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Whacha Been Up To......

Did one I was happy with so far!

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Got another similar looking one in the works, too for the San Mai knife that started this all for me! It's got a fat guard, so the sheath is a bit wider to accommodate that.

Did a shopping spree this weekend. Found a really cool snake skin stamp and some background texturing stamps to try out too!
 
Thanks! Now my wife wants me to make a custom leather purse and matching wallet for her...yikes!

I picked up some Water Buffalo hide at Tandy that said it was veg tanned, then I saw it was Chrome Tanned and Re Veg Tanned when I checked their website, so I gotta test one of the sheaths with a carbon steel knife to see what it does. Water Buffalo is MUCH softer and stretchier, so it was more of a pain to work, but looks so cool!

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Horsewright said:
Yes sir. On the next one that is similar just a lil lighterweight thread maybe. It would help refine your work just a hair. Not a biggie. It just make a nice job, nicer.
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That was is only weight thread I had, but I see what you mean. What size thread would you recommend? Also do you have preferred thread? The one I have is the stuff Springfield Leather sells.
 
Started making my own little punch remover tool and learning my desktop router! Going to radius the other corners better on the next one. I tried mine without the post and it worked fine, but I want to be able to add that in eventually. Not sure if I will just thread the G10 or epoxy a threaded metal insert into it? One is a bit larger, the other is around the same size, but different corners.
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With the metal one, the slot was a bit tighter, so it didn't allow you to get it around the punch if it was through 3, 7oz layers of leather. I got some marks in one of my sheaths because it was so tight and imprinted onto the leather. With the wider slot, there is less pressure on the leather below.
 
Taz said:
Thanks! Now my wife wants me to make a custom leather purse and matching wallet for her...yikes!

I picked up some Water Buffalo hide at Tandy that said it was veg tanned, then I saw it was Chrome Tanned and Re Veg Tanned when I checked their website, so I gotta test one of the sheaths with a carbon steel knife to see what it does. Water Buffalo is MUCH softer and stretchier, so it was more of a pain to work, but looks so cool!

View attachment 2965211View attachment 2965212View attachment 2965213
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Really coming along. I’d of told you I wouldn’t like that tree/wood/bark deal, yet the more I look at it the more I like it. On your thicker stuff have you tried chucking a awl blade in your drill press and without it running used it to punch your holes? You'd want a suitable backing of course so as not to dull your awl blade and or scratch the back of your project.

Purses and wallets, a whole nuther rabbit hole to fall down.
 
That's a good idea, use the drill press like an arbor press! I contact cement the sides/welt together, so I could punch to mark the holes and then awl through the remainder if needed! I had 10-11oz stuff on hand originally, but I ordered 7-8oz to use going forward, which should be plenty thick! The punches go nicely though 3 layers of 7-8oz and the leather is more pliable, too, especially if I dampen it a bit. 10oz feels a bit bulky sheath wise.

I was looking for something I could add texture wise to the sheath to make it more interesting and the wood grain/bark is pretty easy. In the class, I used a Tandy Craft Aid to pressed it in, and then added more lines. The Craft Aid is discontinued and I haven't been able to find one yet, so I swivel knife to lay down the grooves and then use various size modeling clay ball tools to open up the grooves. I picked up some stamps (one is a snakeskin looking one, one is random lines and some stippling type stamps) to see how I like those on the sheaths. I did see someone using a rubber mallet to hammer the wet leather onto some rocks/concrete, so I may try that! The antique dyes give a neat look with the texture, so I am looking for stuff I can do quickly and easily to add more visual appeal to the sheaths, without spending a lot of time stamping and stuff. Another guy said to wet it and hammer it onto an actual tree, but it may not come out as even depth wise. Tandy has a hair tool that you use kinda like a swivel knife to make parallel, wavy lines, but it's pretty fine.

I saw some people used the thin, flexible plastic cutting boards and a wood burner to make craft aid transfers that they could lay over the leather and hammer/press in, so I am going to try that. Burning them raises up a small edge, similar to the craft aid transfers. I figured they would work as a pattern template as well and be stiffer than paper would be when tracing around them.
 
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