Friction sheath for pocketknife

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Nov 19, 2014
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I made this friction sheath for a pocketknife I have for ages. It´s made of 3,5 mil vegtanned leather and dyed in Spanish Brown. Hope you´ll like it.











 
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That's really purdy. :)

How do you find the loop? This was my first folder sheath. I liked it, however, the loop had too much room so when retrieving the knife the sheath would pull up.

V1rKday.jpg


Someone here pointed out that the loop should be a closer fit for the belt used with the sheath. I had already stitched everything up so just cut the loop and re-stitched. Maybe it's not a great fix in the looks dept, but it made a sizable improvement in function.

8gkbsPj.jpg
 
That's really purdy. :)

How do you find the loop? This was my first folder sheath. I liked it, however, the loop had too much room so when retrieving the knife the sheath would pull up.

V1rKday.jpg




Someone here pointed out that the loop should be a closer fit for the belt used with the sheath. I had already stitched everything up so just cut the loop and re-stitched. Maybe it's not a great fix in the looks dept, but it made a sizable improvement in function.

8gkbsPj.jpg

You are completely right about the loop. I usualy don´t make them this way. I always make em fit for a belt of about 4 centimeters. I have thought about that before starting to make the sheath, because I saw the problem ahead. But, I saw the design someware and I liked it enough to try. I´ve tried it on a belt and it moves up pulling the knife. However it can also move besides so it doesn´t stick in your side when sitting down. Normaly I make em like my sheath here below

 
I've stolen Gary Graley's trick of putting in a piece of leather to create a shelf or Welt for the belt loop .
It is a really good idea in my opinion , and I won't make another sheath with this type of loop without that welt from now on .
I'm sure Gary has some better pics to explain it .
Here is the only pic I have that sort of shows what I mean .



Ken
 
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That shelf is brilliant! Oh I'm totally stealing that. :)

After the Contego sheath I started doing them like this.

IxBvCC8.jpg


I use a strap cut to match the customers belt.

2YJGHIg.jpg
 
Nice work Icewind! looks very handy and Ken, great job there with the shelf ;) and OLW, very clean work sir!

Now, myself I prefer a longer belt loop, for a couple reasons,

first I don't have any stitching inside the sheath,

second, the longer belt loop allows for any size belt without worry of what the fellow may own

third, having it longer you can tilt the sheath to retrieve the knife, or when you go to sit down, you can raise it up and angle it out of your way.

fourth, being a little more free to move around, if something bumps into it, it's not as fixed on the belt as a tightly made belt loop would have it, but it would give way

on my horizontal sheaths they are formed like OLW does with a mock up of the customers belt size, as those are tighter to the belt than the vertical sheaths.

And I do like that shelf and will continue that for my vertical sheaths, works great and adds a bit to the overall sheath :)
G2
 
@harronek, that is a very inpresive solution indeed but isn´t it so that the sheath is getting very thick? I understand how it works but I mean the 3 layers that I used for my black sheath on the picture is already very heavy for a small sheath I guess.

@Gary, that´s just what I ment to say, its handy by sitting down or sitting on your knees and movement. So there are many things to say for it, it´s just that it moves up when pulling the knife out.
 
And that brings up a point I forgot to make mention of ;) since there is that slight delay when drawing the knife, the sheath moves up to the bottom of the belt, it will provide you a few seconds if someone is goofing around trying to take the knife out of your sheath, a small delay but one that might help in such an instant.

Back when I use to make fixed blade sheaths, I made one for a small fixed blade, 3" blade or so, a pouch style sheath. I made the belt loop also reach down to the end of the sheath which allowed the wearer to tilt or raise the sheath up when needed.

Of course, these are not 'quick draw' type sheaths, like in the old west, but just simple carry and use type things. I do prefer the belt loop top to be at the top of the sheath and not higher, that makes it too long, I fold it much like you have in the first post, very tight against the back of the sheath.

G2
 
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