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Finished the day before Easter

sheathmaker

sheathmaker

Custom Leather Sheaths
Joined
May 18, 2005
Messages
4,650
This was a commissioned piece by one of my good friends and customer. It is a very large knife by J Neilson with a forged blade over 11". The inlay is ostrich leg, and the sheath is Wickett and Craig 7/8 oz in russet color and is fully lined.

Paul
 
Sheathmaker - if I wanted to do inlays. Do you have any books, articles, or links that are good instructions?

Looks great. Not my speed - but I REALLY like the work and detail you performed here.

TF
 
My inlay experience comes from working with a master boot maker and the inlay technique is the same we used to inlay cowboy boot tops. There may be some books out there, but I don't know of any specifically. I just feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with a master and learn through experience.

Having said all that, it's really not rocket science, but practice does help a lot.

Paul
 
It may not be rocket science but you are a master yourself. Your seam between the inlay and the overlay is so clean and precise and makes the overlay look paper thin but with such edge integrity. I am amazed. How do you do the top panel that looks so thin but is tooled... I have one of your sheaths and would dearly like to look at one of these more complex ones to try an figure out how you do it.

I have some W&C russet but it does not look as rich as yours when finished. I've tried neatsfoot oil, bag kote, tan coat... what do you finish with?

Amazing work Paul... truly.
 
The overlay is skived to zero edge on the "V" portion so that it will lay completely flat on top of the inlay. The entire front of the sheath is 2/3 oz. with the windows cut out and the inlays inserted beneath it so that the edge margin there will be very thin as well. Then this entire piece is overlayed onto 7/8 oz. cementing flesh to flesh so the interior of the sheath is automatically top grain lined as is the front. Then the stitching is applied around all the window edges and then the Chevron overlay is applied and stitched. This whole assembly is then tooled, carved, or emblellished to choice, and by doing so you are tooling on the equivalent of about 10 oz. leather so stretch is not a factor. That 2/3 oz. chevron even though very thin tools like 10 oz. also. The back piece including the loop is also 2 ply with 7/8 and 2/3 so there is nothing but top grain showing anywhere on the sheath. Not really very hard at all, but I do have all the equipment and machinery to do a quick and professional job and that helps a lot. I'm not sure I'd even try it hand stitching.

My standard finish is neatsfoot oil, followed by Feibing's TanKote and then Tandys' NeatLac with levelling and drying between each operation.

Paul
 
Paul you may have learned from a master, but you certainly followed suit and became one hell of a master yourself! I really like this sheath, and it compliments the knife perfectly. Come to think of it, I have'nt seen one of your sheaths I did'nt like!
 
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