arda Report post Posted December 9, 2010 Hello from DownUnder Australia! I am new to leather work - and I am wondering if someone would be able to show me the direction on where to start. I make bush/survival or tactical style knives and I have made some leather sheaths for them. However, I would like to learn about leather carving to be added to the sheaths I make. I have got some leather embossing tools and also I have swivel knifes. I'm aware about preparing the leather before carving from reading some beginners leather carving books. I would like to get some suggestions on how to start up my patterns and also carving - tips on practice cutting etc... Any suggestions are much appreciated. I have got zero knowledge on this so basic information will help :thumbsup: Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted December 9, 2010 Welcome to Leatherworker.net, best site on the entire internet! For starters, check out the Paul Burnett section here on Leatherworker: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showforum=214 That has a lot of the basics and should get you well on your way. As far as practice pieces.....pretty much any image on paper should be translatable to leather. Just pick an image and start 'drawing' with your knife. Unlike some forms of art, working with leather offers an opportunity to develop your own style, completely independent from anyone else's work. You'll know it's a good style to use when you see others emulating YOUR work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skald Report post Posted December 9, 2010 My father is a quite good knife maker, he does both "full leather" and "semi leather" knife sheaths. He makes them out of raw hide, or whatever it's called over there, which makes knives stay perfectly in place, without the need of any sort of strap or whatever to keep it from falling out. There's a "snap" when you put the knife in place. Basically, he covers the knife handle with a sheet or two of paper, and wet molds it around the handle, and then stitch it up. For full leather sheaths, he makes some sort of bottom part of wood or plastic (to prevent the blade from cutting the sheath, and to stiffen it up a little), and then go with the same procedure and wet mold it and stitch it up. It's thanks to the type of leather that this kind of sheath works. And no - it's not sensitive to moist or dryness or anything I can come to think of. I have had one of his knives since I was 6, I am 33 today - and the knife and sheath works as well as the day I got it. Most traditional knives in Scandinavia are made this way, and it would really be nice to see it spread to other parts of the world as well, so make a try! Here are two examples of what I talk about: http://www.tarendodesign.se/kundbilder/TraHornslojd/th_l/Charlotte_Kallas_presenter_016.jpg http://www.tarendodesign.se/kundbilder/TraHornslojd/th_l/016.jpg He more or less mass produce these two specific kinds of knives, but he also makes quite a lot more exclusive knives as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted December 10, 2010 Thanks for posting the pic, Skald. I'm a fan of the puukko (though the handle indicates more of a Leuku) knives and that is one beautiful example. I also like the attachment method of the leather collar to the wooden sheath bottom....that's rather ingenious as well as artistic. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skald Report post Posted December 10, 2010 Thanks for posting the pic, Skald. I'm a fan of the puukko (though the handle indicates more of a Leuku) knives and that is one beautiful example. I also like the attachment method of the leather collar to the wooden sheath bottom....that's rather ingenious as well as artistic. I am just glad to share some culture. I don't know the correct name for the type of knife really, I only know puukko means "knife" in Finnish, and just about there ends my Finnish skills end hahaha... The first knife is more or less traditional saami design, and the bottom part is reindeer horn. There are plenty of knives around with the lower part made of wood as well, most often the weirdo looking birch kind of wood (I don't know what you call it, but here it is "vril" or "knosor"), which is like marbled with different color shades - it actually looks like some really exclusive exotic type of wood. The second one is quite a large kind of knife (blade like +30 cm or something like that), with a sheath made of full leather (often though with a core of wood or plastic). I guess it's made of leather mainly because it's so large. It would be rather uncomfortable and noisy, and heavy to carry around such a large knife with a sheath of wood or horn. That sort of knife more or less replace the need for a small axe and saw, when out in the wilderness. I have seen some of these with sheath of horn as well, but most often they are made of wet molded raw hide. The leather stamping on them are most often rather simple, repetitive patterns. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted December 10, 2010 Arda, . . . an old fashioned, . . . but very useable knife sheath is two parts: the inside is rawhide, hard, ugly, hard to work, but endearingly tough and long lasting. The outside is whatever you want to use to decorate it. If you look on my website www.dwightsgunleather.com and go to the sample page, . . . down in the bottom left corner is a fringed knife sheath for a knife that overall was about a half meter (20 inches) in length. It has a deer anter for it's handle. It and the gun bag in the opposite corner went to the same customer, . . . if I said he was happy, . . . I'm not even close. He was much closer to ecstatic. The key to making it work is working out just the right size, . . . too big and it is floppy and noisy, . . . too small and you'll cut it apart getting the knife in and out. This site will give you some good information, . . . just keep asking the questions. May God bless, Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arda Report post Posted December 11, 2010 Cheers for all the reply. I will have to learn on what is the standard being used as "good / excellent" leather sheaths and use that as my goal as "Dwaight" said not too big and it is floppy and noisy, . . . too small etc.. I will keep asking Q - thanks again guys. Arda, . . . an old fashioned, . . . but very useable knife sheath is two parts: the inside is rawhide, hard, ugly, hard to work, but endearingly tough and long lasting. The outside is whatever you want to use to decorate it. If you look on my website www.dwightsgunleather.com and go to the sample page, . . . down in the bottom left corner is a fringed knife sheath for a knife that overall was about a half meter (20 inches) in length. It has a deer anter for it's handle. It and the gun bag in the opposite corner went to the same customer, . . . if I said he was happy, . . . I'm not even close. He was much closer to ecstatic. The key to making it work is working out just the right size, . . . too big and it is floppy and noisy, . . . too small and you'll cut it apart getting the knife in and out. This site will give you some good information, . . . just keep asking the questions. May God bless, Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted December 11, 2010 Skald, thanks for the clarification, it's always good to get more info. (well, most of the time, anyway). I guess I should revise that statement to say I like the Scandinavian style knives - simple but very effective; all that is needed and little that isn't. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hivemind Report post Posted December 13, 2010 Take a look through Rocky's gallery here: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showuser=12905 His work is SUPER clean. I aspire to my sheaths looking like this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
