Gun Case completed

iust finished my first big handstitching project. Although I did cheat and use a machine to stitch the big perimeter/zipper seam, but I did everything else by hand. It was time consuming, but good practice. I've been wanted to incorporate the lancet rolled handles into a build for a while, and they worked great for this project. Happy with the finished result of this case.

Question for the hive mind:

I used English Bridle leather from Wicket and craig on this one, but I'm looking at changing it up on the next one I make and using a more traditional english bridle leather. Was looking at perhaps J&E Sedgwick, but somene pointed out to me that the dye isnt sruck through which would be an issue since gun cases can be abused ind I don't want light under tones to come through when scratched... I don't have a lot of familiarity with English Bridle leather ( I don't really think the W&C offering is a true English Bridle since there is no bloom, and i dont feel much of a waxy finish). I would like peoples opinion on the tanneries, and products the group might recommend.

8 comments

8 Comments

Stephen

Nov 13, 2023

That is so plush, I want one that is larger so I can use it as a sleeping bag. :D Really though that is beautiful!

Books

Nov 07, 2023

Although I am 'only a bookbinder' and use my leather for books mainly, I use J and F J BAKER who do traditional oak bark leather at the oldest tannery in Britain. Their leather is amazing, as is their tannery. Just for fun have a look at their site. https://www.jfjbaker.co.uk/ . Lovely work in your photos, wish my leather projects (beside books) were half as good!

Iron Shore Leather

Nov 07, 2023

Replying to

Thank you very much, I'll check them out!

Leathercraft Masterclass

Nov 06, 2023

Absolutely unreal! I love a good gun case. I need to get my firearms certificate so I can make one of these bad boys! I can feel how soft that fleece lining is just by looking at it lol.

What have you got going into it? I assume a rifle with a mounted scope?

I will say, the waxy bloom is only tallow fat applied to the surface at the tannery so that it can be stored without drying out.

It's actually a real pain as neither you, nor the person selecting your hides can tell if there are any imperfections untill the fat is rubbed off. So I'd rather it wasn't there really.

Iron Shore Leather

Nov 07, 2023

Replying to

Thanks much! Not sure exactly what my client is putting in there, but it is for a scoped rifle. I used one of my long guns to size it. They are time consuming, but I enjoy making them. Lots of ideas on how to take my design to the next level thanks to you!

The shearling is very soft, and feels great, but a bit of a pain to source. I only use veg tanned shearling, because I don't want any possibility that chrome salts are left in the hide which could rust a gun if the owner stores it in the case, and I prefer to use the real deal and not synthetic options when possible. Of course most veg tan shearling hides (atleast everything I've found) is primarily used for saddle padding and they don't really care that much about the color. I use natural color which is nice, but I've found various amounts of yellowing in the wool. That makes it a challenge to match the hides (this case had 3 sheepskins that I spliced together). I've been looking for dyed sheepskin, but haven't found any yet that are veg tanned other than orange which is common for saddlery, but im not a fan... if you have any ideas, I'm all ears!

Thanks for the point on the bloom. This was my first experience with bridle leather, and I thought bloom was a hallmark of true EBL so I was confused when the W&C hide I got didn't have it... In that case I'll probably stick with them on future cases as it is a nice piece of leather, but it would still be great to know of some other tanneries that make a high quality EBL I could experiment with.

Edited

Leathercraft Masterclass

Nov 12, 2023

Replying to

Hmm, Id consider hand dying the shearling as wool takes dye well and the dye is easy to source, however you'd have to wash it once or twice to remove any excess dye and I don't know if there would be any rub-off on say, oiled walnut or other unfinished woods. I've never worked with shearling so I'm not too sure.

I recently bought another recurve bow and I want to make a case for the riser and limbs for travel, so I think I may take inspiration from you and go the shearling route. I don't have the time to make a leather hard case for it, so a padded soft case is a great idea.

If Wickett and Craig EBL were more widely available here at reasonable prices, I'd be using it (especially in burgundy!). EBL that's dyed through is becoming harder and harder to obtain.

Iron Shore Leather

Nov 13, 2023

Replying to

Yeah i might have to play with some dye wirk on the wool, rub-off would be a big concern so id have to see how to manage that. The W&C burgundy is a very nice color. I'm working on a pistol case in burgundy. I have to wonder what the UK might have for shearling options as I know you guys have a pretty massive sheep industry. I've seen some beautiful sheepskin rugs that id love to use, but they're alway chrome tanned...