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Snake Skin feature on pocket slips

I have been experimenting with some snake skin as a feature panel on knife slips and pouches ... a few failures along the way but slowly getting it to a standard I am happy with.

This is home tanned and very thin & delicate to work with.

A lot I have seen on the net cut out a panel in the top layer & then leave the snake skin at a lower level than the top layer (If that makes any sense)

I have been trying to raise the snake skin out to the same level as the top layer.

The smaller pouch is another experiment with snake skin covering the whole of the lower part of the pouch/slip I an curious as to how durable it will be over time being carried in a pocket, just a bit concerned that it may wear or break down quickly. So far so good - only time will tell.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on June 9, 2016 at 18:10

I think I like the larger one best. I would think if snake skin boots work out ok this will also but I would be very interested in how it holds up

Permalink Reply by Derek Wells on June 10, 2016 at 17:05

I am with you Jan I have settled on the larger design as my preferred one.

This is one of my earlier attempts for an acquaintance on Aust Blade Forums to match his GEC #47 Viper in Snake Wood.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on June 10, 2016 at 18:20

Boy does that look great!!

Permalink Reply by John Bamford on June 11, 2016 at 3:59

Really great job Derek it goes well with that Viper !

KnifeMakerPermalink Reply by Carl Rechsteiner on June 14, 2016 at 5:03

Unfortunately snake skin is pretty fragile as you mentioned. Outside rubbing and inside pocket rubbing will eventually wear it out. Thicker border panels or frames will help protect it quite a bit but the exposed areas along the edges will take a beating.

You could always do faux snake skin panels that don't even require framing protection just a little tooling work. This is both faux snake and faux ray. Pretty simple once you practice a bit (and no snakes or rays were harmed).

Permalink Reply by Derek Wells on June 16, 2016 at 1:52

That is just a "Standout" Sheath Carl ..... Sensational Craftsmanship on both Knife and Sheath.

And you have prompted me... I should have noted this earlier ... The snake skin I am using was from a roadkill snake ... Just fortunate (for me not the snake) only about 2 inches at the head was damaged. Derek

Permalink Reply by John Bamford on June 16, 2016 at 2:05

Great knife and sheaf Carl , those handle scales look just fantastic !

Well the whole job is fantastic !!

KnifeMakerPermalink Reply by Carl Rechsteiner on June 16, 2016 at 4:31

Thanks Fellas. This was a donate knife to the "Knife Rights" movement a few years back (I let that smooth talking Ritter, talk me out of it at the show in Louisville a few years back). It was a pretty big recurve fighter, 9"+ on blade I think. The handle is black locust and the blade was forged from a slice of a 52" sawblade. 90% to 100% of my work is from recycled material

My mentor, Dad (Sandy Morissey) taught me the tooling skills for this kind of leatherwork.

Derek, please don't miss-read me, I've used plenty of natural skins from snakes, lizards and even fish. I don't believe in wasting a good thing, just won't kill any of these unless unless for food. The skins are usually kind of fragile/thin and don't hold up to abrasion well, still hard to beat some of the beautiful patterns you see in the natural stuff. One of the prettiest and toughest I ever used was spotted gar (most of us know what their scales are like), had to drill all the stitching holes with carbide bits. Only did one. I can do the faux work much easier and quicker than tan curing a hide and adding all the panel frame work together on a sheath.

Thanks again for the kind words.

Permalink Reply by Derek Wells on June 20, 2016 at 20:03

Continuing my Snake Skin theme. It hasn't stopped raining here in the past couple of weeks - today very cold sleet & 15 mph winds so plenty of time indoors to work on my leather projects.