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Brass Rivets? Where to get???
- Thread starter Quirt
- Start date
sheathmaker
Custom Leather Sheaths
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- May 18, 2005
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- 4,650
Those appear to be just common rapid rivets available in brass and nickel in several sizes from Tandy/Leather factory and many other retailers. Be very sure to order DOUBLE CAP so your project will look the same on both sides. See link below for Tandy/LF catalog page.
http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/products.asp?DEPT=230&Page=2
Paul
http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/products.asp?DEPT=230&Page=2
Paul
Last edited:
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Do you know what knife that is in your picture, or who made it? Very cool.
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- Jun 9, 2006
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- 5,510
I believe that is an ML knives Hudson Bay, but I could be wrong. Looks like his 1/4" model, he also makes them in 3/16".
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2002
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- 1,398
FWIW - original sheaths of that style used solid brass or solid brass headed tacks with steel shanks and not rivets........
If interested let me know and I'll tell you how-to.
A variation on the theme but it shows the front and back....the shanks are clipped off just above teh surface and then peened......
If interested let me know and I'll tell you how-to.
A variation on the theme but it shows the front and back....the shanks are clipped off just above teh surface and then peened......
Wild Rose - amazing work. Yes very interested in learning more about the tacks - thank you!
Yes the knife is a shortened (5" instead of 7") Hudson Bay from Mike Mann at Idaho Knife Works. It looks like it was just stolen from a muesum! I'm heading out in two weeks on a primative traditional muzzleloader hunt for combo deer/elk/bear/mtn lion. I wanted to create a period correct sheath if I have time.
Yes the knife is a shortened (5" instead of 7") Hudson Bay from Mike Mann at Idaho Knife Works. It looks like it was just stolen from a muesum! I'm heading out in two weeks on a primative traditional muzzleloader hunt for combo deer/elk/bear/mtn lion. I wanted to create a period correct sheath if I have time.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2002
- Messages
- 1,398
hopefull this explains how to do the tacks - any questions fire away.......
To do it properly it is best/easiest to have a piece of brass flatstock say 2-3" wide by 3/4-1" thick by at least 8" long (the wider and longer the better) to use as an anvil, a double thick piece of the rubber poundo board or similar, a light weight ball pein hammer, and a pair of end cutters ground so that the face is flat.
Lay out your pattern - I just sketch the lines in with either a red mini ball pen or a soft lead pencil. For spacing I put in a few of the major points and then eye ball to fill in the pattern.
Once the pattern is layed out use a leather awl to start the hole - BTW the leather needs to be a GOOD grade of veg tan and although I have used thinner I recommend it be least harness weight, 8/10 or 10/12 oz with a nice tight grain. Drive in three of four tacks at a time and then turn the piece over with the heads on your brass "anvil" - the anvil should be mounted on a heavy piece of wood or layed over a nice firm piece of poundo board. This cuts down on noise and also keeps it in place. Take your end cutters and clip the shank off flush with the surface of the leather. Then using the flat face of the hammer tap LIGHTLY on the shank until you flatten out the center ridge left by the cutters. Then using the ball end tap a few times to flare the end of the shank and drive it slightly below the surface. Run your hand over the piece and make sure the shank is not poking out. Turn the piece over and make sure the tack heads feel solid - no matter how careful you are some shanks will want to bend side wise - if they do yank em out and do it over. Still no matter what over time and with much uses some tacks will pop out - most original pieces are missing a few tacks here and there so it just makes the piece more authentic!
This sounds more complicated than it is and it goes pretty fast once you get the rhythm - but on the belts there can be between 400-600 tacks depending on the size so no matter what it is time consuming.
Personally I am starting to use the solid brass tacks for this type, not only is more historically documented for this type work, from what info I have garnered steel shank tacks weren't used until some time around 1870 or so, and even after that the solid brass was the most used. They are expensive but well worth the extra cost.
Also lost tacks are common on tacked leather goods, see the original in the first pic on the left, which, to me, implies that they were not normally bent/clinched (pulling a clinched tack out usually tears the crap out of the leather). In most cases the sheaths I examined were also glued using some form of hide glue.
Again in my experience when using tacks the leather needs to be good and firm - soft leather just doesn't cut it . The solid brass square shank tacks are also much grippier than the smooth steel ones.
Here's an original using solid brass (shank and head) square shank tacks, - (they are still available from www.thetrunkshoppe.com - not cheap but the only source I've been able to find for them and for the so inclined the only historically documented tack for pre-1870 usage):
For the sheath - use a single piece and wrap it around the knife glue in a welt along the edge where the tacks go. If you plan on doing the slot for your belt make the sheath wide enough so the slot goes through the welted section. Otherwise you can use a conventional belt loop (IMO that would be best for your shorter bladed knife. Sew it on before folding and gluing in the welt. For some basic instruction on making a sheath see
http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/mexloop/_mexloop.html
To do it properly it is best/easiest to have a piece of brass flatstock say 2-3" wide by 3/4-1" thick by at least 8" long (the wider and longer the better) to use as an anvil, a double thick piece of the rubber poundo board or similar, a light weight ball pein hammer, and a pair of end cutters ground so that the face is flat.
Lay out your pattern - I just sketch the lines in with either a red mini ball pen or a soft lead pencil. For spacing I put in a few of the major points and then eye ball to fill in the pattern.
Once the pattern is layed out use a leather awl to start the hole - BTW the leather needs to be a GOOD grade of veg tan and although I have used thinner I recommend it be least harness weight, 8/10 or 10/12 oz with a nice tight grain. Drive in three of four tacks at a time and then turn the piece over with the heads on your brass "anvil" - the anvil should be mounted on a heavy piece of wood or layed over a nice firm piece of poundo board. This cuts down on noise and also keeps it in place. Take your end cutters and clip the shank off flush with the surface of the leather. Then using the flat face of the hammer tap LIGHTLY on the shank until you flatten out the center ridge left by the cutters. Then using the ball end tap a few times to flare the end of the shank and drive it slightly below the surface. Run your hand over the piece and make sure the shank is not poking out. Turn the piece over and make sure the tack heads feel solid - no matter how careful you are some shanks will want to bend side wise - if they do yank em out and do it over. Still no matter what over time and with much uses some tacks will pop out - most original pieces are missing a few tacks here and there so it just makes the piece more authentic!
This sounds more complicated than it is and it goes pretty fast once you get the rhythm - but on the belts there can be between 400-600 tacks depending on the size so no matter what it is time consuming.
Personally I am starting to use the solid brass tacks for this type, not only is more historically documented for this type work, from what info I have garnered steel shank tacks weren't used until some time around 1870 or so, and even after that the solid brass was the most used. They are expensive but well worth the extra cost.
Also lost tacks are common on tacked leather goods, see the original in the first pic on the left, which, to me, implies that they were not normally bent/clinched (pulling a clinched tack out usually tears the crap out of the leather). In most cases the sheaths I examined were also glued using some form of hide glue.
Again in my experience when using tacks the leather needs to be good and firm - soft leather just doesn't cut it . The solid brass square shank tacks are also much grippier than the smooth steel ones.
Here's an original using solid brass (shank and head) square shank tacks, - (they are still available from www.thetrunkshoppe.com - not cheap but the only source I've been able to find for them and for the so inclined the only historically documented tack for pre-1870 usage):
For the sheath - use a single piece and wrap it around the knife glue in a welt along the edge where the tacks go. If you plan on doing the slot for your belt make the sheath wide enough so the slot goes through the welted section. Otherwise you can use a conventional belt loop (IMO that would be best for your shorter bladed knife. Sew it on before folding and gluing in the welt. For some basic instruction on making a sheath see
http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/mexloop/_mexloop.html