Prusty

Set of 13th-14th century stamps finally got delivered so tested them out making a needle case. Still need to become familiar with them and how best to use them, but not bad for a first design.

Starting again after a bunch of bad health by trying to make card wallets. 1.2mm veg tan with calfskin linings, one one the right was a first pattern test and the one on the left a more finished version, but still needing some improvements. The pattern measurements work, just being let down a bit by the burnishing and stitching, having difficulty keeping the chisels in line. Also really having a hard time keeping the burnish where it bends, not sure how to stop it going rough. Any feedback/critique greatly appreciated!

That's some lovely stuff, especially for first attempts!

The dye is from The Identity Store, it's their own brand of water based stain. It doesn't penetrate through the leather really, but it does bring out some great colours, and is easy to water down to get varying shades. Used for reenactment stuff for a couple of years and grew to love it. A bit of both. Experimented a bit on these so there's a combination of hand and motor burnishing. Used a Armitage Leather spool burnisher for the flats, then sanded it down lightly with some 800 grit sandpaper, beveled the top edges and went at it with some canvas. After that applied some dye, quick polish, and a final coat of burnishing gum, although given how much this leather wants to rough up(really fleshy and soft) I may use beeswax instead next time.

Lovely looking bit of stitching there!

Trying to do modern leatherwork again to take a break from reenactment. I had the idea for these about 3 years ago, but the design wasn't all there and I didn't have the skills to make them how I wanted, so they've sat in the back of my mind for a long time! They're made of 2 layers of 'economy' 1-1.5mm veg-tan and lined with .8mm calfskin, and are stitched using 18/3 linen thread. I don't know if its the size of thread, the chisel tool, or the tool making them, but the saddle stitch isn't sitting quite how I want it, so I tried using a running stitch on the blue one. Going to have to come back to these when I have some nicer leather and tools. Any feedback and criticism is appreciated!

Belt measuring 77" long and 1" wide with tooling and metal fittings from the early-to-mid 13th century. Started this last year but only got round to finishing it last week because I really underestimated how long the tooling would take! The tooling was done using tools from the same period, and is inspired by art and architecture in Britain at this time. There's a few more odd looking leaves than I'd like, but having to do 63 of the little buggers means not every one can be just right. There's also a few collapsed edges in places from the burnishing, not that noticeable but still annoying, so need more practice there. The buckle and buckle plate are made from silver, with inset garnets and green enamelling, and the lion strap-end is cast from brass. All of them are based off finds from the period, and were made by an old re-enactor friend over at Westwir, who makes really nice jewellery and medieval belt fittings. Any feedback and critique is appreciated!

The tooling was done using a brass stylus and a thin bone folder. Normally I have another slightly thicker folder I use to widen some of the lines, but I recently bought a new one at a reenactment market and wanted to test it. Still trying to research 13th century tools, so maybe one day I can use something less primitive!

13th century dagger scabbard, 2mm veg-tan over a balsa wood core. This was a pain to get right, mostly because I forgot how to get the tip right on the pattern somehow, so I had to throw away a first attempt that was 4mm too tight and wouldn't close at the tip. Also the wood core was 'roughly' cut when it was given to me by the owner, I had to sand it down to its present form and its still not even, so the tooling looks a little wonky now it's around the core. The tooling is based on late 12th/early 13th century finds, applied using tools from the same period and is appropriate for a minor noble or professional soldier. Bit rough and basic, but no better or worse than a number of the surviving examples. The handle wrap is bound .8mm calfskin over leather and cord risers, I'd never attempted something like this before but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The risers feel present but not uncomfortable in the hand, comfortable in both forward and reverse grips. Got a few old swords that need refurbishing, so got plenty of chance to practice! Any feedback or critique is greatly appreciated!

Made this recently for an old friend who needed a new belt for a knightly/lordly kit impression at living history shows. It measures 70' long so there's about 2ft hanging from the waist when its buckled up. The tooling was done using 13th century tools, and is based on a pre-conquest cross found in Lowther, although I simplified the design just so it'd be a bit easier to make. The tooling is pretty rough in places, its a new design for me and I'm not great at doing curves. And those rivets gave me some real trouble- some of them had shafts set off-centre and ended up really off-centre on the belt, something I really should've checked first. And I'm not entirely confident in the burnish holding up, but time will tell on that. My friend is happy enough with it though, and it does compliment the rest of his kit well, so I'm gonna take that as a success!

Made an account some while back but never got round to posting anything. I'm Thomas, from Leeds in the UK, and have been doing leatherwork for maybe 4 years, but only got serious in the past year and a half. Done almost only 12th/13th Century reenactment stuff, all of it inspired by finds from that period of history, and a few semi-replica pieces for fun like the knife sheath in the photo. I'm trying to get into more modern stuff which is a bit daunting for me! I've done some here and there over the past few years, but its all been a bit rough and unfocused, so I'm really trying to push myself to improve. I'm looking forward to learning from everyone here! Thanks for looking!