How to Emboss Gold onto Leather Books

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Things You'll Need

  • Table

  • Wood block larger than the book’s cover

  • Damp sponge

  • Leather stamps

  • Mallet

  • Small paintbrush

  • Gold leather dye

Learn to emboss gold on your own books at home.

Through a fairly simple process, you can emboss designs, names or whatever else you would like on leather-bound books. Leather stamps are different from other types of stamps, since they are designed to make an impression in a tough material. You can buy leather stamps at a local craft store or at one of many Internet craft stores. For your first attempt at embossing a leather book, use a practice book until you get the process down.

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Step 1

Choose a solid table as a place to perform your work. Open the cover of the book and place it over the wood block.

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Step 2

Clean the book cover with a damp sponge. The water will help the leather stamps make a more clear impression in the leather.

Step 3

Position the leather stamps on the leather until you have the layout the way you want it. Use a ruler to measure the spacing between letters and other designs.

Step 4

Hit the handle on the leather stamps with the mallet. Lift up one side of the stamps to make sure they have made a clear impression in the leather before completely removing the stamps.

Step 5

Paint the embossed portions of the book cover with a paintbrush and gold leather dye. Let the leather dye dry for several hours.

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