hey everyone, i am a beginner at making leather sheaths..i've got a couple of questions..how do you find leather makers in your area?..i am finding it hard to get with somebody that would be willing to teach me the craft..i have been progressing but there is something that is stumping me..the end finish of most everyone's sheath's..they look like they have fallin from the sky..no finger marks, no gouges, no tool marks, etc....is there something that is done to the finished sheath that takes away all the boobies??..take hedgehog just for example..no marks..although im trying to do some molding i have seen others that look like theirs.....any help????..i would appreciate it...
the end finish
- Thread starter dfivdayz
- Start date
Ausbrooks
KNIFE MAKER
I would suggest reading books as that is how I started making sheaths and many others have done. The book How to Make Knives that features Bob Loveless and his techniques has great step by step sheath making instructions in it. Also there are good tutorials in this forum.
As far as end finish goes, try not to leave any stray tool or fingernail marks in leather as you make it. Then, what I do.... us use a pre-stain leather prep chemical like Tracy sells in Midwest. And staining, you can use water based product like Tandy sells or a permanent stain like a Fiebings, also at Midwest. If you use an all-in-one stain-treatment like in Tandy you can apply, let dry, and shine with a cloth. If using just stain, a good post stain product to seal and treat leather should be used. Look up some of the on-line tutorials that Paul Long has put out as he is the standard as far as top notch sheath work and you will learn a lot.
As far as end finish goes, try not to leave any stray tool or fingernail marks in leather as you make it. Then, what I do.... us use a pre-stain leather prep chemical like Tracy sells in Midwest. And staining, you can use water based product like Tandy sells or a permanent stain like a Fiebings, also at Midwest. If you use an all-in-one stain-treatment like in Tandy you can apply, let dry, and shine with a cloth. If using just stain, a good post stain product to seal and treat leather should be used. Look up some of the on-line tutorials that Paul Long has put out as he is the standard as far as top notch sheath work and you will learn a lot.
SYD32
Well-Known Member
We have a Tandy store close by and the employees are a wealth of knowledge. Whenever I have questions they are more than willing to demonstrate products and techniques. On Saturday mornings they usually have a workshop where they allow people to come in and work on projects. This is a great opportunity to learn a lot about leatherwork.