sheathmaking instruction

jdm61

jdm61

itinerant metal pounder
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
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I buy from the pro's for my "fancy" knives, but I find myself in somewhat of a bind cost wise as far as some of my user grade knives go. I would like to learn to make basic sheaths and, although I have some videos, the learning curve there would seem to be VERY steep. Do any of you expert leather benders offer instruction or, if not, could you tell me where to go?
 
Joe, given your ability to make outstanding knives, I cannot imagine that you wouldn't be able to pick up "basic" sheathmaking with little to no effort...

I have been toying with it for about a year (probably have made 10 or so sheaths) and have recently gotten to the "basic" level. I've just tried a few here and there and asked a lot of questions on the forums, and read a lot of the old threads. I still plan to get a video and see if I can learn a little more about dressing them up.

Not sure what you've tried yet, but I'd say just jump in there and try a few, it's pretty easy to make them "functional." (Making them a work of art like some of the old farts around here is an altogether different proposition!)
 
Joe, I will answer any question I feel qualified to answer any time, email, phone, or internet, but for me it's hard to try to take a guy from step one without some face time in the shop. Chuck Burrows has a very good video out on how to make sheaths, but he and I have different methods to get to the same end, and therefore could get a little confusing if you tried to listen to both of us or more. None the less, I'm always willing to try to help if you contact me.

Paul
 
Paul - the next time I'm in the Hill Country I'll have to look you up. You just sound "Texas friendly" - I think we'd hit it off.

Joe - buy two books - The Art of Hand Sewing Leather by Al Stolhman and The Art of Making Leather Cases (vol 1) same guy. The first will show you how to sew and what tools you need. The second has 3 pages on how to make a simple pouch sheath poorly - it does not have a welt. Either Paul or I (and we don't know each other, but I can tell the he knows what I'm talking about) can tell you how to add the welt. These books will give you the basics to start with without an on-site mentor.

Good luck -
Jacque
 
I have Chuck's video and it is very good. But is is kind of like watching Bill Morans videos. He does something and says this is how you do it....wasn't that easy? NO!!!! lol. To me, Chuck and Bill's videos look like they start with the raw materials, hit it once with the hammer or mallet and a finished product jumps up off the bench. Hell, I can't even cut a piece of leather straight..lol That Mexican loop sheath that Chuck made confused the hell out of my. I couldn't figure out how that belt loop was going to match up until the very end and I'm stillnot quite sure how he did it!.:D
 
Joe, I may have made it sound too complicated. Actually, you take a piece of leather and just start to cut. As you cut, just throw away anything that does not look like a sheath. When you are finished cutting, just sew the pieces you have left together and there it is!!! A sheath

Next time Matt Cohen comes down from Mason, I'll get him to help me photograph a tutorial on pattern making. If I had to pick to very most important part of learning to make sheaths it would be the very foundation....creating a workable pattern that fits right the first time. Matt came to me with a desire to learn sheath making and not much else in the way of experience. We started him off learning to make a pattern and now he can fit ANY knife he wants the first time, and that builds confidence plenty fast.

The books Jacque mentioned are sure worth hunting down and adding to your library. By the way Jacque, be sure to get in touch next time you take a sashay (sp) throught the hill country. My contact information is spread all over the bottom of every post I make.

And in the meantime, Joe take solice in the fact that one of my high priced sheaths is still cheaper than three rejects. :-)
 
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Good thread! This is why the sheath forum is here! :D
 
I've posted a few sheaths here, and none of them are of extreme pro quality, but they all work for me.

I'm just learning with kydex, so my best advice there is to build a press, watch a few itube videos, and experiment with a couple of your user knives. I'm using a toaster oven, but would like to supplement that with a heat gun. Again, my best advice here is to build a press.

I have slightly more experience with leather, but not a whole lot more. Get a piece of leather substantially larger than you think you'll need, and cut it so that one side is flat.Save the trimmings Put the knife down on the inside of the leather, and move the curved side of the knife over towards the flat edge, stopping about 1 inch from the edge. use a compass or a scribe to mark a line roughly following the curve of the edge leaving about 1" of space, and trim along that line. Mark a straight line down the spine side of the knife, and make a LIGHT cut along that line. This cut is only to make the leather easier to bend, and you can leave it out of thin or soft leather.

Now fold the leather along the spine line. Mark where the edge cut you made meets the leather, and trim. Use your compass to draw a line about 1/2" from the edge, and use a punch to make holes. There are numerous tools to do this... tandy makes one that punches 8 slots at once, or you can use a tracing wheel from a sewing store.

Take a piece of the last trimming you made and use contact cement to glue it to the inside of the rough sheath you now have. This will become your welt. Do the same on the top of the welt, and clamp everything closed for an hour or two.

After the glue has set, punch holes. If the leather is thick and stiff, a drill press works great here.

Mark and cut out belt loops and restraining devices, and sew them in now.

Sew everything up using proper thread.

5-6 ounce leather is on the light side, ok for small knives.

7-9 is best if you want to tool, or for larger knives.

Cour Boulli (more often seen in search engines as courboulli) is leather boiled in wax. This will both stiffen and shrink the leather. You can also form-fit the sheath at this point.

You can also form-fit by soaking the leather in water instead of hot wax.

You've made your first sheath, and along the way you've made a bunch of errors, done a lot of things you wish you'd done differently, changes you'd make on your next sheath.

So, ok. the sheath you just made isn't one you want to take to the gun shows, but it will work in your truck or tackle box fine. And you learned a ton about what to do next time.

Now apply that knowledge and make your second sheath. This one will be better, and you'll learn even more.

Again. I am a raw beginner, but the sheaths I am making now are functional and I'm not ashamed of them. A couple of them are even pretty decent. I guess my best advice is just make a couple; be willing to screw up, but learn from your mistakes.
 
Joe - I've just finished making a cover for my tomahawk, and I can tell you it wasn't a bad experience. I got the Stohlman book, and read a few tutorials online. (We had a thread about sheath tutorials recently.) Okay, mine looks like a first effort, but it's not too bad, it's not duct tape and cardboard, and it will keep the hawk from slicing its way out of my pack.

I figure I'm gonna make sheaths for all my cheapest blades first. The sheath for a Mora will end up being worth more than the knife, but I can use it for the next Mora, too. I don't like those plastic Mora sheaths, anyway. The cool thing is that you can set up the sheath any way you want. High-rise, low-rise, horizontal, extra eyelets, whatever you want. It's definitely a fun way to pass a little time. I don't think you'll have much trouble getting a basic sheath done.
 
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