Totally sliced through my handmade sheath

I

IrishSteel

Joined
Nov 12, 2012
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As it says in the title, I sliced through my sheath while putting my knife in it. It worked great for about a week and then tonight the stitching came out from the bottom. I used 8oz leather for both the outside of the sheath and the welt. I managed to slice through the welt and go through my stitching. Is there a trick I can use to make my welts such that my knife won't slice through them? I've read that using shoe sole leather instead of your typical 8oz shoulder can help but I don't have any experience with the stuff. If anyone has some recommendations on how I can prevent slicing the heck out of my welts I would appreciate it.
 
I've seen a tutorial where Paul long used jb weld to create a barrier between the blade and stitching. He is a member here (sheathmaker) pm him and ask him how he does it. He is a really nice guy and very helpful
 
I have made many, many straight knives in the past. I used what I was told was called "bends". I think it could have been called sole leather. There wasn't any problems reported when that was used. Frank
 
You can do a couple of things.

What thickness of welt leather are you using?

As some one else mentioned, you can drill holes in the welt before gluing it up. Put JB weld in them.

You can also use rivets, like many sheath makers do, though the look may not be as clean to the eye.

I have never had a slice through, but I tend to use a wider welt than many.
 
sunshadow said:
Mold the sheath in such a way that it keeps the edge off the welt

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+1 on this. It is safer and the knife should be less likely to rust if there isn't contact with the welt. Can you alter your design to stop the knife going lower?

Pics would be helpful. I get the impression its a taco style but its very hard to know...
 
sunshadow said:
Mold the sheath in such a way that it keeps the edge off the welt

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Click to expand...

My thought as well.
Have the sheeth meet the knives guard before the edge meets the welt.
Also glue well.
Rough up all leather you glue. Applie glue twice and let it drie before putting everything together.
Press down firmly or tap with a hammer.
This way you can replace leather shoe soles without stiching them.
 
I would be very surprised if your blade is actually cutting through the welt. I'll hazard a guess that the edge is somehow slipping between the front or back layer of the sheath, and the welt. Good gluing techniques and tight stitching will prevent that.

bladsmth said:
Another solution for very sharp knives is a Kydex liner inside the sheath.
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I respectfully disagree. Yes, kydex liners are hard to cut through, but they also dull fine edges. Kind of defeats the whole point, in my opinion.
 
james terrio said:
I respectfully disagree. Yes, kydex liners are hard to cut through, but they also dull fine edges. Kind of defeats the whole point, in my opinion.
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That is not my experience. But then again I took a suggestion of Mick Strider and tape up the blade then run a heat gun over the finished sheath to get a good fit not to tight or points of abrasion on the blade
 
Thank you all for the input! I'll try some experimenting. I used 8oz leather for the welt but I'll use shoe sole leather if I can track some down. I will also work on wet forming the sheath in such a way that the blade edge doesn't quite touch the welt. I did cut through the welt, but it was definitely closer to one side than the other. I'll be sure to be generous with the glue and keep my stitches as tight as I can. If I can get a hold of some Kydex for a liner I'll give it a shot and see how it turns out.
 
This might work:
Go to a local shoe repair shop and bring some donuts or so.
They throw away more shoe sole cut offs then you need for welds.
If the donuts are good they´ll show you how they glue leather on leather.
 
If the liner is heat shaped to the blade, and allowances for the edge to have clearance is factored in, there should be little problem. On high hardness blades, Rc 60+, the problem is probably less, too.
 
IrishSteel said:
I used 8oz leather for the welt but I'll use shoe sole leather if I can track some down...... I did cut through the welt, but it was definitely closer to one side than the other.
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I think the 8oz leather may be the issue, at least in part.

If your welt is substantially thicker than the blade, the fit can be loose and sloppy allowing the blade to track up into the welt seam. I try to match the welt thickness to that of the blade. My welts form an almost perfect fit to the blade when sheathed which prevents any of that slop.

I've also taken Paul Long's tip of using JB Weld in cases where an un-guarded(no guard) knife can be pushed down and through the welt. I've used his technique several times without any problems.
 
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