ASP tactical baton and my third handmade sheath

[Roadrunner]

Thought I'd share some pics of my leatherwork. I finally have some space to work with now and one of our friendly forum knifemakers sent me some leather to use (thanks Dan!). The baton is a friend's, he'll be taking it to Kuwait in a week or so. He wanted a good leather case for it and I was happy to oblige. It's open on the end so the baton can be held extended or closed, and can even be opened while in the sheath if necessary. It's set up to go on the belt with rearward cant strongside, which conveniently allows it to be carried crossdraw as well. I dyed the leather with Kiwi shoe polish and finished the edge with gum traganth. Any comments or suggestions are welcome and thanks for looking

 

[Bri in Chi]

Here's a quick easy leather finish:
4 oz Deft or other lacquer
2 Tbs. Paste wax ( Butcher's, Johnson's, Treewax, etc.)
Acetone or lacquer thinner as needed

Let sit in a covered jar until wax dissolves. Stir or shake.
Apply with a paper towel or rag. It hardens leather somewhat when dry, so it's good for sheaths, holsters, baton cases, and other projects which shouldn't be soft and floppy. Additional coats increase gloss, but rubbing the final coat with a clean rag as it dries, reduces gloss somewhat. A final coat of paste wax is good protection from water.

Good job on the case. Keep it up

 

[Daniel Koster]

that's lookin' good, Kurt!

 

[Will P.]

Use cotton balls and spit with kiwi to get that sheath blinkin' bright! So far that's the only real soldiering skill I have down solid.

The "Hershey Bar polished" look is probably more tactical though - nice work!

 

[wildmanh]

Hey RR, that's pretty cool. Did you hand stitch it or use a sewing Maching?

Heber

 

[Roadrunner]

Brian, thanks for the recipe, I'll have to give it a shot.

Will, I've gotten penty of practice with that myself. Thankfully my current unit wears desert camo all the time so I don't have to polish the boots.

Heber, it was a hand stitch job. No money here for machines yet.

I dropped it off with my friend tonight, so far he likes it well enough. We went to dinner and it rode along, from what he said it rode very comfortably. The only problem is that after seeing his baton I want one too, they're just too cool.

 

[Bri in Chi]

Hey Kurt,
You're welcome. BTW, a can of paste wax, a can of acetone, and a can of lacquer are good to have in the shop for lots of uses. A few:
Wax: protecting all kinds of metal surfaces (blades, tables, tools, etc.) from rust.
Lubricating wood screws so they drive easier.
Making workbenches easier to clean up. Epoxy pops off after it sets.
Makes all kind of things slide easier.
Lacquer: Quick dry finish for projects. Durable and easy to apply.
Easy to build up thick, durable finishes on wood and other materials.
Acetone: All-purpose solvent for degreasing and other uses. Be careful with
fumes (somewhat toxic, flammable, possibly explosive!) and dangerous as to skin absorption (wear gloves, use good ventilation, don't smoke when using)
Keep the faith,
Bri