squarely with a mallet.
- Continue punching, making sure the letters are lined up and evenly spaced. For a longer word it can be helpful to punch the first and last letter first so that you don’t run out of space at the end.
- Fold the end of the leather around the key ring, push rivet post through the holes, insert the cap and hammer together to secure.
Follow the photo tutorial below as you make your DIY leather keychains for a visual guide to the project.
Tips
There are two sizes included in the template, which you can use to create the overlapping leather keychains. When you’re picking out your leather, we recommend getting a thicker material because it is better for stamping. With thinner leathers, the stamps often just leave an impression rather than a real engraving. You can find a stamping kit online, like this one from Amazon.
Run With It!
Browse all of our leather projects for more DIY inspiration! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for daily doses of DIY, and please share your project photos with us using #DIYDreamingWithLia! To join our community of creatives, visit our membership page to take a look at membership options. Cheers! ~ Lia & Team
Are you having trouble? Feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help you out.
7 Comments
I can’t seem to find #1 rivets anywhere. Can you point me in the right direction? Do they have an alternative name?
Hi Jessica, I added a link that should work.
Hi! Are there stores where I can order leather as well as the equipment needed to make stamped keychains and bag tags? I am very new to this and would like your advice regarding supplies and suppliers. Thank you!!
Hi Hazel,
We like to go to our local leather supply store here in Portland, if you don’t have that option in your location Tandy Leather https://tandyleather.com/ is a great resource for leather, leather craft tools, and educational resources for making! 🙂
I am so excited to try this DIY for my Christmas gifts this year! I was just wondering on exactly what type of leather you used for your stamping! Does fake leather work and how thick would you recommend the leather be! Thank you!
Hi Kami,
We enjoyed going to our local leather supply store here in Portland and picking a few pieces of leather out of their scrap bins. However faux leather will work as well for stamping! 🙂 We would recommend 1.5mm or thicker leather for keychains.
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