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Comment by Bruce McLain on June 23, 2014 at 16:06

Ivars

Very nice leather work

What is the rolled up case?

I have made a couple of scandi type sheaths 1 for an old frost blade that my dad had and I added a new handle too and 1 for a knife I made.Can you tell what purpose the flap at the bottom had? See picture

In Memoriam Comment by Robert Burris on June 21, 2014 at 10:56

Great work Ivars.

Comment by Jan Carter on June 21, 2014 at 8:21

Jason, can yo show us some of yours and see if we can get some more people to help us revitalize it?

Comment by Jason Oncedisturbed Riley on June 20, 2014 at 0:54

Some great works in this thread. Pity it seems to have gone slow.
Having recently re-injured my back, I found myself going stir crazy and started leather working, making items like archery forearm guards, quivers, sheathes and pouches.
Still very green at this skill and keen to learn more from fellow members. Will put up some pics once I get home.

KnifeMaker Comment by Carl Rechsteiner on December 14, 2013 at 13:46

Ivars

I think we just have a misunderstanding of terminology. Not sure where your concern about damaging the leather initiated. I do know that petroleum products are detrimental to veg tanned leather. Chemical is a pretty broad term and all substances are composed of chemicals. I do not see the need to go to dyes developed for wood when there are so many excellent dyes specifically designed for leather. Not saying I wouldn't experiment for effect at some time, just see no need to switch.

KnifeMaker Comment by Carl Rechsteiner on December 14, 2013 at 5:57

Been making sheaths for as long as I have been making knives (over 50 yrs). Never experienced any "damage" to the leather from either method. The chemical reaction of the tannin and the vinergaroon has no adverse effect on the composition of the leather or it's integrity. It's merely a reaction between the dissolved iron oxide and the tannin.

Most wood dyes have petroleum product in them as liquifiers and carriers for penetration. You are not getting away from chemicals with wood dyes. Petroleum products are more detremental to leather than most other chemicals as they do break down the organic structure of the leather itself and cause stiffening, hardening and eventually crumbling. Just try motor oil on some leather some time.

However, conversely, many knifemakers do use leather dyes to dye and stain their different woods, bone and antler used for handle material with very nice results.

KnifeMaker Comment by Carl Rechsteiner on December 13, 2013 at 6:54

If you want black through and through, just dip the leather in vinegaroon. The iron oxides with chemically react with the tannin in the leather and saturate completely through the leather.

Vinegaroon is a by product of using white vinegar to soften and remove scale from forged blades and to patina etch finished blades. If you are not a smith, you can make it up. Just fill a glass container (qt or bigger) with distilled white vinegar and add a pillow of steel wool. Set it in the sun or warm with a spot lamp to speed up the process. When the wool is dissolved the solution is ready for use. Just dip your leather in, shake off excess and set aside to dry. This also works well with most woods as there is tannin in them. Europeans used this a lot to blacken their oak handles on cutlery.

The chem reaction will neutralize the acid in the leather. So once the sheath is completed dried and sealed as normal practice, it will not react with the blade steel.

Steeped blackwalnut hulls with also stain leather but more of a chocolate brown.

KnifeMaker Comment by Carl Rechsteiner on December 13, 2013 at 5:09

As Ivars indicated, it's tricky buying leather. Cheap leather usually results in "cheap" results. I will only buy from Tandy if I am in the store and can pick for myself. Most of their leather is mediocre to poor in quality and not suitable for dressing a $1K knife. I used to buy from Seigel of Cal. because I know Steve and he would always send me the best select, however he has moved and is not handling the bulk veg tanned like he used to. Wickett-Craig has fallen in quality and lost a lot of repeat business from a lot of us leather craftsmen. I now get mine either from Weaver's (wholesale only) or a supplier named Roger in NC who hand picks for me (don't have his contact on hand). I do buy several sides at a time.

Do your self a favor and learn to "read" leather by site and feel. You will only get quality when you use quality. Either that or learn to camo the flaws.

KnifeMaker Comment by Carl Rechsteiner on December 13, 2013 at 4:57

Was looking at your pics of the sheath you made. Looks more like a "contamination" from you fingers issue. Have to keep your hands and work area very clean when working leather. Leather is like a sponge when it comes to dirt, dust and oil. That's why you see a lot of dark brown and black sheaths out there, hides the smudges.

The deglazing process is just a means of chemically scrubbing the surface of the leather so that any oils, slick spots, etc. are broken up or removed so that the dye will take more evenly. You can buy commercial product or just use acetone or alcohol. Light sponge wipe the surface. Some contaminations will not be removed this way such as glue, accelerated/emulsified waxes, some oils, etc. Got to keep it clean.

You might also try lightly dampening the leather's surface with a sponge before applying the dye (with another sponge, the daubers tend to increase the potential for streaking). Bold even swipes in the same direction where possible and try not to overlap too much. Wearing rubber gloves is a good idea to limit contamination potential.

Also be real careful with your glue. I tried the Eco dyes and was not impressed, so I mainly stick to Fiebings or make my own for special effects.

KnifeMaker Comment by Vance Wade Hinds on December 12, 2013 at 23:41

Ivars, I used Tandy's dye.  Eco flo or something like that.  Daniel, I did not deglaze the leather before I died it.  I am not sure what deglazing means.  The wood in the photo is Hackberry.  Thanks for all the replies and nice comments.  I bought mine from Tandy Leather.  I was told to get vegetable tanned double shoulders 8-9 ounce.  

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