Where should I buy leather for a sheath?

J

J_Von

Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Messages
46
Looking to do my first sheath and I think I know what type I need; shoulder cut maybe 8 oz and (vegi tanned not sure why) but where is a good place to buy it from? The knife I plan on making it for is small 3" blade, and maybe 7" overall.
 
I'm sure you'll have a Tandy there in Boston. If not try Springfiled Leather online. They'll cut small pieces for you. Couple of square feet will do ya if you don't want to get a whole shoulder. Other tannages can interact with the steel and cause corrosion problems. Vegtan doesn't.
 
I believe there is a Tandy in Chelmsford ma..I need to make A trip up myself as I don't know anywhere else to get it locally and have a few blades done ready for sheaths
 
I bought some of my first leather from amazon. Turned out to be really nice leather. You definately want veg tan.and they hasve different cut sizes available.
 
Seems like a lot of the leather cuts don't specify if its veg tan. I am looking for a small amount if anyone finds a link to a small amount of this veg tan leather that would be good for a sheath please post the link.
 
They are a bit expensive but if you only want a small piece to start with its not too bad. I got a 12 x 24 piece to start out, I use Tandy now.
jb
 
I buy through Tandy myself, but if you are only looking for small cuts, Hobby Lobby usually have a leather craft section with a small selection of basic tools and supply.
 
You can also readily dye, stamp, wet mold, and carve veg tanned. The qualities of veg tanned are really unique. I don't know of any other leathers that react with water and chemicals like veg tanned. Stay away from splits unless you are using them for lining or something. I've read that bellies are not great for what you'll most likely do, but I cannot comment from experience.

The Hermann Oak from SLC was what I started with. I believe I got 7 sheaths from those 4 square feet. If you intend to do more than a couple of sheaths, you will probably be better off with a shoulder, but the pieces from SLC are some of the best you can get. You can expect excellent quality, and SLC will fix it if for some reason it doesn't meet your expectations. I suggest calling and ordering direct just so you can tell them what you are doing with it, plus they are really nice. They are the best resource for new leather workers in my opinion. They sell a lot of what Tandy does, but they are a far smaller retailer. In short, they know their stuff.

In my experience, and from what I gleaned from some of the great guys here, 7/8oz is perfect for most sheaths. 8/9oz for bigger knives/sheaths. If you make a lot of stuff expect to build a supply of different weights. I use 8/9oz, 7/8oz (for most work), 4oz (for firm lining), 1/2oz (soft veg tanned pigskin for soft lining) and exotics in various weights.

Tool lists can go on indefinitely as far as I can tell. :)

When is someone going to write a guide for leather buying? Ahem... *Dave* *Paul* *Dwayne*? I can do it, but there are others much more experienced than I.
 
Thanks will do!

I have never worked with leather before but I am excited to give it a go. I am thinking that "Hermann Oak Leather" is a type of veg tan using Oak bark and until the link posted I would have passed up on that but now I am thinking that is OK. Also how do I know if its "Full grain"?
 
I've gotten my leather from both Tandy [local store front] and Springfield.

Tandy give me the chance to see what I'm buying in-hand. I took a chance on Springfield. I have to say that Springfield's leather was a bit nicer...although Tandy's leather is not horrible by any standard.

www.hermannoakleather.com

Hermann Oak is a manufacturer name. Here is a link to their tanning processes: http://www.hermannoakleather.com/resources-and-events/tanning-process

...and the picture of that link information:
TanProc.jpg



Here's Springfield's site. Select size from the drop down box.

http://springfieldleather.com/32575/Piece,Hermann-Oak,8-9oz12"x12"/
 
J_Von said:
OK so unless it states Veg tan than it is not; am I correct to assume this?
Click to expand...

Eh, not really. Unfortunately some sellers don't necessarily specify, and I think that comes down to them assuming that you know what you're looking for. They may say "harness" or "tooling" or other descriptors, but mean veg tanned as well. There are a lot of words in leatherwork that mean the same thing, or include traits encompassed by a single term. It can be quite confusing!

Tools are the same way. A "beveler", for example, can mean totally different things, do totally different jobs. A skiver can be an inexpensive hand tool or a powered piece of equipment costing over a thousand dollars.

There are some very good youtube videos that cover the basics of both leather and tools.

Maybe I'll start a leather and tools thread that can be added to (and likely corrected as needed). I started a resources thread a few months ago but we weren't sure if it was in agreement with the forum rules, so never went anywhere. Unfortunate because I think it would be helpful for new craftsmen.

Druid gave you some cool info there. Sorry for not being more clear. Hermann Oak and Wicket & Craig are generally recognized as two of the best tanneries selling leather. They are both US based. That said, there are excellent leathers coming from other places. Some Mexican leather is very very good, and I believe there are leathers that come from one place (South America as I understand it) and tanned here that are also excellent. I know from reading others experiences, from craftsman with many years experience, that quality can change from decade to decade, year to year, and even hide to hide. The big names try to stay very consistent, but they are dealing with living tissue that changes depending on things they don't necessarily have control over, such as drought.

The gentlemen here have been my best resource for information and advice. We all do similar things (for the most part) and have similar goals. That said, leatherworker.net has some good threads that cover a lot of information, especially in their sections for people just starting out. I've seen a couple of familiar faces there, but this forum remains my best resource.
 
Thanks a ton to all here posting I really do appreciate all the great replies! I can't wait to get started.
 
Anyone ever go to Hobby Lobby?

As I test the waters of leather crafting I figured why not get some leather at a bargain price and some bare essential items to make a sheath. So today I went to Hobby Lobby (local branch in my area) and I bought a bag of leather remnants their called Farmers Bundle 3lb normally its $8.99 but they had 30% off this week cost was $6.29. Says Made in U.S.A. so I am pleased about that! I just cut out 4 pcs to make two front pocket sheaths for my EDC knife and it looks like I will have enough left over for two more belt sheaths. Though some items were made in China like the needles but the waxed thread said made in U.S.A. 25 yds for $3.77 .96mm thick. I was not to keen on all the items there but for these few items its a start.

Next is a basket weave stamp and some type of boarder stamp this I will buy online very soon. Any suggestions on size and where to buy it? Is this one good for a sheath its a X501 seen here:
http://springfieldleather.com/25100/Stamping-Tool%2CX501%2CBasketweave/
 
From what I've seen of those farmer bundles, I would be leery of the leather not being veg tanned. Burn test a couple pieces to confirm if it is safe or not.

HL carries a small selection of stamps that seem to be decent quality. In fact, my favorite basketweave stamp is the diamond center from there.

Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top