Thread: Playing with leather

Originally Posted by hunter Al.7mm08

Your welcome. Hope the boss likes it. Thought the lanyard might help to pull the knife out but cut it off if it's a nuisance.

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Nice work Al!

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This thread is very inspirational! My wife gave me a basic leathermaking toolkit as a present a few years ago, and I'm keen to start using it.

Question - if I want to start by making a basic belts and some pouches to hold a pocket knife, mobile phone, that kind of thing - what kind of leather do I need? Grades, thicknesses? I assume a belt needs to be thicker leather than a pouch. A wet-molded knife pouch thicker leather than a belt pouch for a mobile phone?

Where do you source your leather from in NZ? I've looked through this thread, and googled, but most websites / youtube videos seem to be overseas based and using overseas suppliers.

Lapco for leather (akl) is where I have bought most of my leather . Usually in large sheets which are not cheap but they do sometimes have off cut pieces a little cheaper , or can sometimes be found on the yellow site . Lapco also do tools , dyes , rivets etc . If molding to shape vege tan leather is required .
Hope that helps @RV1 ...

thickness depends on you really . Can make anything out of the thicker leather but will obviously end up being a little bulkier . I use 3 mm + for sheaths and would think a belt would require the same sort of thickness for strength and to minimise stretch . That said the little folding scalpel knife sheath I used around 1.5 mm thick leather as any thicker I felt was overkill and would have been a very big bulky sheath for a very small light knife (not worn on a belt but carried in bum bag). I would probably look at around 2mm for a pouch depending on what you are using the pouch for to avoid excessive bulk.... but thats just me ...

Awesome, thanks - that's very helpful! I've got a bunch of tools, I just need some leather and hardware to get started. Cheers

Hardware you can also sometimes pick up on TM or places like Ali express cheaper than retailers...

+1 for Lapco @RV1 I would agree with what @Ftx325 said. Try and buy some scrap pieces to practice stitching etc on first.If in doubt YouTube!

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Recently got asked to make a sheath for a shepherd who was having issues with his steel poking holes in the seat of his side by side, also rubbing against the seat has prematurely worn the side of the sheath out.I suggested wearing it on the opposite side but he wasn't keen on that.I reckon it was a perfect job for that heavy Buffalo leather @Ftx325 . Also enclosed the steel and reinforced it. Will be interesting to hear how it lasts.

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Bit of crap weather lately so decided I better finish the wife's Mother's day gift I said I'd make for her.

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Originally Posted by hunter Al.7mm08

Bit of crap weather lately so decided I better finish the wife's Mother's day gift I said I'd make for her.

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You might get an early birthday present as well!

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You might get an early birthday present as well!
@andyanimal31 Ha! Fingers crossed

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jeez @hunter Al.7mm08 , your leather carving is really coming on in leaps and bounds mate !!

the sheath and the belt are looking very professional , awesome stuff mate !!

I have been asked to make sheath for a small knife for a wedding present so currently on the hunt for more leather again . Thinking I might try some carving on it but should probably get extra leather so I can remake the sheath when I cock it up and it looks like doggy-do ... lol

Very impressed with your new found skills though .... perhaps you could start a new leather carving thread or add a few instructions/hints/tips to this one , tools used/needed etc - teaspoon not required !!

An engineer mate asked if I could do a double knife sheath for a Svord and Gerber knife , this was what I came up with. The smaller knife on the front had a plastic liner in the pouch it came with so I used that by wet molding around it. He plans on carrying it in his pack but I added a slim belt loop as an option. As payment I asked him to make me a spinner target "for the kids". Made from hardened steel he reckons it will handle center fire to but haven't been game to try it.

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Finally did the wedding pressie sheath. Couldn't afford more leather so ended up dismantling a large pouch I'd made and ' repurposed' the leather.
Same modular style as I usually do but tried to add a little bit more texture to the sleeve with my favorite tea-spoon and added the extra wrap around the top section. Didn't turn out to bad in the end.

Looks good @Ftx325. I like the "textured" look

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The latest creation , more along the lines of @hunter Al.7mm08 's traditional style sheaths than my usual 'sleeve' style.
This I made by repurposing the scabbard I had made for the 45/70 as that rifle is gone.
I went for a bushcraft feel with this one and went with lace rather than stitching for an old skool look.
Patterned the leather with an old piece of antler and added the antler handle to the firesteel and also made the beads from antler.
The sheath is also lined with nice soft suede.







The skull bead is to prevent the blade cutting the lace as knife is placed/removed from sheath which my daughter had laying around for a Halloween costume she had made and just happened to fit the gap perfectly and saved me making a specific shaped antler bead (just being lazy)