Where do you buy your leather for private/small scale sheath making?

catalystman80

catalystman80

Joined
May 1, 2013
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Hi folks,

Sorry if this question has been answered before...tried doing a quick search and couldn't find what I was hoping for.

So I'm just starting to learn about sheath making, and I am having a trouble finding a reputable retailer that sells premium grade leather in smaller sizes/quantities for a private use.

Specifically, I was looking for a vege tanned, premium, shoulder 7~9 oz tooling cowhide, and it seems like the only reputable store I can find in Tandy Leather sells them in 15sq ft increments, which ends up being close to $200.

Since I'll be trying this out for my personal custom knives, I need it in much smaller amount (2~3 sq ft at most I was thinking). Do you guys know of any retailers that could help me out? Would greatly appreciate any feedback!

Thanks!
 
I have been buying my leather from Wickett & Craig Tannery for a number of years now. Leather prices have certainly gone up dramatically lately, but price comparing I think 15 sq ft for close to $200 is a little bit on the very high side. Shoulder leather because of the trimming and very little waste is necessarily much higher than full side prices, but you have practically no waste, so that could be a wash. It might be worth a call to W&C and see if they offer single shoulders and if so that might be the way to go. Also check out RJF Leather, and Springfield Leather.

2-3 square feet might translate into one sheath for a beginner considering inevitable mistakes, to a maximum of about three if they are small and you cut carefully. In other words that's not a whole lot of leather.

If you don't think this project will be something you are likely continue, then it would probably be less costly to have a sheath or two made by one of the many professional makers here on this site. If the opposite is true, then a little extra leather would be a good investment.

If I can be of further help, please feel free to contact me.

Paul
 
Some ideas:

If you can visit your local Tandy and/or The Leather Factory they often have scrap bins and cut pieces. Also, most of the knife maker suppliers also offer leather in pre cut squares, its a bit more pricy but if you only want a little....

EDIT: Paul beat me to the premium suppliers so I left my other ideas in tact. :)
 
Wow, thanks a lot for your insightful reply Paul! The more I learn about it, I think buying a whole double shoulder will be more cost efficient in the long run as I'm aspiring to pickup sheath making as a hobby.

May I ask which leather(s) (i.e. which cut, grade, thickness) you typically order from W&C for your sheath works?

Thank you again for taking the time to answer a newbie!

Josh

sheathmaker said:
I have been buying my leather from Wickett & Craig Tannery for a number of years now. Leather prices have certainly gone up dramatically lately, but price comparing I think 15 sq ft for close to $200 is a little bit on the very high side. Shoulder leather because of the trimming and very little waste is necessarily much higher than full side prices, but you have practically no waste, so that could be a wash. It might be worth a call to W&C and see if they offer single shoulders and if so that might be the way to go. Also check out RJF Leather, and Springfield Leather.

2-3 square feet might translate into one sheath for a beginner considering inevitable mistakes, to a maximum of about three if they are small and you cut carefully. In other words that's not a whole lot of leather.

If you don't think this project will be something you are likely continue, then it would probably be less costly to have a sheath or two made by one of the many professional makers here on this site. If the opposite is true, then a little extra leather would be a good investment.

If I can be of further help, please feel free to contact me.

Paul
Click to expand...
 
Thank you leatherman! That's a great advice. I think I'll definitely try out the suppliers Paul had mentioned, but I do want to drop by some stores so that I can actually see and touch them so that I get a feel for how all these descriptors are manifested in real life.

leatherman said:
Some ideas:

If you can visit your local Tandy and/or The Leather Factory they often have scrap bins and cut pieces. Also, most of the knife maker suppliers also offer leather in pre cut squares, its a bit more pricy but if you only want a little....

EDIT: Paul beat me to the premium suppliers so I left my other ideas in tact. :)
Click to expand...
 
catalystman80 said:
May I ask which leather(s) (i.e. which cut, grade, thickness) you typically order from W&C for your sheath works?
Josh
Click to expand...

As I said earlier, Wickett & Craig Tannery is my personal preferred supplier. All USA leather and they will split to order free of charge (if they keep the split, which I would never want any way). I buy full sides of 8/10 oz saddle skirting utility grade (one of the higher grades at W&C) and have it split to 7/8 oz. I then couple the 7/8 oz top grain with either 2/3 oz. splits (top grain) of the same type leather or light weight Deer skin for fully lining each piece I make. total finished weight is about 10 oz equivalent. They also offer drum dyed leathers and I use four colors Russet (Natural), Chestnut (darker with a slight red cast), Brown, and Black.

I buy the full sides because I have a Cobra splitter and I can turn the belly leather trim off of the sides into first rate 2/3 oz. top grain lining thereby eliminating most of the usual waste. The full side pricing is less per sq ft than the more closely trimmed shoulders or backs and the quality is for all intents and purposes very similar in the finished products.

Paul
 
Thank you again Paul! Saved so much time with your input!

sheathmaker said:
As I said earlier, Wickett & Craig Tannery is my personal preferred supplier. All USA leather and they will split to order free of charge (if they keep the split, which I would never want any way). I buy full sides of 8/10 oz saddle skirting utility grade (one of the higher grades at W&C) and have it split to 7/8 oz. I then couple the 7/8 oz top grain with either 2/3 oz. splits (top grain) of the same type leather or light weight Deer skin for fully lining each piece I make. total finished weight is about 10 oz equivalent. They also offer drum dyed leathers and I use four colors Russet (Natural), Chestnut (darker with a slight red cast), Brown, and Black.

I buy the full sides because I have a Cobra splitter and I can turn the belly leather trim off of the sides into first rate 2/3 oz. top grain lining thereby eliminating most of the usual waste. The full side pricing is less per sq ft than the more closely trimmed shoulders or backs and the quality is for all intents and purposes very similar in the finished products.

Paul
Click to expand...
 
I will occasionally dig through the Tandy scrap and cut leather bin as well. I've got some great pieces out of there. I have also got large pieces of leather from Tandy that was cut from other much larger rolls pretty cheap. You have to go through them and look for good leather pieces though. Some are not great on the inside of the leather, which is why it was probably cut off in the first place. I have a large piece I bought recently that had a few bad spots, scars, and 1 tear. So you can get deals at Tandy's occasionally.
 
The nice part about W&C is that they drum dye, which should also be taken into account when considering price.
 
Another source for natural veg/bark tanned leather is RJ Leather - it's some of the absolute best I've used in the last 50 years and they sell shoulders which allows you to buy less than a whole side - last price I paid was about $90.00 including shipping for a 12 sq ft 8/9 oz shoulder. Give Roger a call if interested - he's great to work with..
RJF Leather Co.
15 Woodsview Drive
Elmira, NY 14903
Phone: (607) 742-8969


For even smaller amounts check out Springfield Leather who will cut to size - down side increased cost..
 
Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely have to give that a try and compare against what I get from some of the more premium dealers. Just realized the nearest Tandy is a bit of a hike from me in Phiadelphia, and it's also a pretty small one from what I could see on Google maps (then again, I've never been to one...so don't know how big/small those stores usually are).

Ponsau said:
I will occasionally dig through the Tandy scrap and cut leather bin as well. I've got some great pieces out of there. I have also got large pieces of leather from Tandy that was cut from other much larger rolls pretty cheap. You have to go through them and look for good leather pieces though. Some are not great on the inside of the leather, which is why it was probably cut off in the first place. I have a large piece I bought recently that had a few bad spots, scars, and 1 tear. So you can get deals at Tandy's occasionally.
Click to expand...
 
Good to know! Although I believe I'll be looking for an undyed unit if I were to order them in bulk (which for me will be a single shoulder at most) so that I can dye them individually depending on the project. This is some exciting stuff! I started thinking about this (learning the leather sheath craft) after some failed attempts at finding a sheath for a new Fiddleback. I think it'll be good though as I can't seem to stop myself from buying more blades.....

gregorio said:
The nice part about W&C is that they drum dye, which should also be taken into account when considering price.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Thanks for that added information Wild Rose. Paul did mention RJF in addition to W&C in his initial response. 90 bucks for 12 ft^2 sounds pretty attractive, do you know what "grade" that was? Seems like Roger sells them in grades 1, 2, and 3 per his website.

Wild Rose said:
Another source for natural veg/bark tanned leather is RJ Leather - it's some of the absolute best I've used in the last 50 years and they sell shoulders which allows you to buy less than a whole side - last price I paid was about $90.00 including shipping for a 12 sq ft 8/9 oz shoulder. Give Roger a call if interested - he's great to work with..
RJF Leather Co.
15 Woodsview Drive
Elmira, NY 14903
Phone: (607) 742-8969


For even smaller amounts check out Springfield Leather who will cut to size - down side increased cost..
Click to expand...
 
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