Sheath Making Contest

Rotte said:
Thanks for asking. Yes, it is for folks who have never sewn and/or have never made a sheath. Really, the whole point is to encourage people who have never made a sheath or never used a needle to make something. It is open to anyone who wants to try their hand or practice their skills...as long as my simple requirements are met.

If you have made a sheath before, this should be easy for ya. If not, it may take a little effort.
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I'm confused. I sewed a leather sheath once (when I was a kid. As I recall it was pretty crude and wouldn't be a winner if I still had it.) Does that mean I'm disqualified?
 
Sorry. The contest is for anyone. Any Bladeforums member. Anyone who wants to try their hand at making something new. Newbies, neophytes, amateurs, and pros.

If professional sheath makers wish to enter, great. It'd be nice to see a pro make a sheath for a tool he or she has never made one for before or use a material he or she hasn't tried before, maybe wood or bone or nylon or gortex or.....

The rules (see post #1) don't stipulate that participants can't have made a sheath before, just that you make a new sheath between 01 Nov and 31 Jan. Submit your first-ever sheath, your first tomahawk sheath, or your 1000th Leatherman Charge sheath.

My goal is to get people who have never made a sheath to make one. But I'm not excluding anyone--I'm too much of an anarchist for that. If you are an experienced sheath maker, try something new! If the last sheath you made was in 8th grade shop class, my amateur recommendation would be to start with the basics. :)

Thanks for asking for clarification!
 
What a great idea to do this, it might get folks who have shown interest in leatherwork to actually do it. I have been leatherworking for a few years now and simply love it. I might have to post one for this. Thanks again for this great thread.
 
There are a couple of different awls that are commonly used for leather. First would be a straight point or scratch awl that looks like an icepick. This one is used to put round holes in the leather for stitching or lace and can be used to mark patterns. You can control the hole size by how far the awl goes through the leather. The next type would be a diamond awl which is used most for hand sewing. It is shaped like a thin diamond and somewhat sharp on the edges. This makes a thin diamond shape hole which works very well for sewing. When using this one, slant the diamond points on each hole to about a 45deg. angle. This allows a very snug pull on the thread without tearing the leather. Normally you would buy the awl and handle (haft) separately. Best quality is C.S. Osborne, but they are available from Tandy as well. I always suggest buying the best tool you can reasonably afford. The Osborne tools will cost a bit more, but they don't break nearly as fast. I've used the same Osborne diamond awl for 5yrs. with just some touch up on the edges.
 
pugs75 said:
What a great idea to do this, it might get folks who have shown interest in leatherwork to actually do it. I have been leatherworking for a few years now and simply love it. I might have to post one for this. Thanks again for this great thread.
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I'd not assume the sheath has to be leather.
 
leghog said:
I'd not assume the sheath has to be leather.
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Right; open as to materials. I'd love to see someone make a wooden sheath. I may try that at some point.

leghog, do you recall what kind of thread you used on sheath you showed us? Clear has held up well. Maybe Rick can make some thread recommendations as well. I used a waxed synthetic for one sheath and a waxed cotton for another. I think for this sheath I'm going with a waxed cotton thread from Tandy. But you or Rick may have better recommendations.
 
Rick Lowe said:
Best quality is C.S. Osborne, but they are available from Tandy as well. I always suggest buying the best tool you can reasonably afford. The Osborne tools will cost a bit more, but they don't break nearly as fast. I've used the same Osborne diamond awl for 5yrs. with just some touch up on the edges.
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Rick, you bring up a great point. I got an Osborne diamond shaped awl and love it. But I didn't realize that it needed to be sharpened. My thinking was that the awl should be used to push the leather's fibers apart and not to cut them. My current understanding is that a sharp awl makes it easier to push through the leather and maybe prevent deforming the shape of the leather (been there, done that). Here's my question though: how sharp does an awl need to be? I'm guessing that the goal is not 'hair-shaving' sharp.
 
Rotte said:
leghog, do you recall what kind of thread you used on sheath you showed us?
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That was a long time ago. It was probably Type 3 (size 207) or Type 6 (size 415) nylon thread. May have been Type 8 but that would have been overkill.
 
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Cool contest!!!

Regarding the use of an awl to go through the leather to allow stitching afterwards.... well... I may sound like cheating but my limited experience tells me that unless you have a set of tools meant for leather stitching, it will be very hard once you start dealing with thick stacks of glued leather.

I have used with great success a 1mm or 1,2mm drill bit on a cordless drill (or better yet, mini drill press) to drill through the leather after gluing it, allowing it to dry and then marking the spacing evenly (you can buy and use a rulette or go old school and use a fork).

I hope this helps the new guys!
 
I first tried using a big needle, chucked into a dremel, to make the holes in stacked leather. Made a mess. The drill bit idea may be better, but does removing the leather reduce the effectiveness of the stitching?
 
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Using a needle or awl is better in my opinion because you are not removing the fibers from the leather. You are just simply spreading them apart. Then when you stich, the holes pull back together somewhat and makes for a prettier stich. The awl is the old school tried and true method for making stich holes. Don`t get me wrong, a drill bit works too. It is just up to personal preference.
 
Gadsden said:
Using a needle or awl is better in my opinion because you are not removing the fibers from the leather...
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I totally agree with you. However, if we are talking thick stacked leather, unless you are fully kitted with propper leather working gear, you will have a hard time punching your awl through it. That is why I suggested using a drill bit. Should make it easier for a newby with limited gear.
 
Rotte that diamond awl doesn't have to be razor sharp on the edges, but sharp is easier and reduces the chance of injury by having to push so hard. Kinda the same thing as a sharp knife vs. a dull one. The diamond awl does actually cut a slit in the leather just big enough for the needle to pass through. Scratch awls need to have a darn needle point to work easy.

The drill press work well for making the stitch holes. My best results came from using a proper size finish nail and clipping off the head before chucking up. Drill bits tend to gather the leather fibers and hang up which can distort the hole. Toughest thing for me was getting the back side to match the front. The piece wanted to move and left uneven hole spacing.
 
Sheath I made for my Lon Humphrey bushcrafter , Biggin neck knife,and LMF Army fire steel .

Materials used . All hand sewn. I didnt make a templte before hand. I just cut the leather and went after it.


Sheath finished before bee's wax.


After waxing. I melted the was on the stove. Rubbed it on . then i used a heat gun and wash rag to buff it out.



here she is all done. I had plans to go out sat with the setup but unfortunately my 1 year old isnt feeling well so i had to cancel. Not sure when i can make it out again.



Hope you like it . I had fun making it.
 
Nice sheath! I'd make a complete mess if I didn't use a template.
Is that the first sheath you've made?

(you have the 8 of Clubs)

p.s. sorry to hear your little guy isn't feeling well. Hope he recovers quickly.
 
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Rotte said:
Nice sheath! I'd make a complete mess if I didn't use a template.
Is that the first sheath you've made?

(you have the 8 of Clubs)

p.s. sorry to hear your little guy isn't feeling well. Hope he recovers quickly.
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thanks man. I appreciate it. This is maybe my 6th sheath. and i have made one pouch so far. I started out with kydex a few years ago and then started leather this year. The tools i showed and an antler tine are about all i use. Oh and a V gouge from my flex cut set to make designs and recess the thread. Ill probably invest in some proper tools since i enjoy it.
 
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I was pleased with how the beeswax turned out. I didnt expect such i nice color from it. I usually used some dye. I just stumbled on that by accident.

And i have been pretty good at forgetting to put belt loops on. I try not to not make them a separate part of the sheath anymore . And even then i have forgotten to sew them before i put the sheath together. :)
 
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OK, I've been slacking a bit, but venmm73 gave me a kick in the butt by getting his sheath done so quickly.

Today I cut my leather out, dyed it, and glued in the belt loop and welt. Obviously, the welt is undyed at present. I left the welt a touch on the big side--I'll trim it down later. I used a template for this one. Maybe next time I'll freehand it.





The interior of the sheath looks blotchy because I dampened the interior and exterior in order to bend the leather and check for overall size and fit. Seems OK so far.

Rick, I'd love some brutally honest criticism at this point!
 
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