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The Sheath/Holster Makers Forum This is the place to discuss all forms of sheath and holster making.

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  #1  
Old 07-16-2003, 08:29 PM
SkaerE SkaerE is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2002
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boning techniques...

and not the ones from the bedroom

anyhow, in responce to Wild Rose who posted this in a thread i started:

Molding/modeling/boning leather is a subject that needs it's own thread. I'll work up a tutorial in my spare time one of these days. Meanwhile ask a way and we'll see what we can come up with.

whats the best way to get a good sharp mold that will stay that way?

is there a limit to the thickness of the leather (im sure there is, but can you use say, 8-9 oz or 10-11oz?

thanks, you all are very helpful and needed in my learning experience.
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Old 07-17-2003, 07:21 PM
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Chuck Burrows Chuck Burrows is offline
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Been rearranging the house all day and my back is screaming but I'll see if I can give you the basics.

To do any molding/modeling of leather (vegtan only) you first case it. Casing leather is the process of dampening the leather to the proper consistency.
1) What is the proper consistency?The proper consistency is when the leather is damp completely through yet not sopping wet. It is at the proper consistency when the surface looks almost the same color as a piece of the same leather which is bone dry. Placed against your cheek it will feel cool and will be pliable but not floppy.
2) How do you get it? The method I use is one that has been used for years. Dip the leather into a pan of hot water, but not over 120F (I use it straight from the tap and get it to where I can barely hold my hand in it with out screaming in pain ) . The heat of the water will cause a chemical change in the leather that helps maintain the sharp molding. Just dip it in, DON'T get it sopping wet! Make sure all parts are damp (if not spot wet with a damp sponge) and then place in a plastic bag for at least two hours. Exactly how long depends on the leather - each piece is different and thicker leather will of course take longer. BTW I use 8/9 oz almost exclusively for blades from 6"- 10". Shorter blades I use thinner leather (5/6 or 6/7)and anything much larger I go up a weight to 9/10. In my experience there is really no upper limit - I've used 15/16 oz to make heavily molded leather armor pieces such as knee and elbow pieces.

Once your leather is at the right consistency put your knife into it (I protect the knives by rubbing on a good coat of wax -Ren Wax or Carnauba - and then put on a light coat of olive oil over that. The oil helps to get the knife into the damp sheath.) BE CAREFUL! If the leather is too limp and the blade tries to stab out the side let it dry to the proper consistency before going farther.
The next step. Assuming you have done everything right up to now you get start the actual molding/modeling.
I use several different tools: A bone folder, antler tips of various sizes and shapes, pieces of dowel, and the commercial modeling tools available from any of the leather craft supply outlets. Slowly and carefully press dwn with your tools to mold the damp leather to match the shape of your knife. You'll know that your leather is at the right consistency when it molds and the lines come out clean and sharp and don't look mushy. If water squuezes out of the leather it is way to wet. Leave out of the plastic abg and let air dyr for a while. And yes you can rewet if the leather gets too dry but spot wet with a damp sponge only.
It takes a bit of muscle, but go slow and do a little at a time. Don't concentrate on just one spot. One trick on folded style pouch sheaths is to make up a set of smooth leather jaws to fit in your vise so you can clamp the leather tight against the blade. Do it with the blade in and then remove the knife and CAREFULLY line it back up and clamp it in the vise and clamp just a little bit more - squishing it a little tighter than the thickness of the blade. Remove from the vice and immediately place your knife back in to get a real "custom" snug fit. The fit will be quite tight and if you then do some more modeling you can "mold" the leather to the exact shape of the blade if desired.
Once your modeling is finished dry the sheath at somewhere between 120 and 180 degrees F. This will "harden" the leather which helps your modeling keep it's definition. Again at waht heat and how long to dry will depend on the thickness of the leather. Experiment with scrap from the same hide by casing it and then drying it.
I STRONGLY suggest using no more than 140F and 120F is even better at first. Just sticking it in a window with strong sunlight will work. For years I used a 2' x 2' x2' wooden box with two 100W light fixtures in the bottom and a hole in the top which I could open or close in order to control the temp. Get a good oven thermometer to watch your heat - don't just guess. I have also used a food dehydrator and a hair dryer, but be careful using a hair dryer (and never use a paint stripper - too hot) since you can't control the heat.

Once everything is completely dry - dye and finish. I do not recommend using a heavy oil finish because the oil can/will soften the leather too much and ruin all your hard work.

A word of caution - damp leather is easily dinged so be very careful when working with it. If you do get a ding take a wide modeler (such as the back of a spoon and carefully rub until smooth). Modeling is lots of fun, but it takes time, patience, and LOTS of practice. Good tight modeling is not something that you will learn over night (there are exceptions of course and who knows you just might be one of them). I wasn't. It took me years to get to the point that I was satisfied with my work and I can still point out every little glitch.

BTW I am told the big commercial holster outfits use a vacuum chamber set up to mold their holsters. I've never seen it done though so I can't say exactly how.

Well once again it seems I have fulfilled my motto of never use one word when 10 will do

Remember this is my way to do modeling based on traditional methods, if anybody has any other advice please chime in.


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Hand Crafted Leather & Frontier Knives
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Wild Rose Trading Co - Handcrafted Knife Sheaths



The beautiful sheaths created for storing the knife elevate the knife one step higher. It celebrates the knife it houses.

Last edited by Chuck Burrows; 07-17-2003 at 07:51 PM.
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Old 07-17-2003, 07:59 PM
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Chuck Burrows Chuck Burrows is offline
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Here is some added info on "hardening" leather.

http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc...eather/hl.html
Read the above link completely. The traditional procedure is called cuir bouilli (literally Leather Boiled).

Anyway after 30+ years of experimenting - the method I use to harden leather is to 1) case my leather - dip it in HOT tap water and then place it in a plastic bag for a couple of hours. DO NOT over saturate. I have seen way too many "Elephant Scrotum" pieces made when the piece is soaked too much and then heat applied. The shrink factor alos depends on the thickness of the leather - thinner will shrink faster and more. (a note here if you plan on doing any tooling take that into consideration - over re-wetting leather after it is tooled will cause the tooling to get all mushy looking. You can work around it but those techniques are for another time.)The leather should be damp all the way through but not sopping wet - when right the "face" will look almost dry but feel damp to the touch (best is to touch it against your cheek -after a while you get a feel for when it is right).
2) When it is at the right consistency I dry at a temperature between 120-180. The temp will vary depending on how hard you want the item (too hard and it will crack and break)and how thick your leather is (see above note).

The process by the way is not a "lost" technique. Most major holster makers use it for instance. During WWII bayonet sheaths were made by pulling the sewn leather tubes over a metal form that was then heated with an electric current. Leather covered trunk makers used/use a steam/clamp set up wherein they place a piece of leather over a form and then a dye presses down and gives it a shot of steam.

Steam is one thing I still plan on experimenting with. It might just be the best way.

A WORD OF CAUTION: One thing to remember that when heating leather is it can cause it to swell and if it swells too much your nice new shiny knife may not fit in your new "swollen" sheath. To prevent this you can either make a quickly wooden or aluminum model. Youc an of course use your knife but protect it well with oil/wax.

FINAL NOTE: ONLY veg tan hides will harden with this method. And every piece of hide is different - I've had stuff that hardened with very little effort at all and other that had to be done over and over to get it right - Most likely this is due to the various tanning chemicals and how much oil the tannery used to stuff it. (A few years ago Herman Oak reportedly got their tanning liquid too "hot" and the subsequent leather was like iron - you could hardly cut it with a knife.) So experiment with scrap. Also leather dye alone can stiffen leather - it dries it out so be careful.


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Chuck Burrows
Hand Crafted Leather & Frontier Knives
dba Wild Rose Trading Co
Durango, CO
chuck@wrtcleather.com
www.wrtcleather.com


Wild Rose Trading Co - Handcrafted Knife Sheaths



The beautiful sheaths created for storing the knife elevate the knife one step higher. It celebrates the knife it houses.
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