My 6th sheath, would like critique and/or suggestions for improvement

[PIndelicato]

I finished my 6th knife sheath today, and I'd like to to get some feedback on it (design, execution, dye, color choice...anything at all that anyone would like to offer.) It's modeled after the pouch sheath in Chuck Burrows/Wild Rose Trading's sheath making DVD, which I've followed closely.

The stamping isn't perfect and I think my basket weave stamp is too large for this small of a sheath, and I got a little carried away with the contact cement around the belt loop, but otherwise I'm pretty happy with it. The dye is Fiebings Pro Oil dark brown, which is a little darker than I had in mind but it looks light years better than the EcoFlo from Tandy that I've used previously. Top coat is Tandy Satin Sheen, and leather is Tandy ~8 oz mystery veg. tanned 'shoulder.'

Thanks in advance for any input or suggestions for changes/improvements!

 

[T.K.C.]

That is a GREAT looking sheath. It looks perfect to me.

 

[rayban]

I agree with TKC...word for word...:thumbup:

 

[HammerForge]

The basket weave is awesome. Very clean and cut well. Do you use an edge cote or smooth with a brass rod to finish the edges and corners? I've been making falcon hoods for a few years and appreciate fine leather work like what is exemplified here.

 

[PIndelicato]

That is a GREAT looking sheath. It looks perfect to me.

I agree with TKC...word for word...:thumbup:

I promise it has plenty of flaws, but thank you for those very generous comments!

The basket weave is awesome. Very clean and cut well. Do you use an edge cote or smooth with a brass rod to finish the edges and corners? I've been making falcon hoods for a few years and appreciate fine leather work like what is exemplified here.

Hammer, thank you also for your nice words! I've been using a sharpie pen for burnishing as it seems to work better than anything else I've tried so far. I burnished as follows: water during construction, and then using gum tragacanth after dye but before finish. There is a flaw/gap towards the top in either the welt or outer layer, and another maybe 2/3 way down...is that what made you ask or are there other problems I need to address with the edges?

 

[Diomedes Industries]

I have heard that you do not need to close the U stitches on the back of the flap (belt loop). You can simply leave it a U and it will be stronger. Not really a criticism - just food for thought.

Your tooling is great for this early in the game I think.

TF

 

[TekSec]

Dude, you've seriously found your calling. Very nice!

 

[rayban]

Paul, this is not criticism, but just something I started doing recently and I likey...before I scallop, I bevel the scallop line with a textured bevel tool. It kinda makes the scallop line less harsh which I like, and gives the scallop itself another dimension.
Just something I thought you may be interested in trying sometime.

 

[ken erickson]

I have heard that you do not need to close the U stitches on the back of the flap (belt loop). You can simply leave it a U and it will be stronger. Not really a criticism - just food for thought.

when I was making sheaths I was told the same thing. I think it makes sense. That being said this sheath rocks!! :thumbup: Great job!

Ken

 

[SBranson]

Looks good!
I agree that the basketweave stamp is a bit big for this size of sheath and likely causes control problems. It's definitely harder to hide the "imperfections".
Your cut lines are really clean and straight. Nice work.
Stitching is even and burnishing looks good.
Do you use a sander or a sanding block to smooth out the edge? I once made a sheath that I thought was "perfect" and the guy told me he could feel a little flat on the curve down by the tip.. Well I sand that area with particular attention, now.

It's a great looking sheath, you should be proud!:thumbup:

I'll have to try that oil dye, it looks really rich.

If you think you're responsible for those voids in the welt, you're not, it's the leather's fault. I've had Tandy leather do the same and it's frustrating.

Paul, this is not criticism, but just something I started doing recently and I likey...before I scallop, I bevel the scallop line with a textured bevel tool. It kinda makes the scallop line less harsh which I like, and gives the scallop itself another dimension.
Just something I thought you may be interested in trying sometime.

Interesting idea.

 

[PIndelicato]

Thanks for all the nice comments, tips, and feedback! That's interesting that fewer stitches in the belt loop would actually be stronger, does anyone have a theory as to why that is?

rayban, do you have any pics of either your textured bevel tool or the beveled scalloped line? It sounds interesting, but I'm not 100% sure that I'm picturing what you are describing.

SBranson, I mostly sand the edges with a sanding drum on a dremel, but sometimes I also use a belt sander. On this particular sheath, I used the belt sander on the areas I could reach with it, and then the dremel in the tighter radiuses where the belt wouldn't fit. In the pics from the front, there looks to be sort of a flat spot approaching the tip of the sheath, is this what you are referring to? It's not as evident in person, so I'm not sure whether it's there or if it's an artifact of the photography (or maybe it's just more noticeable in the pix.)

Thanks everyone!

 

[Swivelknife]

The sheath is well done!! I am doubtful what is meant by the scalloped line, interpretation, please?

 

[PIndelicato]

Thank you Swivelknife. I'm not certain what he's describing either, so hopefully he can fill us both in!

 

[SBranson]

I've heard that if you stitch across the loop the stress on it can cause a "zipper" effect and tear along the line. I haven't heard that not stitching is stronger but that to angle the stitching like you've done is stronger than straight across.

I think what is meant by the bevel on the scalloped line is along the cut line. Bevel in towards the basketweave a little before the scallop stamp to soften the half circles.
Does that make sense?

Yes I did mean what looks like a little flat there. I don't mean to detract from a great sheath and maybe it's a shadow from photography but the line of the sheath really flows until that apparent flat. It's a minor thing but it helped me when it was pointed out to me so I thought I would mention it.

 

[PIndelicato]

I've heard that if you stitch across the loop the stress on it can cause a "zipper" effect and tear along the line. I haven't heard that not stitching is stronger but that to angle the stitching like you've done is stronger than straight across.

I think what is meant by the bevel on the scalloped line is along the cut line. Bevel in towards the basketweave a little before the scallop stamp to soften the half circles.
Does that make sense?

Yes I did mean what looks like a little flat there. I don't mean to detract from a great sheath and maybe it's a shadow from photography but the line of the sheath really flows until that apparent flat. It's a minor thing but it helped me when it was pointed out to me so I thought I would mention it.

Now that you mention the zipper effect, I do remember Chuck talking about that in the DVD.

I'm thankful for your feedback, and I will be more careful to make sure I'm not getting a flat there in the future. I noticed it too in the photos, but in person it looks that way from some angles and not from others, so I'm still not sure what it is.

Thanks again!

 

[hushnel]

Beautifiul, absolutely beautiful, rayban pointed out the only thing I saw from the pictures. What he is talking about is primarily noticed at the bar that divides the basket weave. The beveler is used to enhance the 2 dimensional look of the tooling. It is an opinion and I’m sure others would disagree. The plain un-tooled part of the pattern will stand out more predominantly, the basket weave is pushed back from this edge and gives greater dimension to the pattern.

If you look closely at the imprint of the basket weave stamp you will notice that part of the imprint looks like it is weaving under the adjacent imprint, this is the effect you're going for at the boarders, you want the basket weave to appear it's going into and under the border, This is done with a bevel tool before stamping with the basket weave tool.

In many cases a line cut into the leather needs one side of it beveled to create the image of dimention. I looked for some on-line resources but couldn't find anything that explained it with pictures.

Don't be distracted by it keep doing what you're doing, it's all good.

 

[PIndelicato]

Thanks hushnel for your input and very nice comments! I think I understand the beveling suggestion now and I do believe have a beveler as part of my carving set, although I don't think it's textured. I will try to remember to use that the next time I do a sheath.

 

[hushnel]

Take some scrap and practice, your knife control is good along with the depth but start working on scrolls and what are called decorative cuts, if you’re thinking you may want to get into more elaborate tooling like western scroll or the Sheridan style.

You have the fundamental control and skill to go any way you want with your tooling and leather constructions, all the fundaments are right there in this sheath.

 

[PIndelicato]

Thanks again, hushnel. I will occasionally try something quickly on a piece of scrap before I go 'live' with it, but I really need to sit down and just practice some things to get better at this.

Since you mention carving, here are a couple of pictures of my 2nd sheath (first on which I gave some carving a try.) The border layout was botched, but I thought the carving itself turned out well for my first try. If you don't mind, I'd love to get some input on the carving as to what looks right or wrong to you so I can do better the next time I give it a try.

 

[hushnel]

Try the same pattern again, I bet you would see a big improvement. In this example your dept is a little shallow. Just a few of your cuts are a little off, though it could well be the leather itself, I think, like I mentioned above you would find you've gained a lot of control since #2.

Your pear shading is good. Here is an example of some tooling I did about four years ago, not the best but look at how the decorative cuts add to the carving. Notice how some depth pushes the image up. You can see the basket weave got away from me a bit, live and learn. You may be able to see in this picture how the border rises above the basket weave.

I'm at home on a small net book. Email me or PM. I would like to photo shop your # 2 project just to point out a few small things pointed out to me when I was starting out.