An Interesting Day....Alex & His Duke Of Edinburgh Award.....

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Angst

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Apr 15, 2010
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Hi....well today has been a bit different and even though i'm doing a show tomorrow and have a million things to do i'm really glad to have spent 3 hours with a nice young dude called Alex and thoroughly enjoyed myself...hope he did too.

a month or so back i received an email from his dad, Mark, asking for help. Alex had purchased a knife blade and (theyre both Scouts) decided that to get his D of E award he wanted to make a leather sheath for it.

i had absolutely no idea what was being asked of me so we had a chat on the phone and went from there.

basically they needed me to see what he'd done so far, offer instruction and away he goes to make another, which i'll appraise at a later date and will hopefully be so good that he'll get his D of E pass. if he turns out better than me i'll also take him on as my apprentice and pay him minimum wage so i can sit back and sunbathe.:cool:.....no pressure Alex lol!

as with most beginners the major issue was with his stitching (saddle) and awl work. he had also tried wetforming. i dont believe saddle stitching is as necessary as people make out, particularly for a newbie (getting holes in line front and back is very tricky) and i'm not a fan of wet-formed sheaths at all though he had managed to get a semi-decent grip on the awkward knife and with what seemes to be inferior leather. we discussed alternatives. he had in fact pretty much nailed the dimensions of the sheath and it was also well welted (something i didnt do on my own first sheaths).....clued up concerning safety (thank his upbringing/scouting).

so.....to get him going and to keep him keen before he quits due to not being able to master the higher levels of leatherwork i've recommended he try using a power drill for holes....stitch up-and-down.....use a bench grinder for the edges......make the sheath deeper and a friction-fitter and he'll also be adding in a belt loop.....i'm quite excited to see how he does....will update the post at later date....

and i hope he keeps his work area tidier than i do lol....

regards

s

ps.....dont forget to join bcuk Alex!





 
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Angst

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yo mike.....you are correct indeed sir.....heres my first ever sheath.....from what, 6 years ago?

i bought the wrong leather....put a belt loop on the back so tight you cant get ya belt through it.....used rivets too short (which are now falling out) and basically assed the whole thing up....

alex has maybe tried to run before he can walk....youtube is all well and good but i have strong opinions about a lot of its content and the way it comes across....often because of the makers of the info.....to me most of it is gumpf and used as a sales pitch.....anyway....before i go into yet another rant heres an opportunity for you all to give me some stick:





Nice one. A fully riveted sheath is also good for a beginner.

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mountainm

Bushcrafter through and through
Jan 12, 2011
9,990
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Selby
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Does the job.

Stitching pincers are also good for beginners.... Make it sooooo easy. Not a fan of drilling unless you go smaller than the thread size and struggle with the needle, don't like the round exit holes.

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Angst

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Apr 15, 2010
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forgot about stitching pincers.....do you have link to recommended pair? cant find on carp-bay....

i usually drill 1.5mm holes, use fat artificial sinew and pliers with no known complaints......i find saddle stitching more of a struggle than my method but thats just my opinion and i dont like the way its justified as being 'the way leather stitching should be done for all leatherwork '.

its called saddle stitch ....why......for saddles, yup thats right. a knife sheath is not a saddle and doesnt 'require' saddle stitching. and there are people all over the world that struggle (and probably give up) because they cant saddle stitch. i can saddle stitch and i teach it to people but equally i tell to drill and go up and down when necessary/appropriate. my granny used to darn my pants up and down and they never came undone. forgive the pun but its horses for courses.

i've also met several ''professional leathersmiths'' who have thought theyre saddle stitching and in fact they havnt been...(i've bitten my lip and been cracking up inside)...most seem to think its just a case of using two needles. i get annoyed by people with opinions theyve clearly not evolved for themselves nor thought about. ''experts''....yeah ok.

''if its not saddle stitched the thread will come undone if cut''.....rubbish.

''wetforming is the best way to keep your knife in its sheath''...balderdash.

aaaaargh i'm nearly ranting....

s

Does the job.

Stitching pincers are also good for beginners.... Make it sooooo easy. Not a fan of drilling unless you go smaller than the thread size and struggle with the needle, don't like the round exit holes.

Sent from my UMI eMAX using Tapatalk
 
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Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
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SE Wales
Nice one, Sonni; if we don't keep the youg 'uns coming on then there's nothing much left after a while, eh?

And best of luck, Alex :)
 

mountainm

Bushcrafter through and through
Jan 12, 2011
9,990
12
Selby
www.mikemountain.co.uk
If you go up and down on opposite sides it's practically saddle stitch. One side first then other. It's the way I used to do it. But I do think stitching does look neater if done saddle style. Pulling up and down as you go. Now I have a stitching pony it's easy to do it by the book.

Here you go:

http://goodsjapan.com/leathercraft-...tching-chisel-leather-nippers-2x3mm-539-p.asp

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Angst

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ta richard...yup twas a pleasure....and i knew youd like the blade floki!

darn right mac....the force is hopefully strong with alex.

yep mike a good saddle stitch does indeed look purdy.....and i explained all this to alex, showed him some of mine and also introduced him to my pony....ta for the link dude....just one thing....will they work ok on triple 3.5mm thickness with loadsa glue in between?

damn....ponys, horses for courses, saddles....do equestrians own the rights? lol.

s

Great one. Well done to Alex. And good for you passing on your skills and knowledge.
 
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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
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McBride, BC
This is tradition. Older, experienced artisans sharing hindsight and skills mentoring the beginners. Ten's of thousands of years in the making.
 

mountainm

Bushcrafter through and through
Jan 12, 2011
9,990
12
Selby
www.mikemountain.co.uk
Gap between jaws is 8mm. They could be modified to go wider with a bit of filling of the stops.

2 mins filling bought me an extra mm.

But on thicker leather I hold both edges together and punch. Then I glue welt to one side. Punch welt and one edge using existing holes to guide. Glue other side positioning with needles. Done

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forginhill

Settler
Dec 3, 2006
678
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The Desert
Inspiring post! There is a lot of good energy from a young person starting out....and I feel it. Good on you, S, for taking time out of your busy schedule to work with Alex. I like his knife and the sheath both. Hope this is just the beginning for him....
 

Angst

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Apr 15, 2010
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hi mike....cheers for the info.....i have indeed meant to get a set of these meself, if i recall it was you who mentioned them previously....they would certainly be helpful with a couple of my products.....

however.....i think for now young Alex may be better off just using his pops drill.....once hes in a position through experience to decide for himself these may be ideal for him with certain projects....

e-z!

s

ps ta forgin and robson.....it goes both ways:)
Gap between jaws is 8mm. They could be modified to go wider with a bit of filling of the stops.

2 mins filling bought me an extra mm.

But on thicker leather I hold both edges together and punch. Then I glue welt to one side. Punch welt and one edge using existing holes to guide. Glue other side positioning with needles. Done

Sent from my UMI eMAX using Tapatalk
 

Angst

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Apr 15, 2010
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hiya toddy....yup i've seen these but never used one and i've heard real mixed results....particularly about whether it would do when going through 1cm of glued shoulder....again like the pincers this may be more suitable for certain projects and suppler leathers/fabrics....

i started off using a pillar drill and pound for pound from a personal and business point of view-----quality of result/speed/ease of use------cant fault it.

hopefully alex will catch the bug and if he does he can find his way amongst the contributions and information on bcuk and in this thread.....at least 90percent of the info on this forum is accurate, given with a good heart and informative.....whereas with youtube its the other way round lol.

hes promised me he's going to register.....who knows, in a coupla years dready, hibrion, mike, lee and myself etc etc will all be going 'wow!'....

(no pressure Alex.....)

i also showed him some of the wooden spoons i have here that friends have carved for me (i've quite a few by my mate craig/leaflifebushcraft) and told him about kepis and his 'tooled finish' etc.....hes a scout, he camps, hes starting leatherwork....its all good.

s
 
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AHSmith

New Member
Apr 16, 2016
1
0
shepperton, england
Hi Sonni
Alex here and I'm sure you're happy to hear that I've joined bcuk but I bring some annoying news... I've had to take a long break from sheath making as exams are nearly upon me and will be coming thick and fast. But you will be glad to hear that as soon as they are over I shall be back to the workbench! sorry to keep you waiting and it's great to see all the support that everyone is giving me, I hope I don't let you all down!!!

Alex
 

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