How Tightly Should a Leather Sheath Fit?

[redsquid2]

I have made a dozen or so leather sheaths so far. It seems that every time I finish one up, I am disappointed in how well it retains the knife. If I hold one of my sheaths upside-down and shake it a little, the knife will fall out. Some take more shaking than others.

The wet forming I do with my fingers, and I do it by just pressing and pressing for maybe 30 minutes. I press it extra close around the guard of the knife. Then I pull the knife out and let the sheath dry for 12-24 hours.

For finish, I just rub in Sno-seal and stick it in the oven for 15-20 minutes, at 125 degrees. Then I repeat the Sno Seal procedure a second time. Maybe the Sno Seal softens things up too much? Straight beeswax may be better?

 

[james terrio]

Start tight from the very beginning. Almost too tight. You will be surprised how much you can stretch a leather sheath if you work at it enough. You're talking about 30 minutes of forming, imagine how much it will stretch over a year or ten of the knife being pulled out of and shoved into the sheath, and the effect of gravity trying to drag it off your belt.

Leather will surely stretch over time. When it leaves your shop, a sheath is probably as secure as it's ever going to be (barring some really extreme conditions where the leather gets completely dried-out).

I haven't used Sno-seal or plain beeswax on my sheaths, so I can't speak to that part. To date, we're sealing ours (after dying and wet-forming) with a light rub-down or two with gum tragacanth, burnish that, and a light wipe-down with neatsfoot oil, also burnished with a clean dry cloth. This is not "waterproof"; it looks good and protects the leather to a degree but allows it to breathe.

I make my sheaths so it's really difficult to get the knife in and out, before wet-forming. Wet-forming stretches the leather and makes it easier to get the knife in/out, and gives it places to "lock into" the contours of the guard and/or handle. The same goes for belt loops and keeper straps.

I have not found that subsequent drying at moderate temps or even using a heat-gun will make it any tighter than it was before wet-forming. The first few "practice" sheaths my wife and I made a couple years ago, the way you describe, are now so loose and sloppy that they simply are not safe to carry, and hang off my belt like over-cooked pasta. Granted, I have worn them in rivers and lakes and gotten them very wet for days at a time in my testing, which some might say is abusive... but that could easily happen to a sheath in the course of a hunting/fishing/camping trip, and to a lesser extent, over several years of carry.

 

[Wloch248]

I was under the impression that Sno-seal was infact 100% beeswax.

 

[NStricker]

I was under the impression that Sno-seal was infact 100% beeswax.

It contains beeswax, but is not entirely beeswax.

 

[Mudbug007]

First, let me start out by saying that I'm no-where near an expert at leather. But this is what I've found works for me for now. I wet form the leather around the handle of the knife. When I've got it like I like it, I let the knife set in the leather sheath about an hour or so. When I remove it, the sheath is still damp. I then put it in a dehydrator I bought at a garage sale some time ago. I watch it in the dehydrator because I've burnt two sheaths in the past in this thing! Not bad, but burnt enough on the edges I had to make another one! It gets quite hot!

I leave it in there for an hour or two until it's dry but not so dry as to damage the leather. I then try the knife and it's generally a very tight fit. If the knife fits tight, I take it out and put the sheath into a gallon ziplock with either Satin Sheen or Super Sheen, or sometimes both. I drench the sheath and take it out, hang it up and let it drip dry. Once it has stopped dripping and dried somewhat, I put it back in the dehydrator to completely dry, being careful to not let it burn. I then take it out and burnish it with a dry and clean rag.

Sometimes I've had sheaths so tight I've wondered if I could get the knife back out! The heat of the dehydrator tends to harden the sheath as well as cause it to shrink.

 

[Hengelo_77]

Something to remember:
Leaher stretches, but only from the back to the belly and not from the tail to the head.
A pregnant cow grows a bigger belly, not a longer body.
Cut your leather out accordingly.

I wrap the knife with some thin kitchen plastic and shape the leather soaking wet.
Let it dry with the (plastic covered) knife inside.
I've only made a few sheets but they are tight enough to shake upside down and still keep the knife in place.

Use good leather glue. Glue leather twice, let it dry, apply a bit of heat then press together firmly. Tap with a hammer or so.
I make and repair orthopeadic shoes at work

 

[redsquid2]

Thanks for all the excellent ideas.

Andy