Custom Ratmandu Sheath

choicecuts

choicecuts

Joined
Mar 3, 2016
Messages
27
Made up this sheath for a friend's Ratmandu. Used Dark olive Horween Chromexcel with copper rivets and saddle stitched. Started on another one last night for my personal Ratmandu. Will be Natural Veggy Tanned for th back and middle with a Chromexcel front and a striker loop.

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Your work looks good nice stitching good clean lines. I am not a fan of rivets. but looks like it will work fine keep make them
 
The sheath i'm making for my self is going to be a full stitch. I'll post up a new photo once I've finished it.

Thanks for the good words!
 
Choicecuts, please show us the back side of your riveted sheath. Thanks.

Paul
 
Here's some pics of the sheath I just finished up for my self.

Horween Olive Chromexcel top (7oz) and a middle and back layer of 6oz Vegetable Tanned Leather. Waxed Irish linen thread stitching with my mark on the back.

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sheathmaker said:
Choicecuts, please show us the back side of your riveted sheath. Thanks.

Paul
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Unfortunately, I have already handed off the sheath to my buddy and I don't think I took any shots of the back. I'll check the camera card sometime and see If I did and I'll upload them later.
 
I really like the two tone look.

The rivets, albeit to some unnecessary, do add to the looks of the overall package. Well done on both.
 
Very clean work and nice stitching. Do have a question, at the top of the sheath (yours) you stitched over the end. Howcome? I might be wrong here but I would perceive that as a weak point, where that thread coud be abraided through. Get ya a good #2 edger and you'd be rockin this deal, very nice. Always wanted to play with Horween leather. I've used a lot of thier horse but not the others. I think the rivets perception comes from the fact that so much cheaply made junk uses them. Kinda like EdgeKote. See it and run the other way. I was re looking at the pic that shows the stitching over the top. The angularity of the cut of the throat bothers my eye a little too. I know you were fitting the front of the handle of the knife but if ya could curve it a hair it would pop. All stuff for version 3.0 Very good pics btw, easy to see the details. Good job.
 
Horsewright said:
Very clean work and nice stitching. Do have a question, at the top of the sheath (yours) you stitched over the end. Howcome? I might be wrong here but I would perceive that as a weak point, where that thread coud be abraided through. Get ya a good #2 edger and you'd be rockin this deal, very nice. Always wanted to play with Horween leather. I've used a lot of thier horse but not the others. I think the rivets perception comes from the fact that so much cheaply made junk uses them. Kinda like EdgeKote. See it and run the other way. I was re looking at the pic that shows the stitching over the top. The angularity of the cut of the throat bothers my eye a little too. I know you were fitting the front of the handle of the knife but if ya could curve it a hair it would pop. All stuff for version 3.0 Very good pics btw, easy to see the details. Good job.
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Appreciate the critique, always good to hear from other tradesmen. :thumbup:

My answer to your question on the stitching would be purely aesthetics. I considered not stitching over the side for just the reason you said but decided I wanted the stitching to run off the olive for a nice, visual line... Although, in hindsight, I should have given it a channel to sit in.

I do have an edger but decided not to edge/burnish this sheath, again, for a different look. I'm hoping this ages a bit differently with the hard edges. I make my own leather conditioner using a good bit of beeswax/paraffin/almond oil and pine tree oil (love the smell of it!) and I normally do a good hand burnishing with a cheese cloth.

As for the curve, after taking the pictures and looking at the cut on that detail, I ended up going back and cleaning that up a bit. It was driving me bonkers!
 
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The edges get hard, they twist and they abraid. How do I know? Tried that experiment too, many years ago. Looks like we were on the same page on the throat outline then. Curves is mo betta.
 
I like both sheaths. I actually prefer the one with copper rivets. I have done one in a similar fashion in the past. The only thing I would have done differently is have them directly across from each other( on each side of the sheath). I am kind of anal about that kind of stuff though. I even go so far sometimes to make sure my stitches line up from side to side !
 
I like both sheaths. I actually prefer the one with copper rivets. I have done one in a similar fashion in the past. The only thing I would have done differently is have them directly across from each other( on each side of the sheath). I am kind of anal about that kind of stuff though. I even go so far sometimes to make sure my stitches line up from side to side !
 
I really like both the sheath. I like that thin flat style with the copper. By the way what is the difference of the Horween? I'm familiar with veg tanned, but I've never heard of the Horween.
 
Spyder59 said:
I really like both the sheath. I like that thin flat style with the copper. By the way what is the difference of the Horween? I'm familiar with veg tanned, but I've never heard of the Horween.
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Horween is a tannery located in Chicago who makes a variety of leathers, Chromexcel being one of them.
 
Made a new sheath for a customer yesterday (ended up making 2... scuffed one on accident.)

Golden Brown Horween Chromexcel/Black Chromexcel saddle stitched in Golden Brown Irish linen thread.

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Your leather work is very nice.

I'm going to advise against the method of your belt loop though. Been there, don't that and got the t-shirt. It will not hold up to hard use. I know because I made a handful like that when I started out.

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You end up only have one layer of unsupported leather trying to support the weight of the knife and all its abuses. If you fold it over and skive it into the rest of the sheath design, it will be much stronger and it's just as easy with a little practice.

Like this...

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just-a-hunter said:
Your leather work is very nice.

I'm going to advise against the method of your belt loop though. Been there, don't that and got the t-shirt. It will not hold up to hard use. I know because I made a handful like that when I started out.


You end up only have one layer of unsupported leather trying to support the weight of the knife and all its abuses. If you fold it over and skive it into the rest of the sheath design, it will be much stronger and it's just as easy with a little practice.

Like this...

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That looks structurally very sound. I'll have to try that myself.
 
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