Purchased Versus Homemade Coasters

• Not all leather coasters will take embossing. If you are using purchased coasters rather than making your own, the leather is already finished and treated, which may prevent the embossing process from working well or even at all. The leather may also be very thin, resulting in very shallow embossing marks. Because of this, if you are planning to emboss leather coasters it is generally best to make the coasters yourself using tooling leather, and apply finish and sealant to the coasters after you are done working the leather. Some purchased coasters may take embossing, however, depending on the manufacturer; you will simply have to try it and see if it works.
  
  

Embossing

• The basic process for embossing coasters is no different from that of embossing any other leather product. Lightly wet the leather to make it more likely to take the intended shape, then use an embossing stamp and a mallet to push the desired shapes into the surface of the leather. Hold the embossing stamp securely in place on the leather and strike the end of its handle with a mallet several times, making sure to change the angle of the stamp between each strike so as to ensure you press all sides of the stamp into the leather equally. Take care not to allow the stamp to move between strikes, or you may emboss a double image into the leather. Once you have embossed the desired image into the leather, dry it out completely and add a leather sealant to prevent moisture from seeping into the leather and making it susceptible to further alterations.