Pass around project

Looks like a lot of fun! :)

On the basket weave, its one of the most difficult stamps to work with. One of my most frequent suggestion is to very lightly scribe a line on the leather to follow with the stamp, at least for a few lines till the pattern is established. Even then, I still scribe a line after a few stampings to make sure I am still on track.

This comes after many years of trying to, very stubbornly, do it myself without tutoring, do it my way.

Sandy showed me the err of my ways. Always scribe lines to follow. They dont have to be deep, just enough to give you something to follow.

That said, your doing well. :) These old eyes pick out things that arent apparent to the casual observer, I've had too many years of fine arts education. I tend to see too much.

Well done and keep learning and practicing!! Your on your way! :D
 
Sheathman
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment on my work and offer ways to improve. That means alot coming from you! I will certainly put your recommendations into my next project. I took up leatherworking this past Christmas and have only recently been brave enough to post any pics of my work. But I am loving it!
Thanks again and all the best to you!
Balding
 
Sweet! Half the battle is getting the gumption to post pics! :)

The other half is taking the time to learn and improve, your doing very well on both accounts. :D

Enjoy it and dont take it too awful serious, if you do you might end up like me and trying desperately to make a living off doing what you love. :p

Keep it up and please do keep posting pics, I dearly love watching leather crafters grow and improve.
 
Basket weave stamping looks very good, but still has a bit of drift on very close inspection. The casual and untrained eye would probably fail to see it. My main criticism to an otherwise really good sheath is the overall thickness, which does not add to the good aesthetics. You do NOT need three filler welts the entire length of the sheath. That sheath could have been built...and fitted with a single welt and a shorter wedge welt at the top and the whole thing would have been less the half the thickness. Leather has the capability of stretching more than you think. Thickness does not equal enhanced strength and durability.

Paul
 
Paul,
Thanks for taking the time to comment on my efforts. All that I do, I learned from your excellent DVD tutorials. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your skills and knowlege. I really appreciate your comments and will keep making changes as I go along. I learn something from every sheath I make and having your constructive comments will speed up my learning.
All the best
Balding
 
That's what I love about our craft, there's so many ways to do it. :)

I have a slightly different philosophy concerning blade fit because of all the coated blades I work with. The coating makes for a heavy drag on the leather and if its a textured coat it will actually start to sand the leather down and/or wear on the coating. One company used to have a desert tan coating that was very frustrating, the stuff was exactly like sand paper.

Most sheath welts I do use a method taught to my by the late Dave Cole. He taught me to match the welt as close as possible to the exact blade thickness and only trim it a bit at the last 1/4 to 1/2 of the blade length. That way when you tighten the thread as you stitch it will compress the leather in the welt so you have some squeeze to work in as the sheath breaks in.

I have had some customers actually ask that the welt be over sized so there is no rubbing. This is something I dont endorse, but on a fragile surface treatment like bead blast, I guess it helps keep the shiny spots from showing up.

Again, this is not to say any particular way is wrong, there is just more than one way to skin a cat. :p That, and I love arguing with Paul. :D
 
Leatherman
I'm not gonna argue with either of you! I like the idea of trimming a little of the welt towards the tip. Makes good sense. So far, I have only been making sheaths for Beckers which have a smooth coating, or a lot guys strip em down to nakedness. I will keep posting and ask that you keep putting your keen eye on my work and keep coming with the tips and tricks.
Cheers
Balding
 
The wedge shape is a good thing. The Beckers are not all that thinner towards the tip though, I wish I could remember the term. :o But there is room for thinning out as you get there. Just try to make it a smooth transition, a sudden jump makes for an odd appearance somewhat like a step pyramid. This calls for a lot of skiving, which is something that takes lots of practice either with the knife or grinder. Still today, nearly fifteen years since I got serious about this craft, I still get one glued up and take it back apart because of a look I dont like. Sometimes you cant tell it till the package is together, but it does show and its well worth the effort to take it apart and smooth things out. .

Dont be afraid to fix it, even if its stitched up. You'll feel better in the long run.
 
Guess I'd better clarify my point concerning thick sheaths.

>I fully line every single sheath I make, so scuffing the blade is not a factor for concern regardless of blade thickness.
>My welts are approximately +or- 50% of the blade thickness and on really thick blade (1/4" to 5/16") bowies etc, I put a short wedge at the top (about 1 1/2" to 2" in length)
>Since I do not have a scuffing problem with the lining, I want some really good friction retention inside the sheath when the sheath is new. It will wear in and loosen up considerably.
>Finally, it is a personal thing with me about thick sheaths, and I apologize to all of you who do make them and apparently like them. It's just not my cup of tea.
>I will try to remember not to mention thickness in the future (if I can):D

Paul
 
Aw now, don't go not mentioning them thin things again! What would I have to grouse about if you didn't? :p
 
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