New to all of this

[webby204]

I’m new to the world of leather working and recently had a knife made by Warren Higgins and am considering making a sheath for it. Is it a terrible idea to make a practice sheath and if it works well to use it as a permanent insert inside a more durable putter sheath?

 

[SwissHeritageCo]

A sheath within a sheath? I'm confused as to what a putter sheath is, but that would be one big heavy sheath.

It's definitely a good idea to make a practice sheath and then apply your newly found insight into a more refined go at it.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Welcome to BladeForums, and I would aggree with SwissHeritageCo that your thought might end up being quite bulky. Best to practice and then use that as a step towards improving any areas that you see that could be made better.

Also there are several tutorials seen here

Tutorial and WIP Links

In an effort to keep things tidy and still be able to keep great threads handy, I'm gonna make a link list for the detailed tutorials, ect. That way we can cut down on stickies while still being able to keep adding on. If you know of a thread that would fit well and hasn't been added, just PM/VM...

www.bladeforums.com

along with multitudes of "how to" on youtube as well.

G2

 

[Horsewright]

Yes plenty of help here from lots of guys. As one that answers some questions I'd say to ask specific questions like "How do I fold this leather without cracking it?" or "How do I do a basket stamp?" They are much easier to answer then say: "How do I make a sheath?" Those kinds of questions lets us help you better.

Welcome here to Sheaths and Such.

 

[AZ Red]

A sheath within a sheath? I'm confused as to what a putter sheath is, but that would be one big heavy sheath.

It's definitely a good idea to make a practice sheath and then apply your newly found insight into a more refined go at it.

Hey Webby! I’m in a similar boat with the sheath. I forged my first knives not too long ago, and I want sheaths better than the side of a 12pk wrapped around with tape.
Anyway, 1 of them is a gift for my daughter, so if I’m going to make the sheath, then I want it to match the knife and her personality. For the meantime, I made a temporary/learning curve sheath, which actually came out surprisingly well, especially for a 1st.
I had the idea of using it as a liner too, and I’ll explain for SwissHeritage why a liner, and I’ll also tell you why I’m taking a different approach.
And for the record, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m just extrapolating from advice given to me. Maybe I’m on to something, maybe I’m just over engineering (very likely), maybe I’m just plain wrong. Whatever the case, let me know so I can improve my understanding/methodology/production.

Why a liner:
-Because it’s my 1st/2nd knife (made alongside a 14” dagger), it’s not the greatest in terms of the smithing, so I do have some pitting and I see potential for breakage.
And because it’s my daughter’s first non-kitchen knife, I want a substantial sheath to prevent breakage as long as I can.
-With the concept in my head (and materials I found), the leather isn’t sturdy enough to be structurally suitable for a sheath, so I would need to bond it to something else anyway.
-Edges + threads = danger Will Robinson, so a barrier of some sort inside the sheath will help protect the stitching (Leading to a liner)
-Sheathing and unsheathing over a leather liner is easier on the edge than sawing across thread.
-The extra bulk of the sheath fits the handle much better for hanging at your side.
-Scabbard construction for swords or other large blades rarely has only one layer (real/historical, not LARP), and if it’s good enough for a thruster, it’s good enough for a knife.

Why I decided against using the sheath I just made:
-Stitching is along the edge (what I was trying to avoid)
-with ⅜” or so edge for stitching, it’s considerably larger than practical for a liner
-I folded it grain out (a little more effort to glue)
-I oiled it when I was finishing, and it doesn’t take well to adhesive, and if it’s not bonded in, swelling and contraction may not be the same as the outer layer, and could fall out, or stay on the blade instead (if you think about your natural instinct, you would probably imagine using your offhand to hold the liner or push back in while still pulling the knife out, raising risk of cutting yourself)
-I’m sure that one of my knives without a sheath might fit
-But really, I’m really proud of my first attempt and I don’t want to destroy it.

So here’s something: I could use it as it is as a removable sheath with a frog, and because it’s identical on both sides (I didn’t make it with a belt loop), it is also ambidextrous with a frog, or reverse it for preference with draw…

So what I’m doing:
Using economy veg tan belly for the actual construction (cheapest for learning at Tandy)
-Wet molding against the edge with grain in
-Wet molding another layer against the spine OVER the liner for a full box construction.
-Then using the other leather I found for the outside

I’m also using the ambi frog concept for it.
Actually a hanging frog…
Also, it’s learning curve for scabbard for dagger (maybe it’s actually a seax, maybe something else. Up for debate, but I’m not sure how to categorize that one…), but blade size/profile and balance point require a different method/style of carry than a typical knife…

Keep on keeping on,
Preston

 

[AZ Red]

Hey Webby! I’m in a similar boat with the sheath. I forged my first knives not too long ago, and I want sheaths better than the side of a 12pk wrapped around with tape.
Anyway, 1 of them is a gift for my daughter, so if I’m going to make the sheath, then I want it to match the knife and her personality. For the meantime, I made a temporary/learning curve sheath, which actually came out surprisingly well, especially for a 1st.
I had the idea of using it as a liner too, and I’ll explain for SwissHeritage why a liner, and I’ll also tell you why I’m taking a different approach.
And for the record, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m just extrapolating from advice given to me. Maybe I’m on to something, maybe I’m just over engineering (very likely), maybe I’m just plain wrong. Whatever the case, let me know so I can improve my understanding/methodology/production.

Why a liner:
-Because it’s my 1st/2nd knife (made alongside a 14” dagger), it’s not the greatest in terms of the smithing, so I do have some pitting and I see potential for breakage.
And because it’s my daughter’s first non-kitchen knife, I want a substantial sheath to prevent breakage as long as I can.
-With the concept in my head (and materials I found), the leather isn’t sturdy enough to be structurally suitable for a sheath, so I would need to bond it to something else anyway.
-Edges + threads = danger Will Robinson, so a barrier of some sort inside the sheath will help protect the stitching (Leading to a liner)
-Sheathing and unsheathing over a leather liner is easier on the edge than sawing across thread.
-The extra bulk of the sheath fits the handle much better for hanging at your side.
-Scabbard construction for swords or other large blades rarely has only one layer (real/historical, not LARP), and if it’s good enough for a thruster, it’s good enough for a knife.

Why I decided against using the sheath I just made:
-Stitching is along the edge (what I was trying to avoid)
-with ⅜” or so edge for stitching, it’s considerably larger than practical for a liner
-I folded it grain out (a little more effort to glue)
-I oiled it when I was finishing, and it doesn’t take well to adhesive, and if it’s not bonded in, swelling and contraction may not be the same as the outer layer, and could fall out, or stay on the blade instead (if you think about your natural instinct, you would probably imagine using your offhand to hold the liner or push back in while still pulling the knife out, raising risk of cutting yourself)
-I’m sure that one of my knives without a sheath might fit
-But really, I’m really proud of my first attempt and I don’t want to destroy it.

So here’s something: I could use it as it is as a removable sheath with a frog, and because it’s identical on both sides (I didn’t make it with a belt loop), it is also ambidextrous with a frog, or reverse it for preference with draw…

So what I’m doing:
Using economy veg tan belly for the actual construction (cheapest for learning at Tandy)
-Wet molding against the edge with grain in
-Wet molding another layer against the spine OVER the liner for a full box construction.
-Then using the other leather I found for the outside

I’m also using the ambi frog concept for it.
Actually a hanging frog…
Also, it’s learning curve for scabbard for dagger (maybe it’s actually a seax, maybe something else. Up for debate, but I’m not sure how to categorize that one…), but blade size/profile and balance point require a different method/style of carry than a typical knife…

Keep on keeping on,
Preston

I’d post pics, but I still haven’t figured out how, and I really don’t want to ask my wife…