The Stacked Leather Zone

Redmeadow Knives

Redmeadow Knives

John Conner
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Aug 29, 2010
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Picture if you will....

A place where leather stacks itself
like dimes

Where the heat of one's own blood warms a handle

A place where a comfortable grip doesn't have to weigh 4 pounds.

Where you look at a knife and think, "Damn, that's some classic badassery right there"

That place does exist, and it's just below this post in.....

The Stacked Leather Zone
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​
Gimme a break, you guys know I can't just start a normal thread :D

​
Let's talk about what you'd like to see in a stacked leather knife.
 
For whatever reason, maybe the look I always wanted a stacked leather knife and never purchased.
I've seen a mixture with the leather stacked near the tang and the rest of the handle wood and some of those combos look pretty good.
 
Nothing beats a well shaped stacked leather or birch bark handle for warmth and comfort. It taps into old ways and gives a knife “soul” that encourages a deeper bond between man (or woman) and tool. It’s like being introduced to someone who feels like an old friend right from the start.

Indestructible synthetic handles and kydex sheaths certainly have there place, even if it is a colder sterile one. I have some of those. Excellent tools without warmth or soul. I need some stacked leather to balance things out.

I would like to see a general purpose (fish, hunt, camp, whittle) 3” to 4” blade with 1/8” or so steel. I like stacked leather handles that taper in a little bit from top to bottom for good indexing.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with John. :)

Phil
 
I'll be bumping this thread within a week.
I'm working on my first stacked leather handle right now.
It's for a Smatchet that is turning out quite nicely.
Based on some old photos, I'm trying to darken the leather nearly to black.
This is the old photo. I'm not sure what the original material is, but mine will be stacked leather.
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hhmoore said:
It would be because the maker had to good sense to match the guard and buttcap.
Click to expand...
I agree, I like them to match. I'm guessing weight might be the culprit with a lot of them. In the case of your photo, the pommel on the left would weigh a ton if it was brass to match the guard.

Comprehensivist said:
It taps into old ways and gives a knife “soul” that encourages a deeper bond between man (or woman) and tool. It’s like being introduced to someone who feels like an old friend right from the start.
Click to expand...
Well said Phil, I wear stacked leather every day and you really do bond with the comfort of them.

Richard338 said:
I'm trying to darken the leather nearly to black.
Click to expand...
Have you considered Vinegaroon? Its not the easiest process but it will give you solid black without dye that will bleed.
img_20180825_101824-1024x768-jpg.972641
 
Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out. That's the look I'm after.


ETA: love the simplicity of it. I think I'll try it.
 
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Richard338 said:
Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out. That's the look I'm after.


ETA: love the simplicity of it. I think I'll try it.
Click to expand...
Let me know if I can help. The most important thing is the neutralizing step.
 
Redmeadow Knives said:
I agree, I like them to match. I'm guessing weight might be the culprit with a lot of them. In the case of your photo, the pommel on the left would weigh a ton if it was brass to match the guard.


Well said Phil, I wear stacked leather every day and you really do bond with the comfort of them.


Have you considered Vinegaroon? Its not the easiest process but it will give you solid black without dye that will bleed.
img_20180825_101824-1024x768-jpg.972641
Click to expand...
Love my stacked leather Redmeadow's, they are some the best performing knives I own.
 
You know me -simple elegance - like the utterly perfect knife featured in your bottom photo :D
I still really love that knife!!!! Not a big fan of candy cane handles and/or shiny brass.

I like nickel, bronze or iron, but little else, other than the leather - which you do so well. :thumbsup:

A small bowie would push me over the top of the dibs pile.
 
Thanks. I've got a batch going since this morning (a pad of 0000 steel wool in a jar with a small hole in the lid under vinegar).
My leather pieces were test fitted over the tang and are now on a loop of string.
I'll wait a day or two and then submerge the whole thing and then neutralize in baking soda/water.
 
Richard338 said:
Thanks. I've got a batch going since this morning (a pad of 0000 steel wool in a jar with a small hole in the lid under vinegar).
My leather pieces were test fitted over the tang and are now on a loop of string.
I'll wait a day or two and then submerge the whole thing and then neutralize in baking soda/water.
Click to expand...
One thing I found was that heat sped up the process. Hitting it with a heat gun every once in a while will do it in a few hours as opposed to weeks like some info claimed. It also didn't matter if the steel wool was clean or filthy. A LOT of the info I found online made it sound like an extremely long and difficult process, it's really not in my experience. It will stink though so it might be a good idea to keep it out of the house in the warmest spot you have. You also dont have to filter it, the solution get's so milky you really can't anyways. The first time I made it I spent forever trying to filter it out with coffee filters, an absolute waste of time. The thing to do is put it in a glass jar (not metal, it will corrode it quickly) and let the muck settle to the bottom, the majority of it will become perfecrly clear. Just my two cents but I went through a lot of strife trying to perfect it and I can hopefully save you some trouble.
 
Thanks for confirming roughly what I gathered from reading a bunch of posts.
It's in a glass jar now. I'm just going to dunk the leather pieces directly without filtering or anything, keeping them on the loop of string.
 
I'd like to do some more stacked leather this year, just seeing what everyone is interested in.

I'm thinking something similar to the Serrano above with a peened tang, a blade that some would call a "long clip", 4 to 5 inches long. A nice spacer layout, maybe a barrel of some sort. Just brainstorming.
 
Redmeadow Knives said:
One thing I found was that heat sped up the process. Hitting it with a heat gun every once in a while will do it in a few hours as opposed to weeks like some info claimed. It also didn't matter if the steel wool was clean or filthy. A LOT of the info I found online made it sound like an extremely long and difficult process, it's really not in my experience. It will stink though so it might be a good idea to keep it out of the house in the warmest spot you have. You also dont have to filter it, the solution get's so milky you really can't anyways. The first time I made it I spent forever trying to filter it out with coffee filters, an absolute waste of time. The thing to do is put it in a glass jar (not metal, it will corrode it quickly) and let the muck settle to the bottom, the majority of it will become perfecrly clear. Just my two cents but I went through a lot of strife trying to perfect it and I can hopefully save you some trouble.
Click to expand...

Well, it worked extremely well. Thanks for the tips.
Couldn't be blacker and took all of 30 seconds.
No smells or mess to speak of.
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