Shaping leather for sheath

[Bare Rib]

Hoping someone can help me out here and give me the quick down and dirty on shaping leather. I would like to make a new sheath for one of my knives and would like to have the sheath come up past the guard and be formed to the blade and guard. I've seen it done I just have know idea how to do it.

Thanks in advance for any help

Cheers
-Ronan

 

[SBuzek]

Wet Form it. After you have put the sheath all togetherand sewn it. Wash your hands first,then run the sheath under cold water untill saturated,will take about 2 min. gently insert the blade into the sheath,be careful the sheath will cut very easily,then using you fingers press the sheath into shape around the guard and blade,remove the knife and remold the sheath if deformed removing the knife,Set it some place and let it dry overnight.

 

[mdoyle]

What SBuzek said... I will add that I wear disposable latex gloves for this just to be sure I don't get any dirt on the leather. The dirt won't come off if you muck it up while it's wet. You can also use alchohol instead of water for wetting the sheath, it dries a little faster. If you want the sheath to be hard and hold shape well stick it in the dehydrator over night after forming.
Matt

 

[raythebigfoot]

In addition also make sure your fingernails are cut short or you will make nice little dents in your leather when you form it.

 

[steelshaper]

A couple of things I do a little diferent. I form the sheath before stiching and I like to rap my knife in plastic rap. Also I have used acetone for the forming and it works pretty good but any chemical used may stain the sheath. A little goes a long way when wet forming so dont over saturate the leather. and good luck.

 

[raythebigfoot]

A couple of things I do a little diferent. I form the sheath before stiching and I like to rap my knife in plastic rap. Also I have used acetone for the forming and it works pretty good but any chemical used may stain the sheath. A little goes a long way when wet forming so dont over saturate the leather. and good luck.

Yeah I also don't 'soak' the leather as said above. I use a sponge and just get it wet enough to work on it. If you soak it it will take too long to dry.

 

[TekSec]

Okay, I probably have been doing this all wrong, but I soak the leather in water for about 30 to 45 minutes prior to stitching or anything. I then wrap my blade with plastic wrap to keep the moisture off and hand form the leather around the blade. Keep forming as the leather starts to dry. When the leather holds its shape, I remove the blade and let the leather dry and cure overnight. It will shrink slightly which provides a nice firm fit for the blade. It will be a tight fit after stiching it all up, but after the knife has sat in the sheath for a day or so, it will loosen and provide and firm grip without sticking. Here is an example of one of mine....

 

[son_of_bluegrass]

I'm assuming the knife is sharp. The only thing I will add to the above is if you put some tape over the sharp edge it will effectivly dull the blade. This will reduce the risk of cutting yourself or the leather.

ron