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Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
My first sheath! WIP (photo heavy)
- Thread starter psycho78
- Start date
I decided to put my dremel to use for the holes. Makes things fast and easy. (It's kinda all i had too...)
Cut the grooves and got the stitch holes established with the overstitch wheel.
Not entirely happy with the belt loop....i had to make some room. the sheath is tiny!
Glued up with the Barge cement. Ready for stitching.
Helllloooo sore thumbs!
Knife wrapped in plastic and wet formed a bit to the sheath.
And there it is so far.... the sheath is dry now, and the knife slides in with a secure "click!" and will not shake out. I still have to clean some stuff up, put my edger to use, grind the welt area smooth with my sander, dye the thing etc etc....
this was tough!
More pics to come!
Cut the grooves and got the stitch holes established with the overstitch wheel.
Not entirely happy with the belt loop....i had to make some room. the sheath is tiny!
Glued up with the Barge cement. Ready for stitching.
Helllloooo sore thumbs!
Knife wrapped in plastic and wet formed a bit to the sheath.
And there it is so far.... the sheath is dry now, and the knife slides in with a secure "click!" and will not shake out. I still have to clean some stuff up, put my edger to use, grind the welt area smooth with my sander, dye the thing etc etc....
this was tough!
More pics to come!
It's an overstitch wheel. When you cut your groove with your stitch groover, just run that little wheel into the groove and it marks where all the holes need to be and spaces them evenly. After you've stitched it up, you run the wheel over top of the stitches and it kinda flattens them out and makes the job look neater.
With that said, i need all the help i can get to make stuff neater! lol
With that said, i need all the help i can get to make stuff neater! lol
Thanks tinkerer. The other hard part is doing all of this on your couch and coffee table in a small apartment with very limited tools and supplies. 
I'm feeling the soreness in my hands today... I play guitar and powerlift, and the soreness from those are nothin compared to leatherwork.
I'm feeling the soreness in my hands today... I play guitar and powerlift, and the soreness from those are nothin compared to leatherwork.
It truly is my first. I've just watched the Chuck Burrows video about a billion times now.
At first I would sit there with the remote and pause, rewind, pause, rewind etc. to figure out what he was doing. After I got a little more confident and calmed myself down, I just took off with it without watching the video.
The welt area is sanded smooth, burnished and is ready for some dye. I got some brown, black, and ox blood. i think Brown is the most appropriate. I'll post the final product tomorrow guys. Thanks for all the kind words. :thumbup:
At first I would sit there with the remote and pause, rewind, pause, rewind etc. to figure out what he was doing. After I got a little more confident and calmed myself down, I just took off with it without watching the video.
The welt area is sanded smooth, burnished and is ready for some dye. I got some brown, black, and ox blood. i think Brown is the most appropriate. I'll post the final product tomorrow guys. Thanks for all the kind words. :thumbup:
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2006
- Messages
- 2,912
I was going to mention the video as looking at your progress I thought that you must have watched it. 
You learned it well as this is an outstanding effort, first or not but particularly as a first. It shows the confidence in method of one who has made many sheaths.
I'm looking forward to seeing the completed project.
-Stuart
You learned it well as this is an outstanding effort, first or not but particularly as a first. It shows the confidence in method of one who has made many sheaths.
I'm looking forward to seeing the completed project.
-Stuart
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,440
Dude - I think you are making Chuck proud - you really did a great job thus fat and I think it shows that Chuck put out an excellent product.
It looks a LOT like Chuck's work - sans basket weave. I can see where the stitch groover got away from you a few times - but man - if THOSE are you only mistakes - I think that is great. It just takes DOING IT a few times before you know where to stop and why. Now you are seeing what Chuck didn't mention or talk about in those videos. All the little stuff he does unconsciously because he knows how and why to do it. You will get there to.
One tip - did you notice Chuck using a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the stubborn needles out. Do that to reduce the 'sore thumb' syndrome.
Also - use a slightly larger needle, and modify it to fit your dremel. That way you won't drill out material - it will just punch it out - like a round awl - it will make your stitches slightly stronger because of more leather.
You should have seen my first sheath - I had to rework it about a million times - and it turned out - okay... I have been only doing this for a year and I have a LONG way to go.
You have such a head start with Chuck's videos. NICE.
TF
It looks a LOT like Chuck's work - sans basket weave. I can see where the stitch groover got away from you a few times - but man - if THOSE are you only mistakes - I think that is great. It just takes DOING IT a few times before you know where to stop and why. Now you are seeing what Chuck didn't mention or talk about in those videos. All the little stuff he does unconsciously because he knows how and why to do it. You will get there to.
One tip - did you notice Chuck using a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the stubborn needles out. Do that to reduce the 'sore thumb' syndrome.
Also - use a slightly larger needle, and modify it to fit your dremel. That way you won't drill out material - it will just punch it out - like a round awl - it will make your stitches slightly stronger because of more leather.
You should have seen my first sheath - I had to rework it about a million times - and it turned out - okay... I have been only doing this for a year and I have a LONG way to go.
You have such a head start with Chuck's videos. NICE.
TF
It's funny that you mention the little unconscious little details he does in the video. I had forgotten to do alot of that stuff and kicked myself when it was too late to do it.
It was like "man i should have edged that part!" and "look at me...i totally went too fast on cutting the groove and messed up...shoot."
or getting so anxious to dye the thing i almost forgot to wear gloves etc....lol
This was a fun project. I have learned what to do better next time, and what not to do too. I thank everybody for your nice words and encouragement. Another thanks to Chuck Burrows for being so generous with his knowledge. Hope to post more here really soon. the bug has bitten me quite hard.
Next project - Randall style sheath for an old pilot's survival knife.
OH! here's the finished project. The dye is a bit uneven in places, but I think it has a certain visual appeal. I'm glad it came out that way.
I'm unsure how to finish it. The welt is burnished and slick, and the dye has kind of hardened the sheath and made it shiny. I don't have any Gum tragacanth or bag coat like in the video.
Enough of me babbling. Here she is!
It was like "man i should have edged that part!" and "look at me...i totally went too fast on cutting the groove and messed up...shoot."
or getting so anxious to dye the thing i almost forgot to wear gloves etc....lol
This was a fun project. I have learned what to do better next time, and what not to do too. I thank everybody for your nice words and encouragement. Another thanks to Chuck Burrows for being so generous with his knowledge. Hope to post more here really soon. the bug has bitten me quite hard.
Next project - Randall style sheath for an old pilot's survival knife.
OH! here's the finished project. The dye is a bit uneven in places, but I think it has a certain visual appeal. I'm glad it came out that way.
I'm unsure how to finish it. The welt is burnished and slick, and the dye has kind of hardened the sheath and made it shiny. I don't have any Gum tragacanth or bag coat like in the video.
Enough of me babbling. Here she is!
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,440
I think it looks DAMNED good - for your first - hell - even your tenth. I bet Chuck is smiling ear to ear looking at that sheath, because it is darned nice for a first attempt. You are LEAPS and bounds ahead of most neophytes.
You may have the touch. Make a few more - and see where it takes you.
What I did is I wanted to make my own - I needed to buy the equipment so that I could do it decently. I spent about 200 dollars on leather, tools, dyes, and stuff. I thought, I will make a few sheaths to sell if I am decent enough to pay off my tools. I made a few for myself, was approached by a few people on this board - and here I am - with a hobby I like.
I don't make enough money to even talk about - but it does pay for my addiction - BLADES!
TF
You may have the touch. Make a few more - and see where it takes you.
What I did is I wanted to make my own - I needed to buy the equipment so that I could do it decently. I spent about 200 dollars on leather, tools, dyes, and stuff. I thought, I will make a few sheaths to sell if I am decent enough to pay off my tools. I made a few for myself, was approached by a few people on this board - and here I am - with a hobby I like.
I don't make enough money to even talk about - but it does pay for my addiction - BLADES!
TF
Oh man...I'm the one smiling ear to ear reading all this positive feedback.
I have all the tools that I have because I figured if I was going to make knives, then I'd need to make sheaths too. I'm the kind of guy who prepares for everything, so I spent a few years collecting tools here and there before I even put steel to a belt etc. I figured I had pretty much all I needed to confidently attempt a sheath. I didn't want to do some halfass job and stick some incomplete leather mess into my drawer to be completed later because I didn't have all the right tools. My knifemaking is going alot like that. A bunch of incomplete blades waiting on tools/space. How frustrating.
I'm not sure about the touch. Maybe...lol. I think my success with this one comes from my lifelong fascination (obsession...lol) with knives and bladed implements, and being around outdoorsmen like my father and uncles who know what they want and need out of equipment like this. Having an artistic background doesn't hurt I guess. I love to draw and paint.
Anyway, I have already started on my pilots survival knife. I've been studying some Randall style sheaths, and I think that the styling would be perfect for this old knife.
Stay Tuned!
I have all the tools that I have because I figured if I was going to make knives, then I'd need to make sheaths too. I'm the kind of guy who prepares for everything, so I spent a few years collecting tools here and there before I even put steel to a belt etc. I figured I had pretty much all I needed to confidently attempt a sheath. I didn't want to do some halfass job and stick some incomplete leather mess into my drawer to be completed later because I didn't have all the right tools. My knifemaking is going alot like that. A bunch of incomplete blades waiting on tools/space. How frustrating.
I'm not sure about the touch. Maybe...lol. I think my success with this one comes from my lifelong fascination (obsession...lol) with knives and bladed implements, and being around outdoorsmen like my father and uncles who know what they want and need out of equipment like this. Having an artistic background doesn't hurt I guess. I love to draw and paint.
Anyway, I have already started on my pilots survival knife. I've been studying some Randall style sheaths, and I think that the styling would be perfect for this old knife.
Stay Tuned!
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2010
- Messages
- 106
+1 on that! Damn, it is beautiful. Not only the craftsmanship, but the lines and coloring are superb. I love the way the uneven coloring in the leather picks up the same brown tones in the antler of the knife handle.
Eric
Thanks Eric. I thought that about the handle too. The dye is uneven, but I think it looks really unique. Before I dyed it, I cleaned the leather really well with alcohol like Chuck instructs on his video, but some leather just does what it wants to do I guess.
I think the brown compliments the knife nicely. The uneven dye, and the little dings and mistakes I made sort of gives it a worn or aged look, which suits the knife too. Purely accidental.
I think the brown compliments the knife nicely. The uneven dye, and the little dings and mistakes I made sort of gives it a worn or aged look, which suits the knife too. Purely accidental.
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2010
- Messages
- 2
Hey Guys I am the uncle that he made the knife sheath for, I went to his dads house the other day, my brother, and he said my nephew had my knife sheath done for my little german knife,he pulled it out and WOW I was floored this thing is beautiful the pic's don't do it justice I have not seen one custom made as fine as this one, the knife snaps in like a molded gun holster it wont drop out any way you want to hang it,I know it was his first one but as always he has out done himself on this project, I am stoked to have the first one and proud as a uncle can be of my nephew who took the time, effort and care to make this for me, I will ware it with pride, :thumbup:Everyone I have shown it to says the same thing, can I get him to make me one and I say yes you can for a small fee of about ????? I have no idea, but mine was free, Not many uncles get to brag on there nephew on a fourm like this but I sure am proud to do just that, he will go far in everything he does because he has passion for the things he loves to do, Thanks buddy I will treasure it always, Your ole uncle Deadeyedink.
sheathmaker
Custom Leather Sheaths
- Joined
- May 18, 2005
- Messages
- 4,650
You did well on your first sheath, my friend! In looking at your WIP pictures, I could not help but notice that the quality of your leather was working hard against you. The flesh side (back side) of that particular leather is plenty rough and I suspect very loose and/or spongy and the fact that you turned out such a fine looking sheath is testament to your ability. Should you decide to start stamping to embellish your sheaths, that type leather will stretch like mad unless you install a full lining, and even then could cause you some frustration.
Keep up the good work. You are off to a great start!
Paul
Keep up the good work. You are off to a great start!
Paul
