Knife sheath construction tips

H

helmar4578

Joined
Nov 24, 2000
Messages
456

I have learned a few things in 50 years of leathercrafting. Is there any interest out there amongst the inexperienced or novice sheathmaker in receiving FREE
tips. If so, contact me. I might be able to help you.

Sandy
 
Cool,
What would you consider to be the minimum tools needed to make a simple sheath?

------------------
~~TOM~~
 
The basic tools necessary to make the most rudimentary sheath,other than the leather are probably available in your shop with few exceptons. Other than pencils and posterboard for pattern making the first required tool would be a sharp knife such as an exacto or a shop knife with the replaceable blade that is reversible in the handle.
(remember--if you can hear the blade cut the leather, it is NOT sharp)
The second tool would be a saddler`s
stitching awl for punching the stitch holes. If you have a Dremel tool you can drill the holes instead. The third required tools
would be two egg eyed harness needles to accommadate the size thread you are going to sew with.
You can probably get several yards of thread from your local shoemaker.
I would reccmmend either seven cord
linen or size 277 nylon. A small
tube of contact cement. As I assume that you are probably only making a few or less sheaths you could mark
your stitch holes with a ruler.
These are your very basic requirements for a very basic sheath. The construction and design
will be up to you! HAVE FUN---
Sandy
 
One thing I found that speed things up was using my Dremel to burnish the edges of the leather when I'm done.
I but 1/8" wood dowels, chuck a piece in the flex shaft and use the foot control....does a super job!
Harry
 
Harry--Sounds neat but would be difficult to maintain a straight and level burnish on the raw edge on
the welt side of the sheath. The burnished edge will easily high light any imperfections or waves.My recommendation would be a trick from
the old saddlemakers. ..this is an inexpensive process and really quite simple. All you need is a substance called GUM TRAGACANTH and a bone or plastic folder stick used for hand
folding letters prior to inserting
in envelopes. This can be picked up at almost any office supply store.
After the sheath is dyed and all raw edges are rounded by your edger and creased where needed, apply the
gum to the raw edges. This can be best done with your finger tip in order to control where you want it.
The gum looks almost like it is partially jellied and is wet. Let
it set for a few minutes and then take your bone folder and rub the raw edges with authority. You will
immediately notice the burnishing effect and a high shine will result.
Now would be the time to put your final finish on your sheath.

The info I can give could vary considerably according to the amount
of work you intend to do. The more work you do ,the better you can afford to get the tools and material
you need to achieve results of a professional nature. It is an amazing fact that a large amount of
excellent knifemakers do exquisite
metal work, charge prices that reflect the quality of that work,and furnish a sheath that does nothing
to showcase their work. A classic example of penny wise,pound foolish.
Have fun! Sandy
 
How about I just send my knives in to you and let you do the sheathes???
wink.gif
Sounds like a heck of a plan to me!

Nick
 
I have just begun making sheaths, how would i go about an exotic skin inlay? Is it 2 thinner pieces of leather sandwitched together with the exotic in between? What would I use for padding behind the exotic?
Thanks for the help!
Rob
 
Nick Wheeler----my e-mail address is helmar4578@webtv.net. If you are serious get in touch and we can discuss-----

Jerry Hossom---fret not, my friend. you have a serious priority !

 
Rob---My opinion is that you learn how to swim before you jump over your head----but in spite of that, your question is a good one. ...the construction of an inlaid sheath starts as though that had never crossed your mind! Bear in mind that the inlay is going to be glued to the face of the sheath and captured
on all sides with a "frame" of leather that is stitched together on the welted sides of sheath. This
"frame" should not be any wider than half an inch and secured with the stitch line equidistant from the
edge of sheath and the inlayed
exotic. As you can visualize this
you will note that a folded type sheath (stitched on one side) will present problems you will not care to address. As far as padding the
exotic inlays goes it does present
a variety of pros and cons. Most
snakeskins are paper thin and would
not hold up well padded. I would
glue them firmly to the face leather of the sheath. Exceptions would be
python or large boa skins which might have a thickness up to 2 or 2 1/2 ounce of thickness. Lizard and
alligator would pad well but use a
hard padding to prevent flexing.
Scraps of leather do this very well... .a real pro in the inlays
on sheaths would be CHRIS KRAVITZ
of Treestump Leather in Ellsworth, Maine. Have fun---Sandy
 
I have a tough one for you. ...I have always bought latigo scraps from Tandy. They closed about a year ago here and I can't find another source. Any ideas?
 
That was really not to diffcult
Peter. Try tandyleather.com--they are still very much in business but gave up the retail stores. You can
also find many suppliers thru your computer and you should "shop around" It could be to your advantage.
Sandy


 
DanL--tin snips will, in fact, cut leather but will never take the place of good leather shears that are specifically made for the job at hand. Out side curves cut easily but many a piece of leather has been severely traumatized by attempts to cut the inside curve. I might suggest aircraft snips that are made
in three styles, right cut, left cut, and straight cut. (this still does not eliminate the inside curve)

A knife does a much cleaner job but
it MUST be "SHARP' The point of the
knife will easily cut inside curves and can be supplimented by different
size leather punches for the small radius curves. Try it, you`ll like
it!
Sandy
 
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