Knives serve various purposes besides kitchen use. Your knife can be useful in combat purposes, hunting, or act as a dagger. The knife is most useful when you take good care of it by ensuring it remains in good condition. Leather wrapping the knife is a good start. The leather gives the knife a cool look.
Leather extends longevity and doesn’t soak up water, meaning it won’t need regular replacing. The leather handle looks super cool, but leather wrapping needs preparation to do it perfectly.
Leather is an all time classic, very reliable, and practical. The material needs little maintenance and can last for years. Besides, leather smells and feels amazing. Leather is readily available and you can get it at a good price or make one yourself.
How to Leather Wrap a Knife Handle
Leather is a durable material and gives your knife handle a firm grip. Lacing the knife handle allows you to create awesome patterns or a work of art. Knife handles get loose and may disfigure or detach. The leather keeps the knife handle in fine form and enhances the knife resemblance.
Step 1: Prepare the Leather String
Measure your knife handle before you cut a sizeable portion of leather for the knife handle. You need a leather string five times longer than the knife handle length. A good leather strip width is 9.52mm.
Soak the leather in water to make the string soft and make it easy to work with. Leave the leather strips in water for about half an hour. Don’t worry about the leather getting too soft because once you finish wrapping the knife handle, the leather shrinks tight on the handle as the material dries.
Step 2: Make Loops or Tie a Knot
Ensure the knot is tight to secure the wrapping about the knife handle. The knot is the base of your knife handle. Place your thumb on the leather lacing not knotted at the base edge of your knife handle to keep your leather string in place. Weave the lacing under the last rotation and repeat the process until your knot reaches the bottom side.
Step 3: Trim Excess Leather Lacing
If there is any excess leather lacing left at the tail, trim it. Also, you can make a loop which can be useful later for your wrist, cut the tail should be longer to be more effective. You can use a lighter to carefully burn the edges until they melt.
Alternatively, you can tape the string using electrical tape around your loop. However, ensure the loops are tight to avoid movement as you wrap.
Step 4: Start Leather Wrapping the Knife Handle
Once the knots and strings are tight or the tape holds, you can start wrapping your leather lacing on the knife handle. Make a few tight wraps then move on as your wrap all the way to the knife handle. Ensure your loops are close or touching to get a firm grip, make them perfect, and give the knife that great look you desire.
Step 5: Tie a Knot at the Bottom
Once you reach the bottom of the knife, tie a knot to keep the leather lacing wrap in place. Run the remainder of the lacing under your last loop a couple of times until only a small part is left then cut it off. The knot prevents the leather wrap from coming off and holds the loops tightly in place.
Step 6: Leave the Leather Knife Handle to Dry
The leather is still wet, which makes drying necessary. Leave it for a few hours to dry. When leather dries it shrinks and tightens its grip further making the wrapping strong and perfect. Once the leather knife handle is dry, you are free to use your knife.
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Benefits of Leather Wrapping Your Knife Handle
When buying a knife, always go for the quality. As much as the blade is an important component, the knife handle is equally important and deserves equal attention.
A defective knife handle affects the overall utility and value of the knife. Essentially, a good knife handle makes all the difference. Leather is a great material to wrap your knife handle as it gives you a firm grip and added protection.
- Leather doesn’t soak up moisture or give unpleasant odors
- Durable meaning you don’t need routine replacement
- Makes the knife look stylish and more appealing
- Enhances your knife grip
- Makes the knife handle versatile and convenient for use even in survival situations
However, leather is difficult to customize and some leather materials like cow skin are expensive. Nevertheless, it’s the best material to use for your knife handle.
There are different kinds of leather you can use such as sheepskin, cow skin, full grain hides, etc. The choice depends on preference and accessibility. Game hunters can easily access different leather varieties.
Is it that Important to Leather Wrap Your Knife Handle?
Besides protecting the handle from damage and getting a firm grip, you can bet it’s important! The leather wrapping process offers you enjoyment and an opportunity to do it the way you want.
Some people customize the wrapping although it takes great skill to do it perfectly. You will agree with me that having leather wrapped knife handle gives you a feeling of worth and prestige.
You feel comfortable and happy using the knife whether for hunting or some other purpose. Most game hunters have a collection of animal hides that they can put into good use to style their knives and other cutting tools like swords etc.
Leather lace your knife handle to get a firm grip and protect the handle. Do it well by following the steps above to ensure the wrapping is tight and firm.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes the knife handle misbehaves on our hands or can break or loosen. Leather wrapping your knife handle protects it from damage and is the best solution to this problem. Leather wrapping is the best as it gives you a firm grip on the handle. The leather keeps the knife safe and enhances its overall look.
Wrapping needs patience as it’s not easy. The steps above help you do it well and get the perfect result. The process is simple and you can do it yourself.