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How to Make Torched Leather Cuffs

I’m in love with these torched leather cuffs I made! I originally purchased the blanks because I wanted to paint on them, but when the time came for my monthly Bernzomatic Torch Bearer project, I switched gears. I loved the wide, smooth surface and wondered what would happen if I burned the edges. I used my Bernzomatic Trigger Start 3 in 1 Micro Torch ST2200 .

I’ll admit, it took me a few tries to arrive at this design. My original idea was to use my metal stamping tools, but the words didn’t come out as bold as I wanted.

So next, I decided to just old school doodle with a pen and then fill in with permanent markers.

BINGO – that was the trick! It really brought the cuff to life. To top these off, I used my metal stamping tools to make pewter charms from the front of each cuff. Overall, they came out soft with a weathered charm.

Torched leather cuffs

Supplies to Make Torched Leather Cuffs:

 

Bernzomatic Trigger Start 3 in 1 Micro Torch ST2200

Goggles and gloves

Heat-resistant surface

Leather cuffs

Permanent markers

Pewter charms, metal stamping tools (metal block, stamps, hammer, black marker, tape)

Brads

Nail and hammer (wood base)

Directions to Make Torched Leather Cuffs

Set the cuff on a heat resistant surface, put on the goggles and gloves.

Time to light the torch! Turn the torch upside down and fill with Bernzomatic butane, and you are good to go. The torch has several features I love – like the safety latch that must be switched down before any flame action begins. It also has a dial on the side you can adjust the length of the flame. And, lastly, there is a button on the side for a continuous flow. When you first buy this specific torch, it comes with an attachment that fits over the front – that turns it into a soldering tool!

Dial the flame to medium, then click down the safety latch and press the trigger to start the flame. Glide the torch in swift strokes across the edges of the cuff. Don’t touch the cuff to move it, instead, move the base. If you want, you can move the flame in fast strokes across the top of the cuff as well to achieve a smoky look all over the surface of the cuff.

Keep in mind that the torch will dry out the leather and make it curl a little. Let the cuff cool and then you can play with it to flatten it out again. I actually like that it becomes soft and pliable.

You can them color on the cuff, or if you want, you can color if before you add the flame element. I used the marker AFTER I torched the top cuff in the picture below. The center one, I colored BEFORE. So you can see there really isn’t a difference. The bottom cuff, I just torched the edges.

Then I used my metal stamping tools for the pewter bezel. The cuffs looked great without the charms, but I like that little bit of “extra,” you know?

RELATED: Metal Stamped Bracelets

I set the cuff on a block of wood and used a nail and hammer to make a hole to insert a brad to connect the charm to the front of the torched leather cuff.

Torched wrist cuffs

They came out so vibrant and definitely have a bohemian vibe.

Torched leather cuffs

The cuff that has the scissor charm, that’s the one where I tried to stamp in the leather. It didn’t quite work so I just colored a heart and added the scissor charm to cover. I’m going to try the leather stamping method again with some other techniques. It’s going to take some experimenting, which I love!Torched leather cuffs

Thanks for checking out my Torched Leather Cuff project, and thank you to Bernzomatic for the opportunity to dive into the world of torches!

RELATED: Things to Make With a Torch!

Torch Bearer Logo

From the Bernzomatic site:

“Find Your Fire. There’s a fire in each of us. Waiting to ignite. We believe in carrying the torch ignited by our founder in 1876—whose quality craftsmanship and progressive mindset are what blazed the trail that got us here today. We believe in awakening the innovators in all of us—inspiring a culture of creators who can break boundaries, mark new territory and go where no flame has burned before. We believe in empowering those who’ve found their flame and dare to follow it. Because the ones who do are the catalysts of bold transformations that redefine the limits of what we can achieve.   We believe in our fire and in your fire. It’s time to ignite.”

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2 thoughts on “How to Make Torched Leather Cuffs”

  1. Your leather cuffs came out Beautiful and inspiring now I’ll have to go look for leather cuffs long enough for my wide wrists. Thank you for your creativeness wish you’d design clothing for big women.

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