New Pants Dance for a Couple of HI Favorites

Steely_Gunz

Steely_Gunz

Got the Khukuri fevah
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May 9, 2002
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Well today at work I got a little bored...OK really bored. I had a lot of time on my hands but not a lot of supplies, so I made a couple of quick and dirty prototype sheaths for my Farm Knife and K'bit out of the last of some leather scraps I had in the back.

The Farm Knife is one of my favorite non-khuk blades. It's got a lot of utility stored up in the size, shape, and mass of the it all. However, it's also really nimble for such a robust chopper. It kinda reminds me of one of those football defensive linemen that weigh like 370 pounds but can up and sprint when they need to. I built a quick draw sheath that would hold it about 15 degrees on a belt. It's almost horizontal in order to keep it out of the way (I didn't want to make another vertical one). What it is really designed to do is be lashed to a rucksack on the side but cocked at a slight angle in order to be drawn quickly. The fit turned out just fine. The finish is lacking until the next go around. I would say I have it 85% where I want it should I make another one for it.

My next project sheath was for my EDC K'bit. Ever since these lil' monsters were introduced some 6 or 7 years ago, I have usually had one on my person more often than not. This particular one had a sheath with a very loose belt loop from the shop. I pulled it off as soon as it arrived, and just resorted to stuffing it in my belt when I wanted to carry it:o I figured that it was time to update the design a bit. It carries about about 20 degrees in the 5 o'clock position of my back, grip down. It rides in such a way that it can be drawn in a conventional hammer grip or a reverse grip. All of my sheaths are custom fit with a weld that locks the blade in place. This one is balanced in such a way that *fingers crossed* the blade should never work its way loose unless I want to pull it out.
I figured that while I use the K'bit as a utility knife most of the time, the sheath should probably be designed in such a way to accommodate the blades more martial or sinister purposes:D It rides high, tight, and out-o-sight under a standard length t-shirt. I'd take a pic, but NO ONE likes those self taken butt shots, right:D?

OK, a couple crappy cell phone pics:) Like I said, these are just prototypes. Lots of rough edges and mid-manufacture design boo-boos when I decided to change my mind:p The edges need to be hand sanded (I just hit them on a stone grinder:D) and another couple coats of stain need to be applied as well as a sealant.

IMG00163-20110126-16052.jpg

Here they are side by side.
IMG00164-20110126-1606.jpg

Here they are partially drawn to show the quick draw properties.

quickdraw1.jpg

And here is just a picture of Quick Draw :D

Anyway, these were fun little time killers. Got a bad case of the uglies, but they will function just fine until I pick up some more supplies in a couple weeks....and decide that I want to make another sheath or two;)

Thanks for lookin':)
 
Nice work on the sheaths, can't keep my K'bit in the sheath for a carry, just that bit too loose. I'll have to find someone that can make one, saw a nice one made back around '95 (I think)...what model K'bit is that? The one I have doesn't have that angle on the finger hole end. Would like to get one of those. Also will need to get a Farmer's one of these days, like the look.
 
Nice job Jake! Can you show the back of them as well?

Also, what type of leather did you use? Is it lined? What stitch? How did you design it?

Thanks,
Bill
Virginia
 
shortwinger said:
Nice job Jake! Can you show the back of them as well?

Also, what type of leather did you use? Is it lined? What stitch? How did you design it?

Thanks,
Bill
Virginia
Click to expand...

Now why would I go and show the backside of these things, Bill?:D Trust me, the reverse is akin to those houses you see with front yard mowed, the weeds pulled, and maybe even a flower or two by the mailbox. The backyard however, has grass 10" high, a dead sapling, and about 100 dog-induced "landmines". AKA: My yard:P I don't line groove the backside where the stitching comes in simply because 1) no one is going to see that bit of pretty fluff and 2) my process (brutal as it may be) is to custom fit the sheath to the knife as I go along. Sometimes the front and the back aren't the same size when I start:D

The leather that I use is whatever I have on hand. There is a Tandy Leather supply in Louisville just 5 mins from my mother in law's house. About 3 times I year I load up with a couple shoulders of moo-skin, some heavy duty thread, a few bottles of dye, and maybe some misc snaps and doodads that I think might look cool. I'm completely out of everything right now, but as luck would have it we're heading that way next weekend for my sister-in-laws baby shower. My wife is going to take our daughter and coo over all the baby junk. I'm heading to Tandy to get some supplies:cool:

The leather I used this time I have had FOREVER. I generally like the 6-8 oz stuff. It allows me to make slab style sheathes with two sides and weld along the edge that are wide enough for bigger HI blades to fit. My wife actually bought me the leather I used this go around. She told the guy at the shop what I wanted to do, and he loaded her up with a shoulder thick enough to quite literally be used for armor. 3 pieces stacked up measure close to 1/2". You can't wet mold the stuff, you can't cut it with shears. You pretty much have to use an xacto knife. In other words, it's a royal pain, and it's taken me 3 years to finally use it all up:D

The leather is not lined at all. I just put the smooth side out and let the fuzzy side cushion the khuk/knife/gun. However, on the K'bit I DID go ahead and glue/stitch a little protective cover over the internal belt loop stitching. It's a tight fit, so there is a chance that a the edge could hit the stitch holding the loop on and...well, it's tough to keep it on your belt if the belt loop falls off:foot::o

I dunno what kind of stitch you call it:o I'm self-taught (i.e. wing it and make it up as I go). The holes are pre-drilled and hand stitched. It works out that the first stitch on the front is doubled, then the next stitch on the back is doubled, repeat. A sewing machine would be nice, but I kinda like having to man-handle my work. The only tools I use are one of those leather groover things for the stitch and one of those spur looking tools that rolls to make uniform hole markers to drill. Of course I have a drill press too. Once upon a time I used a hand drill. Before that I literally punched every. single. freakin'. hole...no thanks.

The design process is pretty simple. I take whatever knife or gun I have and find the balance point and how I want it to hang. I figure out how it must be attached to the belt, if it is going to flop forward, and how much I want showing. I also look at ease of drawing and angel. it sounds complicated, but it really is just finding the point at which the knife balances, holding it to my belt, and cocking it until it will draw nicely.

For pistols, I pretty much just get a rough piece of leather and start wet molding. I started making sheaths for knifes, and pistols are SO much easier. No sharp edges to deal with. Today I have my .38 LCR in a high and tight holster riding at the 10 o'clock position (I'm a lefty with a gun and a righty with a knife and pencil...go figure). I make pistol holsters mainly because holsters cost a lot of money and left-handed options are lacking.

For fixed blades, I trace the blade profile on card stock, or sometimes just right onto the leather. I eyeball out about an 8th inch and mimic the same shape then cut along that line. This gives me both a template for the two outside pieces as well as a weld to stitch in so that the blade can't cut through the stitching. After I get my two other halves, I just cut out the traced blade part, and the weld is ready to be glued in.
There are several steps more depending on how pretty I want to make it, but basically, stitch the belt loop on to the back side then line up and glue the front, weld, and back together. Let it dry for a few minutes, drill my holes and stitch it together. Then I take it to the sander to smooth out the edges and dye it.

Super easy:)

thanks for all the kind words guys. I have made several sheaths and holsters for my dad and friends, and they usually turn out nicer. All I want in a user is fit and function. The Pretty stuff is an extra step that I don't usually have patience for unless it's a gift:P Leatherwork is just a time killer for me. My business is pretty much dead from Dec through Feb, so having a project that takes maybe 2 hours is a good way to pass time. My late father-in-law got me started about 6 or 7 years ago. I started dabbling in it using an old ripped leather jacket. That Christmas he bought me a shoulder of leather, shears, rivets, snaps, and all manner of goodies to get me started. I've been mutilating my way through the hobby ever since:D
 
Pardon the rookie question, but what do you mean about "welding the edges?" Some kind of glue?

Gregg
 
tulsamal said:
Pardon the rookie question, but what do you mean about "welding the edges?" Some kind of glue?

Gregg
Click to expand...

No prob:) A weld (or that's what I've always been told it is called0 is a piece of leather that is stitched in between the two sides where the edge will ride. Think of it this way, if you stitch two pieces of leather together and really jam the blade in there, what keeps the sharp thick edge from cutting through the stitching? The answer...nothin'.
All a weld does is act as a blade guard so that the edge of the knife cuts against that instead of (potentially) the thread holding the thing together.
I some time used them even when I don't need them because they offer an easy way to custom fit an item to a sheath so that it only rides one way. I did a fold over belt sheath for my dad's Buck 110. I still used a weld so that the knife would only wedge in there one way. This way my dad would use it "correctly" so that his left handed draw would always produce the knife with blade facing his right hand so that he could open it without fiddling to see how it was facing.

To further complicate things though, there are several brands of leather glue that call themselves "welds". They seem to be nothing more than wood glue really. The only reason I ever use glue is to keep the edges of the front, weld, and back lined up for drilling holes. It's just a lazy step on my part.
 
Nice work, thank you for sharing
 
The_Shadow said:
I think what you are calling a weld is actually called a welt.
Click to expand...

Yes you are right;) Karda set me straight on that. My grandfather gave me the terminology. If i weren't such a lazy man i would go back and amend it all:P
 
Kismet said:
Not yours, no Celtic knot.

Can't fool me.
Click to expand...

Kis, I'm tellin ya that was some THICK leather:D
If you look real close like in the upper corner of the FK, you can see a faint circle that is sorta. I tried to dampen the leather then stamp it....obviously, it didn't work out too well:p
 
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