My most intricate sheath to date
This sheath was a test for myself to really try something different. You do enough knife sheaths and it gets dull and hard to find something new. I decided to make the welt a feature and came up with this design. I'm calling it the 'Carswelt'... haha It's a series of stacked kangaroo leather. Inlay is a saltwater crocodile backstrap, the most difficult of all leathers to inlay neatly.
Let me know if you have any questions. I know some of you have seen this on my instagram. If you haven't, I have a few more pics on there. @carswell_leather
The knife is made by a friend and one of only two master bladesmiths in Australia, Shawn McIntyre. He made the damascus fitting for the front of the sheath.
105 Views
Thanks Philip!
The master bladesmith title is from the American Bladesmith society (ABS) . Applicants need to become a Journeyman Smith first, then complete the Mastersmith application. Basically they forge knives for looks and fit and finish, as well as a knife to be torture tested. If the knife passes the test, they can become a master. Very difficult from what I've heard. Here's some links if you'd like to read more (warning, very detailed): Journeyman test http://www.americanbladesmith.com/uploads/file/Testing/JS_Test_Final_revised_11-04-2019.pdf Basically forge a carbon steel blade that can cut rope, wood, then shave hair, then be bent to 90 degrees in a vise without breaking.
Mastersmith test: This test is the same as previous but requires a hidden tang construction and a minimum 300 layer damascus steel. http://www.americanbladesmith.com/uploads/file/Testing/MS_Test_FINAL_11-04-2019.pdf
I always thought it would be cool if there was an organisation that could provide the same thing for leather workers. Cool to be able to say you are a certified master! It drives up demand for knives from master bladesmiths and drives up the price they can charge per blade.