adaman04

Great ideas Peter, I'll do some browsing for new project ideas!

Very nice. There is something very classic about oak leaves and acorns on a hunting rifle. Just one of those fairly timeless things.

Thank you gents, it is addicting. I've got one more knife I wouldn't mind doing a sheath for, then I need to do some non-sheath projects for some variety. :D

Hi everyone, I've been in and out of the forum lurking quite a bit recently and after more than a year away from leather, I started getting the itch again. I made the first sheath for my dad for his Fiddleback Hiking Buddy and the second one is for my favorite knife made by my good friend Israel Turley of Turley Knives. That sheath is waiting on dangler hardware. I was so frustrated after the first sheath "I was taking a month off" from leather. Yeah, that lasted about a week. :D I've learned so much reading tips and tricks here and would love some critique on how to clean up my work or make improvements. Off the bat I at times think I'd like larger stitches. I'm currently using 6 spi and it looks a bit crowded at times. Another area I struggle in is pattern making. I teeter on "that looks way too big" and "the knife isn't going to fit". I thought it over today and this is the 6th and 7th leather item I have ever made. Learn something every time! Thanks for all the great content from years past up to now. It has been very valuable!

Very nice!

I started browsing this forum several years ago and as I've done many times, I jumped back and forth between other hobbies. In that time I've made a couple of sheaths and some misc. projects and have used this forum for lots of reference. I just wanted to say thank you and post a couple of pics. The first sheath was for a RAT/ESEE-4. I've always liked the plain square bottom bushcraft style sheaths, so that is what I went with. I learned to taper the sheath from top to bottom a bit so the width of the handle doesn't make the bottom of the sheath wider than the top. Lesson learned! My burnishing was/is still improving for sure. On the belt. More recently I had a friend and knifemaker make me this beauty. I had one piece of leather big enough for this knife, though it had some marking/hide damage. I will most likely redo this one at some point. Oh and I had forgotten, I also made a mask for my axe. I need to groove my stitch lines a bit deeper and do some general improving overall, but I think it will come with time and the help of all of you. Thanks for your willingness to share tips. I welcome any tips and criticism you all have. -Adam

I made my first leather sheath this week and it was a fun project. I don't post here much but I sure appreciate all the info from all of you good folks. I appreciate and and all criticism or input. I already have some things I will do differently next time. I didn't get the edges burnished to look like one piece of leather, but it's nice and slick and pretty good for a first timer I thought. I plan to rig up a removable dangler system, maybe a caribiner type. We'll see.

Thanks Boomstick and Lobo for the corrections on the leather weight. Lobo, I might take you up on that offer in the future, I appreciate it. Fact of the matter is, if I want to get halfway decent at leather work, I’m going to have to do a few test run projects anyway. I’ll just buy supplies here and there as I can (and as the wife allows!) and it sure wouldn’t hurt to have a single shoulder at least. I’ve found 12”x12” squares of 8/9 for $13 each, so I’d be money ahead getting a good shoulder pretty quick!

I've been wanting to get started on a few leather projects, namely holsters (modern, not western), mag pouches and flashlight holders and I need some leather. From what I've read here, for pancake style holsters a lot of guys like 8/9 oz and for sheaths and mag pouches maybe 4/5 would be a better option. I'm trying to find out what weights I'd like to use for each job and with the economy like it is, I'd rather not buy a whole single shoulder of 8/9 and 4/5 until I see if I'm going to stick with it. Are there any places I can buy small quantities without paying triple the price per sq ft? I'm open to natural veg leather or some black drum dyed would be alright too, since I'm going to be making most everything in black. Thanks!

I've been wanting to get started on a few leather projects, namely holsters (modern, not western), mag pouches and flashlight holders and I need some leather. From what I've read here, for pancake style holsters I need 8/9 oz and for sheaths and mag pouches maybe 4/5 would be a better option. I'm trying to find out what weights I'd like to use for each job and with the economy like it is, I'd rather not buy a whole single shoulder of 8/9 and 4/5 until I see if I'm going to stick with it. Are there any places I can buy small quantities without paying triple the price per sq ft? I'm open to natural veg leather or some black drum dyed would be alright too, since I'm going to be making most everything in black. Thanks!

Wow, those edges look great too. What was your process since everyone seems to do it a little differently.

Wow that looks awesome. What weight leather did you use?

That little holster for the NAA is pretty neat. I like the V-Max ammo for long range .22 Mag power! Looking good!

I think it looks pretty good so far! I've always been kind of a plain jane black finish kind of guy. Keep us updated.

That turned out pretty good. Good IWB J-frame holsters are hard to come by. As far as leather weight, if it's comfortable for you, go for it. As a rookie, I always underestimate the thickness of leather and I ordered a chunk of 8/9 and wished I would have gotten 7/8. Guess I'm still learning! It will all be OWB though so not such a big deal at this point. What kinda grips ya got on that 642? They look a little different than the stock wood 642 grips I've seen.