Simple work sheath

[jpvjr]

I'm going to make a simple leather work sheath for either my Old Hickory 703, or my Mora #1. Any ideas about leather weights, etc? Construction?

 

[leatherman]

The venerable pouch sheath is the epitome of the no frills, basic, easy to make sheath.

Theres dozens of tutorials on the pouch sheath, its simply two pieces (body and welt) and is the simplest of all to make.

 

[shalegreenjeep]

I have to agree the pouch style sheath is the way to go. One of the first ones I made were for my mora.

 

[chuck buck]

generally 8-9 oz leather, i prefer wax thread over artificial sinew but dont know if its particularly better. lots of folks use sewing awls to punch holes but i use a dremel and a tiny drill bit works well for me. -CB

 

[superc]

My apologies to those who a) have seen this before, or b) are instantly revolted by the choice of materials or crude workmanship.

This Scrap Yard 4" sheath built from scrap was done as a proof of concept with an old boot and a melted milk bottle as the liner (an alternative to the welt concept). Waxed thread and a freehand awl, no drill.

It works quite well. The friction fit of the sewn in liner holds the knife in upside down and mildly shaken. If doing it again however I would put a strap on it, and make the pouch cover more of the handle. Just didn't think of it that night and sheath making is a learning process. It took about 4 hours while watching TV. First sheath. Double lock stitches all around. And yes, I do wear it and have no reason to believe the knife will drop out. I know I can sand the edges down so they are even, but I like the crude appearance of it. Not shown in the photo, the inner part of the belt loop is also sewn in place.

Best of all, I still have one boot left.

 

[DutchV]

I think we're gonna have to start a "first attempts" picture thread.

 

[Frank Barron]

Is that first attempt, under the influence??

 

[superc]

Yup. Budweiser, a good tv movie and not much else to do that day. Needed a sheath for the knife, and saw the old boots while cleaning out the closet, then noticed the milk bottle in the trash...

 

[leatherman]

Hey, its Southern Engineering at its best! Nothing to sneer at. Form does follow function in most instances.

 

[Loosearrow]

Way to go, it's a keeper on what you can do with nothing. How did you glue or heat up the milk jug to make the liner? I have thought of that myself for some fillet knives. I thought of a glued in welt on the liner to keep it togeter. Haven't tried it yet. Loosearrow

 

[superc]

I made two or three of the liners before I was satisfied with the one used. Since I drink a lot of milk the cost was minimal. (Rinse the bottle out before use.) An electric hot plate will work while still black, but once it gets red it is too hot. I found I got the best results with a paint remover heat gun. (let me stay in the room where the TV was too.). The bottle plastic is ready to bend and mold when the frosty appearance turns transparent. It'll turn frosty again as it cools (at least the local milk bottle plastic does). Aim the gun where you want the bend. Be quick though as just a little more heat causes holes. Wear gloves unless you like handling hot things. Once the shape is in, hold the edges together then heat them and crimp them together with your gloved fingers as soon as you see them soften and turn clear. Get the final shape and fit with the blade in, but don't get the blade hot. Let it cool if needed. In my experience no part of the operation got the blade hot. Just luke-warm as the plastic is what was heated and that kept the heat. Rather than use glue, I left some small tab points as anchor points around the edge and just sewed them into the leather. Each stitch is a lock stitch with waxed thread, so it should hold together longer than I or the leather will. Two rows of stitching add to the effect. I thought of doing the leather welt thing, but it looked like a lot of extra work that would be less protective than a plastic liner. It is a friction fit, and assuming dryness the knife can stay in the sheath for a very long time without worrying about the leather corroding the blade, which also means how the leather was tanned becomes a non-issue, which aids in leather selection. In experiments with other knives I am leaving a very small drain hole near the bottom so the sheath liner won't retain water when worn in the rain.

 

[leatherman]

Thanks for the step by step superc.