best place to buy sheath material for new maker???

Interested in hearing an answer as well. Personally, I have a couple I will want kydex for and a couple I will want leather for.
 
For leather, I would look around locally most towns have at least some sort of leatherworking/wholesale outfit.
I know it has been said but Google is incredibly useful, there may be someone right around the corner and you would never know it.
 
I get my leather supplies from Tandy, you can order online or see if they have a nearby store. Be sure to sign up for their commercial account, I think you need a pulse and company name, the discounts are big especially on leather. In store they have a big selection of different qualities, typically for sheath making I can find a nice piece to get a couple of sheaths out of without buying a high quality hide.
 
If you can afford a side of leather it is far cheaper to go to someplace like wickett and craig. Check out there overstock and get a side of there tooling leather for $115, they can split it down if you like and you will get far better leather then you can at tandy at a far cheaper price.

Herman oak also makes very good leather but they have a 10 side minimum so you can check out someone like springfield leather, they have reasonable priced herman oak sides or if you want have good shoulders and single shoulders or bends which are cheaper. Call and talk with one of there personal they are usually all very nice and helpful. They also sell kydex but not sure if its a good price or not. Spring feild also has leather working supplies and you can get a gold membership like at tandy which helps with the price from them.

http://www.wickett-craig.com/index.php/overstock-sale

http://springfieldleather.com/
 
I get most of my leather from the local Tandy store. I do plan on buying some pre-tanned sides from Wicket & Craig in the future, but for now, I like being able to walk into my Tandy store and pick out the side I want.

As for Kydex, I buy it from USA Knifemakers. They have a lot of different thicknesses and colors. I prefer .060 but I have bought the thicker .093. Kydex page They also carry Boltaron which is just like Kydex and they sometimes run sales on it.

If you plan on really getting into Kydex making, you might want to buy it by the 4' x 8' sheets. Kydex sheets
 
Im kind of in the same boat. On new years eve I placed an order with theleatherguy. For 113$ shipped I got two 9-10oz shoulder totaling about 9 square feet, a #6 overstitch wheel a stitch groover with an extra blade and a #2 edge beveler. After looking at tons of websites over the weekend I was fairly comfortable with the price and when I called yesterday morning with a question the person I talked to was very nice and was even giving me tips on sheath making. I cannot comment on the quality as this is the first leather I've ever bought and I have not received it yet.
 
Look for a saddle shop or possibly a boot shop near your location. If they can't fix you up they should be able to point you in the right direction.
 
I got some good leather from springfieldleather for a low price. As for kydex I wouldn't know I haven't purchased any the stuff I have was given to me.
 
reiko1078 said:
Im kind of in the same boat. On new years eve I placed an order with theleatherguy. For 113$ shipped I got two 9-10oz shoulder totaling about 9 square feet, a #6 overstitch wheel a stitch groover with an extra blade and a #2 edge beveler. After looking at tons of websites over the weekend I was fairly comfortable with the price and when I called yesterday morning with a question the person I talked to was very nice and was even giving me tips on sheath making. I cannot comment on the quality as this is the first leather I've ever bought and I have not received it yet.
Click to expand...

You can get a side for $115 from WandC which is about 22-24sqft. Most of which would be usable for sheaths. You can also get backs which is basically two sides with the belly and neck cut off, you pay more for it but its all usable for things like sheaths and holsters.

For doing a few sheaths it doesnt really matter, just starting out I guess its not a big deal. However when you get into making a fair amount of sheaths you guys will wanna be looking at price and quality. I as well like alot of people started out at tandy, then my leather working started progressing and I tried several shops online and thru trial and error and using a decent amount of cash came to the recommendations I give out.
 
man you guys are awesome thanks

i was going for leather since i wasnt sure if synthetic material was more difficult to work

i was also wondering if deer hide would work just aswell since alot of people hunt around here i figured i might be able to find one cheap
but wasnt sure if it was thick enough

ooo
 
ouporblowup said:
man you guys are awesome thanks

i was going for leather since i wasnt sure if synthetic material was more difficult to work

i was also wondering if deer hide would work just aswell since alot of people hunt around here i figured i might be able to find one cheap
but wasnt sure if it was thick enough

ooo
Click to expand...

As far as sheaths go you want something that not only protects the blade but also you from the blade. Deer hide is very soft and subtle and usually not that thick. Its great for clothing and embellishments but not for the main body of the sheaths. That being said if you can get some deer hide for free or near it there are all kinds of other projects you can use that for if you happen to get into leather working at all.

There is a sheath subforum on here that I have not really checked out but should have some good info.
This place is great with a ton of info http://leatherworker.net/forum/
Also Chuck Burrows site is great as well and his DVD set is one of the many things I would very much like to own http://www.wrtcleather.com/tr-books/books-1.shtml
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top