Leather sheaths: Stitch or rivets?

golok

golok

Joined
Oct 20, 2000
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I have seen leather sheaths that come in both materials.

Admittedly, stitching has got its strong side and beauty. But some people like rivets in leather. I suppose it comes down to individual preferences.

Just wondering if there are any important differences in terms of long term wear and tear which I need to know about.
 
My oldest knife has both stitches and rivets. In those days cotton thread was used which would deteriorate with time, and cotton was far weaker than rivets .Todays dacron thread is far more durable and stronger. Often sheaths today have hollow rivets which can be used for attachment. Rivets are a bit more strong and durable but in doubt use both !!
 
I wish more leather sheath makers would use rivets. I've cut through I don't know how many leather sheaths. The blade slides between the layers of leather and "ZIP"! It's come undone.

A couple aluminum or brass rivets at the throat would in my opinion prolong the life of the sheath many times over. In fact, my father has sheaths that are only held together by the rivets as the stitching has long ago failed.

I love leather sheaths, but find myself more and more replacing them with kydex.
 
If I could get away with using nothing but rivets on my sheaths it would cut my sheath making time in half! But the problem I have is not being able to find the right kind of rivets to do the job. I almost always use a stress relief rivet at the throat and tip just because it's the right thing to do. But I usually wind up using those big heavy copper rivet/collar type and sometimes the copper doesn't go well with the style of sheath I'm working on. I don't usually let that bother me too much but I know there must be a better way. Admittedly, I haven't spent too much time looking for the 'perfect' rivets to replace the stitching I normally do on my sheaths. I always use synthetic sinew and the saddle stitch method with double loops at the beginning and end of each run.

The problem with using rivets instead of stitching is the variable thicknesses of leather and finding the right rivet that I would trust to outlast the leather it's holding together. That's why I use the solid copper rivets and collars. They'll still be there long after the leather rots away from them. I'v often thought of stitching a sheath with heavy copper wire but I haven't figured out a good way to terminate the ends yet. I don't think I'll ever abandon leather for kydex but there sure are some improvements I'd like to make on my leather sheaths. I hope this thread turns into a think tank because I'm sure there's other makers out there struggling with sheaths if they choose to make their own. And I know there are some really fine leather workers out there that specialize in knife sheaths and do outstanding work. I'm just the kind of maker that wants sole authorship in my knifework and feel like making a sheath for a knife is just part of the process of knifemaking. Anyway, good thread. I hope you get some good feedback.
 
I wonder if solid brass Chicago Screws would work? You could put thread locker on them, put them in the hole and tighten the living daylights out of them. They come in varying lenghts and you could file down the post to suit whatever size you wanted. If you're lucky you can find the type with the hole in the back, so the threaded post passes through and you just file off what's left over. On the face they'd look like a rivet too.

Just an idea...
 
Hi to all,
I personally like the rivets. On my own stuff I at least put one at the tip and one on each side of the throat. For sale items I will do it either way. The Tandy quick rivets work pretty well for all thicknesses of leather with a little file work.
I would like to know a supplier for the Chicago screws with the hole all the way through, as mentioned above if someone knows of one.
That would make life better on kydex as well.;)
 
Study old leather gear at acutions and antique stores, you will quickly learn that rivets belong some place and stitching other places. A rivet in the throat where a lot of flex happens will eat through the leather. Stitchig on the belt loop many times gets cut and weakened by the blade cutting into the threads. A well thought out pattern of rivets is better than a single one in my opinion.
 
I've seen Chicago screws with the hole all the way through mainly on rifle slings. I think the brand they sell at Walmart in the sporting goods department has them. If you could find out where who supplies the sling manufacturer you'd be in business.
 
Dave, you old rascal! I've been tempted many times to do just that. But in the end my hard head prevails and every sheath I wade through just hones my leather working skills that much more.

Now I have a good sheath story. Dave, you might even remember this one. I made a knife for a fellow forumite a few years ago. When it came time for the sheath the fellow decided he'd rather have one made by another leather worker. Fine by me! Well, I don't like to ship a 'bare' knife so I had an old failure sitting in my scrap box that fit well enough to serve as a blade cover. I told the fellow I was using an old hunk of junk sheath like object 'just as a blade cover for shipping' and he said "OK".

Then, not long after that he sold the knife here on the forum. And that POS sheath went with it! I still have nightmares about that but I learned a valuable lesson. Don't take anything for granted. When I saw the writeup in the 'for sale' section I wanted to crawl under my house and hide. :eek: I'll never do that again!
 
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