Sometimes crafting a gift Dad will like can be pretty difficult. Make something he will absolutely love and use every day with this DIY leather keychain.
DIY Father‘s Day keychain
Supplies:
- Leather scraps
- Paper or card
- Pen
- Ruler
- White crafter’s paint
- Masking or washi tape
- Paintbrush
- Cutting mat
- All-purpose glue
- Metal key ring
- Mod Podge (optional)
Tools:
- Scalpel
- Leather punch
- Rivet gun
- Rivets
Instructions:
Draw out a template using your paper or card, and cut it out with a scalpel and ruler. For each keychain, you’ll need a front and a back, but only the front will need an extended flap to loop around. Draw around the template onto the back of both pieces of leather.
Then, using a ruler and scalpel, follow the lines you’ve drawn to cut out your front and back pieces.
You should now have both sides to your keychain, which will look something like this.
Now you can go crazy with washi or masking tape to make the striped patterns. Use a scalpel and ruler to cut different sizes of strips, and secure them well, curling each strip around the back to prevent any paint from getting underneath.
Now you can paint in the gaps. Don’t go crazy with the paint. Instead, do a number of thinner layers. This paint dries quickly, so you won’t have to wait long between coats. I did 4 coats to get a nice, bright white. Leave to dry completely. If you want extra protection from chipping, paint on a layer of Mod Podge to finish.
Once the paint is totally dry, peel off the tape to reveal your pattern. Then glue the over-side of your back piece, using the nozzle to spread it evenly.
Press the back piece to the over-side of the front piece to stick both parts together.
Then bend your extra strip of leather around to the back (you can round off the shape with a scalpel, if you want). Choose the size of hole you want, and slide the leather punch so that it punches through all 3 layers of leather.
Find the right size rivet to fit through the hole you’ve just made. Then make sure you have the correct size bolt to match already screwed in. If not, then unscrew the rivet, and change to one of your other options.
Thread the metal key ring through the extra leather, and loop back into place. Then slot the rivet into the bolt hole, and push through the hole in your leather. Push the clamp together until it clicks and clips off the end.
And voila! Your keychain is ready to be wrapped up for your dad to enjoy. A simple but useful gift made with your own fair hands!
More Father’s Day gift ideas
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