cardboredbox

I should probably have added a little more detail. This was made with veg-tanned 2mm belly leather for the outside and pad. The pad area has a smaller ellipse of suede which was used on the interior to create a padding area for string slap. I don't have a skiving knife, so I didn't quite get the pad as thin as I would have liked on the outer edges, especially the back where the string will approach from - so I hope that works out. I reinforced the lacing edges with a strip of the same leather and used Bards cement and eyelets to lock them together. The pad and perimeter stitching are saddle stitched with Tandy 1.2mm waxed nylon thread. The interior is lined with 2mm suede, which was contact cemented down and stitched around the perimeter. To snug up the arm guard - I plan on using shock cord and a quick release slide to facilitate easy on/off fitting. The images above I had laced some green para-cord, but it is too thick, and slow for lacing up and down. Thanks for looking! Cheers, Rich

Hello Fellow Leatherworkers! My name is Rich, and I live in Idaho, in the Boise area, with my wife and 4 children. I started out in leatherwork as a scout when I was 11, and had the fortunate opportunity to apprentice for about 6 months with a saddle maker. I didn't get to do much but clean, and do a bit of background tooling on saddle components. I was fascinated with the ability to take raw materials and craft something durable and highly valuable. My parents supported my interest and purchased what today would be worth ~$500 from Tandy. I loved going to the store, smelling the leather and getting to gather materials for a project. We moved back to the city, and over time, my interest in sports, girls and cars took front seat, and I eventually boxed up my tools and let it slide away. Fast forward 30 years, and I have encountered a new need for the craft, and I have again begun collecting tools and focusing on supporting 2 projects that have come to light. A knife sheath for my son's knife that was a gift to my cousin for earning his Eagle Scout Award: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=51945 An arm guard for my daughter who is getting a bow for Christmas, and I thought that a nice enhancement would be to make her the needed accessories, quiver, finger glove and arm guard: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=51945 It immediately rekindled that love of taking materials, working it, assembling it and creating something of durable value. It my not have a lot of dollar value, but it is valuable in and of itself, and it feels good to create. I would be lying if I didn't feel somewhat inspired by the re-reading of Atlas Shrugged. With the world we live in today, and the consumptionistic nature of society, it really feels good to create... even if it is simply for my own use. Am I saving money? NO - will I stop? NO - it is too satisfying to take the time to find a need, define the requirements, design and build... sorry if that seems kind of preachy... Looking forward to seeing more of your creations and getting inspiration from the creativity that abounds on this site. Thanks Ian for referring me via your YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/satansbarber Cheers, Rich CardBoredBox

So my 16 yr old son is becoming quite the bladesmith, and he made a knife for my cousin in honor of earning his Eagle Scout Award. So I made a sheath to go along with the knife. I did this start to finish in under 6 hours - a bit of a rush... but I surprised myself on what I was able to do... even though there are a lot of mistakes... Let me know your thoughts... Cheers, Rich

I am crafting a full archery set for my daughter for Christmas gifts. The results of my first attempt at an arm guard are included here below. Let me know your thoughts... I know I have a lot to learn, and I could make things better if I had all of the right tools... Thanks for your support and encouragement! Cheers, Rich