New Guy Making his First Sheath

E

elkhills

Joined
Oct 10, 2010
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Man, there is so much knowledge on these boards- it blows my mind! Been poking around the old threads a little, learning a little :)

So I made myself a knife, first one since 10th grade many, many years ago. I'm fairly happy with it (okay, proud of myself!). The handle is just a piece of leftover Cherry from a project, but it should age to a nice deep, dark reddish-brown.
Now it needs a sheath to match!



Went to a Tandy Leather shop and picked up some leather marked 8-10 oz. And of course rivets, thread, etc. They were out of the dye and button studs I wanted, so they are in the mail... I'm waiting impatiently :grumpy:
Anyway, couldn't stand it so I started early on the back piece; sewed the belt loop fold- at a slight angle for a sort of angled cross draw- just thought that would be kinda cool.
I want to add a loop in the welt for a Fire Steel (which is going to be modded- I have a super cool idea for that!), and maybe too ambisious for a first sheath but I want a little pouch on the front for a stone and a few other goodies.


That little orange thing came with our pumpkin carving kit- I used it to mark the stitches. They are too close together I realise now, and there are 15 teeth so I cant just snip off every other one. I'm thinking I can still use it for the rest, I'll just drill (with an extra needle) and stitch every other hole? I measured, there will be 6 holes per inch if I skip every other one- is that close enough?
I'm new, but I'm hopeful this is the kind of place to share and encourage each other- I would love to get some advice from you guys, I want it to turn out nice on the first try!
ps. I bought enough leather to do it over 2 or 3 more times, just in case ;)
 
Nice to see you over on BF! Since I gave you my feedback on ZS I won't bother cluttering up this thread, but I'll keep an eye on it ;)
 
Nice Knife! Six holes to the inch will be just about perfect for your project.

Good Luck

Paul
 
Thank you! I think I have it all planned out well... we'll see!
Making slow progress- working a TON, so little time for this right now. Got my parts roughed out, and dyed though :)


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What do you think about the placement of the retaining straps "Sam Browne Button"? I want to put it on the sheaths left side at the top part of the welt. Seems like a better way might be right in the middle like this one, but I dont think I like the look of that as much :?
Louderbacksheath.jpg
 
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Definitely the centered stud--check out Paul's work for inspiration on how to make it look good ;)
 
Sometimes off centered works as well. :) It depends on a few factors, the guard on the knife being the main one. If the guard isnt very pronounced then an off set snap/stud is the way to go for a more secure lock in. I dont do many centered snaps, usually only when its required for a balanced look meaning function following form.

The stud on this one is well off the welt line, but offset to allow room for the pouch.
RC5front.jpg


Another offset snap.
chad222.jpg


This one is centered simply because it looked better that way, and the guard on the knife is very pronounced.
charity3.jpg
 
-Leatherman, that RAT looks a whole lot like what I'm after- thanks for posting! Image saved to my phone for further ogleing :)
I am planning on a pouch too, which must be larger than yours because it takes up a lot of real estate on the front. Wasn't quite sure how to share a spot top center of my sheath to be.
Nice work BTW!
 
-Leatherman, that RAT looks a whole lot like what I'm after- thanks for posting! Image saved to my phone for further ogleing :)
I am planning on a pouch too, which must be larger than yours because it takes up a lot of real estate on the front. Wasn't quite sure how to share a spot top center of my sheath to be.
How did you do the loop in the welt? All one piece?
Nice work BTW!
 
The loop on the side is a separate piece, I cut a slot out of the welt and fit the loop with a piece of the welt inside as a spacer. Its normally possible to get it at least close to the same thickness.
 
Made some progress on the sheath! Didn't really document much because I expected it to come out sh!tty. Jury's still out, I have some fine tuning to do to it still...
Better pics will follow tomorrow if I'm not ashamed of the final product :lol:

Setting the "Sam Browne" Button

Here's the rough idea. Three guesses what the little baseball bat at the top will be :?:

My rivets don't fit right! They are too long, and hammering them down just bends them. I experimented and I think I can grind/cut/tweak them to size? I'm probably going to try tomorrow, unless one of you guys hits me up with an idea tonight.
 
If you believe your work needs rivets to hold it together, get the right size rivets to begin with.....or grind them down to fit.

Personaly, since your stitching is being done over the welt, rivets aren't serving any purpose, but if you like that look..............

Otherwise you're doing a good job....on the leather and tutorial:thumbup:
 
Just a suggestion, I would look into a good contact cement. No need to clamp the pieces in place while the glue dries. Hobby Lobby has Barge in the blue tubes. Apply to both pieces, let it set, then stick and lightly tap with a hammer. :)
 
GrizzlyBear said:
Just a suggestion, I would look into a good contact cement. No need to clamp the pieces in place while the glue dries. Hobby Lobby has Barge in the blue tubes. Apply to both pieces, let it set, then stick and lightly tap with a hammer. :)
Click to expand...
Check. I thought I had bought the super duper good stuff (labeled for leather & everything), turned out to hold not well at all. Dont get me wrong, it stuck, but would peel up in places if not held long enough. Lesson learned.

I'm going to redo the strap, but here she is 99% done.
154558_1482522739046_1113159933_31146776_1064601_n.jpg
 
Also, sand/scuff the leather on the smooth side before applying the contact cement. Pay attention to it as it dries/sets, if it loses its gloss, apply some more glue and let set again. It should be dry and glossy to get best adhesion.
 
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