Making a pouch sheath - Apprentice Thread.

They make a v-gouger that works great for free hand gouging of belt loops, insides and the like. The edge one from Tandy gets clogged up fairly easy. There are also some good ones on the auction site from Japan that work great. The Vergez Blanchard creaser is as good of one as I have found and works extremely well for making dual stitch runs and will gouge if your heavy handed with it but it is a pricey tool.

Better leather will make a world of difference but you guys are doing great from what I see. Take your time, people tend to speed up the closer to the end of a project they get. Slow down, don't focus on the end result just enjoy the process, patience is your biggest asset when working with your hands.
 
I've (finally) finished up my first sheath and I'm pretty happy with the results. It's certainly not without flaws, but I learned a lot along the way and will improve on future ones. Too big things I learned are: medium brown dye is VERY dark and contact cement must be carefully applied to allow for an even dye.

I found the v-gouger tool worked well for the edges, but not so well at freehand for the belt loop and such. I also had a little difficulty in getting an even line with the creaser, it seemed to bit too deep at times and others it just slid along the surface. I'm sure a large part of the problem lies in my inexperience with the tools. Practice makes perfect :).

Anyways, here is the result - a butterfly a la Paul Long (you can tell what videos I've been watching) with a thick welt - all feedback is welcome.

Cheers,
David






 
write2dgray:
Very nice sheath, and great pictures! It certainly looks like you are well on your way. For me, too, the tools have a learning curve --some more than others.
Rich
 
Write2DrGray,

Who taught you how to make a sheath? You SUCK! ;)

Looks great man. Like I said on our text conversation. I can see, with you in particular, better leather will make a HUGE difference.

Keep it up - and as always - we have shared a meal together now - so we are friends. Let me know if there is anything I can do.

TF
 
Thanks for all the kind words guys :). At my current productivity level, if I made minimum wage and charged by the hour on this first one it would cost more than the knife!

The experience is priceless and I once again must extend my gratitude to Tal and others who have shared there knowledge to get me this far :).

In the spirit of giving back, I attempted to attach the .pdf and .cad for this recluse sheath, but it doesn't appear to be possible. If anyone ever has interest please PM or email and I'd be happy to help.

Cheers,
David
 
TF and the crew, can I ask a few questions?

I've finally gotten some more leather tools (adjustable stitch groover, #2 edge beveler, needles/thread, groover) but I have yet to get a #5 stitch wheel. It's next in my list BUT it looks like I'm soon to be snowed in again. Is there something else I could use as a subsitute? Part of me really wants to try to stitch up some of the sheath blanks Skystorm was generous enough to let me purchase. But part of me says 'wait' til I get the right hand tools. What do you think?

The next question is about dye. I have a bottle of Fiebings Med brown that is only about a 1/4-1/3 full. The dye is really much darker than I had hoped. Can I fill it up with isopropyl alcohol and dilute it and end up with a lighter color?? Btw, Light Brown Dye is also on my next list. :)
 
schmittie said:
TF and the crew, can I ask a few questions?

I've finally gotten some more leather tools (adjustable stitch groover, #2 edge beveler, needles/thread, groover) but I have yet to get a #5 stitch wheel. It's next in my list BUT it looks like I'm soon to be snowed in again. Is there something else I could use as a subsitute? Part of me really wants to try to stitch up some of the sheath blanks Skystorm was generous enough to let me purchase. But part of me says 'wait' til I get the right hand tools. What do you think?

The next question is about dye. I have a bottle of Fiebings Med brown that is only about a 1/4-1/3 full. The dye is really much darker than I had hoped. Can I fill it up with isopropyl alcohol and dilute it and end up with a lighter color?? Btw, Light Brown Dye is also on my next list. :)
Click to expand...

Hey Schmittie I forget where I saw it but I saw someone use a fork to space their stitch holes, thought it looked like a pretty good idea and should work in a pinch if you don't have an overstitch wheel.
 
schmittie said:
... I have yet to get a #5 stitch wheel. It's next in my list BUT it looks like I'm soon to be snowed in again. Is there something else I could use as a subsitute?...
Click to expand...


I don't have one either and don't plan on getting one.


I use a pair of dividers, put a block between the arms and tape them together to keep them from spreading. It is a bit slow going but it gives you the opportunity to play around with the number of stitches per inch.

However, if making large stuff with long runs of stitching I'd spring for a wheel.



P.S....I'm cheap;)
 
Schmittie,

Rubbing alcohol. Chuck Burrows does it that way and he has NEVER steered me wrong. Denatured is what is in it as far as my research shows. Do a test piece and you should be fine.

Honestly, I would wait. Not because you couldn't do it - but the OVER stitching process really does make the stitching look better.

TF
 
I used to use grain alcohol from the liquor store. 190 proof and knock the top of your head off if ingested:D. Regular denatured is very good. You can use it to dilute and make custom colors very easily. I'm with Tal on the over stitch wheel. Get the one from Tandy that has several wheels. The shorter length is just right for inlay stitch length and other projects, too. Not a major investment and by running it over the finished stitch line your stitches will sit tighter and look much better.
 
Hey guys. I just finished my first knife and I now have a few knives that need sheaths badly. Chief among them being my FF Kephart. I love making things and I've made a few things in leather, but never a decent sheath.

Anyway, the other day I ordered 2 square feet of leather and I'm hoping it's good stuff. It's Hermann Oak, but I've never had anything from them.

This is what I ordered (or already had)

Groover (adjustable)
6 stitch per inch overstitcher
Adjustable beveler
Waxed thread
10 (00) harness needles
Needle nose pliers
Contact cement
Fiebings Green and black dyes
Eco flo sealer
Black 1" D rings
Wool daubers
Yellow nylon mallet
Various kinds of brushes

And probably a bunch of other stuff that I can't recall atm.

Anything I'm leaving out that is critical? I'm pretty good at making due.

My question is in regards to the green dye. The knife I made has green burlap scales and I want to incorporate the green into the sheath somehow. I have a number of shaders and stamps, basket weave and other stamps. I just don't feel confident in doing a design, mostly because I only have the two square feet coming. Any ideas on a good way to incorporate the green dye? What is used as a resist when dying? I chose green because it will go well with all of my knives.



How many sheaths can you get out of two square feet? I have that knife above, the Kephart and a Karda. I'd like two of them to have danglers. Just need to know if I should order more leather.

Thanks guys.

Here's a thread with pics of the knife I made if you care to see it.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1158844
 
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I would watch the video series and see what tools I use and perhaps tools you can do without. I also list my tools on the first page of this post.

Be sure to post your result.

TF
 
Thanks Tal. I watched a lot of the video footage, but not all. I mostly went by the tool list. It kinda blows my mind about how much Tandy (and others) get for some of the tools. I know that they are pretty specialized, but it's still a bit outrageous. I had the over stitch wheel and adjustable beveler (I think that's what it's called) as well as the mallet and other stuff.

Any idea how many sheaths I can get from the 12x24" piece of leather? I haven't seen that discussed, but could have missed it.
 
Tal, I just want to thank you for creating this apprentice thread. I will definitely be using all of the knowledge that you have freely shared here, but it will take me a while to get everything tool wise and materials wise. I just have too many hobbies right now, and I currently do not have the time nor the disposable income. I would also like to thank the other makers and craftsman who have contributed here as well. One of my mentors a long time ago told me that "you have to give it away in order to keep it." So true.

You will probably not be monitoring this thread by the time I get around to making sheaths on my own, but I have watched your videos and have read a great deal of this thread, so I am certain that I will be able to proceed with confidence.

Thank you again. Walt
 
Strigamort- I usually figure one square foot per sheath for medium to large knives. That includes the body, belt loop and welt. You may have enough to do a dangler out of that amount, just depends on layout. Doing a Kephart should allow you plenty of leather to do what you want with one square foot. The one piece (body and loop) can make layout a bit more difficult with the length of the loop, but still leaves a lot of leather to use. Hermann Oak should be a top quality leather to use.
 
Hey thanks Rick! I expect the supplies to be here in a couple of days. I really don't want to skimp on the Kephart sheath in order to leave enough for the Karda and the little wharncliffe that I made.

Also glad to hear that the leather should be good. It seemed pretty expensive (about $18 per foot shipped) and I read as many threads as I could find on the brand. One person said that the quality use to be as good as anything else in the past, but that it isn't as good any more. That thread was a few years old, and I have no idea how accurate that opinion is.

I'm still a bit miffed by the price of some of the tools. If you buy direct from China some are about 10 times less expensive. I doubt the quality is much different too because I have some Tandy tools and they are meh...

Maybe I should start making high end tools to sell. I could probably make top quality stuff for the same price as some of these middle to low quality items. :mad:
 
Gee, I didn't know Hermann Oak was that high. I pay less than half that for bends (select part of the back that is very uniform in thickness and very few flaws). May be due to the smaller amount of leather purchased, too. Single or double shoulders are much less expensive and serve very well for sheath work. I do realize that you don't want to have a bunch of leather sitting around, but remember, it doesn't have to be fed any more and won't spoil. You seem to have most of the basic tools for what you want to do, so get the last pieces and go forward. Keep in mind that cheap tools, like cheap leather, can and will, make your work harder and look poorer.
 
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