How to Make Sublimation Faux Leather Keychains DIY!

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6:00 AM

How to Make Sublimation Faux Leather Keychains DIY!

Hey Vault-Dwelling crafty Fallout fans!

If you're looking to add a touch of post-apocalyptic flair to your accessories--this is it!

In this step-by-step tutorial, you'll learn how to create awesome sublimation faux leather keychains featuring the lovable duo from Fallout 4's Nuka World – Bottle and Cappy.

Get ready to turn your humble crafting space into a mini Nuka World paradise!

How to Make a sublimation leather key ring:

A white faux leather key chain is the perfect accessory!

The newly-launched PU leather have such a high-end look--and come in different sizes.

Great for clipping on a bag, on your keys or as a handmade gift.

These soft sublimation key chains are awesome--and super luxurious feeling--it's got the feel of leather without the price.

A white faux leather key chain is the perfect accessory! The newly-launched PU leather have such a high-end look--and come in different sizes.

Supplies Needed for Sublimation Faux Leather Keychains:

White F aux Leather Sublimation Keychain Blanks
Sublimation Printer
Hiipoo Sublimation Ink for EcoTank
Sublimation Paper
Heat Resistant Tape
Heat Resistant Tape Dispenser (optional but super nice)
HTVRont Mini Heat Press
Nuka Cola, Bottle and Cappy and Nuka World Digital Downloads (at end of post)

These polyurethane leather keychains are a sublimation blanks v ariety pack and look fun--heart, tag, square and round shape.

The keychains are vivid in full color sublimation on high quality PU leather--they are a unique way to show off your favorite characters--like Bottle and Cappy!

What is Sublimation?

Sublimation printing is a method of transferring designs onto various surfaces using heat and special dyes. Solid dye particles are transformed directly into a gas without passing through a liquid state. The sublimation ink is printed onto a special transfer paper using a sublimation printer, creating a mirror image of the desired design.

Unlike traditional printing methods that use ink, sublimation involves converting solid dye particles into a gas under heat and pressure. This occurs when the dye is exposed to high temperatures, typically around 380-400°F (193-204°C), and combined with pressure.

This gas then permeates the surface of the material, creating vibrant, permanent and durable prints that are resistant to fading and washing.

Sublimation printing is commonly used for creating custom apparel, promotional products, and personalized gifts, offering limitless possibilities for creative expression on items like t-shirts, mugs, and phone cases.

Sublimation printing cannot be done on dark surfaces, as there is not white ink in a sublimation set up.
Sublimation works on high polyester content materials or specially coated materials to take the dye--there are so many variety of blanks that you can start a side hustle or small business just customizing sublimation blanks! (more details on Sublimation at the end of this post)

Sublimation printing offers several advantages over traditional printing methods. It produces prints that are durable, long-lasting, and resistant to fading, cracking, or peeling.

Additionally, sublimation allows for full-color, photographic-quality prints with intricate details and gradients, making it ideal for creating complex and eye-catching designs.

Sublimation printing is versatile and can be used on a wide range of materials, including textiles, ceramics, metal, and more, providing endless possibilities for customization and personalization in various industries such as apparel, signage, home decor, and promotional products.

Supplies Needed for Sublimation Faux Leather Keychains: White Faux Leather Sublimation Keychain Blanks Sublimation Printer Hiipoo Sublimation Ink for EcoTank Sublimation Paper Heat Resistant Tape Heat Resistant Tape Dispenser (optional but super nice) HTVRont Mini Heat Press Nuka Cola, Bottle and Cappy and Nuka World Digital Downloads (at end of post) These polyurethane leather keychains are a sublimation blanks variety pack and look fun--heart, tag, square and round shape.

Step 1: Print Images on Sublimation Paper

Find vibrant and high-resolution images of Bottle and Cappy from Fallout 4's Nuka World.

Use your favorite photo-editing software to resize and edit the chosen images.

Make sure they fit the dimensions of your sublimation faux leather keychain blanks and maintain clarity at around 300 dots per inch. (I'm using a luggage tag style keychain but there are different shapes too).

For best results, I recommend making your images fit your heat press platen so the sublimation heat press process can take place in one press.

Load your sublimation printer with the edited Bottle and Cappy images and print them onto the sublimation paper.

Be sure to mirror image before printing--so it sublimates the correct direction.

When I print, I like to fill a full page and then cut out what I need and save other pieces for later.
Follow your sublimation printer's guidelines for optimal results.

Step 1: Print Images on Sublimation Paper Find vibrant and high-resolution images of Bottle and Cappy from Fallout 4's Nuka World. Use your favorite photo-editing software to resize and edit the chosen images.

Be sure to size images so that the printed image fits on the inside stitching of the faux leather keychain sublimation blank.

Sublimation prints always print out slightly lighter than the finished product color will appear, so don't be alarmed.

Bottle and Cappy, known as Nuka-World's dynamic duo, are the bubbly mascots who bring cheer to the post-apocalyptic wasteland.

With their energetic antics and infectious enthusiasm, they add a touch of whimsy to the often harsh world of Fallout. (Seriously the cutest on Fallout Shelter)

You can sublimate any image onto your keychains, but I am in FULL FALLOUT mode and cannot stop crafting or thinking of new Fallout themed crafts!

Bottle and Cappy, known as Nuka-World's dynamic duo, are the bubbly mascots who bring cheer to the post-apocalyptic wasteland. With their energetic antics and infectious enthusiasm, they add a touch of whimsy to the often harsh world of Fallout. (Seriously the cutest on Fallout Shelter) You can sublimate any image onto your keychains, but I am in FULL FALLOUT mode and cannot stop crafting or thinking of new Fallout themed crafts!

Step 2: Heat Resistant Tape

Place the sublimation faux leather keychain blanks on a clean, flat surface.

Place the image face on the blank sublimation keychain and tape it in place with heat transfer tape or heat resistant tape.

Use heat-resistant tape to secure the images onto the keychain blanks. Make sure the tape is snug, so the images won't move during the sublimation process.

Step 2: Heat Resistant Tape Place the sublimation faux leather keychain blanks on a clean, flat surface.

Step 3: Heat Press Prep

Preheat your heat press machine to the recommended settings--temperature for sublimation on faux leather, is typically around 380 degrees F.

I'm using the heat press brand HTVRONT Mini Heat Press, so I just clicked it to the 3rd light heat press setting and it worked great. I love this little heat press, it's the perfect size for small projects, it's inexpensive and it's blue!

The sublimation printing process is amazing--product detail just pops!

Step 3: Heat Press Prep Preheat your heat press machine to the recommended settings--temperature for sublimation on faux leather, is typically around 380 degrees F.

Step 4: Sublimation Time

Position your secured faux leather keychain blanks with the images facing up and then cover it with a Teflon sheet or a blank sheet of paper.

Place the Mini Heat Press on the teflon sheet and engage in a slightly hard press for approximately 45-60 seconds.

After pressing one side, I chose another picture and sublimated it on the back...but you can do a single-sided sublimation if that's all you want to do.

Sublimation works on various materials, especially polyester coated or polyester material blanks--I've got a whole post dedicated to crafting blanks here.

Place the Mini Heat Press on the teflon sheet and engage in a slightly hard press for approximately 45-60 seconds.

Step 6: Cool and Assemble

After sublimation, remove the heat press and allow the keychain blanks to cool down completely--this is typically the hardest part for me!

Once cool to the touch, carefully remove the heat-resistant tape and marvel at your newly adorned Bottle and Cappy keychain blanks...the reveal is the BEST part!

After sublimation, remove the heat press and allow the keychain blanks to cool completely.

Step 7: Show Off Your Creations!

Attach your unique Bottle and Cappy matte finish keychains to your keys, bags, or anything else that on various occasions needs a bit of Nuka World charm.

The matte finish is smooth and appealing--I love how high quality these keychains feel. I want to make so many more!

Now that you've completed your sublimation faux leather keychains, you've got a personalized piece of Fallout 4's Nuka World to carry with you wherever you go. Happy crafting, wastelanders!

Attention Etsy shop owners: people love a great long-term decorating companion of your keys--these are best seller and easy to make a bunch in just one business day!

My best selling items are always my "$10 and Under" table, it's so important to have impulse buy items if you are selling at craft fairs, shows, events or conventions.

Now that you've completed your sublimation faux leather keychains, you've got a personalized piece of Fallout 4's Nuka World to carry with you wherever you go. Happy crafting, wastelanders!

The keychains are vivid in full color sublimation on high quality PU leather--they are a unique way to show off your favorite characters--like Bottle and Cappy!

If you are a small business, these keychains are a great promotional item or social media business giveaway!

At craft shows, keychains are always the star sellers too--they are versatile and work for any age or gender of person, so they are an across-the-board winner.

Hope you enjoyed this faux leather sublimation tutorial--and I hope I answered all your sublimation on fake PU leather questions.

I printed full color images on both sides of the sublimation key chain blank and had no issues with it smearing, ghosting or bleeding through.

These keychains are really fun to work with--they have a really satisfying feel to them.

I've been playing Fallout 76 for a couple years now--I started playing with my husband and two sons...which slowly turned into me playing by myself...which is fine...I find pleasure in doing the same things daily.

I log in every day and do all the daily challenges, weekly challenges and the occasional event challenges. (In fact, I like daily challenges so much, I started listing some in real life so I could be more productive with my days)

I love buying new cute outfits...I think my favorite right now is the new nurse costume or the wastelander wedding outfit with the bullet crown...and I wear the diamond dress regularly too.

I have the princess back pack and I love it.

I don't know where to find the plan for it, but I bought it for 20,000 caps at someone's vendor station...pretty sure it was a rare plan because despite owning nearly every single plan ever...I cannot find another one.

Anyway, I've enjoyed the game well enough for a 15 minute to 2 hour distraction every day.
My favorite event is Seismic Activity...but I'm too scared to launch a nuke by myself, so I can only do the event if someone else starts it.

I love Radiation Rumble and everything in Camden Park.

I collect Halloween Candy (mostly because it gives AP recovery a quick boost, so I keep my pillow case sized stash on hot key.

Do you play Fallout 76? Wanna be friends?

That's it!

Make the best sublimation faux leather keychains that the wasteland has ever seen.

People will definitely be trading their Nuka Caps in exchange for a keychain, bag flair or accessory--or two!

If you aren't into Fallout, the faux leather keychain blanks are perfect for whatever your creative heart can imagine.

These are absolutely a great gift idea--perfect for real estate agents to give to new home owners, great for online giveaways, perfect for handmade gift baskets and much more!