Small Experiments – a leather collection for hands-on science

A September study – the Shops series, Volume I-C.

Small Experiments – a little collection for people who learn with their hands. Release the ball, watch where it rolls, move one ramp and try again; that habit is the whole subject here, pressed into leather.

First, we drew the same experiment twice. Two little ball runs share one release point; in the right-hand run a single ramp is tilted the other way, and the ball finishes somewhere else entirely. MOVE ONE RAMP stands between them, and the whole design runs lengthwise down the tag.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

Black-and-white MOVE ONE RAMP stamp artwork for the Small Experiments leather collection, showing two modular ball runs.

A warm red leather luggage tag stamped with MOVE ONE RAMP and two ball-run paths from the Small Experiments hands-on science collection.

A navy leather luggage tag stamped with MOVE ONE RAMP and two ball-run paths from the Small Experiments hands-on science collection.

The black tag carries the run in gold foil – the path glows like a ball rolling through a dark room.

A black leather luggage tag stamped in gold with MOVE ONE RAMP and two ball-run paths from the Small Experiments hands-on science collection.

Next, a Newton's cradle caught mid-transfer. The left ball has just struck, the far ball is already flying out, and under the frame it says PASS IT ON – the physics of the toy and the logic of a gift in the same three words.

Black-and-white PASS IT ON stamp artwork for the Small Experiments leather collection, showing a Newton's cradle in motion.

On the black fob the cradle is pressed in gold – brass balls on a black stand, exactly the desk-toy finish.

A black leather keychain stamped in gold with a PASS IT ON Newton's cradle from the Small Experiments hands-on science collection.

The golden tan fob takes the same press, blind.

A golden tan leather keychain blind-stamped with a PASS IT ON Newton's cradle from the Small Experiments hands-on science collection.

The same cradle sits small in the lower corner of the toiletry bags – navy over deep espresso.

Navy and deep brown leather toiletry bags blind-stamped with PASS IT ON Newton's cradles from the Small Experiments hands-on science collection.

Then, the journals. A ball waits at the lip of its ramp, the dotted path breaks off after two dots, and underneath it says WHAT HAPPENS IF. We left the question mark off on purpose – the pages are where the answer goes.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

Black-and-white WHAT HAPPENS IF stamp artwork for the Small Experiments leather collection, showing a ball leaving a ramp.

A navy leather journal blind-stamped with WHAT HAPPENS IF and an unfinished ball path from the Small Experiments hands-on science collection.

A deep green leather journal blind-stamped with WHAT HAPPENS IF and an unfinished ball path from the Small Experiments hands-on science collection.

And finally, the catchall tray states a small law of nature. Four dotted paths drop in from different heights, bounce off their bumpers and end in the same funnel – EVERYTHING LANDS SOMEWHERE. On a golden tan tray by the door, that holds for keys as well.

Black-and-white EVERYTHING LANDS SOMEWHERE stamp artwork for the Small Experiments leather collection, showing four paths meeting a funnel.

A golden tan leather catchall tray blind-stamped with EVERYTHING LANDS SOMEWHERE from the Small Experiments hands-on science collection.

We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this study is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.

If you'd like these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.