Leather For Some Classic Busse's

leatherman

leatherman

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Recently got the chance to work with some of my classic Busse knives for a sheath order. Made me realize I really miss working with them. I hope to do some outdoorsy stuff in the future and put these back to work.




 
Lovely leather.

I'm about out of my current roll. I need to get another. I think the WTF is going to take more leather than I have and I have another custom chopper and hunter to make them for.
 
Thank You! :D

The WTF, its going to take an insane amount of leather to cover that beast!!

I hope someday to work some cowhide around one of those.
 
Wow those look sweet !!!!!! Really nice work !!!
 
Thank you! Much appreciated. :D

It really was nice to become reacquainted with these old school Busse blades. The Ergo knives are what I started with back in the day and will always hold a special place in my collection.
 
Just out of curiosity, how many layers of what leather thicknesses including the welt do these bottom sheaths have? I'm curious because I am a leatherworker and I like your work but I have never done that style of sheath, only pouch and pancake, and would like to try one but poking holes to sew with three layers of 7/8 oz is bad enough 4 seems awful!
 
Fantastic question! Yes, those knives are difficult to work around.

I have a lot to say, but found your post late tonight and cannot keep my eyes open.

I promise to come back and give you a step by step how I handle the sheaths for these knives.

While I can tell you before I fall asleep, get a drill press. Its saved me so much time and effort its amazing.

I'll be back asap!!!
 
Isaacherring said:
Just out of curiosity, how many layers of what leather thicknesses including the welt do these bottom sheaths have? I'm curious because I am a leatherworker and I like your work but I have never done that style of sheath, only pouch and pancake, and would like to try one but poking holes to sew with three layers of 7/8 oz is bad enough 4 seems awful!
Click to expand...

I've punched 8-10 layers of 10 ounce leather in one go. Roind aw, a hammer and pliers.....What a pain! Back side of those stitches looks like a drunkard did them. Never again and it was completely un nnecessary. I'd make that sheath differently now.

Thanks to good advice from pros like Leatherman.
 
Yep! I did a very similar technique back in the day. Didn't take me long to find a drill press. My first press was that little Dremel press from Sears, it seemed expensive at the time but quickly paid for itself. A while later I went for a full size bench top model and havent looked back since.

Sorry its taken me so long to get back to this, its been a crazy time getting back to teaching along side running this little business.

For the drill press you will want to try several different bit types. I've discovered some work better than others for drilling holes in leather. Some actually tear up the leather while some actually give a much better hole. I tend toward Black and Decker brand as its very aggressive grind lends well to my rather quick drill technique. Your mileage may vary.

One of my old mentors, Dave Cole, used a drill bit chucked backwards. He would grind an angle in that back part that cuts the hole while the smooth shaft would burnish the hole. I dont have the skill yet, though I've tried, to get that angle right just yet but I have a few dull bits to practice on.

I'm going to work on a step by step on how many layers I do now. Its changed through the years and streamlined quite a bit. I use a lot more skiving now that I didn't used to do. I really like this semi wedge shape my sheaths have now.

More to come!!
 
Just bought myself a brand new Ryobi 10 inch bench top drill press with a light and a fancy laser guide today! Really excited to get this this going, I think it will save me a lot of time stitching and open my work up to other types of sheaths like the ones you have shown here that I have stayed away from because and didn't want to punch through so much leather by hand.
 
Congrats on the drill press!! Ryobi is a great brand. Mine is Delta, but its getting harder and harder to find parts for them.

My sander is also Delta and now discontinued. Looks like I will be shopping around when this one poops out.

The belt/disk sander is my most used benchtop tool in the shop. So much easier to true up those edges then get the nice finish on them with a nice fine belt. I do a final wet sand with the belt that puts a fantastic finish on the edges.
 
I was looking at one of those sanders when I got the press and I definitely will be getting one of those soon too, right now I just use a Dremel with a sanding drum and it leaves a little to be desired.
 
Yea, I tried the drum sander thing back in the day, it is possible but extremely difficult to do smoothly.

Now, I have seen the drum sanding attachment for your drill press, not sure how well they work but I have heard people using them. The cost must be less than a sander machine, but you'll go crazy switching tools out all the time. I use my sander daily, but the drill gets used once or twice a week.
 
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