my best sheath yet.

[The_cutting_edge]

this is my 3rd sheath.
I picked up a basic stamp set from tandy leather. Then I played around on some small scrap peices. Once I got the feel for the stamps I did the belt strap.

once I got that done I went ahead and did the front.

customer is a friend so I had to grab this from him for a couple min. today to grab some shots with the Iphone. as I forgot to take any pix when he got the knife a couple months ago. He says he loves it and it built like a tank and holds the knife in well.
any critiques would be greatly appreciated. I have thick skin so if it sucks please let me know so I can improve.
Thanks
J.leclair

 

[GrizzlyBear]

Sheath design looks great! Here are some observations I have made:

-Edges need burnishing and finishing; all edges, including the throat of the sheath and the belt loop.

-Your stitching looks good, but I'm not sure why you used a single running stitch on the outside seam unless for aesthetic reasons. I would change this to the saddle stitch using 2 needles or go back and double the running stitch hitting the opposite sides

-The stitches securing the belt loop appear to be above the surface of the leather. This can cause problems with the knife hitting the stitches and possibly cutting them when the knife is sheathed. To eliminate this, groove the inside of the leather where your stitch line will be. Once the belt loop is stitched, go back over it with an overstitch wheel or tap the stitches with a small hammer to set them even with the surface of the leather.

-It looks like you've tied knots to secure the thread on the back of the sheath. While there is nothing wrong with this, you can make for a cleaner look by backstitching a few stitches and cutting the thread on the back side. A sharp exacto knife works to trim the thread just inside the hole. If you want a little extra security on the thread, a drop of super glue in the hole will hold it tight.

-Grooving across the belt loop so deep like that may cause the belt loop to fail in the future as you have removed most of the strength of the leather.

-In the last picture, you can see where that leather piece ends inside the throat of the sheath. I would suggest making this piece go the full width of the sheath instead of stopping, this will also cure potential cutting of the belt loop stitches.

...Unless, you are using the depression for the knife to sit in. If that is the case, I would make it mimic the contour of the knife handle so it sort of helps lock the knife into place.


These are all constructive criticisms and I hope they will help you.

 

[The_cutting_edge]

thank you for your input. every little bit helps

 

[GrizzlyBear]

No problem! I did notice, though, that the running stitch around the outside is doubled, which is better than using a single piece of thread. Don't know how I missed that during my first look, lol.