Hi....well today has been a bit different and even though i'm doing a show tomorrow and have a million things to do i'm really glad to have spent 3 hours with a nice young dude called Alex and thoroughly enjoyed myself...hope he did too.
a month or so back i received an email from his dad, Mark, asking for help. Alex had purchased a knife blade and (theyre both Scouts) decided that to get his D of E award he wanted to make a leather sheath for it.
i had absolutely no idea what was being asked of me so we had a chat on the phone and went from there.
basically they needed me to see what he'd done so far, offer instruction and away he goes to make another, which i'll appraise at a later date and will hopefully be so good that he'll get his D of E pass. if he turns out better than me i'll also take him on as my apprentice and pay him minimum wage so i can sit back and sunbathe.
.....no pressure Alex lol!
as with most beginners the major issue was with his stitching (saddle) and awl work. he had also tried wetforming. i dont believe saddle stitching is as necessary as people make out, particularly for a newbie (getting holes in line front and back is very tricky) and i'm not a fan of wet-formed sheaths at all though he had managed to get a semi-decent grip on the awkward knife and with what seemes to be inferior leather. we discussed alternatives. he had in fact pretty much nailed the dimensions of the sheath and it was also well welted (something i didnt do on my own first sheaths).....clued up concerning safety (thank his upbringing/scouting).
so.....to get him going and to keep him keen before he quits due to not being able to master the higher levels of leatherwork i've recommended he try using a power drill for holes....stitch up-and-down.....use a bench grinder for the edges......make the sheath deeper and a friction-fitter and he'll also be adding in a belt loop.....i'm quite excited to see how he does....will update the post at later date....
and i hope he keeps his work area tidier than i do lol....
regards
s
ps.....dont forget to join bcuk Alex!
a month or so back i received an email from his dad, Mark, asking for help. Alex had purchased a knife blade and (theyre both Scouts) decided that to get his D of E award he wanted to make a leather sheath for it.
i had absolutely no idea what was being asked of me so we had a chat on the phone and went from there.
basically they needed me to see what he'd done so far, offer instruction and away he goes to make another, which i'll appraise at a later date and will hopefully be so good that he'll get his D of E pass. if he turns out better than me i'll also take him on as my apprentice and pay him minimum wage so i can sit back and sunbathe.
.....no pressure Alex lol!as with most beginners the major issue was with his stitching (saddle) and awl work. he had also tried wetforming. i dont believe saddle stitching is as necessary as people make out, particularly for a newbie (getting holes in line front and back is very tricky) and i'm not a fan of wet-formed sheaths at all though he had managed to get a semi-decent grip on the awkward knife and with what seemes to be inferior leather. we discussed alternatives. he had in fact pretty much nailed the dimensions of the sheath and it was also well welted (something i didnt do on my own first sheaths).....clued up concerning safety (thank his upbringing/scouting).
so.....to get him going and to keep him keen before he quits due to not being able to master the higher levels of leatherwork i've recommended he try using a power drill for holes....stitch up-and-down.....use a bench grinder for the edges......make the sheath deeper and a friction-fitter and he'll also be adding in a belt loop.....i'm quite excited to see how he does....will update the post at later date....
and i hope he keeps his work area tidier than i do lol....
regards
s
ps.....dont forget to join bcuk Alex!
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