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Dave Swift Leather Workshop & Wood Craft

When not involved in events Dave Swift spends much of his off screen time working with vegetable tanned leather and other natural materials creating artistic pieces and to reproduce historical originals for TV/film projects as well as providing a high quality reproduction service for museums.

CRAFT DEMONSTRATIONS
At public markets and festivals Dave usually brings along some examples of his work and demonstrates the use of the traditional tools used in leather crafting such as awls, prickers, stamps and blades.

WORKSHOPS
From time to time workshops are conducted for the public where small groups of people can work over a couple of days to produce their own medieval purses, knife sheaths or belts and the like.

Some samples of Dave's past projects are shown below:  
16th century fringed claymore sword scabbard in contemporary Gaelic style. The scabbard is lined in sheepskin to maintain the blade
Chainmail standards: basic neck protection for the professional medieval soldier
Chainmail standards: basic neck protection for the professional medieval soldier
Chainmail standards: basic neck protection for the professional medieval soldier
Detail of a Viking style poplar wood-core scabbard. As with originals the scabbard is lined with lanolin rich sheepskin to protect the iron blade and the wooden slider under the leather is an exacting copy of one from Fishamble Street Dublin
High Medieval leather bound wood core sword scabbard with integral belt in calf skin shown here with a mail coif c.12th-13th centuries
Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe: the leather is stretched and left to dry before dying in dark brown. The rear is fitted with deer skin with the hair in situ to assist in the absorption of the shock effect of blocked melee weapons
Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe: the targe has been dyed is now ready to be decorated with brass tacks
Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe: the rear of the targe after dying
Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe
Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe
Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe. As per the original it is exactly 19 inches in diameter
Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe
A Viking age knife sheath based on an original from Fishamble Street Dublin
A c.1550-1650 era tooled leather belt with assymetrical tinned copper alloy belt buckle
Isle of Lewis Chessman inspired 12th century shield reconstruction
Isle of Lewis Chessman inspired 12th century shield reconstruction
Gaelic scabbard work in progress
Gaelic scabbard work in progress
Gaelic scabbard work in progress
Detail of the painted pig skin cover of a 10th century Viking Age shield
Leather sheath for a quillon dagger based on an original from the Mary Rose wreck. The dagger is a copy of a north Italian original
Wood core scabbard in pine with wooden 'riser' prior to binding in calf skin. The riser helped prevent the hanger from slipping upwards when the sword was worn at the waist
Sword riser detail: like the dagger this beautiful half hilt sword is also from northern Italy. The pentacle is copied from an original scabbard from the Mary Rose. The leather rain guard on the sword's ricasso is also visible
Side sword and accompanying 'left hand' dagger
Detail: sixteenth century Italian side sword and accompanying 'left hand' dagger
Norse purse based on 9th century remains from the Viking cemetery at Kilmainham in west Dublin
Custom order of a 14th century baselard dagger sheath in rich red calfskin
Custom order of a 14th century baselard dagger sheath in rich red calfskin
Custom order of a 14th century baselard dagger sheath in rich red calfskin
Detail of an Irish Volunteer belt reconstruction c. 1914-1923. The belt is made in 3.5mm thick bovine shoulder leather
Detail of an Irish Volunteer belt reconstruction c. 1914-1923. The belt is made in 3.5mm thick bovine shoulder leather
Irish Volunteer/Óglaigh na hÉireann belts c. 1914-1923. The belts are made in 3.5mm thick bovine shoulder leather
Hilt pieces of a River Corrib sword from Galway being fine tuned and refurbished
A deerskin covered Early Medieval/Viking Age round shield
A deerskin covered Early Medieval/Viking Age round shield
Rear view of two Anglo-Norman shields c. 12th-13th centuries
Danish 10th century sword with scabbard in Dublin style
Shield reconstruction inspired by an original at Ballateare on the Isle of Man
Dublin 10th century knife sheath with incised herringbone and linear decoration
Viking knife sheath
Viking knife sheath detail
Viking utility knives in calf skin sheathes
Viking knife sheathes
Dublin Viking shield with Irish Sea shield boss
Four handled Irish traditional 'mether' hewn from yew wood
Gaelic Irish methers c.14th-16th century
Four handled Irish traditional 'mether' hewn from yew wood produced for the National Museum of Ireland
Four handled Irish traditional 'mether' hewn from yew wood produced for the National Museum of Ireland
Four handled Irish traditional 'mether' hewn from yew wood produced for the National Museum of Ireland
Four handled Irish traditional 'mether' hewn from yew wood produced for the National Museum of Ireland

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All copyrights are reserved Claíomh © 2010-2018 - all graphics and photographs remain the property and intellectual property of the respective owners. The manipulation, retransmission or distribution of any art work, graphics and photographs is strictly forbidden without the original owners permission and credit given in any publication or website for the works used. Registered in Ireland No 240353.