Pics of a sheath I'm working on

wildmanh

wildmanh

Part time Leather Bender/Sheath maker
Joined
Jul 9, 2000
Messages
7,764
I'm making a Pouch style sheath for my new Busse Satin Jack and have been taking lots of pics of the process. So far, I've cut the leather, stiched it, got it wet and now the sheath is wet molding to the knife.

I've Zipped the pics together and you can download the first set by clicking: Here. Warning, the Zip file is about 3.3MB big. I can make smaller sets avaliable if it's to big for people to download.

After the leather finishes drying, I need to smooth out the edges of the sheath, dye it then water proof it. As you will probably notice in the pics I did not put a spacer (strip of leather that runs along the seam) on the knife. Will see how it works with out one. If need be, I can just go back and add one later.

This is the 6th sheath I've made since I got back into Leather Working. What do you all think? Questions, Comments and advice welcome.:)

Thanks for looking,

Heber
 
Nice work Heber...remember when we thought that was a big knife? :D
 
Originally posted by Nasty
Nice work Heber...remember when we thought that was a big knife? :D
Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliment. Glad someone besides me thinks it's nice.:) Yep, but up against my 15" AK it's a small knife.;)
 
just a suggestion heber the sheath looks unfinished,and would look much nicer if you took the sheath to the belt sander,or any kind of power sander disk and run the stitched edge of the sheath on it to smooth out the edges so as to make the sheath finished.:) then it would truly look great.
also why the strange looking row of stitching running round the top few inches of edge of the sheath ?????.
spoils the whole look.

DUHHHHH just realised you stated you were going to smooth edges.
he he to early in the morning here.
 
Originally posted by Kendo
just a suggestion heber the sheath looks unfinished,and would look much nicer if you took the sheath to the belt sander,or any kind of power sander disk and run the stitched edge of the sheath on it to smooth out the edges so as to make the sheath finished.:) then it would truly look great.
also why the strange looking row of stitching running round the top few inches of edge of the sheath ?????.
spoils the whole look.

DUHHHHH just realised you stated you were going to smooth edges.
he he to early in the morning here.
Click to expand...

Hi Kendo, the funny stiching is reenforment stitching. It helps make the sheath stronger. When done correctly it changes the look of the whole sheath and makes it rather snazzy. As you can tell, I didn't do it correctly.:o

I just got done smoothing out most of the edges. After I smoothed out the edges, I undid the stitching and am restitching it. Then I'll finish smoothing out the edges and stain the sheath a dark brown.

BTW thanks for the comments, they help. And more pictures coming soon.
 
Heber,
Here's a bit of un-asked-for advice.
I always soak the leather pieces for a sheath for several hours, in at least 3 changes of water to remove any residual tanning salts that might cause blade corrosion later. Dry them before assembly.
The leather strip you refer to is there to keep the knife from cutting the stitching. It doesn't have to be thick, but without metal rivets, I'd prefer to use it.
A power sander for edge finishing is nice, but a good job can be done with a sanding block and a few different grits of paper. A small plane or spokeshave is another useful tool here if a lot of leather needs to be removed..
I like to skive the edges of pieces that get stitched down, like your belt-loop. Looks neater and works smoother.And it only takes a minute with a sharp skiving knife.

A decent home-made finish is a mixture of Deft lacquer and paste wax. About 1 Tbsp. wax per 2 Oz of lacquer. A bit of neatsfoot oil wouldn't hurt the mixture, but you want to avoid any finish that will soften the leather. Apply with a small wad of rag and buff until dry. It usually takes 2 or 3 coats. Edges take many more coats if you want the polished look. Straight Deft works best for edge sealing. Of course, you dye the sheath before finishing it if you want to.
Brian
 
Dayumed nice work for a first attempt Heber!!!!:D
Looks like the sheath that I got with my Swamp Rat Bandicoot.:D
 
Dayumed nice work for a first attempt Heber!!!!:D
Looks like the sheath that I got with my Swamp Rat Bandicoot.:D
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Yvsa, thanks mate.:) But this is actually the 6th sheath I have made in the last 4 months and it's the 8th or 9th sheath I've ever made. The pouch style sheaths are new to me and I'm really growing to like them. Glad you like it. Now that you mention it, it does look like the Swamp Rat sheaths.:)

Heber,
Here's a bit of un-asked-for advice.
Click to expand...

Brian, any info you have is greatly apreciated. Thanks. Next time I'll try washing the leather first. right now the only power tool I have is my brothers hand drill and I use that to make all the holes. But when I can afford to, I will be buying a drill press and sanding drum. I figure those two will really help with my stitching and edges.:) Keep the info coming.

I just uploaded picture set number 2. You can download it Here. This file is also about 3.3MB big. So far, I've restitched the sheath, cleaned up the edges and am experimenting with the color.

I've desided on making the sheath dark brown. After I'm done dying the sheath and it dries, I'll be sealing it.

Thanks to everyone that has posted info so far. Please keep it coming. I think it's great.:D Again, more pics to come later tonight.
 
Heber,
In my opinion... A drill press is a must for drilling stitch holes square. A 2" sanding sleeve drum on it would do OK for edge sanding for starters. Pretty soon you'll want a stationary belt sander, I'll bet.
As far as washing leather goes, I've never had a speck of blade rust since I started doing that 30-some years ago. I don't know of anyone else who does this step, but many makers recommend not keeping their knife in its sheath for storage because of rust. Hmm.. Where should it be kept????
 
Originally posted by Brian in Chi
Heber,
In my opinion... A drill press is a must for drilling stitch holes square. A 2" sanding sleeve drum on it would do OK for edge sanding for starters. Pretty soon you'll want a stationary belt sander, I'll bet.
As far as washing leather goes, I've never had a speck of blade rust since I started doing that 30-some years ago. I don't know of anyone else who does this step, but many makers recommend not keeping their knife in its sheath for storage because of rust. Hmm.. Where should it be kept????
Click to expand...

Great info mate. Yeah when I heared about not storing knives in their sheaths, I thought it was strange too. Nice to know you can wash the leather and get rid of the problem. :)

How much does a Stationary Belt sander go for? I've been looking at some Craftsman Drill presses. Do you know much about there 8" and 9" presses? I've found them for $75 to about $100.
 
Nice work. I gots to learn to do stuff like that someday.

One question though...

Is that a Mickey Mouse Shirt in the top pic? :confused: :D
 
Originally posted by Brian in Chi
The leather strip you refer to is there to keep the knife from cutting the stitching. It doesn't have to be thick, but without metal rivets, I'd prefer to use it.
Click to expand...

I am still new at this, but IIRC it is called a welt.
 
Originally posted by BruiseLeee
Nice work. I gots to learn to do stuff like that someday.

One question though...

Is that a Mickey Mouse Shirt in the top pic? :confused: :D
Click to expand...

Good eye Bruise. Actually it's a pic of Mini Mouse on a blanket. The blanket has pics of a lot of the disney gang.:)
 
Glad you guys like it. I'm working at making my sheaths stronger and better looking. Leather working has been a hobby of mine for a long time. I'm glad I'm finally able to take it up again.
 
Originally posted by wildmanh
Glad you guys like it. I'm working at making my sheaths stronger and better looking. Leather working has been a hobby of mine for a long time. I'm glad I'm finally able to take it up again.
Click to expand...

I have finished the Satin Jack sheath. You can download the 3rd set of pics Here. The file is about 2.8MB.

Smoothing the edges and doing the finishing work on a sheath takes more time than I thought. I'm starting to see why people charge what the do for Custom sheaths.:eek::)

BTW I've posted pics of the knife and finished sheath on the Busse Forum. Click Here to go to the thread.
 
Alright so now I know to wash my leather, but I wanted to seal the inside of the sheath mink oil after I wet mold the sheath to the knife. Does this sound O.K.?

Heber,

Things are good. I haven't really started on the sheath yet, as you can see. Hurry up and post the pics so I can tell everyone how cool lunch was.

I just scored a BAS blem and my idea was to satin finish the blade and then blue it. Will this work? I'll also be putting brass black or moly b on the bolster and buttcap. Any other suggestions?

- D
 
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