Sheath for my new Le Thier

[harronek]

This is my first sheath for this knife , I plan to make a Horizontal one next .









Ken

 

[cschol]

Nice and clean! I really like how you did the stitching on the belt loop.

 

[harronek]

Nice and clean! I really like how you did the stitching on the belt loop.

Thanks ,
I agree I also like the lines of the stitching on the belt loop , but it is there for a reason .
On these sheaths I skive the belt loop piece onto the main sheath but turned over so that when the loop folds you dont have the rough side of the leather visible on the outside .
The skived join is glued and is held on the welt side by the stitching , but on the front i feel its necessary to stitch the join . On my first one of these sheaths I only stitched the join and it looked horrible . So now I continue the line of stitching on and then attach the loop with it .

Ken

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Nice Ken, solid knives those Chambraird's are, forming looks great as does the stitching too, Great work sir,
G2

edited to add, the edging also looks done very well too, nice and smooth and evenly rounded as well.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

A rise to the top, as this knife AND this sheath just made an appearance in the back woods of Pennsylvania, quite a trip for the folder, France to a dealer someplace and then on to Australia and now to this side of paradise we call Mosherville, a little burg in the woods, I think we have 1 stop sign? but it's quiet.

Ken surprised me today with this kind gift, as I just sold my Compagnon I had to help pay some hospital bills, as I'm not quite back up to speed making any sheaths yet, so the collection took a rather good hit, but you do what you have to do.

Ken didn't know that of course, so this REALLY surprised and cheered me up considerable! That PLUS getting to see his workmanship up close, let me tell you friends, it looks even better in person, one rugged sheath!

Ken I'm still floating at the table here, but I'll hobble to the living room, drink my water and oogle this for a while once I'm able to see straight, I plan on getting some photos up as well, but Ken also did right with the ones in this thread too.

Thanks again sir !
G2

 

[Omega Leather Works]

And that's one of the many reasons why I love this place so much.

Good on ya Ken.

Gary, can you photograph the loop more? I'm not really understanding how it was formed. Is it one piece folded over and stitched, or two pieces glued and stitched together? Is the interior lined?

Fantastic work Ken. I'm glad this got bumped. You hold yourself to a high standard and it shows.

 

[harronek]

This sheath doesn't look as pristine now as it does in the photos above . It has been used and shows a few marks and scuffs .
The belt loop has a piece of leather glued onto the main part of the sheath - loop to make it double sided . That piece is skived so that it tapers and disappears into the welt . The opening of the sheath has a rolled edge and the the sheath is not lined .
The line of stitching that runs along the edge of the loop and attaches the loop to the back of the sheath is mainly aesthetic , the glued pieces will not come apart anytime soon , but I suppose the stitching does add some strength .
I just like the line and effect that it gives .
That sheath as I have told Gary carries a number of faults and errors that haunt me , but it is special because it was the first of that design I ever created and of course where the knife goes , so does the sheath


Ken

 

[Omega Leather Works]

Very good, and well conceived.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Here are some images and please take note, this was Ken's first attempt at this new design of his, although I find nothing to warrant any worry, as it looks and handles great!

on this view you can see where he has tucked in the thinned out 'good' side of the leather down into the welt.

Inside the sheath you can see where that skived area also is glued down and ends

a closeup of the belt loop, you can see where the skived leather stops and was trimmed down so the belt loop wouldn't be too thick, nicely done too.

Nice knife too, Le Compagnon by Chambriard with Carbone blade and Birch scales.

Nice work and a Great gift sir, much appreciated!
G2

 

[Omega Leather Works]

Jeez Gary, your photography skills match your sheath making. Thank you very much for going to the trouble of photographing these macros.I may have asked already as it's been on my mind a lot, but what do you use other than the camera? I have a great cam, just need the tent/backdrop/light diffuser/lights/skill.

Ken, I admire that work far more now having seen it close up. I still need to figure some of it out (like what exactly is done at the top of the welt) but your work shows obvious care. I don't use white thread myself, but you put it to great use. Bravo!

Also, for the record, I much prefer the look of used and cared for leather, just as I like my knives.

 

[harronek]

Jeez Gary, your photography skills match your sheath making. Thank you very much for going to the trouble of photographing these macros.I may have asked already as it's been on my mind a lot, but what do you use other than the camera? I have a great cam, just need the tent/backdrop/light diffuser/lights/skill.

Ken, I admire that work far more now having seen it close up. I still need to figure some of it out (like what exactly is done at the top of the welt) but your work shows obvious care. I don't use white thread myself, but you put it to great use. Bravo!

Also, for the record, I much prefer the look of used and cared for leather, just as I like my knives.

Thanks for the kind words .
That type of sheath took a whole bunch of working out and was a real mind bender to plan and design the first time .
I have simplified a few areas now that I've made a few .
There are little things that aren't obvious that add to the complexity , for example the opening being sloped and angled creates issues when you incorporate it with a rolled edge . Also Gary has mentioned it by calling it a " one rugged sheath " but even on a folder sheath I use quite thick leather . I like the solidness that it creates in the finished sheath even though it adds to the headaches when trying to work with it . Most of my sheaths are given away to friends , and most of my friends are rural , outside , in the dirt type of people , so my sheaths have to be solid and tough .
I have given a couple of sheaths of this design to members of this forum and they are of a higher standard than this prototype you see here . Those guys are free to post up some pics if they want , it's up to them .

Ken

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Thanks sir, those shots and lots others were made pretty easily and cheaply, nothing extravagant in the way of photography tools. I made a short how to thread about that Here in the Photo section of the forums take a peek and see if that helps out.
G2

 

[Omega Leather Works]

Yeah, if anyone has more pics of later work I'd love to see em!

Ken, which tool(s) do you use to skive your leather down? I've got one of those safety skivers, but I'm enjoying learning to use the round knife as much as I can.

Thanks sir, those shots and lots others were made pretty easily and cheaply, nothing extravagant in the way of photography tools. I made a short how to thread about that Here in the Photo section of the forums take a peek and see if that helps out.
G2

Thanks Gary. I'm not sure why, but I certain forums don't show up in my forum app for my phone. Linked threads work though. I always suspected that those usps boxes were good for more than just shipping.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Thanks and the inside shots I used a flashlight to brighten up that area, a solid tripod helps a lot as well.
G2

 

[Omega Leather Works]

Any thoughts on just buying a pre-made setup from Amazon or the like? I'm a guy that likes to make as much of my own stuff as possible, but I'm way out of my element with this stuff. I think kits are around $75 with lights.

Sorry Ken, that's my last intrusion on your thread.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Well sir, I don't have any experience with the kits on Amazon, so it's a tuff call that I'm afraid I'll have to leave with you and the good folks on Amazon that have left comments regarding their purchase.

For a lot of the shots I take are ambient room light and holding the camera steady using a 2 second timer to help eliminate any movement from pressing the shutter. The shots in this thread were taken using that old slide light box for the light source and paper for reflectors back on to the object, and a small table tripod, now FOR THAT I would have a recommendation;

Tripod

Tripod Extension

I would not recommend getting two extensions, just find something to set the tripod on if you need to go higher. It's a very nice solid table top tripod that I use a lot with my smaller camera.

G2

 

[Omega Leather Works]

Very good, thank you Gary.

 

[harronek]

Ken, which tool(s) do you use to skive your leather down? I've got one of those safety skivers, but I'm enjoying learning to use the round knife as much as I can.

I use the absolute minimum of tools and equipment , I'm sure many here would laugh and slap their knee with great mirth at my meagre collection of equipment , but I really do run a bare bones operation and see no need to have shelves full of bells and whistles
Remember I do this for a hobby and not commercial gain .

I was having trouble getting my skiving right and asked the question here just like you have .
There are many here more qualified than me to answer your question , but you asked how I do it .
I use a flexible bladed knife ( Paul gave me that advice ) and with practice and care I now achieve the results I'm after .
Also I have and occasionally still do use a belt sander , its a good way of skiving and keeping your fingernails short at the same time

I've never used or even held a round knife so can't comment , but they must be good because some very knowledgable people champion them .

Try using a sharp , thin , flexible bladed knife for you skiving with very little practice on some scraps you will get the hang of it , just take your time and don't rush it .


Ken

 

[Omega Leather Works]

That's funny. When I started, I asked about using a knife like you describe and got a recommendation to buy a proper tool. I believe pretty strongly that most leather work (in my, admittedly, limited experience) can be done with very limited and even home made tools. Part of my reasoning behind just buying all of the tools I need is because I have no way to judge if my tools are as good as the commercially available tools. I can say, now, that good tools will make things easier on you, but they aren't always necessary, especially if you don't use them daily. If you do, I think it's important to buy the best that you can afford. I'm finding that lesser tools from strange places aren't worth my time.

You are the perfect evidence that outstanding work can be done without a 5k$ workshop.

 

[Fish30114]

That's very cool of you Ken, and congrats G-2. I guess I was the unwitting beneficiary of Gary tearing up his ankle==I was actually referred to Gary by Ken as a guy to help locate a Thiers folding knife. I am the one who bought Gary's juniper Le Thier. I love this knife, and I can tell you, Gary has some magic in his sharpening skills, as this knife was literally the sharpest knife I have ever obtained! Gary was good enough to give me a few pointers, and I am waiting on some new stones right now, and will be putting some of Gary's techniques to use to the best of my abilities. I guess now my goal will be to purchase one of these sheaths from Ken--what say you Harronek?