Tooled Scabbards

J

Josh Feltman

Joined
Feb 12, 2001
Messages
4,501
I kinda like the look of the tooled leather on the older HI scabbards. Is this something that HI might offer again? Is it possible to tool a scabbard yourself? If so, how do you go about doing it?
--Josh
 
Hi! Firstly, have you done any leatherwork before? ie the basic stuff? Secondly, are you attempting a brand new sheath or covering an existing piece?
Tooling and finishing a scabbard, especially a wood lined one is a lot harder than it looks, one can do a servicable job with the minimum of tools though.
It is possible, but fairly involved, if you want to shoot ideas back and fourth just give me a holler at armoralleather@yahoo.com I alwayse enjoy talking leather and leather related topics. :D Funny thing, I have been thinking about re-covering the scabbard on my Kumar Kobra with something fancy and making a nice frog for it as well.
Just send a note if your interested,
Dwayne aka leatherman
 
Dwayne-- the extent of my leather work involves putting some sno-seal and shoe polish on my scabbards. Oh, I can slide the superfrog on and off too:rolleyes: I don't have the slightest clue how to go about doing it-- I was mostly just curious if and how one could tool a few embellishments on an existing scabbard-- nothing fancy. I'm sure it would be best to practice on something besides one of my HI scabbards.
--Josh
 
****Brendan, Heh, I am everywhere! Bahahahah, hack! cough!:p I just dont make a good bad guy! lol!! I am a well rounded knife nut, my friends call me the Roy Rogers of knives " I never met a knife I didnt like, well maybe a couple...";)
Got yer mail as well, reply sent.
****Josh, if you wanna practice with some cheap stuff just go visit the shoe repair shop and beg some scraps off them, it worked for me for a long while, and you can get some great tips from them as well. If you want some simple scroll work on the existing scabbard(s) I can do that on the piece without having to remove the leather. I have been working with some wood burning kits as well and they produce a nifty look, just stinks to high heaven! :) Let me know.....
 
on HI products is actually more of a rawhide, which is sewn/stretched, tooled, then dyed and left to dry. SO, go to your local pet store, buy the biggest piece of rawhide you can find, then soak it in water to soften it. Then, while it is still damp, fit it around the scabbard, sew it on with leather thread (waxed nylon, or even dental floss will do) and use a flathead screwdriver to do the design. Dye it, and let dry. Voila! Tooled leather, dries to be quite hard.

Keith
 
I've one of the old tooled scabbards, and yes, rawhide is an apt description. But the current leather, while perhaps not tanned the same as typical western leather, is pretty soft and flexible. It also seems to usually have a rougher surface. One of my scabbards made with the new leather is tooled, and the pattern definately doesn't show up as well on the new leather--I'd say that it is very subtle, actually. I wonder if a different procedure is needed for the leather used in the current scabbards. Kind of a trade-off, as the rawhide on the old-style scabbard is quite brittle, and cracked a bit around the mouth presumably due the low humidity it saw in Reno.
 
Originally posted by Ferrous Wheel
Then, while it is still damp, fit it around the scabbard, sew it on with leather thread (waxed nylon, or even dental floss will do) and
use a flathead screwdriver
to do the design. Dye it, and let dry. Voila! Tooled leather, dries to be quite hard.

Keith
Click to expand...

Actually it would be better if something like a ball point pen that has ran out of ink was used, that is if one doesn't have a leather modeling tool.
Anything with a rounded end will do, the flat head screwdriver could cut the leather/rawhide.
Hundreds of years ago this was the only way leather was tooled and the secrets of leatherwork was closely guarded and passed on from within a family.
The embossing, inlaying, forming, and other modeling techniques could be very fancy, and costly!
I made my own first set of actual "leather carving" tools out of scrap steel and a few allen head bolts.
I still have them as well as the fancy store bought ones I bought from Tandy with money I made from making leather items with my old homemade tools.
I collected leather stamps about the same way I collect khuks.
I found a few at a swap meet when I lived in So Cal and that upped the amount of swivel knives I have to four, I think, haven't used them for quite a spell.
I have the one I use most in one of my two tool blocks, the rest are in a box along with the rivets, snaps, buckles and etc.
I even bought one of the fancy "Ruby" angle blades, but still prefer the standard blade for most work.
Leather work can be addictive, but if you work all day and pound leather half the night it soon becomes a drag and isn't fun
anymore.:(
 
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