Alright! i give up. tell me the secrets

TMHunt

TMHunt

Knifemaker/Moderator
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Jan 15, 2012
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Hi guys and gals! New to the forum think its great. Been making knives for 15 years but just started making my own sheaths. A art in itself! I need a few tips from you guys because my sheath making isn't up to snuff with knives. As most of you can probably relate its Very frustrating! I know I need to be patience but with the downturn in economy part of my wellbeing depends on knifemaking and I don't want my customers getting product that I don't feel is up to par. So I have 2 questions as of now. 1. How do you properly buff a sheath? And 2. Why do all the browns from med to dark come out lookin like black? I have made a dozen or so sheaths and half of them look great and the other half look like crap. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong. Thanks! Lol! There will be plenty of question to follow this but I figured this would do for now! I guess I just don't get it!
 
You don't like that distressed look in your sheaths that I think is so cool??
Maybe you had better buy drum dyed leather from the tannery to avoid that, else, you will always be fighting it. It can be frustrating, I know.
The inconsistencies in your dyeing have to do with leather thickness differences, how you apply the dye, the wetness of the leather, and the mood you're in....well, maybe that's a stretch.
How you buff depends on the finish you are using....at your stage, I would recommend Tan Kote, let dry then buff with a cotton t-shirt.
Try different things, as I'm sure you will hear about here. Good luck,,,,,,,keep working at it.
 
Pictures? Maybe they look like crap to you, but may look great to others. If you're anything like me, you are your own worst critic. Show us a couple you like, and then the ones you hate.
 
TMHunt said:
Hi guys and gals! New to the forum think its great. Been making knives for 15 years but just started making my own sheaths. A art in itself! I need a few tips from you guys because my sheath making isn't up to snuff with knives. As most of you can probably relate its Very frustrating! I know I need to be patience but with the downturn in economy part of my wellbeing depends on knifemaking and I don't want my customers getting product that I don't feel is up to par. So I have 2 questions as of now. 1. How do you properly buff a sheath? And 2. Why do all the browns from med to dark come out lookin like black? I have made a dozen or so sheaths and half of them look great and the other half look like crap. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong. Thanks! Lol! There will be plenty of question to follow this but I figured this would do for now! I guess I just don't get it!
Click to expand...

Hi there and welcome! To better lend a hand with your issues and give constructive critiques, some pictures would be great! But as for right now, here are some suggestions:

-Look into purchasing one of the 2 greatest sheath making DVDs out. One, is from Chuck Burrows and the other is from Paul Long. I have Chuck's DVD and I can tell you that I learned a TON of information from watching it. Often times new makers will crank out a few sheaths, then watch the DVD and you will notice a drastic improvement literally overnight. I cannot comment on Paul's DVD yet (on my list of things to buy :)) but going by the work he consistently puts out, there will be a wealth of information there too.

-For buffing a sheath. Well, this really depends on what finish you are using...and what, if any, final finish you are applying. Currently, for my sheaths, I've been working with a mixture of Neat's Foot Oil/Paraffin Wax/Bees Wax. This finish, once soaked into the leather, only requires a brisk buffing with a cotton towel or, in my case, I like using microfiber. To bring out a tad more luster in the sheaths, I'll use some Kiwi neutral shoe polish and go from there. Now, this is only for my particular finish. Any of the other many finishing products (TanKote, BagKote, Super Sheen, Satin Sheen, Montana Pitch Blend, Sno-Seal, etc) require their own methods of proper buffing.

-Browns showing up too dark. This problem has several parts that lead to the main issue:
---What dye are you using? I highly recommend Fiebing's Pro Oil dyes.

---How are you dying? Dip dying is usually the best, but requires a LOT of dye (read: expensive!). I use some quality wool daubers currently, but would like to switch to some sheepskin as I've read it does a much better job.

---When you dye, is the leather wet or dry? If I remember right, wet leather draws more pigment in and makes for a darker color. Dying a fully dry sheath should yield a lighter shade.

---You can thin the dye (depending on the type) that will also create a lighter shade. Darker colors can be obtained by more application.

---And finally, it goes back to your finish. A nice lighter brown or red/brown sheath will go VERY dark with certain finishes. My wax/NFO mix is one of these. Some folks like to wipe the sheaths down with pure Neats Foot Oil. This will turn a lighter dye job into a very dark one in a matter of seconds.

Ray hit the nail on the head by suggesting pre-dyed leather. I'd love to do that, but I actually like the bit of mystery that surrounds dying the leather. With black...you know you're going to get black. But with the browns...there are SO many variations and each one is a treat.

Good luck in your quest to better your sheaths and never be too hard on yourself. We are our own worst critics, unfortunately.
 
Welcome...I second what Grizzly said about Paul and Chuck's DVDs. Although I have not seen either, I know for sure that I would benefit greatly from them.

I'll throw in my 2 cents about dying leather.
---First thing I find most important is to wash your leather with acetone before dying. This removes the tanning agents from the veg-tanned leather and will give you a more even finish and truer color. Example: I used Eco-flo all in one Lt Mocha Brown on a recent sheath...got in a hurry and fogot to wash with acetone first. When the (all in one finish) dried, it had an awful green tint to it. Used the same dye on the exact same lot of leather but washed it this time and I got the color I was expecting.

---Second thing...always experiment on a piece of scrap from the same leather you are making the sheath. This will give you an idea of what your sheath will look like after you apply the dye.

---Eco-Flo all in one stain and finish...I wanted to elaborate on this product for a bit. I do a lot of tooling on my sheaths and to make the tooling stand out I use this product. It is like a thick gel that you apply to your leather in a very heavy coat making sure you saturate the deep penetration grooves of your tooling. The longer you let it sit on the leather, the darker the color. I wipe it off fairly quick. When you wipe it off, the stain stays heavy in the grooves of the tooling giving it a 3D look. If you missed any spots, just apply more and wipe off. Tandy has a video of how to apply. Regular dyes will not give you this effect and your tooling will blend in with rest of the areas of the sheath. This is just a recommendation, not saying there are not other ways of making your tooling POP. It's just what I use

---Final finish or buffing...depending on the look of the finish I want, I either use Super Sheen spray for a high gloss finish (no buffing required) or Aussie wax for a nice soft satin finish...just follow the directions on the jar.

---Finally, let us see some of your work. You will get a better responce if you post pics...even the big guns will respond and not just the ametures like myself.
 
Some more of TMHunt's work

TMHunt_kriss.jpg

TMHunt_patchknife.jpg

TMHunt_stripedhunter.jpg
 
Thank you all for your helpfull info. I didn't know a lot of that. And sleepy badger for the pics. Yes those are my knives and sheaths and as I mentioned in my earlier post I have made some good ones and those are some of them. What you don't see are the ones at my shop that would so disgrace the good people of blade forums that they would probably revoke my membership! However, at the risk of sabotaging my knife career I will try to post them tomarrow or Sunday as I am away from the shop tonight. And one more quesion while I'm at it. What is a good supplier of leather and leather tools?
 
The finish I get on my sheaths, which is subdued - but nice - is done with Montana Pitch Blend - dried - and then buffed with a boot brush.

Rayban brings up great points and will get good results.

If I were to get leather from anyone - it would be Wickett and Craig. Get a side from them (specials are usually 99 dollars) and you will see how your leather takes dye better, is easier to work with, and makes a better end product.

TF
 
Are you diluting the pro oil dyes down? Everyone has their own method of madness but I find that diluting 1-1 and 2-1 work pretty good with the dark brown. Anything more than that and they stiffen up too much for me. Either dunk dye or pre drum dyed, some colors I can only get by airbrushing, but I never get good results with daubers.

I know it is frustrating but it does take alot of experimenting until you get your own system down, Take notes of what colors you use, dilution ratios that work for your colors and the types/weights of leather you use. Practice on scraps from the same hide.
 
Thank you all for the info. I am totally blown away by the amount of professionalism displayed here on this forum. Peoples willingness to help each other truly makes me proud to be part of this craft. Thanks! Todd Hunt seymour In. I'll still try to post the pics of the turds so we can all have a good laugh! Cheers!
 
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