shock Report post Posted December 5, 2017 Hey guys, I’m shock. I moved to Alaska a little over a year ago and got connected to Jake907 through a mutual friend. The winters are long and dark with the sun going down at 3pm. Needless to say, there is plenty of time for hobbies. I’ve been around leather working for as long as I can remember; I grew up in south central Kansas across the pasture from a master leatherworker and saddle maker. Any time I wanted a sheath for a knife blade I epoxied into a whiletail antler or anything else I could dream up, all I had to do was ask. Sometime in high school, he gave me a box of leather scraps and some simple advice (use a sharp knife. Your knife isn’t sharp unless it cuts through leather like a razor through paper. My knives are never that sharp.) and turned me loose. When I moved up here, Jake gave me a box of scrap, a box of hardware, a diamond awl, and a ton of thread. So far, everything I have made has been extremely rudimentary. I am too cheap and poor to afford a side or really any leather so I do what I can with scraps and rejected projects. Current projects include a gun/utility belt and a purse/shoulder-bag for my wife. Attached is my first completed project in Alaska. Jake helped a ton with it, and all the mistakes are mine. And yes, it sits upside down and horizontal in the small of my back. I’m excited to be here to learn from you all. shock Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YinTx Report post Posted December 5, 2017 Welcome! With all the info around here, you will be making stellar items with bits and pieces of leather in no time. Maybe even make a few bucks off of it! Best of luck to you. Does your sheath have a welt in it? Hard to tell from the angle of the photo. If no, check them out, they help protect the stitching from that sharp edge you were talking about... YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jake907 Report post Posted December 5, 2017 (edited) Hey man, good to see you on here, we need to find a few more Alaskan members. @YinTx yes, I had him put a welt in it Edited December 5, 2017 by Jake907 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YinTx Report post Posted December 5, 2017 3 minutes ago, Jake907 said: yes, I had him put a welt in it Awesome, then he is ahead of me the first time I thought of making a sheath... I didn't even know what a welt was! Your photo looks like bliss and brutality in the same moment...I've always wanted to visit Alaska. Wouldn't know where to start tho...not exactly a small state! YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jake907 Report post Posted December 5, 2017 8 minutes ago, YinTx said: Awesome, then he is ahead of me the first time I thought of making a sheath... I didn't even know what a welt was! Your photo looks like bliss and brutality in the same moment...I've always wanted to visit Alaska. Wouldn't know where to start tho...not exactly a small state! YinTx I have a really good teacher, can't claim that I would have thought of putting one in either. ya, Alaska can be both of those things, winter is a great time to settle in for some leather working or a good book, but it can also be depressing and lonely (hence the leather working with friends). If you want to visit Alaska, plan on a lot of traveling, its a big state, we could split it in two and tx could be the third largest state, lol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
