Carswell Leathergoods | Brand
Carswell Leathergoods
Phone: +61 409 942 195
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24.01.2022 I’ve seriously made nearly half an hours worth of video trying to get everything I wanted to talk about with this sheath. I’m sure it’s too boring for most of you so I boiled it down to five things I like about the sheath in under one minute. Enjoy. . . . .... #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods # See more
23.01.2022 Here is a matching pair of sheaths for a pair of knives made by husband and wife, David and Andrea Lisch. Andrea made the smaller feather Damascus blade and David made the large mosaic blade. They cut down a long piece of buckeye burl to make the matching handles. There’s so many beautiful curves to these handles and bolsters, I thought I’d do an inlay design with some nice curves to them too. I used some lizard and ostrich skin for the inlays with some colour inspiration dra...wn from the buckeye burl. I added matching clasps to keep them snug because the wedge shaped transition from blade to bolster can sometimes push the blade out of the sheath. You’ve seen me do David’s knives before, but this is the first Andrea Lisch knife I’ve handled, and I’m seriously impressed. Top notch work by both makers. Check them out @davidlisch and @andrealisch . . . . #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods See more
23.01.2022 Because photos can only show so much, here’s a little video of the knife pouch and wallet combo I posted yesterday. Sound on for a little explanation.
22.01.2022 The next mosaic welt (Carswelt) sheath is under way. It’s been a long time since the last one. This one should be pretty wild. Got a few different ideas for this one. Hopefully it does justice to this beautiful stag handled Bowie made by the legend Shawn McIntyre. @mcintyreknives Shawn has made a nice Damascus plate and stud for this sheath too. . . .... . #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods # See more
22.01.2022 Here are the finished pictures of the five pocket knife pouch I did the build-along posts last week for. I also made a matching card wallet from the same leather to go to my client who lives on the other side of the globe in Paris. . The pouch features a double stingray inlay on the front flap and five reinforced pockets designed to hold a collection of pocket knives. The pockets are duly lined with the same goatskin as the exterior. The other little detail is the turned edg...es of the goat leather that surrounds the inlay. It prevents the need for edge paint, and looks a lot neater. . The stingray wallet was stitched straight through the stingray leather using the method specified by Philip Jury @leathercraftmasterclass . Subscribe to his videos to find out more. They’re really great. It worked really well but destroyed my poor pricking iron. I’ll have to order another and keep the chipped one for stingray leather only. . . . . . @chanut.tipp @alran_sas @wutaleather #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods #stingray See more
22.01.2022 The little finishing touch. My Kingsley hot foil stamping machine is at least 80 years old but it’s still going strong. Made in Hollywood California before World War Two from the research I’ve done on my particular model. I’d like to get a more modern machine one day, but they’re quite expensive and I don’t place a high value on a custom makers stamp. I place more value on the craftsmanship of the piece I made. The stamp just lets people know who made it.
18.01.2022 A bit of sped up saddle stitching on this very bold and colourful goatskin wallet.
17.01.2022 For this sheath I wanted to match the facets of Don Nguyen’s beautiful knife handle. He’s renowned for his facet work. @donnguyenknives . It’s hard to see, but the sheath tapers from 18mm thick at the heel, to to 14mm at the tip. This long skive was actually one of the harder aspects of the build. I used pva glue and clamped it up overnight. It makes for a very stiff sheath, with the best burnishing capabilities, but adds extra time. It was so stiff and thick that I decided... stitching was unnecessary for a sheath that would not be carried on a belt. It’s just a protective cover. This leaves an extremely clean look which I like. I did all the facet bevelling on my belt sander, then polished them up by hand with a sanding block and elbow grease. The face of the sheath is textured to look a little like the micarta handle. I used a chux cloth and sprayed the airbrush through it. It gave some nice little dots. I repeated with multiple colours. Hope you guys like it. It’s pretty different. If you missed it, there’s a video of the edges in my previous post. The photos don’t do justice to the edges. . . . . . #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods
17.01.2022 So here is the most complicated sheath I’ve ever made. It took a huge amount of time, but I am extremely happy with the result. It features a crocodile backstrap inlay, a nickel Damascus plate and stud made by mastersmith Shawn McIntyre to match the stunning stag handles Bowie knife which he also made. @mcintyreknives The edges however, is where all the time went on this sheath. If you notice from the front, the spine of the sheath looks like a saw tooth pattern, but as you ...turn it, it becomes ovals. This is all stacked Kangaroo leather glued into shape and stacked together. It was then beveled to a point. Both of these methods I’ve never seen anyone do before. Probably because it’s so time consuming. The bottom edge is also faceted and uses alternating layers of the face leather. It’s fully lined with tan kangaroo leather that binds the opening of the sheath. The curved edges of the inlay were planned to match the curved sawtooth pattern of the mosaic welt as seen from the side. This design of sheath is meant for sliding the sheath between your belt and your pants, and the stud catches on your belt. There is an added retention loop to keep the knife in the sheath because it is not a really right friction fit. The tools in the background were actually used to make it, not just selected because they look cool! But they do look cool. Let me know what you think! . . . . . #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods # #sheath #leathersheath #saya #cutlery #blade #stag #tools #vintage #vintagetools See more
16.01.2022 A happy client with the watch strap I made recently with genuine gold thread. Repost from @jp_melbs . New strap alert! I’ve always wanted a dark blue croc for the 1815, and Martin @carswell_leather really outdid himself with this one. Australian saltwater croc with rose gold stitching (real gold vintage Japanese thread!) Really takes this watch to the next level. Thanks, Martin! _________________________________________... #lange #alangesohne #lange1815 #lange1815updown #1815updown #dresswatch #watchfam #luxurywatch #highhorology #watchaddict #redbarcrew #swisswatch #horology #montres #watchgame #watches #hautehorology #head2headcopycat #watchuseek #watchphotography #patekphilippe #watchlover #orologi #watchmania #fratellowatches #watchcollectinglifestlye #melbournewatchcommunity
15.01.2022 Sheath stitching. Clamped the English clam from @williamson.fine.furniture to the bench frame for a really good sturdy stitching position. . . . .... #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods # See more
14.01.2022 This stunning knife by @angerknives Nick Anger features a really cool section of skate deck in the handle. I’ve done my best to replicate it from exotic leathers for the inlay. This was quite time consuming, but I really like the way it turned out. The black bound edge has some great potential for my next sheaths. Some of you tuned into my live video yesterday when I stitched it up then burnished it. Hopefully you all got some good tips! . . .... . #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods See more
14.01.2022 Some detail shots of the last sheath. . . To get the tan and black leathers to be flush with each other where they are touching I had to split them. The tan is 3.8mm and black is 2.9mm I split the tan down to within 0.05mm of the black thickness. The best way to do this is on a bell skiver, and that way you can do multiple passes taking off slightly more each time until you hit the right thickness.
13.01.2022 The resurrection of a knife that’s probably more than 100 years old. A quick video too if you swipe to the end. The first pic you can see how chipped and damaged the edge is. Someone has hit the handle with a hammer to cause these chips. I marked a line in from the damage but with the same profile, and ground to the line on the belt sander. ... Keeping it cool by dipping it in water regularly, I ground the bevels in on the belt grinder. Some nice big fat sparks were thrown that then spark again. A sure sign of high carbon steel. This stuff is hard. Took a very long time to grind. I ground it down until a burr was lifted and then took it to the diamond stones and polished the edge, removing the burr. I then put it on the paper wheel with some green compound for the final polish. As you can see it’s come up a treat. Very sharp and feels lovely to use. If I look after it, hopefully it lasts another hundred years. . . . . #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne
12.01.2022 Some of the good and bad features of my pricking irons.
09.01.2022 I finished up the Jason Knight Kukri sheath today. It took the better part of a week, but I think the effort was worth it. Like a traditional kukri sheath, it is made of timber wrapped in leather. I made the sheath so it can be carried in two forms. One form, the traditional method, is just sliding the sheath between your belt and your pants. The raised part of leather near the lip of the sheath will help with retention. I also made a frog that slides over the sheath and has... a belt loop on the rear. The same raised leather helps to hold that in place. The large surface area of the sheath gave me an opportunity to use the whole scale pattern from a saltwater croc backstrap. I used that as an inlay on the frog. This has been one of the most challenging builds I’ve done and it’s pushed my knowledge and skills. The knife itself deserves a mention, as it’s made by one of the best and most well known makers in the world, Jason Knight. The handle is incredibly comfortable and perfect for a chopping motion. The real showpiece of the knife though, is the skill involved in forging almost all of the knifes profile to shape on the anvil. He has left all of the hammer marks for you to see and it’s glorious. The knife is a work of art, and hopefully the sheath complements it. . . @jasonknightknives . . #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods
08.01.2022 Some of you may have seen in my story yesterday that I bought some vintage tools on the weekend. This is testing out the very cool spokeshave made by T. Dixon and Sons. I gave the blade a sharpen up and put it to the test removing the bulk of the leather from some facets in sanding in to the edges. I can’t get this part of the sheath into the grinder easily because of the large stud on the face, so this is a good way to remove bulk before hand sanding to finish. Looking forwa...rd to seeing this sheath finished. I think it’s going to be pretty wild. . . . . . #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods # See more
08.01.2022 I finished up this little sheath for a Shawn McIntyre @mcintyreknives utility knife yesterday. This was a new process for me and a bit of experimentation. I’ve always loved the sheaths made by Andrew at @tsarev_sheath in Russia. His wet moulded handle areas are always flawless. I had a go at it myself, and let me tell you it’s not easy. The result is a nice slot that locks to the handle of the knife. . To match the lines in the handle I taped the leather to a tree in my back...yard and hit it with a hammer to get the bark imprint. Turned out pretty well! . . . . . #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods See more
08.01.2022 Here’s the full group of photos from the knife sheath I finished last week. The stone is native copper that I polished and mounted using copper wire. I chose the copper to match the copper etch on the blade made by Mareko Maumasi and Neil Kamimura. The stone itself was dug out of the ground in Laos by my sister back in 2009. She’s a copper exploration geologist.
06.01.2022 A short video showing the traditional kukri sheath I used as inspiration, and the finished kukri sheath made from timber wrapped in leather.
04.01.2022 Sculpting leather today. . . . .... #leather #leathercraft #handstitched #saddlestitched #leatherwork #leathergoods #custommade #handmade #madeinmelbourne #bespokeleather #madeinaustralia #carswellleather #carswell #carswellleathergoods See more
03.01.2022 Some useful tools that I use in the workshop every day.
02.01.2022 Some photos of me in my old studio in St Kilda. Fab takes great photos and took the professional pics of the McIntyre Chevron sheath too. Repost From @fabrizio.photography Artworks Project: @carswell_leather is an amazing craftsman. Custom made leathergoods. Go check his work out . . . .... . #melbourneartist #melbournephotographer #environmentalphotography #portraitphotography #itsmybirthday #leathercraft #leatherwork #leathergoods #handmade #madeinaustralia #knifesheath #artistportrait #melbourneportrait See more
01.01.2022 A custom ordered cutlery pouch I finished up today. Natural veg tan, no lining. Holds a fork, knife, spoon and chopsticks. The little extra pouch is to hold a plinth to rest the chopsticks on. This should darken with use and patina nicely over time, and should end up a nice dark tan colour. I do lots of little custom jobs like this that don’t often get posted on my Instagram or Facebook.
01.01.2022 This Jason Knight Kukri (kukuri) is getting a traditional style sheath made of timber then wrapped in leather. I’ve never done it before, so it’s exciting. The hardest part of these sheaths is getting your head around how to get the knife in and out. This sheath is using natural kangaroo leather lining all surfaces inside the sheath so the blade doesn’t mark.
