:
It's really easy once you learn the basics:
Cutting
Please try to inspect your leather before planning your design and cutting it. Leather is a natural product may have joints or imperfections. If we happen to see a joint or imperfection in your leather when cutting it then we will always try to give you extra to account for this.
You can cut your leather with scissors or a razor knife, however most leather will cut better and cleaner with one of our precision cutters. You should try to avoid squishing or cutting your leather at an angle. That way it will fit into the clasp better and stay glued. Leather with metal chain will cut better with a pair of tin snips and please don't forget eye protection when cutting this kind of leather. Leather with hair and thinner stitched leather will cut better with a pair of scissors. When cutting leather with metal studs please try to cut between the studs.
Always remember to measure the leather before cutting.
Sizing
The average bracelet size for women is 7 inches and the average for men is 8 to 9 inches however the sizes will vary up and down about an inch in most cases depending on the size of the wrist. If you are selling bracelets at craft shows or making them for someone as a gift then you may want to cut the bracelet leather on the larger size and leave one end not glued. Then it can be trimmed to fit and glued for a personal touch!
Please remember that the clasp will add length to the final bracelet and always check the size before gluing.
Most necklaces are 15 to 30 inches with 15 inches being a choker and 30 inches hanging lower at the middle of the chest. When making a choker, most of the time twice around the wrist equals once around the neck. In fact some double wrap around bracelets can also be used as a choker when designed properly.
When using cording to hang a pendant you can make it adjustable by using a slip knot or silicone stopper beads.
Gluing
We recommend a strong super glue for gluing most leather. We sell two typesof glue that work great for leather. The first is Locktite which is the strongest and best of the glues that we sell. The other is Super New Super Glue which is not quite as strong as Locktite but is a little cheaper. E 6000 is not usually recommended for clasps but can be used to glue loose fitting sliders that have a big gap to fit the leather. In this particular case the E 6000 will provide a more elastic bond to fill the gap between the leather and the slider and make it less likely to come off.
When gluing leather you usually put about 2 drops of glue inside the clasp. Some larger 20 to 60 mm clasps will require a little more. The idea is to use enough glue that it will contact the leather and create a strong bond. However you do not want to use so much glue that it spills out of the clasp onto the leather.
You always want to remember to measure your leather first and keep a cloth handy to quickly wipe up any excess glue. Most super glues will set up in 10 minutes. Please allow your design to dry before trying to wear it and wipe up any spills or excess glue immediately. A few tips on removing super glue from the skin can be found here: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-get-super-glue-off-your-skin/
Fitting the Leather into the Clasp
Leather is a natural product and sometimes there are variations between rolls of leather. We try to keep our leather as consistent as possible. However if your leather is slightly too thick or too big for your clasp then you can usually squeeze it down with needle nose pliers. You can also carefully trim some of the leather off with a razor knife while trying to leave the ends and edges of the leather square and smooth so that it fits neatly into the clasps.
Leather with studs or chains may me also be too thick for the clasp and can be squeezed down at the end with needle nose pliers.
Designing
The most important thing in designing with leather is to make sure that everything is sized right before cutting and gluing. Style is a personal choice and the best components to use are the ones that you like. As a general rule of thumb though most people like symmetry and colors that go well together. If you are designing bracelets for men then try to keep it simple. Fewer spacers will often create a more masculine look. Regalitz leather and thicker braided leathers are good choice for men's bracelets. For more suggestions on leather and components for men's jewelry check our site: https://www.theleathercrafter.com/collections/ideas-for-mens-jewelry
Magnetic Closures
Magnetic Clasps are the most popular style of clasps that we sell. Once you get the hang of it, you will find that they open and clasp easily by using the thumb to push down on one side and the finger to pull up on the other side. Newly made Regalitz leather bracelets can be a little stiff at first, however once the leather softens the magnet will open and close easily.
On occasion magnets do come out of the clasps. They can be glued back in with a drop of super glue after you have figured out which side should go up to have the right polarity.
Keeping sliders in place
Many people like to have sliders float freely on their designs, others like to fix the sliders in place. Sliders can be fixed in place with glue, O rings or by putting a tight fitting slider next to a loose one.
Glue can be used to fix a slider in place and is best used on the back side of the slider so that it does not stain the front side of the leather. Usually super glue is used to glue sliders and occasionally they will come loose. If the slider fits super loose then E6000 is a better choice. It is more elastic and will bridge the gap between the slider and the leather. But please remember when using E6000 that it takes up to 24 hours to dry.
O rings are another excellent choice to hold sliders in place. 7.5 mm O rings work well for 5 mm and 6 mm round leather and for 10 mm flat leather. 10 mm O rings work well for Regalitz Leather. Rubber O rings are not only easy to use but they can be color coordinated with your design to add an extra accent.
