Working with rawhide?

[SpookyPistolero]

Hi folks-

I don't pop in this subforum much except to stare at pretty pictures, but I had a quick question and thought you guys might be able to help me with it. I am doing a little project as a gift for my stepdad, and am trying to figure out how to 'finish' some mods to a knife. I have a plain-jane Mora #1, and have taken some soft leather and sewn it around the handle. The fit is tight, except at the neck just before the blade. It doesn't look awful, but I'd like to clean it up a bit.

The point is to have a very 'frontier' or Native American feel to it, as he's quite interested in that era and culture. So to finish that 'neck' area, I was wondering what you guys know about rawhide? I was thinking that if it works like I think it does, I'd wrap it around just the end prior to the blade a few times, to hide and protect the edge of the leather, so that the slipcover stays on.

Anyone know much about working with it? Where can I get it? How well will it hold?

Thanks much for any direction!

-Spoooky

 

[Erik Fritz]

go to tandy leather or the leather factory and buy it. get the natural not the bleached rawhide. you want to "case" it don't soak it in water and then let it dry.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Do you actually mean rawhide, or is what you want suede or buckskin.Rawhide is a hard untanned leather that ust be soaked and shaped. It has a lot of uses, but decoration is not usually one of them.
Stacy

 

[Erik Fritz]

Do you actually mean rawhide, or is what you want suede or buckskin.Rawhide is a hard untanned leather that ust be soaked and shaped. It has a lot of uses, but decoration is not usually one of them.
Stacy

Don't Soak rawhide for too long you will break down the fibers. soak it until it just starts to get pliable and then the best thing too do is place it in a plastic garbage bag and put it in the refrigerator for about 12-24 hours before you work it.

 

[G L Drew]

I have had good success finishing the guard area of a period knife by wrapping the area with tanned deer hide and when I get it just the way I want it carefully soaking it with thin CA glue. If you are careful it won't run onto the rest of the handle. This hardens the soft deer hide like a rock and it looks exactly like rawhide when it cures. I have to tell a lot of buyers what it is because they just assume from the looks that it is rawhide that has been soaked in water, wrapped on the handle and dried. Have fun with it.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

I guess the confusion can be summed up in that I have no idea what I'm talking about! Some pictures would surely help, which I'll try to take soon.

The slip-on covering to the handle is already a bit of fairly thin leather/suede. At the top towards the blade, it's a little looser and doesn't 'meet' the handle edge as much as I'd like. I was just looking for a good way to wrap/seal that and have it look neat and be functionally secure (such that it won't be folded back upon re-sheathing, for example).

Does a simple wrap with similar leather seem like the best way? Best to leave it alone?

Y'alls job is not easy!


I actually just tried fitting it into another leather sheath that I made for a Mora 510 just to gauge some fit, and that upper edge of the leather was definitely trying to peal/push back. I'm starting to think that I might just try to make a sheath sort of like a KaBar sheath, to just hold the blade and then a snap towards the top to hold the handle in. Decisions, decisions...

 

[bikermikearchery]

If I under stand what your trying to do, you mite try this.
Work some contact cement under the leather thats trying to move on you. Use a toothpick and work it in real good while trying to keep the out side of the leather clean. as you get the contact cement worked in, form the leather with your fingers. keep a cloth with solvent ready to clean up glue that leaks out.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

Thanks bikermike! I am thinking that might be the best thing right now. I played around with an outer 'wrap' at the neck, and it just didn't feel or look right. Shy of that, gluing is all that I know to do. Combined with a sheath that isn't a pouch style and hopefully it won't be a problem. I don't think this knife will see much actual use, anyway.

Do you think that the contact cement will particularly damage the wood underneath if for some reason the leather is ditched? I'm guessing it would need refinishing of course.