Where and how to choose the right leather?

BryFry

BryFry

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Jul 29, 2009
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Hey guys, going to start making some knife sheaths but I am overwhelmed by the seemingly hundreds of choices when I search for sheath leather.
I figure I need around 5oz to 9oz depending on the size of the knife/sheath, so I think I have that part figured out. My problem is that when I go to a site like Tandy's, and click on "leather" I get dozens (hundreds?) of options, and I do not know how to tell one kind of leather from another. I thought maybe "tooling" leather?? But when I click on that I get tons more options that I know nothing about.....

Can someone please help me figure out exactly what, and where, I should be looking for and purchasing for basic knife sheaths?
 
5-9 oz is a wide range. I use 7-8 for almost all my sheaths regardless of size. Its heavy enough that it will tool well and light enough to still mold well. You are looking for vegtable tan leather. It can also be called strap leather, tooling leather, saddle skirting (usually heavier weights than what you're looking for) and other names. The most economical way of buying leather is by the side but they are spendy and its a lot of leather. Look for double shoulders. The two premium leather tanners out there are Wickett and Craig and Herman Oak and either one is great, I use both. However, you won't find double shoulders from them. Double shoulders are usually imported leather. Get the best you can afford. You won't believe the difference that real good leather will make in your projects, plus its easier to work. There are lots of places to get quality leather. Look at Hide House, Springfield Leather, Weaver Leather, Maverick Leather and others.
 
When I first started asking questions here , the overriding advice from the experts was the quality of the leather will have a direct correlation to the quality of the finished product .
It took me a while to understand the importance of this advice .
The tools and all the other bells and whistles are what grab our attention , but the leather is the core ingredient and must take priority .
Those experts here know what they are talking about , and you are off to a good start by asking about the leather and not the tools .
Please post up pics of your work once you get started .

Ken
 
Thanks, I tried looking up both Wickett/C and Herman Oak, but all I can find is pre-finished upholstery leather?

But to be clear, I already have an idea on what "weight" leather I want, but I have no idea what the difference is between tooled, chapped, cowhide, embossed, garment, latigo, rawhide, saddle, sole, utility, sides, shoulders, milled, double shoulder, single bend, oak side, etc, etc..... ETC!!

I just want some decent sheath leather that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Haha...... I've been looking around some more, and I see that usaknifemaker.com sells some 12" x 12" leather in 6/7 and 8/9 oz, they say "top grade" from Tandy, you guys think that is good for a beginner?
 
Yes you want tooling leather.

http://maverickleathercompany.com/product-category/tooling/tooling-tooling/

This is a link to one place that sells both Herman Oak and Wickett and Craig. Vegtable Tan is how the leather is tanned. Cowhide is the animal skin it is made from. Other animal hides can be veggie tanned too. Chap,garment, latigo and utility are other types of tannages and not suitable for sheaths. Embossing and milled are treatments done after the tannage to give leather special characteristics. Again not suitable for sheaths. Rawhide is untanned animal hide. While rawhide can be used in certain sheath applications it is not what you are looking for either. Saddle and Sole leathers are veggie tan but they are thcker and in case of the sole leather much denser than you are looking for. I do use Wickett and Craig saddle leather in 8-10 oz for certain sheaths, particularly if we're doing any carving. Sides, shoulders, double shoulders, bends, bellies etc are all cuts of leather and how they are sold.

Good leather is expensive there is no getting around that. Leather is sold by the square foot. A precut piece as you mentioned is actually the MOST expensive way of buying leather. However if a guy were ever only gonna build a sheath that would be great. If you want to do more I would recommend spending the extra and getting a premium double shoulder from somebody. This will give you lots of leather (you might make a mistake and have to toss something and start over, I still do once in a while and I've made thousands of sheaths), for many projects. A double shoulder is a pretty uniform piece of leather and you will have very little waste. You will be able to make several sheaths and even a belt or two to carry em around on. Once you get doing this you'll find yourself making lots of things and a double shoulder will give you a nice chunk of leather to get going with. Buying leather by the side is the cheapest way of buying it but not something you probably want to do at this stage of the game.

So some thougts on what those cuts of leather mean. So skin out a dead cow and tan it and lay it on the floor. This is referred to as a hide. You will generally only see upholstery leather sold by the hide, size is generally in the 50-60 sq ft range. Take that hide and slice it down the backbone. Now you have two sides. Size is usually 20 to 25 sq ft. A double shoulder is cutting a piece from both front shoulders before a hide is split, usually about 12 to 15 sq ft. A single shoulder is this piece split along the backbone. A bend is after the shoulders are cut off you have a very premium piece of a side that also has the belly cut off. 10-12 sq ft usually. A belly is the leg parts and belly parts trimmed off a side. Stay away from these. Pretty much leather in a nut shell.
 
Thank you! That helps me out a lot!
25 square feet is huge, haha.... so I may try out a couple smaller cuts before deciding if I want to go all out, but thanks for the info and the link! I will take your advise if I end up needing that much leather for the knives I'm making.
 
So what's the general consensus on Tandy?
I have one that I can walk to and actually put my hands on the piece before purchasing vs ordering online so I'd terms to go there unloads there's a compelling reason not to.
 
BryFry, as Dave mentioned, unless you intend on making only 1 sheath, buy at least a single shoulder. I don't use near the volume of leather as some of the other guys and I buy double shoulders most of the time.

Neko, personal preference but since Dave has turned me on to Hidehouse I doubt I'll ever buy another piece of leather from Tandy. In my limited experience I can't hand pick a piece at Tandy that is the quality I've received from HH in economy grade. Then there's the fact it's like 1/2 the price.

Chris
 
Gah!, that just seems like a heck of a lot of leather! But yeah, I'm sure you guys are right, I should just bight the bullet and do it. I have the knife making bug right now, and I just got my first batch of about 20 knives back from heat treat, with more to come soon.
I really like leather in general, but some of my knives (like a few neck knives) might be better off with kydex, so I'm dreading the cost of being able to do both! But I'm starting out with leather, as I already bought some basic tools and leather years ago, and already made a few sheaths and wraps back in the day.

Thanks for the info guys, I'll take it to heart!
 
A double shoulder will get all 20 sheathed or most for sure anyhoo, depends on size of knife and sheath style of course.
 
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