These are my first two sheaths. The pictures really don't catch all of the detail, but the second is a big improvement over the first. I have several questions so I can continue to improve my quality. First off, these are for a Mora #1 and a Mora 1/0. I have been reading a lot of chatter online about Mora knives so I had to order a couple to see them for myself. I figured my first few sheaths would be a little rough so the Mora's were the first test subjects. Everything I have learned has been from reading several websites online.
The smaller of the two (Mora 1/0) was the first and I learned from several mistakes on this one. As you can see it was cut left handed. I realized the mistake and decided it really wouldn't matter since it would be a neck knife (and probably more errors). I used Tejas waxed polyester thread on this one. It is my opinion that there is too much wax on this thread. Next time I will run it through my fingers several times to get less wax. I used a stitch groover, but I didn't use it properly. I had more of a scratch instead of a groove. I should have also skived the loop to make it more flush as several of you have recommended to others. I used a diamond shape awl, which is the way to go in my opinion. On the Mora Classic #1 I used a large blunt tip needle and my drill press to push through. Overall, it was much more effort in the stitching process. I will be going back to the awl.
My questions deal with the stitching process. For the small sheath I ran the groover (ended up with a scratch) around the sheath and used a over-stitch wheel to mark the awl holes on one side. I then glued it up and then used to awl to make the holes. The front side looks ok because I used the over-stitch wheel marks as a guide. The back side of the sheath is very uneven. I did punch the holes in the groove mark, but the distance between the holes is not perfectly even. For the second sheath I made the groove around the edge (I used the tool properly and got an actual groove), used the over-stitch wheel on one side, and then used the drill press/needle to punch holes on the font side. Next, I punched the very top hole through both sides and then ran the over-stitch wheel on the backside so I would have a guide on this one. I used a needle to carefully punch the holes in the proper place on the backside and then glued. Neither of the processes mentioned gave the best ending result. When I fold the sheath to glue I would dampen it and get the edges lined up. I had to shape and persuade on both sheaths. Is this from the welt being cut too long? The groove mark on the backside is not directly below the groove on the front side. I had to point the needle at an angle to get the hole to hit both grooves. Any idea on how I can correct this issue?
The next issue is on the edges. I was very please with the first sheath, but not the second. See the pictures. I used the same process for edging. The piece of leather I used on the second did not appear as uniform and smooth as the first sheath. You can see a scar or wrinkle in the top left near the stitching. The leather also feels softer after being finished. I can also see the thickness of the welt is not even. I will pay more attention to that in the future. Anyone have a guess on what may have happened?
Thanks for any advice. They may not be the prettiest, but they will serve their purpose. I hope to keep improving over time.
The smaller of the two (Mora 1/0) was the first and I learned from several mistakes on this one. As you can see it was cut left handed. I realized the mistake and decided it really wouldn't matter since it would be a neck knife (and probably more errors). I used Tejas waxed polyester thread on this one. It is my opinion that there is too much wax on this thread. Next time I will run it through my fingers several times to get less wax. I used a stitch groover, but I didn't use it properly. I had more of a scratch instead of a groove. I should have also skived the loop to make it more flush as several of you have recommended to others. I used a diamond shape awl, which is the way to go in my opinion. On the Mora Classic #1 I used a large blunt tip needle and my drill press to push through. Overall, it was much more effort in the stitching process. I will be going back to the awl.
My questions deal with the stitching process. For the small sheath I ran the groover (ended up with a scratch) around the sheath and used a over-stitch wheel to mark the awl holes on one side. I then glued it up and then used to awl to make the holes. The front side looks ok because I used the over-stitch wheel marks as a guide. The back side of the sheath is very uneven. I did punch the holes in the groove mark, but the distance between the holes is not perfectly even. For the second sheath I made the groove around the edge (I used the tool properly and got an actual groove), used the over-stitch wheel on one side, and then used the drill press/needle to punch holes on the font side. Next, I punched the very top hole through both sides and then ran the over-stitch wheel on the backside so I would have a guide on this one. I used a needle to carefully punch the holes in the proper place on the backside and then glued. Neither of the processes mentioned gave the best ending result. When I fold the sheath to glue I would dampen it and get the edges lined up. I had to shape and persuade on both sheaths. Is this from the welt being cut too long? The groove mark on the backside is not directly below the groove on the front side. I had to point the needle at an angle to get the hole to hit both grooves. Any idea on how I can correct this issue?
The next issue is on the edges. I was very please with the first sheath, but not the second. See the pictures. I used the same process for edging. The piece of leather I used on the second did not appear as uniform and smooth as the first sheath. You can see a scar or wrinkle in the top left near the stitching. The leather also feels softer after being finished. I can also see the thickness of the welt is not even. I will pay more attention to that in the future. Anyone have a guess on what may have happened?
Thanks for any advice. They may not be the prettiest, but they will serve their purpose. I hope to keep improving over time.
