Wickett & Craig

Gliden07

Well-Known Member
After reading another thread on this forum about Leather and where to get it, I called Wicket & Craig. Man were they FANTASTIC! The woman I talked to (Cindy)listened to this total novice leather crafter that knows little to nothing about that craft, then offered to send me swatches of leather so I could make a better informed decision. Took my name address etc...now I'm waiting! She was GREAT. Once again the forum pulls thru!!
 
Yep. One of these days i’ll learn. I recently drove to Tandy and sorted through a huge stack of shoulders and found a piece that looked and felt awesome.

Went to use it and the pile on the back was a bit scruffy. No problem, I figured. I’ll sand it down some. Well a few minutes later using a 60 grit belt it looked like it was snowing in the shop. I was halfway through a piece of 9oz leather and the pile was not getting any firmer.

I took the leather back to Tandy. Fortunately they agreed to exchange it.
 
Vombrown, would you be interested in doing some Leather 101?

My biggest problem is that I don’t know enough about leather to know exactly what I’m looking for. I know when it’s too stiff, and now I know when it’s basically fluff- but I’m not exactly sure how to tell the difference anywhere in between.
 
Most sheaths are made from 9-10oz veg tanned "tooling" leather. That isn't to say that you can't use other things and some do but that is what I have always used and made hundreds and hundreds of custom knife sheaths. If you are making simple sheaths and not needing them dyed or tooled you would be much better off with a product called bridle leather. It comes dyed with a heavy oil finish on it already. You cut out your pattern, edge, mark stitches and sew it up. It's nice stuff. Most people want to dye to their liking and tool them. DON'T SKIMP ON THE LEATHER!!! Buying cheap leather results in a crappy product. Knife sheaths are traditionally make from the shoulder or double shoulder cut of the hide. This is a relatively consistent section with bend and give to it. Don't concern yourself with stiff or flexible leather. It will all become floppy when cased (soaked in water) for tooling, molding or shaping. What you want is a tight grain side (the back or unfinished side of the leather) The fuzzier it is, the worse it is. Tooling leather is usually the highest grade in most leathers as it will not have the scars and marks of a regular hide. You need to find what's right for you and how you want to make your sheaths. You can certainly use a thinner grade of leather but it won't be a very rigid sheath unless it's bonded to another piece of leather. I sometimes do this to get a finished inside as well as outside on the sheath. For that I use a 5oz tooling leather. Bond both pieces rough side together, cut out and continue as normal. Just be careful that it is fully cured before bending, casing or shaping as it may wrinkle on the inside of the bend.

Grades of leather is important. Buy the best that you can afford to buy. It makes a difference. I personally only use "A" grade Herman Oak but I buy whole sides. I make lots of other things besides knife sheaths.
 
I have watched a few YouTube videos on sheaths. I have not found one that gives me the info I want. Needle size, one needle vs two. Stitching. I want to see it. Not just watch it with a bad camera angle. With a explanation of what is going on. Stuff,,,, ;-) Anybody know someone good enough to do that?? lol,,,,,,
 
Most sheaths are made from 9-10oz veg tanned "tooling" leather. That isn't to say that you can't use other things and some do but that is what I have always used and made hundreds and hundreds of custom knife sheaths. If you are making simple sheaths and not needing them dyed or tooled you would be much better off with a product called bridle leather. It comes dyed with a heavy oil finish on it already. You cut out your pattern, edge, mark stitches and sew it up. It's nice stuff. Most people want to dye to their liking and tool them. DON'T SKIMP ON THE LEATHER!!! Buying cheap leather results in a crappy product. Knife sheaths are traditionally make from the shoulder or double shoulder cut of the hide. This is a relatively consistent section with bend and give to it. Don't concern yourself with stiff or flexible leather. It will all become floppy when cased (soaked in water) for tooling, molding or shaping. What you want is a tight grain side (the back or unfinished side of the leather) The fuzzier it is, the worse it is. Tooling leather is usually the highest grade in most leathers as it will not have the scars and marks of a regular hide. You need to find what's right for you and how you want to make your sheaths. You can certainly use a thinner grade of leather but it won't be a very rigid sheath unless it's bonded to another piece of leather. I sometimes do this to get a finished inside as well as outside on the sheath. For that I use a 5oz tooling leather. Bond both pieces rough side together, cut out and continue as normal. Just be careful that it is fully cured before bending, casing or shaping as it may wrinkle on the inside of the bend.

Grades of leather is important. Buy the best that you can afford to buy. It makes a difference. I personally only use "A" grade Herman Oak but I buy whole sides. I make lots of other things besides knife sheaths.

Vom, thanks for the info. I dont know anything about this stuff. I bought a book and watch YouTube videos, and take advise from the people on here! I've made 2 so far the second is better than the first
 
Vom, thanks for the info. I dont know anything about this stuff. I bought a book and watch YouTube videos, and take advise from the people on here! I've made 2 so far the second is better than the first

What book? On leather or just sheaths?
 
What book? On leather or just sheaths?
there are several books just on making leather sheaths. Tandy leather has three or four (literally), The ABS has a couple of articles, there are absolutely tons of resources on this.

To answer a question needle size is directly correlated to thread size. For a saddle stitch, use two needles, one on each end of the thread you are using. Pass one through, then one up into the hole and one down. This creates a locked saddle stitch. Pull them evenly and you'll get a nice even stitch.
 
Go to a leather supply site, if you don't have anything local, and you can get 3 or 4 pamphlets on stitching and lacing for around ten to twelve dollars. That will get you started on the basics. As far as stitching goes, learn the saddle stitch. That's the only one you need to know. A stitching pony is also well worth the investment. If by any chance you find someone who still has Chuck Burrows video for sale get it.

Doug
 
So, I just ordered a whole side from Wickett's & Craig also. They had a deal on grade 3 leather, and figured I can work around any imperfections. Thanks for the recommendations as well.
 
So, I just ordered a whole side from Wickett's & Craig also. They had a deal on grade 3 leather, and figured I can work around any imperfections. Thanks for the recommendations as well.

I'm waiting for my Swatches and their info. I'm not gonna buy a ton because I'm just getting going. But I like being able to do both Kydex and Leather!
 
I know there samples of the differant leathers they have, colors, weights etc... As far as how big the samples are I don't know. I'm sure I'll find out soon enough though.
they are only going to be a few inches square chunks, essentially cutoff scrap...
 
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