Quiver Buildalong For a Fellow TradGanger - FINISHED

[4est trekker]

This is a crude buildalong of a quiver I'm making for a fellow TradGanger in Florida.  It's a side quiver that I designed about a year and a half ago.  Here's the main body cut out and tacked together with contact cement.  I double the leather in places both to add rigidity and to act as a facing.

Front:
   

Back:
   


Here's the front after being dyed with a homemade dye and then antiqued by back-wiping with denatured alcohol:
   


This piece has some really nice character marks, including some scars and especially these brandings:
   


I'll stitch her up using a two needle saddle stitch and chisel punch, then treat and slick the edges.
   


More next time. Thanks for looking.      

[magnus]

This is cool. Can't wait to see the finished product. Thanks for sharing.

Magnus

[americanhunter7]

Okay 4est, you have my total attention as I have been dying to try and make one of these quivers...I already have 100 questions to ask, but I'll wait.......Very impatiently for the rest of the step by step,(great pics by the way), how to on this one. Can't wait for more.

John

[4est trekker]

Gotten a bit further, but still nothing special yet.  After dyeing and antiquing, I spray all surfaces with leather lacquer to seal in the dye to prevent rub-off and to help with the antiquing effect.  (You can get Saddle Lac or Acrylic Sheen from suppliers like Tandy Leather.)  I also installed a no-stitch leather sheath to fit the customer's LaClair Lil' Shaver knife.  I did this before stitching the panel behind it on.  Finally, I got nearly all of the parts sewn that I could before forming and sewing it into its eventual tube shape.  

 

 


I used my great grandpa's leather punch he used to make and repair harnesses with to punch the guide holes for the slots I'll cut to receive the strap, both at the top and the bottom.

 

 


I prepunched both the body and the small piece of leather that will be used to the top of the quiver.  I also used gel super glue to attach a piece of sheepskin to help keep the arrows quiet and more protected when drawing them from the quiver.

 

 

[4est trekker]

In order to make the strap long enough I had to splice two lengths together.  To avoid an uncomfortable seam where the two pieces join together I used a scarf joint.  Here's a simple jig I use to simultaneously bevel both pieces so they mate together well.  I simply stick them down to a piece of scrap wood using double sided tape, one flesh side up and one grain side up, and then use the belt sander to taper them.

 

 


I then use gel superglue to bond the two pieces together as such (show here after dyeing and finishing).  Here's a shot of flesh side, which will ride against the body when the quiver is worn.

 

 

You can see that there is very little bulge.  However, I must still run a line of stitching over the joint to ensure it never comes undone.  I use a no-knot beginning and ending stitch and then pound the back stitching flat.  It doesn't look particularly pretty, but it'll keep the strap from being uncomfortable where the joint contacts the body.

 

[americanhunter7]

WOW! What a dandy...It just keeps getting better. 4est you are an artist...Keep it comin'.

[bctgrad]

This is great!  Can't wait to see more.  I love back quivers.

Brian

[Gil Verwey]

I can't wait either to see how this turns out. Great job. Looks like a lot of work goes into it.

[Eugene Slagle]

Man I wish I had the time & know how to make stuff like that..  :(

Beautiful work there bud, thanx for sharing.

[straitera]

Beaut. Thanks

[doug g]

I am looking forward to seeing the finished product looks great so far.

[Gil Verwey]

I have to move this one back up. I want to see the finish. Looks great so far.

[southernshooter]

Curt, you are the consumate leather craftsman! I know someone will be excited to recieve the finished quiver. Oh wait, that would be me! Thanks again for posting the pictures of the buildalong. I'm really looking forward to receiving the quiver. In the meantime, keep the pictures coming my friend.

[J. Holden]

Oh great, first i had to build your red oak board bow.  Now I'm gonna have to learn how to work leather.  Beautiful work Curt.  Truely nice craftmenship!

-Jeremy  

[4est trekker]

Glad you like it, Richard!  I just have to apply the finish wax coat to help reduce rub-off should the leather get damp and she'll be done!  I truly hope it serves you well.  Shoot, it looks better than the old one I carry around!  Will post more pics tonight or tomorrow morning. Again, glad you're liking it.  Thanks also to all the others for your kind comments.    

[Gerardo]

This is beautiful and very instructing I am in the process of building my first back quiver, thanks for your instructions , I am getting great ideas
   

[4est trekker]

Alright.  After dyeing/antiquing, buffing the snot out of it, and sealing/finishing with the saddle lacquer, I applied a liberal coat of natural beeswax to the main body (SnoSeal brand product). This I applied cold, heated very slightly with a heat gun, then buffed liberally.  Water beads right up and rolls off of it.  

I treated the straps with a little less finesse.  I applied raw beeswax to both the flesh side (which can be difficult to seal after being dyed) and the hair side.  Then I burnished the bajeezers out of it with a baby food jar.  Next, I wipe the tar out of it with a rag with just a touch of water on it to help smooth the wax.  I repeat this process several times until there's a nice sheen and the grain on both sides is sufficiently sealed.  I treat the strap as such because it will come into direct contact with clothing more often.  It's a trick a saddle maker showed me.

Here's a picture of my boy contributing a little elbow grease to the dye buffing process:

 


I also added a waxed, but un-dyed piece of leather to the strap to 1)help distribute the pressure of the strap over a wider area on the shoulder, 2) to ensure there is no rub-off on the shoulder as the quiver slides around.

 


The strap is adjustable via a brass buckle.  The buckle is attached without stitching by doubling the strap back through itself.  Also, the tag end of the upper strap is kept in place by feeding it through two holes in the lower strap:

 


I also added a small strip of wood to the inside of the quiver just below the top cuff in order to prevent this area from bending and folding on the arrows, which is it prone to doing as the leather breaks in:

 

[4est trekker]

Here's some finished pictures.  The bottom is a wooden disk secured with brass brads and then covered with a leather disk of the same size.  I added a scrap of removable sheepskin in the bottom to keep the arrows quiet and cushioned.  This can be pulled out for cleaning and drying should it become wet.  The two side flaps that are tied down can be tie together to convert the quiver into a traditional back quiver, although replacing the arrows is a bit tricky when used as such.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Thanks for looking!

[Mudd]

Very nice job!! You ended up witha great looking quiver and anyone wanting to build one has been taught how to very well.

Thank you!

God bless,Mudd

[JEFF B]

real work of art way cool. thanks for showing us how ya do it.