Carving AND Wet Forming?

[Will Leavitt]

Is it possible to do some carving or stamping on leather then wet form it to conform to the knife shape? I don't see how it's possible but I'm not that good with leather.

Thanks in advance.

 

[sheathmaker]

Will, it's possible, but not practical. It would have to be carved or stamped first and then the wet form process, and the more you truly form it the more of your work you lose. A hard tight wet form would distort or nearly remove any stamping and with carving all that would be left would be the cuts in ramdom pattern.

Paul

 

[SBranson]

Hey Will. I've been able to do it without losing much detail by wetting the inside of the sheath as much as I could but stopped before it seeped through to the top layer. The leather became quite pliable but because the actual stamped layer was dry it held it's shape. Once I started forming the moisture started to come through so it was a quick process but it held. I wasn't going for a complete outline detail, just enough for the guard in a pouch style sheath for a hunter.