Leather Axe cover partial how-to (pic heavy)

[daizee]

In defiance of the duct tape and cardboard sheath oppression, I'm posting this evening's axe sheath WIP.
This is how I've been doing it, there are a billion other ways. This is my fourth axe sheath - I've done a stable of holsters too.

I decided to document the process about 4 steps in, so I'll try to describe what's not shown.

First, you have to decide how you want the sheath to function. This design is a simple wrap-and-snap, which takes advantage of the wider bit of the axe to keep it from slipping off. It only requires two pieces of leather, and is independent of the haft. I like this style as it's simple to make. Much more complicated and I wouldn't bother - too many other projects and too many axes to cover!

I always start leather projects by making patterns out of cheap craft foam until I'm happy with the layout and plan. It's cheap and quick to cut. I could go through a sheet or two before settling.

The axe is a 1.75lb Warren head on a 28" Seymour/Link haft.


Here's the pattern I made last month. It's been sitting around waiting to be realized. Note the one large piece of foam and the oversized welt piece. This photo was staged after the fact since I forgot to take pix of the first few steps:

Cut out the two pieces. It doesn't hurt to be a bit oversize, though the inner end of the pocket should be close to correct since it must meet the fold of the flap.

In the picture below I have:

1) cut the two leather pieces with a knife
2) checked the pattern against the axe
3) dampened the fold areas with water and squeezed them briefly in the vice to set the crease
4) set the bottom half of the snap BEFORE making the pocket (used a leather punch and a simple snap set from the hobby store)
5) dyed the inside surfaces of the sheath since they're hard to reach afterward... and I'm picky about that
6) used the Tear-Mender instant adhesive to glue the welt in place and the pocket on top of it - this is just temporary. An adhesive jig, if you will. This stuff is great, I'm so glad she bought it.
7) used the stitch marking tool to layout marks for the stitching

with me so far? Sorry for starting late. It took forever for me to get moving today... then I barreled through.


While the glue is setting up I marked the spot for the top half of the snap by fitting the axe in the nascent sheath and wrapping the flap up tight over the snap. Pushing down firmly leaves a nice ring in the stop flap. The leather punch tool makes a clean hole. Then I dyed around the hole before setting the snap (thinking ahead this time...):

Setting the snap on my little oak stump:

The glue is set by now, so it's time to drill the stitching holes with a 3/32" bit. 1/16" is too narrow to get 4+ waxed threads through each hole... This can also be done with a 4-prong punch, using the last prong in the last hole to maintain spacing. I used to use a cheap tandy punch. They wear out quickly and I never replaced the last one. The drill press works nicely. Note the thin backer under the leather. This prevents the soft leather from dipping through the table away from the bit. I use the middle speed setting and that seems to work well.
The glue keeps the layers in place for this operation, and that's its main purpose.

The back side comes out cleaner. I trim the top of the drill holes gently with my knife:

checking for fit:

Now it's time to stitch it together. This is a nice short job. However you really really don't want to underestimate the amount of thread required. Below I'm measuring it out. I take one length across the stitch line, then measure that 5 times on the spool. Then double it. This gives me 10x of my stitching distance. With only two layers of leather you can get away with 8x. You need to account for the length (twice), the depth (twice), and room to work as it gets short (once), and then the thread will be doubled on the needle. That's where 10 factor comes from.

Ready to go. I use Tandy waxed nylon (I think?) thread. It's good stuff and comes in small sizes. I still have a bunch left over from my holster days. There is pro stuff out there, but this thread performs just fine.

I'll take up the stitching in the next post.

 

[daizee]

Ok, now it's time to stitch the whole business together.

It's nice to hide the knots and ends if you can. In this case I've decided to start from the inside of the end that will be covered by the flap. I didn't glue the end of the welt really well, which let me start the stitch in between layers. Works out nicely. I'll leave the tail end loose and knot it inside the layers.

Here comes the needle back through the next hole from the back, passing through the loop made by the knotted tail of the thread. I'll snug it all up and it can't pull out:

Then back through the first hole from the front, and loop around again through the second hole, creating a nice little whip stitch to hold that end together from the very start:

And here's how the start looks once it's tight. Note I've wet the stitch path a bit with water. This helps the threads sink in and reduces resistance to the needle. You could also cut a stitching channel with a special tool, but this isn't a pro job:

Back and forth through every hole. It will look half-done at this stage - because it is:

When you get to the end, simply go back the other direction starting on the side that you're already on. The first reverse stitch will cover the last gap. Here we are going back the other way, filling things in. This puts 4 threads through each hole. That's why you need 3/32"!:

I've reached the beginning again and it's time to tie off this end. There are lots of techniques for this, mine isn't special. I'll loop it under a stitch, whip around a pair of holes again, and end on the inside:

Cut the ends flush. Since I ended in the already-tight start holes, this thread isn't going anywhere. The final sheen step will help glue the ends in there. You can apply superglue too, which is a good idea, but wait until all the dying is complete. A real pro would make the end as invisible as the start. In this case I have two knots on top of each other which is a little bulky. A bit of planning and patience could avoid that.

Finishing covered in the last post.

 

[daizee]

Time to finish it all up.

Now is a good time to trim the extra welt and skive the edges. I'm just trimming a shallow 45-degree bevel on all the exposed edges using the knife. This will prevent edge mushrooming when the edges are burnished a little later. This really improves the final appearance and is worth the few minutes it takes. There are proper tools for this, but doing it with a knife will teach you a lot about your edge and material. On the inside edges it's a bit more like shaving a stuffed animal...

Once the edges are trimmed it's dye time. It usually takes two coats. This bottle is labeled dark brown, but I think somebody added mahogany at some point... no complaints from me, that's one of my favorite colors.

With the edges wet from the dye they get a quick rub from the handle of the marking tool. This burnishes the fibers and squeezes them together. See how it shines? That's not from the dye. Hit those skived edges too. See the white plastic gluey stuff sticking out between the layers? It's stretchy, so I leave it alone for now. Not too pretty, but it may get cut when it's more solid.

I also applied black edge dye which contributes to the finished look. If you're not going do to any tooling, edge dye goes a long way toward making the piece look complete. Here it is getting a final fit check:

Looks good - dye a little streaky, but that can be touched up:

And the back:

And the end. Nice and slim:

The final step is to use a sheen product on the outside. This will seal the leather and stiffen it as well. You could go the opposite route and simply sno-seal the whole thing. That would yield a more supple result, but it should still hold well.
Once the sheen is dry enough to touch (just a few minutes) I spray a bit of Ballistol *inside* the sheath to help condition the leather and neutralize the natural acids. This will hopefully reduce the possibility of the axe rusting in the sheath. Again, sno-seal would be another good alternative, but you'd better put it in there before you glue and stitch. Ballistol comes in a spray can with a nice little straw.

And that's it!

Here's the axe with the finished sheath, pattern, and the cardboard & duct-tape cover that it replaced.

A pro would have more sophisticated tools and techniques, including sanders, power burnishers, proper saddle stitching etc., but the basics will get you pretty far. This should give the beginning of an idea of what you're paying for in custom leather work, if you've ever wondered why "just a sheath" is expensive. This was probably about 3 hours of labor for a very simple amateur job to fit an out-of-production piece.

Thanks for looking!

-Daizee

 

[Liam Ryan]

Nice, I have been meaning to get some supplies for this.

 

[halfaxe]

Thanks for this post. I've been thinking of attempting this.

 

[bearhunter]

Awesome tutorial / write-up!
Thanks

 

[Murphnuge]

Very nice Daiz, you make it look easy.

 

[CedarEater]

That looks clean and easy. Nice work. I will have to try that when I can but for now I gotta stick with the duct tape. I bet I could do a wrap and snap though with duct tape. Now to search the house for an old snap. Thanks for the idea.

 

[daizee]

TI bet I could do a wrap and snap though with duct tape. Now to search the house for an old snap. Thanks for the idea.

*lol*


Thanks, Murph. I've found that getting the steps right and order of operations is the tricky part the first couple times. Then it becomes application as long as you don't innovate too much each time.

 

[CB-R]

That's a helluvah tutorial! As thorough as one of Operators history lessons. Can't wait to get to the hobby store. Do you get your leather there as well? I've sourced it on the bay before, but haven't been able to find good 8-10oz. stuff in a store.

 

[bearhunter]

That's a helluvah tutorial! As thorough as one of Operators history lessons. Can't wait to get to the hobby store. Do you get your leather there as well? I've sourced it on the bay before, but haven't been able to find good 8-10oz. stuff in a store.

I don't know if its still going on or not, but Tandy is/was having a great year end sale with some really good deals on leather. I would have bought some, but I already have a shoulder and part of a belly.

 

[CB-R]

Nice Bear! and thanks for the lead.

 

[Square_peg]

Thanks for the excellent WIP.

 

[daizee]

this leather, and most that I've used, has come from Tandy online during one of their sales. I think they were called 'craftsman shoulders' or something. They're not pristine, but unless you're an expert it hardly matters. You probably want vegetable-tanned leather.

 

[M3mphis]

Thank you, Daizee. Excellent tutorial. My dad and I were talking yesterday and decided we should round up our own leather working tools. We have a good friend that is a saddle maker, but it's so hard to find the time to go over to his shop.

Thanks again!

 

[Win3855]

Pretty nice. Looks easy but I know better. Planning ahead counts.

 

[fast14riot]

Very nice! I usually do a simple three piece cover with leather lace tie to hold it. I don't have to buy snaps that way. Also, you can do a saddle stitch without a pony, you just use smooth padded jaws in a vise to hold it. Any smooth rotating piece of equipment can be a power burnisher for the edges, I use the edge of my 9" aluminum disc grinder plate to burnish.

-Xander

 

[daizee]

Some extra daylight pix, 'cause who can resist axe pr0n.
this afternoon I sno-sealed it lightly.

 

[Double Ott]

101-small.jpg[/img]

VERY very nice. Great workmanship on your sheath/guard.

Tom

 

[daizee]

VERY very nice. Great workmanship on your sheath/guard.

Tom

Thanks, Tom.

BTW, your quoting that pic reminded me to point something out for those wanting to do one of these:

Note how the inside layer of the pocket does not reach all the way to the bottom of the axe head. This isn't an error, it's an important detail that makes the sheath work. You want the outer flap to fit tightly to the head, not to the sheath. If you leave the inner pocket too long the sheath won't be tight.