Cant Stitch a Sheath

JTknives

JTknives

Joined
Jun 11, 2006
Messages
8,651
Well I have been working on a sheath and realized i am going to have a hard time stitching it. most all the sheaths i do i hand stitch but after my accident and having 2 broken fingers and a broken hand i don't think my fingers are up to it. just getting the sheath ready for stitching was kinda painful on them. so what I'm wondering is if i can rivet it together with nickle plated button rivets. i would put them close together with about a spacing of 1/16" between the heads. I just don't think i can do the hand stitching at this time. but if the button rivets will look cheep or crappy then i will put up with the pain. Thanks
 
I guess you could J.T. but I believe your work is to nice for that. Try to locate someone who will do the stiching with a machine. Shoe repair? Another maker near by? Frank
 
I'd stitch it for you if I was close by no prob.. but I'm sure you can find a guy who can help you....
 
Rusty McDonald said:
Use your drill press to help stich it. chuck up the needle and push it trough with the press.
Click to expand...

ya that's what i do,but with a very small drill so i have a little hole then stitch by hand. but i wrap the stitching cord around my fingers and then pull it tight on every stitch and that's what I'm most worried about.
 
I have a stiching machine and will be glad to help you out if you care to pay the postage. To save on postage, you might find a boot or shoe shop that would do it.
 
TJ
i hand pull every stitch on every sheath too !! if my hand was messed up id probably use 2 1/4inch thick dowels to bind the thread !! use a little leverage and you can probably do just fine ..slow it will be but if you want to do it yourself this may help yyou think of a different way to accomplish it ..
if you need to if you cover back and forth shipping ill handstitch it for ya ..
 
Just grap a pair of needle nose pliers. Use the pliers to pull the needle through if necessary, and then make a quick double turn around one side of the plier handle with the thread and pull tight.

--nathan
 
silver_pilate said:
Just grap a pair of needle nose pliers. Use the pliers to pull the needle through if necessary, and then make a quick double turn around one side of the plier handle with the thread and pull tight.

--nathan
Click to expand...

This is a good idea, and i've used it, but you must be sure to stay away from any thread that will actually be used in the stitching because it will fray the thread. Just leave yourself plenty of extra thread and keep out near the ends of it. I also like the wooden dowel idea....:thumbup:
Matt
 
I use a cordless drill :) DONE ALOT OF SHEATHS OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS :thumbup:

use rubber cement to hold it together, drill holes, then stitch.
Black-Bushcraft.jpg
 
Sounds like ya'll are pulling way harder than necessary. I'm willing to bet I hand sew much more than anybody else here - I hand stitch gun belts (the average size belt is 48" long by 3.5" wide at 6 stitches per inch - on a money belt that is the two ends and one long edge - 55" x 6 = 330 stitches - on a full lined it is all four sides - 103" x 6 = 618 stitches), holsters: average - 110 stitches - main seam, belt loop, etc, and sheaths about the same as holsters (I do mostly large blades 8"+). I do this much sewing practically everyday - normal hand sewing for me is a belt every other day or two and a couple of holsters or a couple of sheaths everyday and that doesn't include the beadwork I do which is a ton of stitching. The point of my statement isn't to "prove" that I'm tougher or better than everybody else just to illustrate how much sewing I do and that even with physical limitations it can be done - I have arthritis in my hands and elbows and I never have to pull that hard to set my stitches ....
1) I use a mix of wax and pine pitch which locks the threads securely so you do not have to pull hard - just snug.....
2) I wear a pair of leather gloves with all but the little finger cut-off - my little finger is what I pull against to tighten the stitches and it doesn't take that much pressure - there is no need to wrap the thread around your fingers or anything else to get them to set right.
3) I wear rubber finger cots (available from office supplies) on my fore fingers and sometimes on my thumbs - these help your grip immensely - I seldom have to use pliers except in extreme cases.
4) I match my thread size, needle size, and hole size: I generally use 5 cord linen thread matched up to an Osborne egg eye harness needle in size 0 (single aught). I do not drill, but rather pre-punch with an awl, but either way the hole should be of a size adequate to pull two layers of thread through with minimum effort. If/when things do get a bit tight I open up the hole with an awl made from a larger harness needle - I have them with 000 (three aught) and 00 (two aught) needles and use what is needed
5) I use a stitching pony to hold my work as I sew....

Here's a tutorial that I wrote on sewing leather with the adaptive techniques I use due to my having arthritis......this should help those with disabilities/limitations.......
http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/_leatherstitch.html
Hope this helps......
 
Another thing to watch out for using the pliers to pull needles is you can break the eye off when the doubled over thread bumps against the small hole and what thread is already in there. Ask me how I know. Now I take the time to ensure my holes are big enough with the chisel. I have a scratch awl that I also use to lightly work the hole bigger when doubling back at the end of a stitched line.

+1 for the stitching pony. I have one of those ratcheting plastic wide mouth clamps with rubber feet and my bench vise holding the non ratcheting handle to hold my work.
 
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