New sheath with quilted pattern

Brian Avila

Brian Avila

Joined
Jan 2, 2011
Messages
1,286
I have been working on more sheaths for my knives. Not sure I am totally happy with the quilting I did. What do you guys think?

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-Brian-
 
Looks like old quilted leather armor. You're knives are turning out great too. Still using the 2x42 Craftsman?
 
mccandmatt said:
Looks like old quilted leather armor. You're knives are turning out great too. Still using the 2x42 Craftsman?
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haha :) Yes! 2 x 42 Craftsman all the way. I however, did just purchase a KMG with the help of my christmas money. I now have to wait for $$ for a motor and pulleys and belts. So the 2 x 42 is still the work horse.
 
Great grinding, plunges are perfect. I still have a little issue with that, but each gets better. Granted I am using a ceramic tile untill USAKnifeMaker gets the ceramic glass back in stock
 
I use both a ceramic tile and a glass tile. They work almost the same as long as they are square. I posted more pics of the knife in the shop talk makers forum.
 
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I like how the texture of the sheath kind of matches the texture of the knife handle .
The rolled over liner is something I would like to attempt , but I think I'd need all of " Sheathmakers " DVD's and a lot of help from above to get it right :).
Well done .


Ken
 
harronek said:
The rolled over liner is something I would like to attempt , but I think I'd need all of " Sheathmakers " DVD's and a lot of help from above to get it right :).
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Don't let that keep you from trying it. Reach out and ask for the help when you can. Do it and learn. It is worth it in my opinion.
 
The execution looks great Weatherman .. but I'm not into that quilted pattern.
 
bonafide said:
The execution looks great Weatherman .. but I'm not into that quilted pattern.
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No problem if you don't like the quilting, do you think it was done bad and doesn't look good or you just don't like quilting in general.

I don't think it is a clean as it should be, but I don't know what else to do to make it better.
 
TheWeatherman said:
No problem if you don't like the quilting, do you think it was done bad and doesn't look good or you just don't like quilting in general.

I don't think it is a clean as it should be, but I don't know what else to do to make it better.
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I just dont like the quilting - it has nothing to do with your mad skillz at all. You did a really good job overall on the sheath. I really like the rolled edge, but the I think you should have stitch grooved the back side of the sheath. The stitching (on the back side) doesnt look as good and finished as the front. Overall .. excellent execution - just a couple distractions.
 
bonafide said:
I think you should have stitch grooved the back side of the sheath. The stitching (on the back side) doesnt look as good and finished as the front. Overall .. excellent execution - just a couple distractions.
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If there was a fool proof method, that would allow me to groove the front and back and then have the holes to be exactly in the middle of both grooves, I would be all over that. I use a sharp round awl needle to drill through the leather after everything is glued up, everything would have to be perfectly flat and perpendicular. The belt loop messes with that.

I didn't think the back was that bad, but I will have to think about that. I am intrigued. See the goal is for people not to be able to find anything wrong. So this is good.

I am all ears...
 
Yea, those folded belt loops do tend to get in the way, I use a piece of leather the same thickness as the loop to back the edge of the sheath so the drill goes straight. I've got several pieces of scrap right by the press just for that. It helps a lot.

Grooving the back of the sheath does lend a lot to how professional the sheath looks overall.

I do think your quilting is good! Its not one of the easiest to master by any means, something always seems to be off.

Hard to tell from the pics, your edges are just a little uneven. If you have a belt and/or disk sander its the easiest and most efficient way to get them nice and even and vertical. It also shortens the time it takes to get them polished and edged. Before I had my sander I used a jig with sandpaper glued to a board and a 90 degree upright to help me with the angle. If I saw this wrong as a trick of the light, all apologies. :)
 
leatherman said:
Yea, those folded belt loops do tend to get in the way, I use a piece of leather the same thickness as the loop to back the edge of the sheath so the drill goes straight. I've got several pieces of scrap right by the press just for that. It helps a lot.

Grooving the back of the sheath does lend a lot to how professional the sheath looks overall.

I do think your quilting is good! Its not one of the easiest to master by any means, something always seems to be off.

Hard to tell from the pics, your edges are just a little uneven. If you have a belt and/or disk sander its the easiest and most efficient way to get them nice and even and vertical. It also shortens the time it takes to get them polished and edged. Before I had my sander I used a jig with sandpaper glued to a board and a 90 degree upright to help me with the angle. If I saw this wrong as a trick of the light, all apologies. :)
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You are right, there are two little spots that are uneven on the edges. I never seem to be able to make them dead even, ever. I will take them to my grinder belt from now on.

I will have to see if I can get the back grooved and even holes.
 
For me after I put the edge to the grinder I groove both sides but instead of using the drill press I found by using an Awl by hand I have better control in getting to center in the groove on the back side. I put the sheath into my stitching pony punch through the front into a block of soft wood on the backside, I barely push through where only the tip comes out on the back so I can see where it is going, if I miss I realign. For me takes the same amount of time as using the press. Granted I have by no means mastered it lol, i have only done three sheaths so far that way and still end up with a few uneven but I'm getting better each time
 
I tried hand awling the stitching holes once upon a time and its just too dangerous to my appendages. :p The press keeps me at 90 degrees every time and with big knives its less tedious. :)

TheWeatherman said:
You are right, there are two little spots that are uneven on the edges. I never seem to be able to make them dead even, ever. I will take them to my grinder belt from now on.

I will have to see if I can get the back grooved and even holes.
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As I was learning, edges were the thing that drove me nuts, they were either dished in spots or rough in areas I could never seem to get the sandpaper into. The more you do it you will discover little tricks and probably have a huge stack of different sizes and grits of paper in a drawer. :) Ya know what though, edges still make me pull my hair out. I will obsess over them down to 400 grit so they feel smooth to the touch, sometimes a burnisher isnt even necessary if you lightly wet the leather and run that 400 over it. Dye and a bit of Gum Tragacanth rubbed in there and you have a nice edge.
 
Oh I will end up using a press at some point, I just prefer starting with basics and then evolving from there. I feel I learn better that way. I just like knowing I can make something like a knife or sheath without having to rely on machinery much or at all if needs be, of course I do and will continue to use a belt grinder :D.
Hell our ancestors did it why can't I? :D It's like with the few sheaths I have made, I made plain and simple just how I like it. Patterned tooling is nice to look at but I love plain well made sheaths, and random tooling like the pebble and pear stamps, basket weaves and etc just don't do it for me
 
If you are careful, you can use a freehand groover to go over the holes in the back after you have drilled the holes from the front. I do it all the time and it works well. The trick is to make sure your groover is sharp and take your time.
Randy
 
mccandmatt said:
It's like with the few sheaths I have made, I made plain and simple just how I like it. Patterned tooling is nice to look at but I love plain well made sheaths, and random tooling like the pebble and pear stamps, basket weaves and etc just don't do it for me
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I agree .
I have nothing against tooling and stamping but it isn't for me at the moment .
Who knows , tastes change and maybe my enthusiasm for it will grow .
I'm still trying to get the absolute basics right .
Clean , unmarked , evenly dyed , perfectly spaced stitching front and back , clean smooth even edges.
At times I see sheaths where all the attention ,time and emphasis has been spent on the " Bling " but the basics let it down badly .
I will quote another sheath maker who I rate very highly .

" I'd rather see pictures of the back of the sheath first , if that is perfect then you can just about guarantee without seeing it that the front will be of equal quality " - Mike Tea



Ken
 
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