Mungo

Thank you Fred and Chuck for the replies. I’ll give it a try.

As far as I can tell the knife is one piece with no scales, just the bare metal handle part wrapped with paracord. If I understand you, I should use the 3-4mm leather pieces as scales then wrap with lace, then apply the PVA glue over the wrap. Thanks for replying

An aquaintance has a tanto style knife that has a paracord wrapped handle that he would like to be replaced with leather. The knife is flat -ish the entire length with the crossguard and heel (back portion) being wider preventing the use of stacked leather washers. The knife is used often so the leather would need to be durable, not just decorative. I ‘ve never done anything like this and would not know where to start. Any ideas?

Thanks for the replies, I think I’ll go ahead and get that Big Red just in case. Never underestimate my ability to break things.

Is it possible to change the geometry of a swivel knife blade just by stropping it? My knife came with a fantastic blade and I would hate to alter it to an undesirable angle. I probably don’t strop it as often as I should and when I do it’s only stropped two or three times on each side. Still, if need be I could get something like the Big Red by Chuck Smith to correct the angle. Thanks

Thanks for all the replies.

Thanks, I’m going to try it.

I’ve been searching the forums about mold on leather. It seems some people use Listerine in their casing water, I assume to prevent the mold from starting in the first place. Does it work? I’ll probably use an antique dye so I don’t think discoloration would be a problem. I’m thinking about doing a western scene which would take several days to tool. It would be stored damp, in a sealed bag, and in my fridge between sessions. Thank ye kindly.

Thanks for the replies!

I tooled out a thin piece of leather that I had used painters tape on the back (flesh side). When I removed the tape it pulled up the fibers something awful. It looks like a grizzly bears back now. How can I return to the smooth condition it was before? I don’t have a glass burnisher but I can get one if needed. Would a burnisher damage my tooling?

Do you use wax on linen thread? Thanks

I was thinking about making a western holster as authentic as possible so linen would probably be the best thread. Thanks for the replies.

I ‘ve never used linen thread but I may try it on a project in the near future. Why would you use linen instead of nylon or polyester? Does it have benefits over the newer man-made threads?

Thanks everyone

When you bevel the edge of leather do you do it while it’s still cased or dry? I can never seem to do a good job and I’m thinking of buying a better edger to see if that’s the problem. When I got a good swivel knife (and blade) it made a huge difference in my carving. Then again, maybe I need a lot more practice.