Leather suppliers?

[scottishwolf]

Hi there, I'm having a bit of trouble finding somewhere to get hold of leather and thread to make my first knife sheath and pouches. Does anyone have any links etc? Also, what type and thickness leather would you reccomend for a sheath and for a soft, drawstring tinder pouch? thanks

 

[singteck]

You can try www.leprevo.co.uk (I am just a customer)

For sheath, use 2.5-3mm. You can try other thickness to suit the project. Vegetable tanned leather is best for this.

For draw string pouches, use 1-1.5mm. You can try thicker leather for bigger bags but I wouldn't recommend anything above 2mm. Chrome tanned leather or other similar soft leather. Some of the chrome tanned leathers are quite water repellent which is good for tinder pouches.

Good luck

singteck

 

[leon-1]

what type and thickness leather

That is a little dependant on the size/weight of the blade, I have used 2 - 2.5mm German half tan for scandi sheaths where the knives are small and light, but have gone upto about 6mm on some of the larger stuff. If it is F1 or H1 sized I would go for about 3.5mm (I currently am using 3.2mm).

Thread, if you are using linen go for a minimum of 18/3 for sheaths, 15/4 is better, but more difficult to get hold of. If you are after Synthetic go for tiger thread IMO it's the best synthetic you can buy. For the sheath use about 5 stitches per inch.

As SingTeck said chrome tanned hide of one form or another would be good for drawstring pouches, it may also be worth looking into getting pigskin @ around 1mm as that should also do the job.

Thread, I would go for 25/3 linen thread and do either 6 or seven stitches per inch (more likely 7). All of that is available at LePrevo apart from tiger thread and 15/4.

If you are buying linen thread and it is not waxed then you may require either beeswax or boot polish (thanks for that one Toddy ). The wax both helps to lubricate the thread for when you are stitching and also waterproofs and protects the thread.

 

[Klenchblaize]

That is a little dependant on the size/weight of the blade, I have used 2 - 2.5mm German half tan for scandi sheaths where the knives are small and light, but have gone upto about 6mm on some of the larger stuff. If it is F1 or H1 sized I would go for about 3.5mm (I currently am using 3.2mm).

Thread, if you are using linen go for a minimum of 18/3 for sheaths, 15/4 is better, but more difficult to get hold of. If you are after Synthetic go for tiger thread IMO it's the best synthetic you can buy. For the sheath use about 5 stitches per inch.

As SingTeck said chrome tanned hide of one form or another would be good for drawstring pouches, it may also be worth looking into getting pigskin @ around 1mm as that should also do the job.

Thread, I would go for 25/3 linen thread and do either 6 or seven stitches per inch (more likely 7). All of that is available at LePrevo apart from tiger thread and 15/4.

If you are buying linen thread and it is not waxed then you may require either beeswax or boot polish (thanks for that one Toddy ). The wax both helps to lubricate the thread for when you are stitching and also waterproofs and protects the thread.

Spot on observation re the quality of Ritza Tiger Thread. However, if you plan to make more than one sheath, and in more than one colour, the linen option might be best as you can dye this any colour you want and then wax it. This is far more diificult if you buy just a white or black pre-waxed thread such as "tiger".

One last tip:

A lot of leather is sold in what I might describe as and undernourished state – read very dry. Best then that after “pricking-up” you work some Connelly Leather Food into the pricking area. This makes for a smoother passage for the awl and lessens the likelihood of splitting out when the awl breaks through.

Cheers

 

[ESpy]

If you're paying top whack for veg tan tooling leather and it comes dried out to that extent, I'd send it back.

 

[scottishwolf]

Thanks guys, I ordered some leather, thread and tools today. I'll let you know how I get on and post some pics when done. cheers