First homemade sheath

[Fieldtestornothing]

Hey all, figured I'd share my first leather sheath. Actually the mora sheath I made seperately first and deceided to piggy back. I didn't do any stitching, using copper saddle rivits instead, being that that part of my brain that gives sewing skill is missing. Oh well, my understanding is that the rivets are very tuff. I made an enormous amount of mistakes and kind of had to fudge a few things to make it work. Despite it carries well so we'll see how it holds up. Any suggestions are more than welcome. Appologize for my lack of knowledge of leather terminology, but the HI sheath is made of 1/4 inch thick leather and the mora sheath is about 1/16 inches thick leather.


The Front

The back, kind of a mess

My BAS HI and mora #2. My favorite field combo ever made.

 

[markksr]

Looks a heck of a lot better than my first sheath.
Good job.

 

[barny]

For a first time, I say you did excellent!

 

[SpookyPistolero]

Very nice looking sheaths, first or not. I made my first two not too long ago and appreciate a lot of the struggles! The sewing was not fun. Your rivets look very nice and sturdy, too.

I really like your woods combo, the mora for little things and a wicked khuk are some excellent choices. 10,000 bonus points for the blades being well used!

 

[Myakka]

Great looking set up, That the one skill I should try to learn, sheath making. I'm a lefty, and every knife I purchase that is not a custom needs a new sheath.

 

[Troop]

:thumbup: Great job. Now, if I were you, I'd dye it a nice "medium brown". Use an alcohol-based dye. Stay away from the new water-based dye that Tandy is now pushing, their new "eco-dye", because it sucks.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Excellent job, especially considering it's your first.

Doc

 

[Andrew Colglazier]

Yes, youi definitely need to finish the sheaths some way. Without finishing them, they will hold water like sponges when rained on, and ruin your blades.

Choose a color that appeals to your sense of aesthetic, then apply some kind of liquid wax to fight water absorption.

Nothing wrong with rivets. They are strong and will hold up well. The downside is that over time, your blade edges will likely begin to rub on the metal and this could need to be addressed.

I like the design!

Andy

 

[Fieldtestornothing]

Hey thanks guys appreciate it.

There is a piece of leather sandwiched inbetween sides of the sheath on the cutting edge side to keep the edge from touching the rivets. Also I have been rubbing beeswax on the leather to attempt to give it some water shedding properties. I don't know if that will be sufficient, I thought so but maybe not.

 

[lotoblades]

They look great! Looks like a good combo for the woods.:thumbup:

 

[Darbyfett]

I really like the look at that sheath. The one Khukri I had in the past wiggles a lot in its sheath and that looks really secure. I may copy it when I get another khukri.

 

[Ken C.]

:thumbup: Great job. Now, if I were you, I'd dye it a nice "medium brown". Use an alcohol-based dye. Stay away from the new water-based dye that Tandy is now pushing, their new "eco-dye", because it sucks.

I would use an oil based dye. The alchohol dyes tend to crack the leather and the color fades a lot faster over time. The rivets add a nice touch. I also second using a medium brown dye. If you get yourself and edge beveler and clean up the edges it will look a lot better. Overall, I think you did a great job with the design being it's your first one.

PS - Add one more rivet on the keeper strap and two more on the belt loop to keep them from twisting.

 

[dulledge2]

your first shot hit the target,

 

[Fiddleback]

Hey thanks guys appreciate it.

There is a piece of leather sandwiched inbetween sides of the sheath on the cutting edge side to keep the edge from touching the rivets. Also I have been rubbing beeswax on the leather to attempt to give it some water shedding properties. I don't know if that will be sufficient, I thought so but maybe not.

Take a hair dryer, or heat gun and gently (gently) heat the leather as you apply the wax. You'll know you're doing well when it soaks in. Or, use some mineral oil, baby oil, mink oil, or balistol. Either way.

Caution** wax hardens leather. Oil makes it softer.

1/4 thick leather. WOW.

Overall I think you did very well. You said you used a welt (piece sandwiched at edge seam), did you glue the leather as well as rivet it. Do so in the future if you didn't this time. Regular contact cement from Home Depot is the bomb.

CAUTION. A keeper strap on a khuk sheath puts your thumb at a precarious position when you're re-sheathing your khuk. I stoped using them for just such a reason. Be careful or you'll get to see your bones.

 

[campacker]

Great sheath, even if it wasn't your first time. Top notch.

 

[Troop]

I would use an oil based dye. The alchohol dyes tend to crack the leather and the color fades a lot faster over time. The rivets add a nice touch. I also second using a medium brown dye. If you get yourself and edge beveler and clean up the edges it will look a lot better. Overall, I think you did a great job with the design being it's your first one.

PS - Add one more rivet on the keeper strap and two more on the belt loop to keep them from twisting.

Thanks for the tip. Gonna try oil-based dyes next.:thumbup:

 

[Vorpal Blade]

Hi Fieldtestornothing: Sorry to hear you are missing part of your brain but you did a fabulous job anyway.

Instead of using dye you might consider Sno-Seal:
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/rev.../Atsko Sno-Seal/Owner Review by Roger Caffin/
It is a high performance waterproofing wax which also renders the leather more supple and darkens it to a rich brown color. I have used it in the past with excellent results.

 

[Fieldtestornothing]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I am working oil in the sheath as we speak. Hopefully it will help the leather last longer. Although honestly, in Arizona it rains like once a year. Thanks for the encouragements guys, I'm already thinking of making my second. This time I'm gonna do a lot more planning than building.