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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.

7 comments

7 Comments

Leathercraft Masterclass

Mar 25, 2020

@Martin CarswelI Wonderful work Martin, very original!

I really like how the welt design pairs with the stag handle.

On a side note, do you know what makes someone a master bladesmith? I've often wondered that.

Hemanth

Mar 26, 2020

Replying to

What is a welt design ?

Martin CarswelI

Mar 27, 2020

Replying to

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.