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I havent posted any projects lately but wanted to share a speacial project i just finished. Its a over the shoulder scabbard for pistol grip shotgun. Specifically the mossberg shockwave. Its a surprise piece for a young man who is 19 and works full time goes to school and is national guardsmen. A good customer told me the story of young man and asked how much for a basic scabbard to give as a gift. So i made a deal with him and told him if he would pay for my basic and allow me free reign on putting a design on it i would go over the top and give the young man something truly unique and badass. I went full on military with design as my way of showing my appreciation for the young man getting this piece and every other man and woman who have served or serving. I hope i can get the pics to upload after all this typing. And hope everyone here enjoys. I look forward to hearing your feed back.

Hi all Something a bit different to the Western stuff I normally post here, and quite photo intensive i'm afraid... This is a batch of late medieval knives and sheaths, which as a very general outline date between 1300-1500 depending on the piece. The sheaths for these are all 2mm veg tan, with a back central seam and tooling inspired by originals. The main source of reference was 'knives and scabbards', which catalogues pieces found in the Thames. The two larger knives have double layered scabbards, which is a necessity as the hunting set is multi pocketed with effectively three sheaths bundled together, and the larger messer has an integrated belt. None of them have belt loops in the modern sense, but are instead suspended by hanging thongs, which are laced through slits in the back and seems to be the universal carrying method for this kind of knife. I had to go against all of my instincts with the tooling on these in an attempt for authenticity, so nothing is measured or plotted out in the way I would do a modern belt, and likewise the dyeing is much more straightforward, without the antiquing effects that would be used now. I have focused mainly on the sheaths here as this is a leatherwork forum afterall, but for anyone interested in the knives themselves they are all hand forged from 1080 or 1075 carbon steel, with either brass or steel bolsters and handles made from various native woods, which include yew, laburnum, walnut and apple. I hope you like them! Alex

So I haven’t posted in a while which means I’ve been busy. Business is going good I’m hoping if thing keep growing like they have this time next year I can quit my day job. Only time will tell. ok so this is a rifle scabbard I finished about 2 months ago. It was made for a Kentucky long rifle. The customer wanted something he could hike with up in the pacific north west cascade mountains. It was definitely my most ambitious job so far. I did a lot of head scratching trying to get all my assembly steps in order and plan out all my tooling designs. The hardest part was I only had measurements to go off of for the rifle. I never was able to find a rifle in my area to compare to my pattern. it was made from 8-9 oz w&c with a bark tanned shearling liner. Stitched with my cobra class 4 using 277 white bonded thread. Fiebings saddle tan dye, And dark brown antique paste using fiebings pro resist as my resist for the antique. please give me critique if you something I can improve on. thanks.

Hello everyone I have so far only posted Sheridan style things but my main interest really is in European Medieval history. The scabbards are very much secondary objects in this case but there is leather involved and any history nerds out there might find it interesting, so here are a couple of medieval eating knives. These are both in the style of 14th/15th century examples- not exact copies of any originals in particular but borrowing design elements from the many knives and scabbards in the museum of London. The general standard of leatherwork in my reference was not the best, and some was down right terrible, and obviously I was much more limited than usual in what tools I could use, but I am quite pleased with the end results. These were both done freehand and you can tell- nothing has been measured and really it's all comparatively crude, but that is what the real ones look like and that was the aim here. Masterpieces of leather crafting they are not, but the original sheaths rarely were either it seems. Obviously I didn't want them to look rubbish but it's nice not worrying about neatness for a change! Technical specs- Both of these are 2mm veg tan, wet formed around the knife and then tooled. Occasionally they were double layered but these are not. The aim seems to have been just to overwhelm the eye with stuff, so if there is space, fill it with crosshatching or dots or anything to make it more interesting. The larger sheath has gothic lettering as it was for my brother's birthday, no prizes for guessing his name. They both have a back central seam stitched with waxed linen, and a couple of hanging thongs rather than modern belt loops. For anyone interested the knives themselves are both hand forged from 1080 carbon steel, with olive handle scales and brass pins and bolsters. I hope you like them! cheers Alex

Just finished this saddle scabbard. Scabbard 1.docx Scabbard 2.docx

I have always wanted a laced sword scabbard, but the amount of work (and wood working experience) required to create a scabbard is daunting. I have a sword, but it already has a scabbard, so what to do? Finally, I got a brainstorm -- I'll just make a sleeve which goes AROUND the existing scabbard, and that'll do the trick! So here's the original tooled design, a key-work panel on the sleeve, with Fiebing HiLighter (modified slightly from the original design, taken from a church in Wales): Geometrics are a pain...but to get it right, go SLOWLY with the swivel knife, and use a straight edge wherever possible. Here's a mock-up of what it will look like, when all done: All that intricate lacing...it's painstaking work -- you can't really cut the slits until you have the belt strips ready to mock it up. The triangular piece to the bottom of the picture is a type of "buckle." The other strap (top center) will end in two strips, which will tie through the holes in the "buckle." It's period -- some medieval art features scabbards done that way. I also decided to cut a 'window' in the wide middle strap to hide less of the nice tooling. Here's the back -- I'm using a baseball stitch to butt-stitch the pieces together, using flat lacing. I'd forgotten how tedious lacing can be; you really have to pay attention to avoid twisting the lace, or getting the pattern wrong (only had to undo two stitches so far!) Here you can see the interlaced straps, linked through each other. I didn't realize it, but the baseball stitching doesn't close the edges as closely as other stitches, so I think the hanger might be a bit loose on the scabbard itself. However, I can glue a 'shim' of thin leather inside the hanger sleeve, and that should snug it right down.

Went from seeing a picture through 3patterns 1 prototype to this. Made from 8/9oz leather sewn with 207 white thread which I thick makes it pop.

Well...just finished a scabbard for a scimitar. 5oz veg with a simple geometric pattern, no frills dealio for a friend. I was excited to get some pictures up and show off my first sword sheath. Delivered it...he was happy with it, and all was well. Got home and realized I didn't take any pics of the finished product...duh. Maybe next time! Anyways, below is the only pic I took during the project.

Here is my second scabbard, similar to the one I posted previously- built with the same pattern but slightly different design elements. I wish I had remembered to take a shot of the piece at the end of the scope, I had some fun trying out the rope border on this one

The first of two scabbards for my brothers-in-law. This is the biggest project I've tackled. Some of my first lace work... Just a little for now. I was a little disappointed with how scuffed up the piece got over the course of construction. I was thinking a carpeted work table might help protect it some- any ideas? I know I should be more careful with how I handle it, but any specific ideas you've used that help avoid collateral damage to your project when you handle and work it?

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!

There are the things we do because we need to pay the bills, and things we do that we love. When we're really lucky, we get to do them both. I'm fortunate that I get to do what I love for my day job, but this runs a close second. And one day may, this may just pay the bills. This is my first post like this in the forum. I've never taken any formal classes in leather, just what I've learned here, youtube, books, videos, etc. And a lot of trial and error. So I figured it was time to show what I've learned. I have been sewing together portfolios, knife rolls, etc., to pay for my tools and leather, but this is really where my heart lies. Based on the will ghormley scabbard pattern, modified to let the saddle attachment straps serve as a shoulder strap/carry handle. All hand stitched and solid brass hardware. Fully lined with 3 oz veg tan.

Anyone have a good scoped rifle saddle scabbard pattern?

Hi all, I made a Dirk scabbard for a friend with Celtic carving on the front and his name on the back., we also make the dirks ( we buy in the blades and put the handles on ourselves). The knife sheath was for someone in the Royal Marines, the black one is for use when out on operations and the carved Celtic cross one is for more private use and to show off. Hope you enjoy them. Stuarty.