First Sheaths

[amcardon]

So, I really don't want to show these but if I don't have people tell me what I'm doing wrong then I'll never get better, right?

Here goes.

These are the first 2 sheaths I've made. The first is a mexican style for a fighter that I put a handle on. I have more screw-ups on that than I can count! Learned a lot making it though (like don't get cement where you won't want it on the finished sheath!)...

The next one I had a total brain fart and completely forgot the belt loop (yup, don't even want to admit that one) but other than that and a couple minor details I think it turned out okay.

Before you ask, yes I am using latigo. I didn't know any better and the Tandys here said that latigo makes great sheaths. They had tons of large scraps of latigo and only tiny little pieces of veg-tanned and I couldn't convince my wife I needed a whole shoulder... The pieces have been oiled and burnishing was attempted with minimal results due to, from what I was told, the fact that it is latigo in the first place!

Constructive criticism would be great, please tell me what I can do to improve. I am attempting to make knives and sheaths to give to family members since most of my family hunts and I can't afford the knives I would love to give them, so these will have to do

 

[Pipeman]

I use latigo for a lot of working sheaths for carbon blade knives and I like the looks very much. I usually dye my edges black as a contrast and the dyeing seems to make the edges hold gum tragacanth better than without. It burnishes up not badly. I have also been playing with a ball stylus for some simple cross hatching and it seems to hold up pretty well while tooling gets "pushed up" and becomes faint after a while.
Your sheaths look great for your first, congrats.

Robin

 

[stitchawl]

I'd say that's a pretty damn good first attempt at leather working!! I'm not a fan of sharp angles on sheaths so I probably would have rounded that lower corner a bit, but that personal preference, not craftsmanship.

But with 'angles and edges' in mind, perhaps on your next sheath you might try an sand the edges before you burnish then, just to give a bit more 'flow' to the look. I usually go so far as to bevel the top and bottom edge first.

As for leather, http://jantzsupply.com/cartease/item-detail.cfm?ID=AG524 will get you a nice piece of leather big enough for one or two sheaths without having to buy the whole side. Might save the marriage.

Stitchawl

 

[amcardon]

I wasn't too sure about the sharp corner either but have come to like it. The edges actually do have a slight bevel and was sanded to 400 before burnishing but it seemed like after applying the gum trag and burnishing with a brass rod it seemed to fray out. I've sanded it again, burnished again and it looks the exact same... Oh well.

Thanks for the comments guys.

Oh, anybody have any tips for keeping the form with latigo? Since it's "hot-loaded" it seems to lose shape really quick, even after wetting/drying in oven... It still holds the knife well just not as tightly as it did.