Over the past several weeks, I've had a number of inquiries and questions regarding this subject. Now rather than answer everyone individually, I thought I would put together a brief tutorial on how to do a basic leather wrapped grip.
DISCLAIMER: I do not claim to be an expert on this subject or in the use of leather. This is strictly for informational purposes. The following is what I've learned through my own research and application. Please understand that I'm only trying to impart what I've learned both from source material I've read and through my own trial and error.Now I personally love the look and feel of leather on a hilt. Leather can add character to your project as well as very comfortable grip.
INTRODUCTION:This tutorial will be for the typically seen 'tennis grip' wrap. What I mean by 'tennis grip' wrap
(I'm sure there is a more accurate name for it, but I don't know it) is a wrap that spirals around the hilt. This can either be
from the top down otherwise known as an undergrip, or,
from the bottom up otherwise known as an overgrip. Of course, there are many other techniques for wrapping leather which can be used to achieve the desired final look, but the process below is simply what I use as my personal preference for my particular projects.
LEATHERCRAFT TERMS:Before getting started it's important to understand what it is your spending your money on. The following is information that can be quite helpful before purchasing a potentially expensive leather hide.
Thickness or Weight - Leather is usually measured in terms of ounces. One ounce equals 1/64th of an inch thickness
(approximatley 0.016"). Thus, a weight of 7 to 8 oz. means the leather is 7/64th to 8/64th of an inch thick. In an effort to make leather a uniform thickness, wet hides are run through a splitting machine. However, each animal is different and there is always a slight thickness variations throughout the hide. This is why leathers are usually shown with a range of thickness, such as, 2 to 3 oz., 4 to 5 oz., 6 to 7 oz., etc.
Leather Thickness Conversion ChartGrain - The epidermis or outer layer of animal skins.
Full Grain - Leather that is just as it was when taken off the animal. Only the hair has been removed and the grain or epidermis is left on. Note: Only full grain, vegetable tanned leather will absorb water and tool correctly. All leather carving and tooling must be done on full grain leather.
Top Grain - Top grain leather has often been sanded to remove scars and then sprayed or pasted to "cover up" the work. Top grain is not the same as "Full Grain" leather.
Split - This refers to the undersection of a piece of leather that has been split into two or more thicknesses. Splits are usually embossed with a design and finished or sueded.
PREPARATION:Now chances are very slim that you'll find premade strips of leather much less than 7-8 oz. Most strips cut by leather manufacturers are cut to this thickness for the making of belts. This means you'll have to cut your own strip.
1.) First, select the hide you would like to use. Pay close attention to the grain, thickness, and color. It's also important to note whether the hide has a pull-up. This means the hide will change to a lighter colored when stretched or creased. If you're not trying to get a worn or distressed look avoid this type.
For use on sabers I look for 1 to 2 oz preferably. 2.) Ensure that you have a large enough work space to freely lay out your hide and the necessary tools you'll need to cut your strip.
LET'S GET STARTED:1.) Now that you've find the leather hide you want to work with lay it out on your workspace like so:
2.) Gather the tools you'll need to cut your strip. I recommend using a 48" long straight edge, a few spring clamps, and the most important tool for this, a rotary knife for cutting leather.
Most fabric/hobby stores like JoAnn's, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc carry rotary knives. The typically run about $15. They basically look like a pizza cutter but due to the guard over the blade allow you to put more downward pressure on your cut. See below:
3.) Using the spring clamps, clamp your leather down to your work space placing your straight edge on top. You'll want to make your first cut at this point as this will give you your first edge.
4.) With steady pressure and speed, run the rotary knife tight against the straight edge the entire length of your leather hide taking care not to stop until you've cleanly cut from one end to the other.
5.) Remove your clamps and straight edge, mark the width of the strip you would like to cut, 3/4", 1", 1 1/8", etc. and repeat steps 1-4. You should end up with a perfectly even strip of leather at whatever width you decided on.
6.) Next, take your new leather strip and do a dry run around your hilt. This will allow to see just how soft and pliable your leather is and get a feel for how tight you'll need to pull it. It will also allow to come up with a rough idea on how much overlap you may want.
7.) Once you feel satisfied with what you see line your leather strip up like the following pic and make a small mark where the edge of your strip meets.
8.) Join these two marks like so:
9.) Again, using a straight edge, cut along this line.
10.) The reasonf for the previous angled cut is so that we can create a square edge to wrap the hilt that can be adhered evenly and flush like so:
11.) Wrap your hilt to the bottom most point. Pay close attention to where your leather meets this point.
12.) Again find the point where your leather strip meets mark it, and cut it.
13.) The final result should be an evenly cut piece of leather that again creates a nice edge wrapping squarely around your hilt.
14.) Lastly, clean and polish or weather your leather to your liking......and ENJOY!!!
As far as adhesion goes, there are again many different techniques, but I've found I prefer to use a good leather glue to adhere my wraps. I feel this is least likely to come undown with repeated use.
So there you have it. If you've ever considered giving this a try yourself I hope this will give you a little more confidence to give it a try. Hopefully I covered everything but if there are any questions please feel free to ask. Thanks for reading.