Leather Bare necessity tools for leather sheath making

I started a thread here years ago about making a folder sheath with the least amount of tools it was a fun project and might contain a couple of ideas on how to keep it simple .

How Simple Can You Get

If you spend enough time here sooner or later the question of what tools are needed will arise , Mostly it is from someone just starting to dabble with leatherwork . This got me thinking this last week about how to build a folder sheath with the least tools . It became a bit of a competition...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com


PS - paulhilborn if your watching I’d love to know if it’s still alive or if it died , from what cause’s
 
RayseM said:
CUTTING TOOLS??

• Are Leather Round knives essential? They are too expensive but am I making work harder for myself without it. I use a retractable rotary tool now but that seems best for straight lines and along a plastic edge. Metal edge rules can damage the somewhat flexible rotary blade.
Scissors are hit or miss. Cutting curves are a challenge - worse as the dia. gets smaller. How to ?

* Especially challenging is cutting waste leather away from a seam before stitching, especially a back stitched puukko seam. I use a very sharp Spyderco free hand but that has an element of risk that is a bit daunting. Not so much cutting myself as for having the leather grain pull the knife in too close/off the line. Keeping an even 1/8" to 3/16" of a margin from the stitching line is challenging. So how do you do it?

Thanks.
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Regarding cutting tools I recently bought this one from Amazon and it has a very high sharpness-to-cost ratio. I find it much easier to cut with this blade than with the scalpels and utility blades I’ve tried previously. It’s a chisel edge so it is easy to get a perpendicular edge on the leather.

Co-link leathercraft knife, about $13 or so:

A941CA9D-F0F7-4AD5-91E7-5B0FCD86A2AA.jpeg
 
PRICKING IRONS or STITCHING IRON /CHISELS - consensus?

As I understand it, the pricking tool is for simply marking the leather. - one layer and then use a stitching awl to establish the through hole for the threrad.
Whereas the stitching iron is intended to punch through layers of leather and mostly eliminate the need too use an awl.

Then there are the European version and the Japanese version - the tooth configuration is different.

Anyone care to say what they prefer?

Please & thank you.

I found this to be a very INFORMATIVE READ on the subject.
 
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You are correct about the names and function. European style irons have a flat, thin angled blade while Japanese tools have diamond shaped angled blades. There are also left and right hand versions. In both cases, you can get awls with the correct shape to finish the holes if a pricking iron is used.
I use stitching irons primarily because I never got that fast or skilled with an awl. I prefer the look of the stitching using the European style but both work equally well. I do have awls for both styles and use them for stitching 90 degree edges of boxes and such as well as enlarging the iron holes if needed for larger thread or needles. It is really a function of the style you believe best fits you work and taste.

I will add that it is generally easier to get decent quality, lower cost irons in the Japanese style that the European. All of my European ones cost 2 to 3 times as much as the others.
Randy
 
Thanks for the info Robber58 Robber58 . I'm leaning to the Euro style rather than the diamond profile which I understand to be characteristic of the Japanese model.
Not settle in on a brand yet.
 
An option to consider. A south Korean company called KS Blade Punch makes some very nice European stitching irons for quite a bit less that the European imports. I use them constantly and they work well and are holding up nicely. You can order them directly from the company or buy from some US distributors. I have done both and find direct from the company costs a bit less, generally, but does take a bit longer. FYI.
Randy
 
Robber58 said:
An option to consider. A south Korean company called KS Blade Punch makes some very nice European stitching irons for quite a bit less that the European imports. I use them constantly and they work well and are holding up nicely. You can order them directly from the company or buy from some US distributors. I have done both and find direct from the company costs a bit less, generally, but does take a bit longer. FYI.
Randy
Click to expand...

I looked at these through different vendors including directly from KS. They call them PRICKING Irons rather than STITCHING, though by description they are suitable to be punched though multiple layers - I could not tell for certain. After all I ordered a 3 piece French Style set from CRIMSON HIDES out of Singapore. They were very well rated and though expensive - competitively priced with all the other recommended brands. We shall see. More as it happens.

I think I will much prefer the option to through punch the leather - up to 6mm thickness is the claim - and forgo the need for an awl. Will be excellent for sheath making.

Also discovered a really thorough well explained video on stitching. This fellow does an excellent job of showing me what I have been missing from my own work. I am a stitching oaf. :rolleyes: Good thing I use thread colors that blend in to my leather. I realize that I should practice and practice on single layers - with white thread - so that I can see my wayward ways. Now I understand HOW I just need to practice. I care enough to improve my efforts.

Never expected to be doing leather work. Getting deeply invested $$s and time. o_O Better love it.
 
RayseM said:
I looked at these through different vendors including directly from KS. They call them PRICKING Irons rather than STITCHING, though by description they are suitable to be punched though multiple layers - I could not tell for certain. After all I ordered a 3 piece French Style set from CRIMSON HIDES out of Singapore. They were very well rated and though expensive - competitively priced with all the other recommended brands. We shall see. More as it happens.

I think I will much prefer the option to through punch the leather - up to 6mm thickness is the claim - and forgo the need for an awl. Will be excellent for sheath making.

Also discovered a really thorough well explained video on stitching. This fellow does an excellent job of showing me what I have been missing from my own work. I am a stitching oaf. :rolleyes: Good thing I use thread colors that blend in to my leather. I realize that I should practice and practice on single layers - with white thread - so that I can see my wayward ways. Now I understand HOW I just need to practice. I care enough to improve my efforts.

Never expected to be doing leather work. Getting deeply invested $$s and time. o_O Better love it.
Click to expand...
Few days back I was reading through some old threads and that was my advice to someone and I don't even remember what aspect of leather work we were talking about. But I said really from here on out its just practice.
 
HOW ABOUT LEATHER KNIVES??

• Is a good round blade version top of the line?

• Could an ULU be used well in similar fashion?

• Is a straight blade with a chisel grind a solid choice?

I don't know enough to ask the right questions but I find the rotary one I use and a utility blade to both be the wrong tool at different times.
 
RayseM said:
HOW ABOUT LEATHER KNIVES??

• Is a good round blade version top of the line?

• Could an ULU be used well in similar fashion?
Click to expand...
I think the blade of an ULU will be to thick to work well. At least the ULUs I have seen were much thicker than the round knife I bought from Horsewright.

O.B.
 
Yes a good round knife should be out of very thin stock. I used (I don't make them any more, the beachs kept trying to jump off the grinder and bite me), .040 stock (AEB-L at 62-63 RC). I think the handle orientation of the ulu would make it difficult to use well, besides their thickness.

Honestly the roundknife is one tool that is never put away on my bench. Usually two out there so I don't have to walk around the bench to get one. All sheath, holster, rifle scabbard, basically veg tan work is done with a roundknife. I used some of the inexpensive (Osborne) ones for many years and spent more time sharpening than cutting. Now I spend way more time cutting than sharpening. I bet ya I put my round knives on a stone once every six months or so. I buff/strop the edge often though and that is one of the great advantages of AEB-L steel. Buffing/stropping the edge will bring it right back to hairsplitting. I will buff when the knife first starts to drag or it doesn't cleanly cut in one pass and I have to go back cause it only cut through 7/8s of the leather, I"ll take the 30-45 seconds to touch er up and away we go. Don't let em get dull and they go and go and go.

A straight blade with a chisel grind is often called a cut off knife in leather work. They're handy for cutting straight lines against a straight edge. I don't have or use one. I did build one, hated it and now its a shop knife for breaking down cardboard, opening packages etc at which it excels. If I'm cutting leather in a straight line against a straight edge. I use a large roller knife. Built 15 sheaths yesterday, they're on the counter this morning drying overnight after coming out of the oven and being oiled. Looked like this:

338vQZj.jpg


Round knife and a roller knife. Don't recall why the roller knife was on that side of the bench as it usually lives on the other side. oh yeah I'd been cutting strings for the knives in the box.
 
Horsewright said:
Yes a good round knife should be out of very thin stock. I used (I don't make them any more, the beachs kept trying to jump off the grinder and bite me), .040 stock (AEB-L at 62-63 RC). I think the handle orientation of the ulu would make it difficult to use well, besides their thickness.

Honestly the roundknife is one tool that is never put away on my bench. Usually two out there so I don't have to walk around the bench to get one. All sheath, holster, rifle scabbard, basically veg tan work is done with a roundknife. I used some of the inexpensive (Osborne) ones for many years and spent more time sharpening than cutting. Now I spend way more time cutting than sharpening. I bet ya I put my round knives on a stone once every six months or so. I buff/strop the edge often though and that is one of the great advantages of AEB-L steel. Buffing/stropping the edge will bring it right back to hairsplitting. I will buff when the knife first starts to drag or it doesn't cleanly cut in one pass and I have to go back cause it only cut through 7/8s of the leather, I"ll take the 30-45 seconds to touch er up and away we go. Don't let em get dull and they go and go and go.

A straight blade with a chisel grind is often called a cut off knife in leather work. They're handy for cutting straight lines against a straight edge. I don't have or use one. I did build one, hated it and now its a shop knife for breaking down cardboard, opening packages etc at which it excels. If I'm cutting leather in a straight line against a straight edge. I use a large roller knife. Built 15 sheaths yesterday, they're on the counter this morning drying overnight after coming out of the oven and being oiled. Looked like this:

338vQZj.jpg


Round knife and a roller knife. Don't recall why the roller knife was on that side of the bench as it usually lives on the other side. oh yeah I'd been cutting strings for the knives in the box.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. My leather knife doesn’t work well through curves. I used scissors to cut leather for my last sheath. A round knife and roller knife would be much better. Do you any recommendations for ones to buy?
 
My dad gave me some old leather tools and I might give it a go. What weight leather is typically used for a fixed blade?

Thanks to all that have contributed to this thread. It’s been very informative!
 
Gary W. Graley said:
I use an airbrush system, fairly inexpensive but you do need to spray in an open environment and I'd recommend using a good respirator as now you are dealing with vaporized particles which are not good to be breathing in.

airbrush that I use

One thing about the airbrush is that you need to clean it thoroughly when you are done so it doesn't clog up. Practice on some leather that you'll be working with to get the feel for using it, where when I used a dauber it would soak in randomly and look all splotchy, this gives a nice even finish.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

And to put the holes through, using a ground down small screwdriver works pretty well, I like to avoid drilling holes, just doesn't look as good to me.

I also use a pair of angled pliers to pull the needles through the leather, you want your holes to be tight, so that presents a few problems for the hand sewing folks.

These work very nicely

G2
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I dont usually like stamping I like that ivy stamp border.
 
Thank you, it's a nice embossing that I picked up from Weaver leather, stainless steel so the price is up there but so is the quality.

and using it offset you end up with a wandering area between the two

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

G2
 
Wvmntr said:
My dad gave me some old leather tools and I might give it a go. What weight leather is typically used for a fixed blade?

Thanks to all that have contributed to this thread. It’s been very informative!
Click to expand...

Nothing less than 7/8oz. Some people prefer in the 10oz range. I'm persuaded that for small blades, up to 5" the 7/8oz is plenty, though my incoming leather purchase is in the 9/10 oz range. Need to try it to learn the benefits or drawback of that weight for 4" type blades. Still learning here.
 
ron55 said:
Thanks for the info. My leather knife doesn’t work well through curves. I used scissors to cut leather for my last sheath. A round knife and roller knife would be much better. Do you any recommendations for ones to buy?
Click to expand...
Sorry took so long to get back. I'd thought I'd answered this and then was rereading and realized I hadn't. Look at Leather Wranglers and Knipshield Leather tools. I don't have any experience with these personally but have heard good things.

Wvmntr said:
My dad gave me some old leather tools and I might give it a go. What weight leather is typically used for a fixed blade?

Thanks to all that have contributed to this thread. It’s been very informative!
Click to expand...
7/8 oz will handle most fixed blade chores and is probably the most common leather weight used in sheath making. I do use lighter for some specific things and heavier for a lot. I think the quality of the leather is more important than the weight. Most pros will use either Wicket and Craig or Herman Oak veg tan leather.
 
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