Some Sheaths I Made...

SpookyPistolero

SpookyPistolero

Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Messages
6,105
Howdy folks!

I'm on my spring break and have had a chance to try making some sheaths (which I've been wanting to try for a while). I had stopped by a leather shop that I just found out about a few days ago and I picked up a couple of hand tools and some scrap leather. I wasn't expecting very much, but I think I came out with some functional items.

The two items I was most interested in re-sheathing were my Mora 510 and my Fiskars hatchet. The Mora was just for fun, but the sheath they give you with the Fiskars is just silly. I toyed around with several ideas for both items, but eventually settled down on these two, mostly based on the size of each piece of scrap leather I had available. Anyway, here we go:

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I still have a good bit of finishing work to do on both, but mainly the hatchet sheath. The hatchet sheath is the one I'm not totally happy with, either. It works, though!

The Mora sheath took a lot longer to get together. It was hard to judge how much room to leave in the middle for a snug fit for the knife. The stitching took me most of the afternoon today. It's double stitched at the top and bottom with a second row for security at the top. I still have to smooth out some rough edges on that one as well, but it holds the blade very well.

The tools I used were the awl I bought, my leatherman, some clamps, adhesive, leather needles, leather thread, a 3-prong punch and a razor.

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The needles really took a beating and had to be straightened several times. The main thing that I would do differently next time is secure the belt loop on the mora sheath a bit better, this one just has two double stitched rows at the bottom.

Hope all the pics weren't too much, and thanks for looking!

(Oh, this is the mut that slept underneath me all afternoon. It's hard to find good help these days...

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Nice work That is the same design I usually use on knife sheaths, Though I think yours are better looking.

I have the fiscars hatchet and I am planning the same thing. the plastic case with it, only makes sense for hanging it in a store display.

One thing I sometimes do differently is to use a loop off the top of the sheath as a belt loop, then you only need to attatch one point.

I also use rivets sometimes at the Bottom and top of the sheath for reenforcement, I avoid these for belt loop attachments as they will scratch a blade.
 
Nice job on the sheath, here is one I made for my 711. It rides high and has a slight forward cant.
 
Very nicely done!!! That looks miles better than my first attempt. You're a natural!:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
I'm planning on doing some sheath making myself soon, your project is giving me encouragment.
 
Very nice, I have half a cow hide worth of leather rolled in a corner of my room just waiting for me to get at it.

This thread has given me some motivation.
 
Thanks much for all the kind words! These were a lot of fun to make, and a large learning experience. Both are also sort of 'growing' on me. I'm the most excited about the mora sheath, assuming my belt loop holds.

EMSRescueGuy- Very few minutes after I had already cut out my basic shape I noticed that I should have included a strap on top to fold over into a belt loop! I wasn't too pleased, but later realised I didn't have the right amount of leather on my scraps anyway! Either way, this difference will be rectified in the future. I'd love to see pics of your sheaths if you ever get the chance.

IUKE12, I really like your sheath! That looks great! Every time I go to the maker's forum now, I'm in awe at the leatherwork they do (let alone the blades). This appreciation is reason enough to try making your own. How did you get your leather to look so good, what kind of finish? Do you have any rough estimate as to how thick your leather is (in inches perhaps?)? Good work!

Thanks for all of your encouragement, I willl surely being trying to make another (or two..) in the near future. I really haven't even tried working with stains or rivets. I also have a couple more designs for the fiskars that I really wanted to try. Maybe I'll sew a muzzle for the mut now...
 
SpookyPistolero,
I'm a newb when it comes to working with leather. Inspired by others here making leather and kydex sheaths, I decided to have at it. I picked up a 7 oz. [The thickness is 7/64"] piece at Tandy Leather and started to experiment with it. 8-9 oz is the suggested weight to use for sheath making, however I feel this 7 oz piece is more than sufficient. The finish is quite simple and now standard operating procedure for all my sheaths. I use Fiebing's oil dye, that's dark brown in the picture. I treat the leather after all the needle holes have been drilled and let it dry for 24 hours. Then I come along and do the sewing and follow up with some sno-seal and a heat gun. That's all there is to a nice finish that gets better with age.
 
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